Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Personal Liability of Officers and Directors
The Iowa Business Corporation Act (the “IBCA”) provides that a director or officer is not liable to the corporation or its shareholders for money damages resulting from any action taken or failure to take any action in the discharge of the person’s duties except liability for any of the following: (a) the amount of any financial benefit to which the person is not entitled; (b) an intentional infliction of harm on the corporation or the shareholders; (c) a violation of Section 490.833 of the IBCA relating to unlawful distributions; or (d) an intentional violation of criminal law.
The Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation, as amended (the “Articles”) reflect the provisions of the IBCA relating to personal liability of directors. The Articles provide that if the IBCA is amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation of the personal liability of directors, then automatically and without any further action, the liability of a director, in addition to the limitation on personal liability provided in the Articles, shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the IBCA.
Indemnification
The IBCA permits a corporation to indemnify a director who is a party to a proceeding because the individual is a director against liability incurred in the proceeding if either (1)(a) the individual acted in good faith; (b) the individual reasonably believed (i) in the case of conduct in the individual’s official capacity, that the individual’s conduct was in the best interests of the corporation and (ii) in all other cases, that the individual’s conduct was at least not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; and (c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the individual had no reasonable cause to believe the individual’s conduct was unlawful; or (2) the individual engaged in conduct for which broader indemnification has been made permissible or obligatory under a provision of the corporation’s articles of incorporation as authorized by the IBCA. In certain cases a court may order the indemnification or advancement of expenses.
The IBCA also provides that unless ordered by a court pursuant to the IBCA, a corporation shall not indemnify a director under the permissible indemnification provisions in either of the following circumstances: (1) in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation, except for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding if it is determined that the director has met the relevant standard of conduct set forth in the preceding paragraph or (2) in connection with any proceeding with respect to conduct for which the director was adjudged liable on the basis that the director received a financial benefit to which the director was not entitled, whether or not involving action in the director’s official capacity.
With respect to officers, the IBCA permits a corporation to indemnify and advance expenses to an officer of the corporation who is a party to a proceeding because the person is an officer, according to all of the following: (1) to the same extent as to a director; and (2) if the person is an officer but not a director, to such further extent as may be provided by the articles of incorporation, the bylaws, a resolution of the Board of Directors, or contract, except for either of the following: (a) liability in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation other than for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding or (b) liability arising out of conduct that constitutes any of the following: (A) receipt by the officer of a financial benefit to which the officer is not entitled; (B) an intentional infliction of harm on the corporation; and (C) an intentional violation of criminal law. An officer of a corporation who is not a director is entitled to mandatory indemnification in certain circumstances and may apply to a
court for indemnification or an advance for expenses to the same extent to which a director may be entitled to indemnification or advance for expenses.
The Articles provide that the Registrant shall indemnify a director for liability, as defined in the IBCA, to any person for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, as a director, except liability for any of the following: (1) receipt of a financial benefit to which the person is not entitled; (2) an intentional infliction of harm on the Registrant or its shareholders; (3) a violation of Section 490.833 of the IBCA relating to unlawful distributions; or (4) an intentional violation of criminal law. Also, the Registrant shall exercise all of its permissive powers as often as necessary to indemnify and advance expenses to its directors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
The Registrant’s bylaws provide with respect to directors that the Registrant shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify and hold harmless each director, and if the Board of Directors adopts a plan of indemnification, the Registrant’s indemnification arrangement shall be as described in that plan. The rights of indemnification provided for in the plan shall not be deemed exclusive of any other right to which a director may be entitled. In addition to any other indemnification permitted by law, the Registrant shall indemnify and hold harmless each director now or hereafter serving the Registrant or any of its subsidiaries for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, as a director, except liability for any of the following: (1) the amount of a financial benefit received by a director to which the director is not entitled; (2) an intentional infliction of harm on the Registrant or its shareholders; (3) a violation of Section 490.833 of the IBCA relating to unlawful distributions; or (4) an intentional violation of criminal law.
With respect to officers, the Registrant’s bylaws provide that in addition to any other indemnification permitted by law, the Registrant shall indemnify and advance expenses to an officer of the Registrant who is a party to the proceeding because the person is an officer (1) to the same extent as to a director and (2) if the person is an officer but not a director, to such further extent as may be provided by the Articles, the bylaws, a resolution of the Board of Directors, or contract, except for (a) liability in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the Registrant other than for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding and (b) liability arising out of conduct that constitutes (i) receipt by the officer of a financial benefit to which the officer is not entitled, (ii) an intentional infliction of harm on the Registrant or its shareholders, or (iii) an intentional violation of criminal law.
The IBCA also provides for mandatory indemnification of a director or an officer who was wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which the director or officer was a party because the director or officer is or was a director or officer of the corporation against reasonable expenses incurred by the director or officer in connection with the proceeding.
The directors and officers of the Registrant are covered in such capacities by insurance policies insuring and indemnifying them under some circumstances against certain liabilities, including costs of defense, settlement, payment of a judgment and liabilities arising under the Securities Act.
The above discussion of the IBCA and the Registrant’s Articles and bylaws is not intended to be exhaustive and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the IBCA, as well as the Registrant’s Articles and bylaws which are attached to this Registration Statement as exhibits.
Item 9. Undertakings.
(a) The Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(b) The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.