EMCF Emclaire Financial Corporation

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF

SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD APRIL 25, 2018

GENERAL

Introduction, Date, Place and Time of Meeting

This Proxy Statement is being furnished for the solicitation by the Board of Directors of Emclaire Financial Corp (the “Corporation”), a Pennsylvania business corporation and the bank holding company for the Farmers National Bank of Emlenton (the “Bank”), of proxies to be voted at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Corporation to be held at the main office of the Bank, 612 Main Street, Emlenton, Pennsylvania 16373, on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. local time, or at any adjournment or postponement of the annual meeting.

The main office of the Corporation is located at 612 Main Street, Emlenton, Pennsylvania 16373. The telephone number for the Corporation is (844) 767-2311. All inquiries should be directed to William C. Marsh, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. This Proxy Statement and the enclosed form of proxy are first being sent to shareholders of the Corporation on March 23, 2018. This Proxy Statement and the Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 are available in the Financial Information section on our website at www.emclairefinancial.com and www.sec.gov.

How to Vote

Shareholders may vote (i) via the Internet at www.voteproxy.com by following the instructions contained on that website, (ii) by telephone at 1-800-776-9437, (iii) by completing and signing the enclosed proxy card and returning it promptly in the enclosed, postage prepaid, addressed envelope, or (iv) appearing at the annual meeting and voting in person. Proxies properly executed and delivered by shareholders (via the Internet, telephone or by mail as described above) and timely received by us will be voted at the annual meeting in accordance with the instructions contained therein.  If you authorize a proxy to vote your shares over the Internet or by telephone, you should not return a proxy by mail (unless you are revoking your previous proxy).

Solicitation of Proxies

The proxy solicited hereby, if properly voted via the Internet or telephone or signed and returned to us and not revoked prior to its use, will be voted in accordance with your instructions contained in the proxy. If no contrary instructions are given, each proxy signed and received will be voted in the manner recommended by the Board of Directors as follows: (i) FOR the nominees for director described herein; (ii) FOR the amendment of the Corporation’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Articles”) to eliminate the current supermajority voting provision for a merger or similar transaction in certain circumstances; (iii) FOR the ratification of Crowe Horwath LLP, as the Corporation’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2018; and (iv) upon the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting, in accordance with the best judgment of the persons appointed as proxies. Proxies solicited hereby may be exercised only at the annual meeting and any adjournment of the annual meeting and will not be used for any other meeting. Execution and return of the enclosed proxy will not affect a shareholder’s right to attend the annual meeting and vote in person.

The cost of preparing, assembling, mailing and soliciting proxies will be borne by the Corporation. The Corporation has retained Laurel Hill Advisory Group, LLC, Jericho, New York, a professional proxy solicitation firm, to assist in the solicitation of proxies. Such firm will receive a fee of $6,000 plus reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to solicitations by mail, directors, officers and employees of the Corporation may solicit proxies personally or by telephone without additional compensation. In addition to the use of the mail, certain directors, officers and employees of the Corporation intend to solicit proxies personally, by telephone and by facsimile. Arrangements will be made with brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward proxy solicitation material to the beneficial owners of stock held of record by these persons, and, upon request, the Corporation will reimburse them for their reasonable forwarding expenses.

Quorum

The presence of shareholders, in person or by proxy, entitled to cast at least a majority of the votes which all shareholders are entitled to cast shall constitute a quorum at the annual meeting. Abstentions, broker non-votes, which are discussed below, and votes withheld from director nominees count as “shares present” at the meeting for purposes of determining a quorum.

Voting

At the close of business on March 1, 2018, the voting record date, the Corporation had outstanding 2,271,139 shares of common stock, $1.25 par value per share. Only shareholders of record, at the close of business on the voting record date, will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. Each issued and outstanding share of common stock owned on the record date will be entitled to one vote on each matter to be voted on at the annual meeting, in person or by proxy. 

Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast with a quorum present. The three nominees for director receiving the most votes of the common stock represented in person or by proxy at the annual meeting will be elected as directors. The affirmative vote of 80% of the outstanding shares of common stock is required to amend our Articles to eliminate the current supermajority voting provision for a merger or similar transaction in certain circumstances. The affirmative vote of a majority of the total votes present in person or by proxy is required to ratify the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm.

With regard to the election of directors, you may vote in favor of or withhold authority to vote for one or more nominees for director. Votes that are withheld in connection with the election of one or more nominees for director will not be counted as votes cast for such individuals and accordingly will have no effect. An abstention may be specified on the proposals to amend our Articles or to ratify the appointment of Crowe Horwath LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2018. Abstentions will have the same effect as a vote against these proposals.

Under rules applicable to broker-dealers, the proposal for the election of directors and to amend our Articles are considered to be non-routine matters. Brokerage firms may not vote on non-routine matters in their discretion on behalf of their clients if such clients have not furnished voting instructions. A “broker non-vote” occurs when a broker’s customer does not provide the broker with voting instructions on non-routine matters for shares owned by the customer but held in the name of the broker. For such non-routine matters, the broker cannot vote on the proposal and reports the number of such shares as “non-votes.” Because the election of directors and the proposal to amend our Articles are not considered routine matters, there potentially can be “broker non-votes” at the annual meeting. Any “broker non-votes” submitted by brokers or nominees in connection with the annual meeting will have no effect on the vote for the election of directors. However, a broker non-vote on the proposal to amend our Articles will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal.

Accordingly, because of the required vote, abstentions, broker-non-votes and unvoted shares on the proposal to amend our Articles of Incorporation will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal. Please vote your proxy by mail, via the Internet or by telephone as soon as practicable so your vote can be counted.

Revocation of Proxies and Changing a Vote

A shareholder who votes via the Internet (as described above) or telephone (as described above) or returns a proxy via mail may revoke it at any time before it is voted by: (i) delivering written notice of revocation to Matthew J. Lucco, Secretary, Emclaire Financial Corp, 612 Main Street, Post Office Box D, Emlenton, Pennsylvania 16373, telephone: (844) 767-2311; or (ii) voting in person at the annual meeting after giving written notice to the Secretary of the Corporation. Executing and returning a later-dated proxy and giving written notice thereof to the Secretary of the Corporation or voting again via the Internet or telephone will revoke the earlier voted proxy. Only the latest dated proxy, ballot or Internet or telephone proxy submitted by a shareholder prior to the annual meeting will be counted.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON APRIL 25, 2018

The proxy materials for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Emclaire Financial Corp, including the Proxy Statement and the Corporation’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, are available in the Financial Information section on our website at www.emclairefinancial.com or www.sec.gov.

PRINCIPAL BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF THE CORPORATION’S COMMON STOCK

Persons and groups owning in excess of 5% of the common stock are required to file certain reports regarding such ownership pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”). The following table sets forth, as of the voting record date, certain information as to the common stock beneficially owned by (i) persons or groups who own more than 5% of the common stock, (ii) the directors of the Corporation, (iii) certain executive officers of the Corporation included in the Summary Compensation Table (which we refer to as “named executive officers”), and (iv) all directors and executive officers of the Corporation as a group. Other than as noted below, management knows of no person or group that owns more than 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock at the voting record date.

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

The Corporation’s common stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the 1934 Act. The officers and directors of the Corporation and beneficial owners of greater than 10% of the common stock are required to file reports on Forms 3, 4, and 5 with the SEC disclosing changes in beneficial ownership of the common stock. Based on the Corporation’s review of such ownership reports, to the Corporation’s knowledge, no executive officer, director, or 10% beneficial owner of the Corporation failed to file such ownership reports on a timely basis for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, except that Milissa S. Bauer, a director, filed late one Form 4 with respect to the sale of 20 shares of common stock in December 2017.

INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO NOMINEES FOR DIRECTOR,

CONTINUING DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Election of Directors

The Corporation has a classified Board of Directors with staggered three-year terms of office. In a classified board, the directors are generally divided into separate classes of equal number. The terms of the separate classes expire in successive years. Thus, at each annual meeting of shareholders, successors to the class of directors whose term then expires are to be elected to hold office for a term of three years, so that the office of one class will expire each year.

A majority of the members of our Board of Directors are independent based on an assessment of each member’s qualifications by the Board, taking into consideration the NASDAQ Stock Market’s requirements for independence. The Board of Directors has concluded that Directors Bauer, Cox, Crooks, Freeman, Freemer, Hunter, Mason, McCarrier and Varischetti do not have any material relationships with the Corporation that would impair their independence. There are no arrangements or understandings between the Corporation and any person pursuant to which such person has been elected a director. Shareholders of the Corporation are not permitted to cumulate their votes for the election of directors.

Unless otherwise directed, each proxy executed and returned by a shareholder will be voted for the election of the nominees for director listed below. If the person named as nominee should be unable or unwilling to stand for election at the time of the annual meeting, the proxies will nominate and vote for one or more replacement nominees recommended by the Board of Directors. At this time, the Board of Directors knows of no reason why the nominees listed below may not be able to serve as a director if elected. Any vacancy occurring on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for any reason may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office until the expiration of the term of office of the class of directors to which he or she was appointed. Ages are reflected as of December 31, 2017.

The Board of Directors recommends that you vote “FOR” for each of the nominees for director.

Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

Board Leadership Structure. Since the Corporation was founded in 1989, the Corporation has employed a traditional board leadership model, with our Chief Executive Officer also serving as Chairman of our Board of Directors. We believe this traditional leadership structure benefits the Corporation. A combined Chairman and Chief Executive Officer role helps provide strong, unified leadership for our management team and Board of Directors. William C. Marsh has served as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since January 1, 2009. Prior to becoming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Marsh served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation beginning in 2006. Our Board of Directors is currently comprised of ten directors of which nine, or a majority, are independent directors. The board has three standing committees with separate chairs—the audit, executive and human resources committees. The audit committee and human resources committee are led by independent directors and our executive committee is comprised of a majority of independent directors. We do not have a lead independent director position. The Board has reviewed our Corporation’s current Board leadership structure in light of the composition of the Board, the Corporation’s size, the nature of the Corporation’s business, the regulatory framework under which the Corporation operates, the Corporation’s shareholder base, the Corporation’s peer group and other relevant factors, and has determined that a combined Chairman and Chief Executive Officer position, is currently the most appropriate Board leadership structure for our Corporation. The Board noted the following factors in reaching its determination:

Risk Oversight. The Board’s role in the Corporation’s risk oversight process includes receiving regular reports from members of senior management on areas of material risk to the Corporation, including operational, financial, legal and regulatory, and strategic and reputational risks. The full Board (or the appropriate committee in the case of risks that are under the purview of a particular committee) receives these reports from the appropriate “risk owner” within the organization to enable it to understand our risk identification, risk management and risk mitigation strategies. When a committee receives the report, the Chairman of the relevant committee reports on the discussion to the full Board during the next Board meeting. This enables the Board and its committees to coordinate the risk oversight role, particularly with respect to risk interrelationships.

Directors Attendance at Annual Meetings

Although we do not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of the Board of Directors at annual meetings of shareholders, all directors are expected to attend the Corporation’s annual meeting of shareholders. Seven of the ten directors of the Corporation at the time attended the Corporation’s 2017 annual meeting of shareholders.

Committees and Meetings of the Corporation and the Bank

During 2017, the Board of Directors of the Corporation held seven regular meetings and five special meetings, and the Board of Directors of the Bank held 13 regular meetings and two special meetings. Each of the directors attended at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the combined total number of meetings of the Corporation’s Board of Directors and of the committees on which they serve.

Membership on Certain Board Committees. The Board of Directors of the Corporation has established an audit committee, executive committee, human resources committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. The human resources committee functions as the Corporation’s compensation committee.

The following table sets forth the membership of such committees as of the date of this proxy statement.

Audit Committee. The audit committee of the Board is composed of six members and operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors. During 2017, the audit committee consisted of Directors Freemer (Chairman), Bauer, Crooks, Hunter, McCarrier and Varischetti. The Board of Directors has identified Mark A. Freemer as an audit committee financial expert. The audit committee met four times in 2017. The Board of Directors has determined that each committee member is “independent,” as defined by Corporation policy, SEC rules and the NASDAQ listing standards.

The audit committee charter adopted by the Board sets out the responsibilities, authority and specific duties of the audit committee. The full text of the audit committee charter is available on our website at www.emclairefinancial.com. Pursuant to the charter, the audit committee has the following responsibilities:

Human Resources Committee . The human resources committee of the Board functions as the compensation committee and has the responsibility to evaluate the performance of and determine the compensation for the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, to approve the compensation structure for senior management and the members of the Board of Directors, to review the Corporation’s salary administration program, and to review and administer the Corporation’s bonus plans, including the management incentive program.

The human resources committee, which is currently composed entirely of independent directors, administers the Corporation’s executive compensation program. In 2017, the members of the human resources committee consisted of Directors Hunter (Chairman), Freemer, Mason, McCarrier and Varischetti. All of the members meet all of the independence requirements under the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Stock Market.

The human resources committee is committed to high standards of corporate governance. The human resources committee’s charter reflects the foregoing responsibilities and commitment, and the human resources committee and the Board will periodically review and revise the charter, as appropriate. The full text of the human resources committee charter is available on our website at www.emclairefinancial.com. The human resources committee’s membership is determined by the Board. There were three meetings of the full human resources committee in 2017.

The human resources committee has exercised exclusive authority over the compensation paid to the Corporation’s Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer and reviews and approves salary increases and bonuses for the Corporation’s other executive officers as prepared and submitted to the human resources committee by the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer. Although the human resources committee does not delegate any of its authority for determining executive compensation, the human resources committee has the authority under its charter to engage the services of outside advisors, experts and others to assist the human resources committee.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Corporation has established a nominating and corporate governance committee to identify and recommend to the full Board of Directors the selection of qualified individuals to serve as Board members, recommend to the full Board director nominees for each annual meeting of shareholders, review existing corporate governance documents, establish corporate governance principles applicable to the Corporation and to govern the conduct of the Board and its members, and review nominations for director submitted by shareholders. During 2017, the members of this committee were Messrs. Hunter (Chairman), Cox, Freemer and Mason. Each of these persons is independent within the meaning of the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. The nominating and corporate governance committee operates pursuant to a written charter, which can be viewed on our website at www.emclairefinancial.com . The nominating and corporate governance committee met one time in connection with the nominations for the election of directors at the annual meeting.

The nominating and corporate governance committee considers candidates for director suggested by its members and other directors, as well as management and shareholders. The nominating and corporate governance committee also may solicit prospective nominees. The committee will also consider whether to nominate any person nominated pursuant to the provision of our bylaws relating to shareholder nominations. The nominating and corporate governance committee has the authority and ability to retain a search firm to identify or evaluate potential nominees if it so desires.

The charter of the nominating and corporate governance committee sets forth certain criteria the committee may consider when recommending individuals for nomination as director including: (a) ensuring that the Board of Directors, as a whole, is diverse and consists of individuals with various and relevant career experience, relevant technical skills, industry knowledge and experience, financial expertise (including expertise that could qualify a director as a “financial expert,” as that term is defined by the rules of the SEC), local or community ties and (b) minimum individual qualifications, including strength of character, mature judgment, familiarity with our business and industry, independence of thought and an ability to work collegially. The committee also may consider the extent to which the candidate would fill a present need on the Board of Directors.

Once the nominating and corporate governance committee has identified a prospective nominee, the committee makes an initial determination as to whether to conduct a full evaluation of the candidate. This initial determination is based on whatever information is provided to the committee with the recommendation of the prospective candidate, as well as the committee’s own knowledge of the prospective candidate, which may be supplemented by inquiries to the person making the recommendation or others.

Section 10.1 of our bylaws governs shareholder nominations for election to the Board of Directors and requires all nominations for election to the Board of Directors by a shareholder to be made pursuant to timely notice in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation. To be timely, a shareholders’ notice must be received by the Corporation not later than 60 days prior to the annual meeting called for the election of directors. Each written notice of a shareholder nomination must set forth certain information specified in the bylaws. Any nomination of any person not made in compliance with the procedures set forth in the bylaws shall be disregarded by the presiding officer of the meeting and any votes for such nominee shall be disregarded.

Executive Officers Who are Not Directors

Set forth below is information with respect to the principal occupations during at least the last five years for the current executive officers of the Corporation who do not serve as directors. All executive officers of the Corporation are elected annually by the Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board. There are no arrangements or understandings between the executive officers and the Corporation and any person pursuant to which such persons have been selected officers. Ages are reflected as of December 31, 2017.

Jennifer A. Roxbury, age 48. Ms. Roxbury is Assistant Secretary of the Corporation and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Bank. Ms. Roxbury was appointed Assistant Secretary in 2016 and has served in her role at the Bank since October 2011.

Matthew J. Lucco, age 38. Mr. Lucco is Secretary of the Corporation and Senior Vice President and Chief Risk and Strategy Officer of the Bank, positons he has held since July 2017. Previously, Mr. Lucco served as Treasurer of the Corporation from August 2010 until July 2017 and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Bank from August 2010 until July 2017 and as Chief Credit Officer of the Bank from January 2016 until July 2017.

Amanda L. Engles, Age 39 . Ms. Engles is Treasurer of the Corporation and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Bank, positions she has held since July 2017. Ms. Engles previously served as Principal Accounting Officer and Secretary of the Corporation as well as Vice President and Controller of the Bank since October 2007. She previously served as Treasurer of the Corporation from October 2007 through August 2010.