DEF 14A 1 d286004ddef14a.htm DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT Definitive Proxy Statement
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.     )

 

 

Filed by the Registrant  ☒                             Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

 

  Preliminary Proxy Statement
  Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
  Definitive Proxy Statement
  Definitive Additional Materials
  Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

Independent Bank Group, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

 

  No fee required.
  Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11.

 

   (1)    Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
     

 

   (2)    Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
     

 

   (3)    Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
     

 

   (4)    Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
     

 

   (5)    Total fee paid:
     

 

   Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
   Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
   (1)    Amount Previously Paid:
     

 

   (2)    Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
     

 

   (3)    Filing Party:
     

 

   (4)    Date Filed:
     

 

 

 

 


Table of Contents

LOGO

April 28, 2017

Dear Shareholder:

On behalf of our Board of Directors, I invite you to attend the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in the Ballroom of The Grand Hotel, 114 West Louisiana Street, McKinney Texas 75069, on Thursday, May 25, 2017, at 3:30 p.m., Central Time.

The purposes of the meeting are set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and proxy statement. Additionally, we will review our operating results for 2016 and plans for the year ahead.

Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, it is important that your shares be represented. Please take a moment to complete, date, sign and return the enclosed proxy card as soon as possible, or use Internet or telephone voting according to the instructions on the proxy card. You may also attend and vote at the meeting.

We appreciate your continued support of our company and look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting.

 

Sincerely,
   LOGO
David R. Brooks
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer


Table of Contents

LOGO

1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400

McKinney, Texas 75069-3257

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To the shareholders of Independent Bank Group, Inc.:

The annual meeting of shareholders (the “meeting”) of Independent Bank Group, Inc. (the “Company”), will be held on Thursday, May 25, 2017, at 3:30 p.m., Central Time, in the Ballroom of The Grand Hotel, 114 West Louisiana Street, McKinney Texas 75069, for the following purposes:

 

  1. To elect four (4) Class I directors to serve on the board of directors of the Company until the Company’s 2020 annual meeting of shareholders, and each until his respective successor is duly elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation or removal;

 

  2. To ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2017; and

 

  3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

A proxy statement describing these proposals is attached. If you have any questions concerning the proxy statement, would like additional copies of the proxy statement or need help voting your shares of the Company’s common stock, please contact Jan Webb, the Company’s Corporate Secretary, at (972) 562-9004.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

     LOGO

Jan C. Webb

Corporate Secretary

McKinney, Texas

April 28, 2017

Your Vote is Important

A proxy card is enclosed. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, please vote by completing, signing and dating the proxy card and promptly mailing it in the enclosed envelope or via the Internet or by telephone pursuant to the instructions provided on the enclosed proxy card. You may revoke your proxy card in the manner described in the proxy statement at any time before it is exercised. If you attend the meeting, you may vote in person if you desire, even if you have previously returned your proxy card or submitted your vote via the Internet or by telephone.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THE MEETING

     1  

PROPOSAL 1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

     7  

Classification of the Company’s Directors

     7  

Election Procedures; Term of Office

     7  

Nominees for Election

     7  

Shareholder Approval

     9  

CURRENT EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

     10  

Director and Executive Officer Information

     10  

Board Composition

     13  

Board of Director Meetings

     14  

Shareholder Communications with Directors

     14  

BOARD AND COMMITTEE MATTERS

     15  

Director Independence

     15  

Board Leadership Structure

     15  

Board Committees

     15  

Audit Committee

     15  

Report of the Audit Committee

     16  

Independent Auditors

     17  

Fees Paid to Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     17  

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy

     18  

Compensation Committee

     18  

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

     19  

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

     20  

Director Nominations

     21  

Strategic Planning Committee

     22  

Code of Conduct; Code of Ethics for Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers

     23  

Corporate Governance Guidelines

     23  

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND OTHER MATTERS

     24  

Summary Compensation Table

     24  

Narrative Discussion of Summary Compensation Table

     25  

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

     27  

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

     29  

Director Compensation

     29  

Chief Executive Officer Compensation

     29  

Agreements and Arrangements with Named Executive Officers

     30  

Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors

     31  

Compensation Policies and Practices and the Company’s Risk Management

     32  

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

     33  

Related Person Transaction Review Policy

     33  

Related Person Transactions

     34  

BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK BY MANAGEMENT AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY

     36  

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

     38  

PROPOSAL 2. RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

     39  

DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR 2018 ANNUAL MEETING

     40  

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

     40  

OTHER MATTERS

     41  


Table of Contents

 

PROXY STATEMENT FOR

2017 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017

 

 

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this proxy statement to “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company,” “the Company” or “Independent” refer to Independent Bank Group, Inc., a Texas corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries as a whole; references to the “Bank” refer to Independent Bank (which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Independent). In addition, unless the context otherwise requires, references to “shareholders” are to the holders of our voting securities, which consist of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share (our “common stock”).

This proxy statement is being furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the board of directors of the Company for use at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company to be held in the Ballroom of The Grand Hotel, 114 West Louisiana Street, McKinney Texas 75069, on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 3:30 p.m., Central Time, and any adjournments thereof for the purposes set forth in this proxy statement and the accompanying notice of the meeting. This proxy statement, the notice of the meeting and the enclosed proxy card are first being sent to shareholders on or about April 28, 2017.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE 2017 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017

Pursuant to rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Company is providing access to its proxy materials both by sending you this full set of proxy materials and by notifying you of the availability of its proxy materials on the Internet. You may access the following information at www.ibtx.com:

 

   

Notice of 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Thursday, May 25, 2017;

 

   

Proxy Statement for 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Thursday, May 25, 2017;

 

   

Form of Proxy; and

 

   

Annual Report to Shareholders, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.


Table of Contents

ABOUT THE MEETING

When and where will the meeting be held?

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m., Central Time, on Thursday, May 25, 2017, in the Ballroom of The Grand Hotel, 114 West Louisiana Street, McKinney Texas 75069.

What is the purpose of the Meeting?

This is the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders. At the meeting, shareholders will act upon the matters outlined in the notice attached to this proxy statement, including the following:

 

  1.

To elect four (4) Class I directors to serve on the board of directors of the Company until the Company’s 2020 annual meeting of shareholders, and each until his respective successor is duly elected and qualified or until his resignation or removal;

 

  2.

To ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2017; and

 

  3.

To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

Who are the nominees for Class I directors?

The following four persons have been nominated for reelection:

Daniel W. Brooks

Craig E. Holmes

Tom C. Nichols

G. Stacy Smith

The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the election of each of the nominees listed above for election to the Board of Directors.

How do I vote?

You may attend the meeting and vote in person, or you may vote by proxy.

What is a proxy?

A proxy is another person that you legally designate to vote your stock. If you designate someone as your proxy in a written document, that document is also called a “proxy” or a “proxy card.”

What is a proxy statement?

A proxy statement is a document that describes the matters to be voted upon at the meeting and provides additional information about the Company. Pursuant to regulations of the SEC, we are required to provide you with a proxy statement containing certain information when we ask you to sign and return a proxy card to vote your stock at a meeting of the Company’s shareholders.

Who is entitled to vote at the annual meeting?

The holders of record of the Company’s common stock as of 5:00 p.m. (Central Time) on April 13, 2017, which is the date that the Company’s board of directors has fixed as the record date for the meeting, are entitled to vote at the meeting.

 

1


Table of Contents

What is the record date and what does it mean?

The record date to determine the shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting is the close of business on April 13, 2017. The record date is established by the board as required by Texas law. On the record date, 27,767,224 shares of our common stock were outstanding.

What are the voting rights of the shareholders?

Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock registered, on the record date, in such holder’s name on the books of the Company on all matters to be acted upon at the annual meeting. The Company’s certificate of formation prohibits cumulative voting.

The holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock must be represented at the annual meeting, in person or by proxy, in order to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. At any annual meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, the chairman of the annual meeting or the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding common stock, present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting, may adjourn the annual meeting from time to time without notice or other announcement.

What is the difference between a shareholder of record and a “street name” holder?

If your shares are registered directly in your name with Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, the Company’s stock transfer agent, you are considered the shareholder of record with respect to those shares. The proxy statement and proxy card have been sent directly to you by Wells Fargo Shareowner Services at the Company’s request.

If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, the nominee is considered the record holder of those shares. You are considered the beneficial owner of these shares, and your shares are held in “street name.” The proxy statement and proxy card have been forwarded to you by your nominee. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your nominee concerning how to vote your shares by using the voting instructions your nominee included in the mailing or by following its instructions for voting.

What is a broker non-vote?

A broker non-vote occurs when a broker holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the broker does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that item and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner. Your broker has discretionary authority to vote your shares with respect to the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 2). In the absence of specific instructions from you, your broker does not have discretionary authority to vote your shares with respect to the election of directors to our board (Proposal 1).

What should I do if I receive more than one set of voting materials?

You may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you will receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. Similarly, if you are a shareholder of record and hold shares in a brokerage account, you will receive a proxy card for shares held in your name and a voting instruction card for shares held in “street name.” Please complete, sign, date and return each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive to ensure that all your shares are voted.

 

2


Table of Contents

What do I need to do now?

After you have thoroughly read and considered the information contained in this proxy statement, you simply need to vote your shares of common stock, either in person or by proxy, at the annual meeting. The process for voting your shares depends on how your shares are held as described above.

If you are a record holder on the record date for the annual meeting, you may vote by proxy or you may attend the annual meeting and vote in person. If you are a record holder and want to vote your shares by proxy, you have three ways to vote:

 

   

simply indicate on the proxy card(s) applicable to your common stock how you want to vote and sign, date and mail your proxy card(s) in the enclosed pre-addressed postage-paid envelope as soon as possible to ensure that it will be received in advance of the annual meeting;

 

   

call 1-866-883-3382 using a touch-tone telephone and follow the instructions provided on the call; or

 

   

go to the website www.proxypush.com/ibtx and follow the instructions for Internet voting on that website.

Your proxy card must be received by the Company by no later than the time the polls close for voting at the annual meeting for your vote to be counted at the annual meeting. Please note that telephone and Internet voting will close at 11:59 p.m., Central Time, on Wednesday, May 24, 2017.

Voting your shares by proxy will enable your shares of common stock to be represented and voted at the annual meeting if you do not attend the annual meeting and vote your shares in person.

What are the Board’s recommendations on how I should vote my shares?

The Board recommends that you vote your shares as follows:

Proposal 1FOR the election of each nominee for director; and

Proposal 2FOR the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for 2017.

How will my shares be voted if I return a signed and dated proxy card, but don’t specify how my shares will be voted?

If you are a record holder who returns a completed proxy card that does not specify how you want to vote your shares on one or more proposals, the proxies will vote your shares for each proposal as to which you provide no voting instructions, and such shares will be voted in the following manner:

Proposal 1FOR the election of each nominee for director; and

Proposal 2FOR the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for 2017.

If you are a “street name” holder and do not provide voting instructions on one or more proposals, your bank, broker or other nominee will be unable to vote those shares, except that the nominee will have discretion to vote on the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP (Proposal 2).

 

3


Table of Contents

What are my choices when voting?

In the election of directors, you may vote for all director nominees or you may withhold your vote as to one or more director nominees. With respect to each of the other proposals, you may vote for the proposal, against the proposal or abstain from voting on the proposal.

Can I attend the annual meeting and vote in person?

Yes. All shareholders are invited to attend the annual meeting. Shareholders of record on the record date for the annual meeting can vote in person at the annual meeting.

If your shares of common stock are held in “street name,” then you are not the shareholder of record. In order for you to vote the shares that you beneficially own and that are held in “street name” in person at the annual meeting, you must bring a legal proxy from the broker, bank or other nominee that was the record holder of your shares held in “street name” as of 5:00 p.m. (Central Time) on Thursday, April 13, 2017, confirming that you were the beneficial owner of those shares as of 5:00 p.m. (Central Time) on Thursday, April 13, 2017, stating the number of shares of which you were the beneficial owner that were held for your benefit at that time by that broker, bank or other nominee and appointing you as the record holder’s proxy to vote the shares covered by that proxy at the annual meeting.

May I change my vote after I have submitted my proxy card?

Yes. Regardless of the method used to cast a vote, if a shareholder is a holder of record, he or she may change his or her vote by:

 

   

delivering to the Company prior to the annual meeting a written notice of revocation addressed to: Jan Webb, Corporate Secretary, 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069-3257;

 

   

completing, signing and returning a new proxy card with a later date than your original proxy card prior to such time that the proxy card for any such holder of common stock must be received, and any earlier proxy will be revoked automatically;

 

   

logging onto the Internet website specified on your proxy card in the same manner you would to submit your proxy electronically or by calling the telephone number specified on your proxy card, in each case if you are eligible to do so and following the instructions indicated on the proxy card; or

 

   

attending the annual meeting and voting in person, and any earlier proxy will be revoked. However, simply attending the annual meeting without voting will not revoke your proxy.

If your shares are held in “street name” and you desire to change any voting instructions you have previously given to the record holder of the shares of which you are the beneficial owner, you should contact the broker, bank or other nominee holding your shares in “street name” in order to direct a change in the manner your shares will be voted.

What percentage of the vote is required to approve each proposal?

Assuming the presence of a quorum, the four (4) director nominees who receive the most votes from the holders of the shares of our common stock for their election will be elected, i.e., the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the shares of common stock voting at the annual meeting is required for the election of the director nominees (Proposal 1).

 

4


Table of Contents

The ratification of RSM US LLP’s appointment as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2017 (Proposal 2) will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of the Company’s common stock entitled to vote and present in person or represented by proxy at the annual meeting.

How are broker non-votes and abstentions treated?

Brokers, as holders of record, are permitted to vote on certain routine matters, but not on non-routine matters. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker does not have discretionary authority to vote the shares and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares. The only routine matter to be presented at the annual meeting is the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 2). If you hold shares in street name and do not provide voting instructions to your broker, those shares will be counted as broker non-votes for all non-routine matters.

A broker non-vote or a withholding of authority to vote with respect to one or more nominees for director will not have the effect of a vote against such nominee or nominees because broker non-votes and abstentions are counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum, but are not counted as votes cast at the annual meeting. Any abstentions will not have the effect of a vote against the proposals to ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. Because the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm is considered a routine matter and a broker or other nominee may generally vote on routine matters, no broker non-votes are expected to occur in connection with this proposal.

Do I have any dissenters’ or appraisal rights with respect to any of the matters to be voted on at the annual meeting?

No. None of our shareholders has any dissenters’ or appraisal rights with respect to the matters to be voted on at the annual meeting.

What are the solicitation expenses and who pays the cost of this proxy solicitation?

Our board is asking for your proxy, and we will pay all of the costs of soliciting shareholder proxies. We may use officers and employees of the Company to ask for proxies, as described below. The Company will reimburse banks, brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their reasonable expense in forwarding the proxy materials to beneficial owners of the Company’s common stock.

Is this proxy statement the only way that proxies are being solicited?

No. In addition to the solicitation of proxies by use of the mail, if deemed advisable, directors, officers and regular employees of the Company may solicit proxies personally or by telephone or other means of communication, without being paid additional compensation for such services.

Are there any other matters to be acted upon at the annual meeting?

Management does not intend to present any business at the annual meeting for a vote other than the matters set forth in the notice, and management has no information that others will do so. The proxy also confers on the proxies the discretionary authority to vote with respect to any matter presented at the annual meeting for which advance notice was not received by the Company in accordance with the Company’s Third Amended and Restated Bylaws, or the Bylaws. If other matters requiring a vote of the shareholders properly come before the annual meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying form of proxy to vote the shares represented by the proxies held by them in accordance with applicable law and their judgment on such matters.

 

5


Table of Contents

Where can I find voting results?

The Company expects to publish the voting results in a current report on Form 8-K, which it expects to file with the SEC within four business days following the annual meeting.

Who can help answer my questions?

The information provided above in this “Question and Answer” format is for your convenience only and is merely a summary of the information contained in this proxy statement. We urge you to carefully read this entire proxy statement and the accompanying annual report. If you have additional questions about the proxy statement or the annual meeting, you should contact Jan Webb, Corporate Secretary, Independent Bank Group, Inc., 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069, telephone (972) 562-9004.

 

6


Table of Contents

PROPOSAL 1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Classification of the Company’s Directors

In accordance with the terms of the Company’s amended and restated certificate of formation, the Company’s current board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class serving staggered three-year terms as follows:

 

   

The Class I directors are Daniel W. Brooks, Craig E. Holmes, Tom C. Nichols, and G. Stacy Smith, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2017;

 

   

The Class II directors are William E. Fair, Mark K. Gormley, Donald L. Poarch and Michael T. Viola, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2018; and

 

   

The Class III directors are David R. Brooks, Douglas A. Cifu, Christopher M. Doody, and J. Webb Jennings, III, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2019.

Election Procedures; Term of Office

At each annual meeting of shareholders, or special meeting in lieu thereof, upon the expiration of the term of a class of directors, the successors to such directors will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following his election and the election and qualification of his successor. Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed by the board of directors among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors.

Nominees for Election

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has recommended to the Company’s board of directors, and the Company’s board of directors has approved the nomination of Daniel W. Brooks, Craig E. Holmes, Tom C. Nichols, and G. Stacy Smith to fill the Class I director seats and the board of directors recommends these nominees for election by the Company’s shareholders as Class I directors to serve on the board of directors of the Company until the Company’s 2020 annual meeting of shareholders and each until his respective successor is duly elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation or removal. Daniel W. Brooks, Craig E. Holmes, Tom C. Nichols, and G. Stacy Smith are currently serving as Class I directors.

The following table sets forth the name, age, and positions with the Company for each nominee for election as a director of the Company:

 

Name of Nominee

    Age    

Position(s)

  Director
Since
Daniel W. Brooks   56   Vice Chairman, Chief Risk Officer and Class I Director   2002
Craig E. Holmes (1)   59   Class I Director   2013
Tom C. Nichols (2)   69   Class I Director   2017
G. Stacy Smith (3)   48   Class I Director   2013

 

 

(1) Chairman, Audit Committee
(2) Member, Strategic Planning Committee
(3) Member, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee, and Chairman, Strategic Planning Committee

 

7


Table of Contents

Daniel W. Brooks. Daniel W. Brooks is Vice Chairman, Chief Risk Officer and a director of the Company. He has served as Vice Chairman and a director of the Company since 2009 and as Chief Risk Officer of the Company since April 2013. He previously served as President and a director of the Company from 2002 to 2009 and has functioned as the Company’s Chief Credit Officer throughout his tenure. Mr. Brooks began his banking career in the early 1980s with a large regional bank and has been active in community banking since the late 1980s. Mr. Brooks has served in numerous leadership roles in the Collin County community, including service as Chairman of the Board for Medical Center of McKinney and on the boards of directors of McKinney Christian Academy and the McKinney Education Foundation. Daniel W. Brooks is the brother of David R. Brooks. Mr. Brooks’ qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience in the banking industry, and specifically as an executive officer and director of the Company.

Craig E. Holmes. Craig E. Holmes is a member of the board of directors of the Company, joining the board in February 2013. Mr. Holmes currently serves as the Senior Vice President at Global Power Equipment Group, Inc., an engineering and construction company. He also serves on the board of directors of Hobi International, Inc., a certified IT asset management company, joining the board in August 2009. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Goodman Networks Incorporated, a telecommunications services company, from December 2014 to March 2015 and as Chief Financial Officer of Sizmek, Inc., formerly Digital Generation, Inc., a global advertising campaign management company, from October 2012 until December 2014. Mr. Holmes also previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Quickoffice, Inc., a mobile software company, from 2011 to 2012, and provided advisory and consulting services to the board of directors and management and led the finance functions for Enfora, Inc., a global manufacturing and software development company, from 2009 to 2011. Prior to 2009, Mr. Holmes held executive positions at several public and private companies. Mr. Holmes was a partner at Arthur Andersen, a national public accounting firm, where he worked from 1982 to 1995. Mr. Holmes holds a Masters and BBA from Texas Tech University. He served on the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management Board of Advisors from January 2003 to December 2009 and the Dallas Summer Musicals Board of Directors from December 2004 to January 2010. Mr. Holmes’ qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience as chief financial officer of publicly traded companies, and his experience in finance, accounting and executive management.

Tom C. Nichols. Tom C. Nichols became a member of the Board of Directors of the Company in connection with the Company’s acquisition of Carlile Bancshares, Inc. (“Carlile”) on April 1, 2017. Mr. Nichols previously served as the Chairman and CEO of Carlile.

Mr. Nichols has acquired, merged, and sold banking organizations and other financial services companies for over 30 years. He began his banking career in 1969 as a bank examiner with the FDIC. From 1973 – 1978, he served in various banking capacities in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. In 1978, Mr. Nichols joined Gerald J. Ford (Ford Bank Group) and from 1978 – 1994, was involved in buying and operating numerous banks in Texas and New Mexico. Mr. Nichols served Ford Bank Group as the President and Chief Operating Officer and later, Chairman, President and CEO of Ford’s lead bank, First National Bank of Lubbock. In 1993, Ford Bank Group merged with United New Mexico Financial Corporation forming First United Bank Group, at which time Mr. Nichols served as President and Chief Operating Officer. The Norwest Corporation acquired First United Bank Group in 1994 and Mr. Nichols served as Regional President of Norwest Bank Texas, N.A. from 1994 to 1995.

In 1996, Mr. Nichols formed State National Bancshares, Inc. (“SNBI”) and chartered its subsidiary, State National Bank, a de novo national banking association originally chartered in Lubbock, Texas. He recruited a number of other senior officers formerly with Ford Bank Group and United New Mexico to form the management team. From 1996 – 2005, SNBI completed 9 acquisitions and grew from a de novo in 1996 to assets of over $1.7 billion at the time of its acquisition by BBVA on January 3, 2007.

Mr. Nichols served as a member of the Board and Audit Committee of United New Mexico Financial Corporation from 1985 – 1988. He served as a Board member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

 

8


Table of Contents

and Chairman of the campus Planning Committee from 1992 – 1998. Mr. Nichols also served as a Director and member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committees of BBVA-Compass USA from 2007 – 2009. Since 2005, Mr. Nichols has served as a Director and member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committees of First Acceptance Corporation (FAC-NYSE).

Mr. Nichols holds a B.S. in Economics from Abilene Christian University. He is a resident of Colleyville, Texas. Mr. Nichols qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his previous service as Chairman of the Board, CEO and director of Carlile and his extensive experience as an executive officer and director of financial institutions.

In connection with the Company’s acquisition of Carlile, the Company entered into an agreement with Tom C. Nichols, whereby Mr. Nichols has certain continuing rights to be a board nominee to the Company’s board of directors. Under his agreement and provided that Mr. Nichols continues to satisfy the Company’s governance and ethics policies, the Company is required to nominate and recommend Mr. Nichols for election as a Class I director of the Company, and the Company, as the sole shareholder of Independent Bank, is required to elect Mr. Nichols as a director of Independent Bank. If Mr. Nichols no longer beneficially owns at least 50% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock of the Company that he received in the Company’s acquisition of Carlile, then upon the written request of the Company’s board, Mr. Nichols will resign from the Company’s board and the Company will have no further obligations to nominate and recommend Mr. Nichols for election to the Company’s board. As a Company director, Mr. Nichols will receive the same compensation and indemnification as the Company’s other nonemployee directors.

G. Stacy Smith. G. Stacy Smith is a member of the board of directors of the Company, joining the board in February 2013. Mr. Smith is the Managing Partner of SCW Capital, L.P., a private equity hedge fund focusing on financial and energy sectors, a position he has held since August 2013. Mr. Smith is also co-founder and an active partner in Trinity Investment Group, which invests in private equity, public equity and hard assets. In addition, he serves as an advisor of EAW Energy Partners, an oil and gas minerals acquisition firm. In 1997, Mr. Smith co-founded Walker Smith Capital, a long/short equity hedge fund based in Dallas, Texas, and he served as portfolio manager of that firm for sixteen years. From 1994 through 1996, Mr. Smith was a co-founder and manager of Gryphon Partners, a long/short equity hedge fund focused on small and mid-cap domestic equities. He started his investment career as an energy analyst at Wasserstein Perella & Co., an international investment bank. Mr. Smith is a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, an association of business professionals that supports local charitable organizations. Mr. Smith’s qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience in overseeing the management of investment firms, his knowledge of the Texas banking market and his experience as a director of the Company.

Shareholder Approval

The affirmative vote of a plurality of the shares of the Company’s common stock present in person or by proxy at the annual meeting is required for the election of each of the nominees for director.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES LISTED ABOVE FOR ELECTION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

 

9


Table of Contents

CURRENT EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

Director and Executive Officer Information

The following table sets forth the name, age and position with the Company of each of the Company’s directors whose terms of office do not expire at the annual meeting and its executive officers. The business address for all of these individuals is 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069-3257.

 

Name

    Age    

Position with the Company

David R. Brooks (1)

  58   Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

Brian E. Hobart

  51   Vice Chairman and Chief Lending Officer

Michelle S. Hickox

  49   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

James C. White

  52   Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer

Jan C. Webb

  58   Corporate Secretary

Douglas A. Cifu (2)

  51   Director

Christopher M. Doody (3)

  43   Director

William E. Fair (4)

  54   Director

Mark K. Gormley (5)

  58   Director

J. Webb Jennings, III (6)

  45   Director

Donald L. Poarch (7)

  65   Director

Michael T. Viola (8)

  30   Director

 

 

(1) Member, Strategic Planning Committee
(2) Chairman, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
(3) Member, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
(4) Chairman, Compensation Committee and member of Strategic Planning Committee
(5) Member, Audit Committee
(6) Member, Compensation Committee
(7) Member, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
(8) Member, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

The following is a brief discussion of the business and banking background and experience of the Company’s current directors and executive officers. Other than as described below, no director or director nominee has any family relationship, as defined in Item 401 in Regulation S-K, with any other director or with any of the Company’s executive officers. All officers of the Company are elected annually by the board and serve at the discretion of the board.

David R. Brooks. David R. Brooks is Chairman of the Company’s board, Chief Executive Officer, President and a director of the Company. He has served as Chairman of the Board, CEO and director since the Company was formed in 2002, and he has served as the Company’s President since 2016. Mr. Brooks began his banking career in the early 1980s with a large regional bank and has been active in community banking since he led the investor group that acquired Independent Bank in 1988. Mr. Brooks has previously served as a board member of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas. He currently serves on the board of directors of Capital Southwest Corporation and on the Board of Trustees of Houston Baptist University, and previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Noel-Levitz, Inc., a higher education consulting firm, from 2009 to 2014 and as Chief Financial Officer at Baylor University from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Brooks previously served on the McKinney City Council, as President of the Board of Trustees of the McKinney Independent School District, and on the McKinney Economic Development Corporation Board and the McKinney Chamber of Commerce Board. David R. Brooks is the brother of Daniel W. Brooks. Mr. Brooks’ qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience managing and overseeing the operations and growth of the Company and Independent Bank during his tenure as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

 

10


Table of Contents

Brian E. Hobart. Brian E. Hobart is Vice Chairman and Chief Lending Officer of the Company. From 2009 to 2013, he served as President and as a director of the Company and Independent Bank while also functioning as the Company’s Chief Lending Officer. Mr. Hobart was one of the founders of IBG Central Texas and served as its President and as a director from 2004 until it was combined with the Company in 2009. Prior to joining IBG Central Texas, he served as a senior officer of other Waco banks since the early 1990s. Mr. Hobart has served in various volunteer roles over his career with an emphasis on children.

Michelle S. Hickox. Michelle S. Hickox is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Prior to joining the Company in May 2012, Ms. Hickox was an audit partner with RSM US LLP (formerly McGladrey LLP), the fifth largest public accounting firm in the United States. Over her twenty-two year career in public accounting, Ms. Hickox provided audit, financial reporting, internal control assistance and training to community banks and was a designated financial institution specialist. Ms. Hickox serves on the boards of the Baylor Oral Health Foundation and the Texas A&M Commercial Banking Program. She is a licensed certified public accountant and is a member of the AICPA, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Dallas CPA Society.

James C. White. James C. White is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of the Company, joining the Company in April 2016. He has over thirty years’ experience in the banking industry and has held a variety of management positions in finance, operations, product development, strategic planning, compliance and information technology. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. White served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Fischer & Company, a global corporate real estate firm that provides consulting, brokerage, and technology solutions to many Fortune 500 companies from July 2015 to April 2016. Prior to Fischer, Mr. White served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Texas Capital Bank from February 2000 to June 2015 where he directed key operational areas and introduced and managed changes which supported growth for that bank. Mr. White holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of North Texas in business and control systems, is certified in Six Sigma, is a Certified Treasury Professional and a current member of the Association of Financial Professionals.

Jan C. Webb. Jan C. Webb is Corporate Secretary to the board of directors of the Company. Ms. Webb previously served as Executive Vice President and Secretary of the Company and Executive Vice President, Senior Operations Officer and Secretary of Independent Bank from April 2013 to April 2016, and as Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer and a director of the Company from May 2012 to April 2013. Prior to May 2012, Ms. Webb served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and a director of the Company since it was formed in 2002 and served in various positions, including Executive Vice President and Cashier and as Chief Financial Officer, at Independent Bank since 1988. Ms. Webb has over thirty years of experience in the banking industry, including approximately twenty-eight years of experience with the Company’s management team. She is active in her church, serving on various committees, including the finance committee.

Douglas A. Cifu. Douglas A. Cifu is a member of the board of directors of the Company, joining the board in 2008. Mr. Cifu is the Chief Executive Officer of Virtu Financial LLC, a global electronic market making firm. He had previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Virtu Financial since 2008 when he co-founded the business with the Company’s largest shareholder, Vincent Viola. Mr. Cifu also has served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Virtu Management LLC since 2008. Prior to the founding of Virtu Financial LLC in 2008, Mr. Cifu was a partner at the international law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, where he served as Deputy Chairman of the Corporate Department, Head of the Private Equity Group and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Mr. Cifu’s qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience representing and working with publicly traded companies and his experience as a director of the Company.

Christopher M. Doody. Christopher M. Doody became a member of the Board of Directors of the Company in connection with the Company’s acquisition of Carlile on April 1, 2017. Mr. Doody serves as Principal and Vice President at Stone Point Capital, L.L.C., a private equity firm focused primarily on the

 

11


Table of Contents

financial services industry. Prior to the formation of Stone Point Capital in 2005, he served as a Vice President at MMC Capital Corporation, Inc., which he joined in 1998. He served at BofA Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., where he was an Analyst in the Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group from 1995 to 1998. Mr. Doody serves on the boards of directors listed below as a representative of Stone Point:

 

   

Grandpoint Capital, Inc. (Los Angeles): 2010 to Present

 

   

Director of the Grandpoint bank holding company, not the underlying bank.

 

   

Standard Bancshares, Inc. (Hickory Hills, IL): 2013 to January 2017

 

   

Director of the Standard bank holding company, not the underlying bank.

 

   

Alostar Bank of Commerce (Birmingham, AL): 2011 to Present

 

   

HCBF Holding Company, Inc. (Fort Pierce, FL): 2011 to Present

 

   

Director of the HCBF bank holding company, not the underlying bank.

In addition, Mr. Doody serves on the boards of NXT Capital (Chicago, IL) and Preston Hollow Capital (Dallas, TX). Both NXT and Preston Hollow are nonbank commercial finance companies in which Stone Point has a sizeable investment.

Mr. Doody holds an M.B.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from Middlebury College. He is a resident of New York, New York. Mr. Doody’s qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience as a director of several bank holding companies and his experience with financial services companies as a principal of a private equity firm focused primarily on the financial services industry.

William E. Fair. William E. Fair is a member of the board of directors of the Company. He joined the board when IBG Central Texas was combined with the Company in 2009, prior to which he served as a director of IBG Central Texas beginning in 2007. Mr. Fair has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Home Abstract and Title Company, a title insurance agency located in Waco, Texas, since 1984 and has served on the board of directors of Capstone Mechanical, LLC since 2005. He also serves on the board of trustees of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, Scott & White Healthcare, further serving as Chairman of the Board of Development for that organization. Mr. Fair’s qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience in the real estate industry and his experience as a director of the Company, Independent Bank and IBG Central Texas.

Mark K. Gormley. Mark K. Gormley became a member of the Board of Directors of the Company in connection with the Company’s acquisition of Carlile on April 1, 2017. Mr. Gormley is a Partner at Lee Equity Partners, LLC. Prior to co-founding the firm in 2006, Mr. Gormley was a Partner at Capital Z Financial Services Partners (“CZFS”), a leading financial services private equity firm, where he played a leading role in the operations and investment activities of the $1.85 billion fund. Mr. Gormley co-founded the firm in 1998 and shared responsibility for the oversight of all of the firm’s investment and monitoring activities. Prior to joining CZFS in 1998, Mr. Gormley served as a Managing Director at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (“DLJ”), specializing in the insurance and asset management industries. While at DLJ, Mr. Gormley worked on corporate finance and merger and acquisition assignments, as well as on principal related activities on behalf of DLJ Merchant Banking. Prior to joining DLJ in 1989, he was a founding member of the Insurance Investment Banking Group at Merrill Lynch in 1985.

Mr. Gormley previously served as a director of Carlile. He also serves or has served as a director of numerous public and private companies, including MidCap Financial, Universal American, Captive Resources, SKOPOS Financial, Edelman Financial, Permanent General, NewStar Financial, British Marine Holdings, Catlin Group and NACOLAH Holdings, among others. Mr. Gormley received a B.S.B.A. cum laude in Finance and

 

12


Table of Contents

Economics from the University of Denver and an M.B.A. from New York University. He is a resident of New York, New York. Mr. Gormley’s qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his experience as a director of Carlile and his experience as a director of other financial institutions.

J. Webb Jennings, III. J. Webb Jennings, III is a member of the board of directors of the Company, joining the board in April 2014 in connection with the Company’s acquisition of BOH Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Bank of Houston. Mr. Jennings founded Salt Investment Partners in January 2016 to focus on direct investing in lower, middle-market companies. He previously served as a vice president at Hancock Park Associates, a middlemarket private equity firm with offices in Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles, California, from 2007 to 2015. Mr. Jennings served on the Bank of Houston board of directors since that bank was formed in 2005 as well as the BOH Holdings board of directors. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Alloy Merchant Finance, Automation Technology, Inc., and a privately held, diversified investment company. Mr. Jennings also serves on the boards of directors of several Houston based charitable organizations and foundations. Mr. Jennings graduated with a B.A. from The University of Texas and an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. Mr. Jennings’ qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive business experience in Houston and his experience as a director of BOH Holdings, Bank of Houston, and the Company.

Donald L. Poarch. Donald L. Poarch is a member of the board of directors of the Company, joining the board in April 2014 in connection with the Company’s acquisition of BOH Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Bank of Houston. Mr. Poarch has been a partner and co-owner of The Sprint Companies since 1976. The Sprint Companies are a diverse group of approximately ten different companies operating throughout the Texas Gulf Coast area. He had been a member of the BOH Holdings board of directors since 2008, and its chairman since 2012, and he was a member of the Bank of Houston’s board of directors since 2005, and its chairman since 2012, until the BOH Holdings merger was completed in April 2014. In the past 25+ years, Mr. Poarch has bought, sold and grown more than twenty companies. Mr. Poarch currently serves on the boards of directors for Keep Houston Beautiful and the Houston Clean City Commission. Mr. Poarch attended The University of Texas at Austin and is currently active in various civic and charitable foundations. Mr. Poarch’s qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his extensive experience in the Houston business community and his experience as a director of BOH Holdings, Bank of Houston, and the Company.

Michael T. Viola. Michael T. Viola is a member of the board of directors of the Company, joining the board in February 2013. Mr. Viola is an energy and commodities futures trader at Virtu Financial LLC, a global electronic market making firm that employs advanced proprietary technologies to trade on electronically accessible financial exchanges and market centers worldwide that he joined in 2010, serving as an executive assistant and a project manager. Mr. Viola also served on the board of a family-founded nonprofit organization focused on Catholic education initiatives in inner-city communities from 2010 to 2011. Mr. Viola is the son of the Company’s largest shareholder, Vincent Viola. Mr. Viola’s qualifications to serve on the Company’s board of directors include his knowledge of financial markets, his familiarity with the Company given his family’s ownership of Independent Bank over the past twenty-nine years, and his experience as a director of the Company.

Board Composition

The Company’s board of directors currently has twelve (12) members serving on the board. The number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors within the range set forth in the Company’s certificate of formation (unless the Company’s shareholders act to amend the authorized number of directors designated in the Company’s certificate of formation). The board of directors may increase the number of directors by two and fill these vacancies until the next annual meeting of shareholders. As discussed in greater detail below, the board of directors has affirmatively determined that ten of its twelve current directors qualify as independent directors under Rule 5605(a)(2) of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules and the SEC.

 

13


Table of Contents

Board of Director Meetings

The board of directors of the Company (including regularly scheduled and special meetings) met twelve (12) times during the 2016 fiscal year. The Audit Committee met ten (10) times during the 2016 fiscal year. The Compensation Committee met three (3) times during the 2016 fiscal year. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee met one (1) time during the 2016 fiscal year. The Strategic Planning Committee met four (4) times during the 2016 fiscal year. During fiscal year 2016, each director participated in at least 75% or more of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of the board of directors (held during the period for which he was a director) and (ii) the total number of meetings of all committees of the board of directors on which he served (during the period that he served).

Shareholder Communications with Directors

To communicate with the Company’s directors, shareholders should submit their comments to Jan Webb, Corporate Secretary, either by sending written correspondence via mail or courier to Independent Bank Group, Inc., 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069; or via email at jwebb@ibtx.com. Shareholder communications will be sent directly to the specific director or directors of the Company indicated in the communication or to all of the Company’s directors if not specified.

 

14


Table of Contents

BOARD AND COMMITTEE MATTERS

Director Independence

Under the rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market, independent directors must comprise a majority of the Company’s board of directors within a specified period of time of the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering. The rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market, as well as those of the SEC, also impose several other requirements with respect to the independence of directors.

The Company’s board of directors has evaluated the independence of its members based upon the rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market and the SEC. Applying these standards, the board of directors has affirmatively determined that, with the exception of David R. Brooks and Daniel W. Brooks, each of the Company’s directors is an independent director, as defined under the applicable rules. The board of directors determined that each of David R. Brooks and Daniel W. Brooks does not qualify as an independent director because of his position as an executive officer of the Company or Independent Bank.

Board Leadership Structure

David R. Brooks currently serves as the Company’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Brooks has served in both of these positions since the inception of the Company in 2002. Mr. Brooks’ primary duties are to lead the Company’s board of directors in establishing the Company’s overall vision and strategic plan and to lead the Company’s management in carrying out that plan. While the Company recognizes the inherent conflict of interest that arises when the positions are held by one person, the Company believes that the overall benefit of Mr. Brooks’ leadership in both roles outweighs any potential disadvantage of this structure. The Company’s lead independent director is Douglas A. Cifu who has served in this role since 2013. As lead independent director, Mr. Cifu serves as a liaison between the Chairman and the independent directors, presides over executive sessions of the independent directors, and consults with the Chairman on major corporate decisions.

The Company has also structured its management team to mitigate the corporate governance risk related to the dual positions held by David R. Brooks. Daniel W. Brooks, the Company’s Vice Chairman and Chief Risk Officer, is responsible for overseeing the Company’s credit function, the most important component of the Company’s operations. By having other executive officers with separate and distinct roles, the Company believes that it will obtain benefits similar to the benefits of having a separate Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Board Committees

In February 2013, the Company’s board of directors established standing committees at the Company level in connection with the discharge of its responsibilities. These committees include an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and a Strategic Planning Committee.

In the future, the Company’s board of directors also may establish such additional committees as it deems appropriate, in accordance with applicable law and regulations and the Company’s certificate of formation and Bylaws.

Audit Committee

The members of the Company’s Audit Committee are Craig E. Holmes (Chairman), Mark K. Gormley and G. Stacy Smith. The Company’s board of directors has evaluated the independence of each of the members of the Audit Committee and has affirmatively determined that (i) each of the members meets the definition of an

 

15


Table of Contents

“independent director” under NASDAQ Global Select Market rules, (ii) each of the members satisfies the additional independence standards under applicable SEC rules for audit committee service and (iii) each of the members has the ability to read and understand fundamental financial statements. In addition, the board of directors has determined that Mr. Holmes also qualifies as a financial expert and has the required financial sophistication due to his experience and background, which NASDAQ Global Select Market rules require at least one such Audit Committee member have.

The Company’s Audit Committee has responsibility for, among other things:

 

   

selecting and reviewing the performance of the Company’s independent auditors and approving, in advance, all engagements and fee arrangements;

 

   

reviewing the independence of the Company’s independent auditors;

 

   

reviewing actions by management on recommendations of the independent auditors and internal auditors;

 

   

meeting with management, the internal auditors and the independent auditors to review the effectiveness of the Company’s system of internal controls and internal audit procedures;

 

   

reviewing the Company’s earnings releases and reports filed with the SEC;

 

   

reviewing reports of bank regulatory agencies and monitoring management’s compliance with recommendations contained in those reports; and

 

   

handling such other matters that are specifically delegated to the Audit Committee by the Company’s board of directors from time to time.

The Company’s Audit Committee has adopted a written charter, which sets forth the committee’s duties and responsibilities. The charter of the Audit Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.ibtx.com.

Report of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee oversees the Company’s financial reporting process on behalf of the board of directors. Management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process, including the system of internal controls. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed the audited financial statements in the Company’s annual report to shareholders on Form 10-K with management, including a discussion of the quality, not just the acceptability, of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments, and the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements.

The Audit Committee reviewed with RSM US LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm to the Company, who is responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of those audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles, its judgment as to the quality, not just the acceptability, of the Company’s accounting principles, the matters required to be discussed by the statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended (AICPA, Professional Standards, Vol. 1, AU Section 380), and such other matters as are required to be discussed with the Audit Committee under generally accepted auditing standards. In addition, the Audit Committee has discussed with RSM US LLP the auditors’ independence from management and the Company, including the matters in the written disclosures and the letter from RSM US LLP required by applicable professional and regulatory standards, including those of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and considered the compatibility of nonaudit services with the auditors’ independence.

 

16


Table of Contents

The Audit Committee discussed with RSM US LLP their audit of the Company’s 2016 financial statements. The Audit Committee meets with RSM US LLP, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examinations, their evaluations of the Company’s internal controls, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting. The Audit Committee held ten (10) meetings during fiscal year 2016.

The Audit Committee recommends to the Company’s board of directors (and the board of directors approved) that the audited financial statements be included in the annual report to shareholders on Form 10-K for the prior fiscal year for filing with the SEC.

Respectfully submitted,

AUDIT COMMITTEE of the Board of Directors

Craig E. Holmes, Audit Committee Chairman

Mark K. Gormley, Audit Committee Member

G. Stacy Smith, Audit Committee Member

Independent Auditors

The Audit Committee has appointed RSM US LLP as the Company’s independent accountants to audit the consolidated financial statements of the Company for fiscal 2017. RSM US LLP has been the Company’s independent accountants since 2002. RSM US LLP served as the Company’s independent accountants for fiscal 2016 and reported on the Company’s consolidated financial statements for that year, as well as the effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

Representatives of RSM US LLP are expected to be in attendance at the annual meeting and will be afforded the opportunity to make a statement. The representatives will also be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Fees Paid to Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee has reviewed the following audit and nonaudit fees that the Company has paid to RSM US LLP for 2015 and 2016 for purposes of considering whether such fees are compatible with maintaining the auditor’s independence. The policy of the Audit Committee is to pre-approve all audit and nonaudit services performed by RSM US LLP before the services are performed, including all of the services described under “Audit Fees,” “Audit Related Fees,” “Tax Fees” and “All Other Fees” below.

Audit Fees. Estimated fees billed for service rendered by RSM US LLP for the reviews of the Company’s quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q, the audit of the consolidated financial statements of the Company and services provided for other SEC filings were $428,200 and $486,500 for 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Audit-Related Fees. Aggregate fees billed for all audit-related services rendered by RSM US LLP were $25,000 and $26,000 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. Such services included an audit of the Company’s 401(k) plan.

Tax Fees. Aggregate fees billed for permissible tax services rendered by RSM US LLP consisted of $6,070 and $1,850 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. These amounts include tax strategy services, assistance in responding to an audit of federal income tax returns, and local tax compliance services.

 

17


Table of Contents

All Other Fees. Aggregate fees billed for all other services rendered by RSM US LLP consisted of none and $53,173 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. Such other services included a Fair Lending review in 2016.

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy

The Audit Committee has established a policy and related procedures regarding the pre-approval of all audit, audit-related and non-audit services to be performed by the Company’s independent auditors. The Audit Committee will approve the maximum aggregate amount of the costs that may be incurred under a general pre-approval of certain audit services. Any proposed audit services for which the cost to the Company would exceed these levels or amounts, or services that have not received general pre-approval, requires specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee.

The term of any general pre-approval is twelve (12) months from the stated date of pre-approval, unless the Audit Committee considers a different period and specifically states otherwise. The Audit Committee annually reviews and pre-approves the services, and the associated cost levels or budgeted amounts, that may be provided by its independent auditor without obtaining specific pre-approval from the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee adds to or subtracts from the list of general pre-approved services from time to time, based on subsequent determinations.

In addition to the annual audit services engagement approved by the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee may grant general pre-approval for audit-related services and other audit services. Unless granted general pre-approval, all audit-related services and other audit services must be specifically pre-approved by the Audit Committee. All non-audit services must be specifically pre-approved by the Audit Committee. The Company’s independent auditor may not be engaged to provide any service that is prohibited by applicable law to be provided to an audit client by an independent auditor.

The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. All requests or applications for services to be provided by the independent auditor that do not require specific approval by the Audit Committee will be submitted to the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The Chief Financial Officer will determine, upon consultation with the chairman of the Audit Committee, whether such services are included within the list of services that have received the general pre-approval of the Audit Committee.

Compensation Committee

The members of the Company’s Compensation Committee are William E. Fair (Chairman), G. Stacy Smith and J. Webb Jennings, III. The Company’s board of directors has evaluated the independence of each of the members of the Compensation Committee and has affirmatively determined that each meets the definition of an “independent director” under NASDAQ Global Select Market rules.

The Board has determined that each of the members of the Compensation Committee qualifies as a “nonemployee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, and an “outside director” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

None of the directors who served on the Compensation Committee at any time during fiscal 2016 were officers or employees of the Company or were former officers or employees of the Company. Further, none of the directors who served on the Compensation Committee at any time during fiscal 2016 has any relationship with the Company requiring disclosure under “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” below, other than William E. Fair, as described in that section. Finally, no executive officer of the Company serves, or in the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the compensation committee (or other board committee

 

18


Table of Contents

performing equivalent functions) of any entity that has one or more of its executive officers serving on the Company’s Compensation Committee. The Company’s Compensation Committee has responsibility for, among other things:

 

   

reviewing, monitoring and approving the Company’s overall compensation structure, policies and programs (including benefit plans) and assessing whether the compensation structure establishes appropriate incentives for the Company’s executive officers and other employees and meets the Company’s corporate objectives;

 

   

determining the annual compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as noted in “Executive Compensation and Other Matters”;

 

   

reviewing the compensation decisions made by the Company’s named executive officers with respect to the Company’s other executive officers;

 

   

overseeing the administration of the Company’s equity plans and other incentive compensation plans and programs and preparing recommendations and periodic reports to the Company’s board of directors relating to these matters; and

 

   

handling such other matters that are specifically delegated to the Compensation Committee by the Company’s board of directors from time to time.

From time to time, the Compensation Committee may, by resolution of the Compensation Committee, delegate to one or more other committees of the board of directors of the Company separate but concurrent authority, to the extent specified in such resolution, to administer such plans with respect to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries and consultants who are not subject to the short-swing profit restrictions of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.

Since 2013, the Compensation Committee has engaged Johnson Associates, Inc. (“Johnson Associates”) as an independent compensation consultant. Johnson Associates has and continues to advise the Compensation Committee on a variety of matters regarding executive compensation, including compensation levels, incentive awards and plans, and performance awards and plans, and conducts analyses and performance measures when requested by the Compensation Committee. Other than its engagement through the Compensation Committee, Johnson Associates does not perform and has never performed any other services for the Company.

The Company’s Compensation Committee has adopted a written charter, which sets forth the committee’s duties and responsibilities. The charter of the Compensation Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.ibtx.com.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

During 2016, no executive officer of the Company served as (1) a member of a compensation committee (or other Board committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire Board) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on the Company’s Compensation Committee, (2) a director of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on the Company’s Compensation Committee or (3) a member of the compensation committee (or other Board committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire Board) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served as a director of the Company. In addition, none of the members of the Compensation Committee (a) was an officer or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in 2016, (b) was formerly an officer or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (c) had any relationship that required disclosure under “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions,” except as is disclosed under such section for William E. Fair.

 

19


Table of Contents

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

The members of the Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee are Douglas A. Cifu (Chairman), Christopher M. Doody, Donald L. Poarch, and Michael T. Viola. The Company’s board of directors has evaluated the independence of each of the members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and has affirmatively determined that each meets the definition of an “independent director” under NASDAQ Global Select Market rules.

The Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has responsibility for, among other things:

 

   

recommending persons to be selected by the Company’s board of directors as nominees for election as directors and to fill any vacancies on the Company’s board of directors; provided that if this Committee is not comprised solely of independent directors under the NASDAQ Global Select Market rules, the Committee shall make its recommendations to the independent members of the Company’s board of directors, who, in turn, shall nominate persons to be selected by the Company’s board of directors as nominees for election as directors and to fill any vacancies on the Company’s board of directors;

 

   

monitoring the function of the Company’s standing committees and recommending any changes, including the creation or elimination of any committee;

 

   

developing, reviewing and monitoring compliance with the Company’s corporate governance guidelines;

 

   

reviewing and approving all related person transactions for potential conflicts of interest situations on an ongoing basis;

 

   

reviewing annually the composition of the Company’s board of directors as a whole and making recommendations; and

 

   

handling such other matters that are specifically delegated to the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee by the Company’s board of directors from time to time.

The Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has adopted a written charter, which sets forth the committee’s duties and responsibilities. The charter of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.ibtx.com.

In carrying out its functions, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has developed the following qualification criteria for all potential nominees for election, including incumbent directors, board nominees and shareholder nominees:

 

   

integrity and high ethical standards in the nominee’s professional life;

 

   

sufficient educational and professional experience, business experience or comparable service on other boards of directors to qualify the nominee for service on the Company’s board of directors;

 

   

evidence of leadership and sound judgment in the nominee’s professional life;

 

   

whether the nominee is well recognized in the community and has a demonstrated record of service to the community;

 

   

a willingness to abide by any published code of conduct or ethics for the Company; and

 

20


Table of Contents
   

a willingness and ability to devote sufficient time to carrying out the duties and responsibilities required as a member of the Company’s board of directors.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee evaluates potential nominees for the Company’s board of directors to determine if they have any conflicts of interest that may interfere with their ability to serve as effective board members and determines whether they are “independent” in accordance with NASDAQ Global Select Market rules (to ensure that, at all times, at least a majority of the Company’s directors are independent). Although the Company does not have a separate diversity policy, the committee considers the diversity of the Company’s directors and nominees in terms of knowledge, experience, skills, expertise and other demographics that may contribute to the board of directors.

Prior to nominating or, if applicable, recommending to the independent members of the Company’s board of directors, an existing director for re-election to the board of directors, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider and review the following attributes with respect to each existing director:

 

   

attendance and performance at meetings of the Company’s board of directors and the committees on which such director serves;

 

   

length of service on the Company’s board of directors;

 

   

experience, skills and contributions that the existing director brings to the Company’s board of directors;

 

   

independence and any conflicts of interest; and

 

   

any significant change in the director’s status, including the attributes considered for initial membership on the Company’s board of directors.

Director Nominations

The Company’s board of directors does not have a policy with respect to the consideration of any director candidates recommended by shareholders. All recommended candidates will be considered by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the board of directors for nomination.

A notice of a shareholder to make a nomination of a person for election as a director of the Company must be made in writing and received by the Corporate Secretary of the Company (i) in the event of an annual meeting of shareholders, not more than one hundred twenty (120) days and not less than ninety (90) days in advance of the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is called on a date that is not within thirty (30) days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the shareholder in order to be timely must be so received not later than the close of business on the fifteenth (15 ) day following the day on which notice of the date of the annual meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting was made, whichever first occurs; or (ii) in the event of a special meeting of shareholders, such notice shall be received by the Corporate Secretary not later than the close of business on the fifteenth (15 ) day following the day on which notice of the meeting is first mailed to shareholders or public disclosure of the date of the special meeting was made, whichever first occurs.

Every such notice by a shareholder must set forth:

(i)           the name and residence address of the shareholder of the Company who intends to make a nomination or bring up any other matter;

(ii)          a representation that the shareholder is a holder of the Company’s voting stock (indicating the class and number of shares owned) and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to make the nomination or bring up the matter specified in the notice;

 

21


Table of Contents

(iii)         with respect to notice of an intent to make a nomination for the election of a person as a director of the Company, a description of all arrangements or understandings among the shareholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the shareholder; and

(iv)         with respect to an intent to make a nomination, such other information regarding each nominee proposed by such shareholder as would have been required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission had each nominee been nominated by the board of directors of the Company.

At the meeting of shareholders, the Chairman shall declare out of order and disregard any nomination or other matter not presented in accordance with these requirements.

The shareholder must also submit the nominee’s consent to be elected and to serve. The board of directors may require any nominee to furnish any other information that may be needed to determine the eligibility and qualifications of the nominee. Any recommendations in proper form received from shareholders will be evaluated in the same manner that potential nominees recommended by directors or management are evaluated.

Director Nominee Agreements. In connection with the Company’s acquisition of Carlile, the Company entered into nominee agreement with Tom C. Nichols, Trident IV PF Depositary Holdings, LLC and Trident IV Depositary Holdings, LLC (together, these entities, “Trident”) and LEP Carlile Holdings, LLC (“LEP”) whereby Mr. Nichols, Trident and LEP would have certain continuing rights to propose nominees to the Company’s board of directors and maintain certain representation on the board. Mr. Nichols’ agreement is described above under “Proposal 1. Election of Directors – Nominees for Election.” Under the agreements with Trident and LEP, those investors each have the right to designate one person as a nominee to serve on the Company’s board during the term of their agreements. Mr. Doody is currently the designee of Trident, and Mr. Gormley is currently the designee of LEP. Provided that these individuals continue to satisfy the Company’s governance and ethics policies, the Company is obligated to nominate and recommend Mr. Gormley as a Class II director and Mr. Doody as a Class III director. Trident and LEP have the right to appoint substitute representatives in certain circumstances. If either Trident or LEP no longer beneficially own at least 50% of the aggregate number of shares of the Company common stock that they received in the Company’s acquisition of Carlile, then upon the written request of the Company’s board, such investor will cause their nominee to resign from the Company’s board and the Company will have no further obligation to nominate and recommend such investor’s nominee for election to the Company’s board. As of the date of this proxy statement, Trident and LEP each beneficially own more than 5% of the outstanding common stock of the Company. The board is currently comprised of twelve directors, and Messrs. Nichols (a current nominee for director), Doody and Gormley, as the three Carlile related nominees, constitute 25% of the Company’s board members. The nominees will receive the same compensation and indemnification as the Company’s other nonemployee directors.

Strategic Planning Committee

The members of the Strategic Planning Committee are G. Stacy Smith (Chairman), David R. Brooks, William E. Fair, and Tom C. Nichols. The Company’s board of directors has evaluated the independence of each of the members of the Strategic Planning Committee and has affirmatively determined that Mr. Nichols, Mr. Smith and Mr. Fair meet the definition of an “independent director” under the NASDAQ stock market rules. Mr. Brooks does not meet the definition of “independent director” under the NASDAQ Global Select Market rules because he is an executive officer of the Company.

The Company’s Strategic Planning Committee has responsibility for, among other things:

 

   

establishing plans for the growth of the Company, including organic growth plans and strategic acquisitions;

 

22


Table of Contents
   

identifying new market areas;

 

   

identifying new management candidates to enhance product and geographic expansion;

 

   

identifying acquisition targets and developing plans to pursue acquisitions of such identified targets; and

 

   

reviewing capital and financing levels, financial partners, and ensuring continued access to capital and financing.

The Company’s Strategic Planning Committee has adopted a written charter, which sets forth the committee’s duties and responsibilities. The charter of the Strategic Planning Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.ibtx.com.

Code of Conduct; Code of Ethics for Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers

The Company has a Code of Conduct in place that applies to all of the Company’s directors, officers and employees. The Code of Conduct sets forth the standard of conduct that the Company expects all of the Company’s directors, officers and employees to follow, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In addition, the Company has a Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers that applies to each of the Company’s senior executive officers, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and sets forth specific standards of conduct and ethics that the Company expects from such individuals in addition to those set forth in the Code of Conduct. The Company’s Code of Conduct and the Company’s Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers is available on the Company’s website at www.ibtx.com. The Company expects that any amendments to the Code of Conduct or the Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers, or any waivers of their respective requirements, will be disclosed on the Company’s website, as well as any other means required by NASDAQ Global Select Market rules or the SEC.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

The Company has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines to assist the Company’s board of directors in the exercise of its fiduciary duties and responsibilities and to promote the effective functioning of the board of directors and its committees. The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on the Company’s website at www.ibtx.com.

 

23


Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND OTHER MATTERS

The individuals who served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer during 2016, as well as the Company’s four other most highly compensated executive officers for 2016, are collectively referred to as the Company’s “named executive officers.” Their compensation for 2016, 2015 and 2014 is discussed below.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation paid to each of the Company’s named executive officers for 2016, 2015 and 2014.

 

Name and Position

      Year           Salary(1)             Bonus(2)         Stock
    Awards(3)    
    All Other
  Compensation(4)  
          Total        

David R. Brooks, Chairman, President (5)

  2016     $650,000       $670,000       $307,505       $50,888       $1,678,393  

And Chief Executive Officer

  2015     650,000       335,000       340,095       41,636       1,366,731  
  2014     650,000       335,000       300,025       568,511       1,853,536  

Michelle S. Hickox, Executive Vice

  2016     $275,000       $200,000       $81,385       $24,070       $580,455  

President and Chief Financial

  2015     265,000       100,000       80,022       12,850       457,872  

Officer

  2014     250,000       90,000       62,484       12,523       415,007  

Daniel W. Brooks, Vice Chairman and

  2016     $375,000       $350,000       $99,481       $38,974       $863,455  

Chief Risk Officer

  2015     375,000       175,000       100,028       34,622       684,650  
  2014     350,000       160,000       87,478       303,409       900,887  

Brian E. Hobart, Vice Chairman and

  2016     $350,000       $330,000       $90,448       $51,390       $821,838  

Chief Lending Officer

  2015     350,000       165,000       90,041       38,612       643,653  
  2014     325,000       150,000       81,229       261,758       817,987  

James C. White, Executive Vice

  2016     $165,625       $100,000       $417,360       $15,512       $698,497  

President and Chief Operations Officer (6)

           

James D. Stein, former Vice Chairman

  2016     $133,333       $        --       $81,385       $764,020       $978,738  

And Chief Executive Officer -

  2015     400,000       170,000       90,041       52,137       712,178  

Houston Region (7)

  2014     283,333       170,000       3,465,000       2,034,462       5,952,795  

 

(1) The amounts shown in this column represent salaries earned during the fiscal year shown.
(2) The amounts of bonuses for each year shown were cash bonuses earned for that year, but that were paid in the following fiscal year.
(3) The market values of the outstanding stock awards presented as of December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, are based on the market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant which was $29.91 on January 29, 2016, $31.21 on January 31, 2015 and $50.80 on January 31, 2014.
(4) Includes 401(k) contributions, health and welfare benefits, restricted stock related payments, insurance premiums and certain perquisites and other benefits. Other than certain restricted stock related payments and other compensation to Mr. Stein described in Footnote 7 below, none of these components of All Other Compensation exceeded $25,000 in any one year.
(5) Mr. Brooks became President of the Company on October 3, 2016.
(6) Mr. White joined the Company as Chief Operations Officer effective April 21, 2016 and the salary shown was received for the portion of the year in which he was employed by the Company during 2016. Such salary accrued at a rate of $265,000 per annum. As a result of Mr. White being an executive officer of the Company for only 2016, only his compensation for 2016 is disclosed above.
(7) Mr. Stein ceased to be an executive officer of the Company on April 21, 2016. However, his compensation information is included in this proxy statement in accordance with SEC rules. Mr. Stein joined the Company as Vice Chairman of the Company and Chief Executive Officer-Houston Region in April 2014. He resigned from those positions and terminated his employment with the Company on April 21, 2016. Mr. Stein’s salary under such employment agreement accrued at a rate of $400,000 per annum. The salary shown for 2014 was received for the portion of the year in which he was employed by the Company during 2014. In 2014, Mr. Stein received the stock award shown and a $2,000,000 cash payment, which is included in All Other Compensation for 2014 pursuant to the employment agreement he entered into upon joining the Company. Pursuant to a separation agreement entered into between the Company and Mr. Stein in connection with his termination of his employment with the Company, the Company continued to pay Mr. Stein’s salary for the remainder of 2016 and paid his annual incentive bonus of $260,000 for 2016, along with certain other benefits (which salary and bonus payments and other benefits are included in All Other Compensation) for 2016. Under such separation agreement, the Company will pay Mr. Stein an amount equal to the pro rata portion of $400,000 through April 15, 2017.

 

24


Table of Contents

Narrative Discussion of Summary Compensation Table

General. The Company has compensated the Company’s named executive officers through a mix of base salary, cash incentive bonuses, restricted stock grants, and other benefits, including to a limited extent, perquisites. The Company believes the current mix of these compensation elements and the amounts of each element provide the Company’s named executive officers with compensation that is reasonable, competitive within the Company’s markets, appropriately reflects the Company’s performance and their particular contributions to that performance, and takes into account applicable regulatory guidelines and requirements. Each of the Company’s named executive officers is also an officer of Independent Bank and has substantial responsibilities in connection with the day-to-day operations of Independent Bank. As a result, each named executive officer devotes a substantial majority of his or her business time to the operations of Independent Bank, and the compensation he or she receives is paid largely to compensate that named executive officer for his or her services to Independent Bank.

The Company does not maintain any defined benefit plan, actuarial benefit plan, supplemental executive retirement plan or deferred compensation plan for the Company’s named executive officers or any other employees. Moreover, the Company has no plan, agreement or other arrangement with any of the Company’s named executive officers relating to the payments of any amounts upon the retirement of such named executive officer from employment with the Company or any other separation from service with the Company.

Base Salary. The base salaries of the Company’s named executive officers are reviewed annually by the Compensation Committee as part of the Company’s performance review process as well as upon the promotion of an executive officer to a new position or another change in job responsibility. Following this review, the Compensation Committee makes recommendations to the Company’s board of directors, which reviews the recommendation and sets the annual salary. In establishing base salaries for the Company’s named executive officers for 2016, the Compensation Committee, relied on external market data obtained from outside sources, including Johnson Associates, the Compensation Committee’s compensation consultant, and the Independent Bankers Association of Texas and other banking industry trade groups. In addition to considering the information obtained from such sources, the Compensation Committee, has considered:

 

   

each named executive officer’s scope of responsibility;

 

   

each named executive officer’s years of experience;

 

   

the types and amount of the elements of compensation to be paid to each named executive officer;

 

   

the Company’s financial performance and performance with respect to other aspects of the Company’s operations, such as the Company’s growth, asset quality, profitability and other matters, including the status of the Company’s relationship with the banking regulatory agencies; and

 

   

each named executive officer’s individual performance and contributions to the Company’s performance, including leadership, team work and community service.

Cash Bonuses and Stock Awards. The Company typically has paid a cash bonus and made grants of restricted shares of Company common stock under the Company’s 2013 Equity Incentive Plan to its named executive officers. The Compensation Committee uses annual incentive cash and stock awards to recognize and reward those named executive officers who contribute meaningfully to the Company’s performance for the year. The Compensation Committee has, within its sole discretion, determined whether such cash bonuses will be paid for any year and the amount of any bonus paid as well as determined whether stock awards will be granted for any year and the number of any restricted shares granted. In determining whether to pay annual cash bonuses and make stock awards, the Compensation Committee establishes performance goals for the Company and the

 

25


Table of Contents

executive officer at the beginning of the year and then reviews the Company’s and the executive’s performance at the end of the year to determine the extent to which the pre-established goals have been obtained. Performance measures used by the Compensation Committee in establishing performance goals have included such factors as:

 

   

the overall financial soundness of the Company (asset quality, risk controls, balance sheet/capital management);

 

   

the Company’s organic loan and growth and growth through strategic acquisitions;

 

   

the Company’s profitability (earnings growth and operating efficiencies);

 

   

the executive’s role in the Company’s achievement of target percentage increases in growth and profitability;

 

   

the executive’s role in specific strategic and operational functions, such as successful implementation of the Company’s acquisition strategy, overall management of financial reporting, and supervision of the Company’s credit function; and

 

   

the personal performance of the executive officer and contributions to the Company’s performance for the year, including leadership, team work and community service.

The Compensation Committee also reviews external market data in weighting achievement of performance goals and applies market medians to the level of performance in setting the cash and stock awards. The Compensation Committee also establishes performance measures and sets applicable performance targets for each performance measure with respect to performance-based cash incentive and equity incentive awards under the 2015 Performance Award Plan.

Benefits and Perquisites. The Company’s named executive officers are eligible to participate in the same benefit plans designed for all of the Company’s full-time employees, including health, dental, vision, disability and basic group life insurance coverage. The Company also provides its employees, including its named executive officers, with a 401(k) plan to assist its employees, including its named executive officers, in planning for retirement and securing appropriate levels of income during retirement. The purpose of the Company’s employee benefit plans is to help the Company attract and retain quality employees, including executives, by offering benefit plans similar to those typically offered by the Company’s competitors. Except as described below, none of the perquisites or benefits paid or provided to any of the Company’s named executive officers exceeded $25,000 in amount for 2016, 2015 or 2014.

Independent Bank Group 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. The Independent Bank Group 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan, or the 401(k) Plan, is designed to provide retirement benefits to all eligible full-time and part-time employees. The 401(k) Plan provides employees the opportunity to save for retirement on a tax-favored basis. The Company’s named executive officers, all of whom were eligible to participate in the 401(k) Plan during 2016, 2015 or 2014, may elect to participate in the 401(k) Plan on the same basis as all other employees. Employees may defer from 1% to 100% of their compensation to the 401(k) Plan up to the applicable IRS limit. The Company matches from 50% to 100% of an employee’s annual contribution to the 401(k) Plan, depending on the employee’s years of service with the Company, up to a total of 6% per annum of the employee’s eligible salary. The Company makes its matching contributions in cash, and that contribution is invested according to the employee’s current investment allocation. Beginning in 2014, the 401(k) Plan began to permit investments in Company common stock. The Company made contributions to its named executive officers’ accounts in the 401(k) plan in 2016, 2015 or 2014 in varying amounts depending on the amounts of the contributions made by the named executive officers to their respective 401(k) Plan accounts.

Health and Welfare Benefits. The Company’s named executive officers are eligible to participate in the Company’s standard health and welfare benefits program, which offers medical, dental, vision, life, accident

 

26


Table of Contents

and disability coverage to all of its eligible employees. The Company does not provide the named executive officers with any health and welfare benefits that are not generally available to its other employees.

Restricted Stock-related Payments. Under the Company’s stock grant plans in effect until April 2013, the Company agreed to pay to the holders of restricted stock granted by the Company a cash amount equal to 25% of the then fair market value of any shares vesting within thirty days after those shares vest. The Company pays that amount to provide the holder of vested shares a source of funds to pay the federal income taxes due with respect to compensation income recognized upon the vesting of the shares. In 2014, the Company’s named executive officers who received such payments in excess of $25,000 and the aggregate amount of such payments were David R. Brooks, $535,315 and Daniel W. Brooks, $271,218. In 2015, no such payments in excess of $25,000 were paid to the Company’s named executive officers. In 2016, the Company paid $30,210 related to payroll taxes on restricted stock vesting for James D. Stein.

Insurance Premiums. Independent Bank maintains bank-owned life insurance policies with respect to each of the Company’s named executive officers. Although Independent Bank is the named beneficiary of each of those policies, the Company has agreed with each of those named executive officers that if the officer dies while employed by Independent Bank, the Company will pay such named executive officer’s estate an amount equal to the amount of that officer’s salary for the year in which his or her death occurs out of the benefits Independent Bank receives under such policy.

Perquisites and Other Compensation. The Company previously provided certain of its named executive officers with a limited number of perquisites that the Company believed were reasonable and consistent with the Company’s overall compensation program to better enable the Company to attract and retain superior employees for key positions. The Company’s board of directors had periodically reviewed the levels of perquisites and other personal benefits provided to named executive officers. Based on this periodic review, perquisites were awarded or adjusted on an individual basis.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The following table provides information regarding outstanding unvested stock awards held by the named executive officers as of December 31, 2016. The then outstanding stock awards were shares of restricted stock subject to forfeiture provisions that expire on the fifth anniversary of the date of grant (for awards made in connection with the Company’s initial public offering in 2013) or the third anniversary of the date of the grant (for awards made in subsequent years unrelated to the Company’s initial public offering) so long as the holder of the shares remains employed by the Company or Independent Bank on that date.

 

    Stock Awards as of December 31, 2016  

Name

  Number of Shares
    of Stock that have    
not Vested
(1)
        Market Value of Shares    
of Stock that have not
Vested
(2)
 

David R. Brooks

    29,755     $  1,856,712  

Michelle S. Hickox

    11,241       701,438  

Daniel W. Brooks

    14,357       895,877  

Brian Hobart

    13,161       821,246  

James C. White

    12,000       748,800  

James D. Stein

    20,645       1,288,248  

 

27


Table of Contents

 

(1)         The following table shows the dates on which the shares of restricted stock shown in the table above vest, i.e., the date on which the forfeiture provisions expire as to the shares of restricted stock held by each of the Company’s named executive officers:

 

Name

        Vesting Dates         Number of
    Shares to Vest    
 

David R. Brooks

  January 31, 2017     9,028  
  April 8, 2017     5,120  
  January 31, 2018     7,060  
  April 8, 2018     5,120  
  January 31, 2019     3,427  

Michelle S. Hickox

  January 31, 2017     2,172  
  April 8, 2017     1,600  
  May 1, 2017     3,200  
  January 31, 2018     1,762  
  April 8, 2018     1,600  
  January 31, 2019     907  

Daniel W. Brooks

  January 1, 2017     3,200  
  January 31, 2017     2,750  
  April 8, 2018     2,560  
  January 31, 2018     2,178  
  April 8, 2017     2,560  
  January 31, 2019     1,109  

Brian E. Hobart

  January 1, 2017     3,200  
  January 31, 2017     2,503  
  April 8, 2017     2,240  
  January 31, 2018     1,970  
  April 8, 2018     2,240  
  January 31, 2019     1,008  

James C. White

  May 16, 2017     2,400  
  May 16, 2018     2,400  
  May 16, 2019     2,400  
  May 16, 2020     2,400  
  May 16, 2021     2,400  

James D. Stein (a)

  January 15, 2017     10,000  
  April 15, 2017     10,645  

 

  (a) Such shares of restricted stock to vest on such dates in accordance with the terms of Mr. Stein’s separation agreement with the Company.

 

(2) The market values for the outstanding stock awards presented as of December 31, 2016, are based on a fair market value of the Company’s common stock of $62.40 per share as of December 31, 2016, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on such date.

 

28


Table of Contents

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table provides information as of December 31, 2016, regarding the Company’s equity compensation plans under which the Company’s equity securities are authorized for issuance:

 

  Plan Category

   Number of
    securities to be    
issued upon
exercise of
outstanding
options,

warrants and
rights (a)
   Weighted-
  average exercise  
price of

outstanding
options,
warrants and
rights (b)
   Number of securities
  remaining available for  
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected in
column (a))
  Equity compensation plans approved by security holders    --    N/A    310,394 (1)
  Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders    --    N/A    --

 

(1) Shares of Company common stock issuable pursuant to the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan.

Director Compensation

The following table sets forth information regarding 2016 compensation for those of the Company’s directors during 2016 who were not named executive officers of the Company for 2016:

 

Name

   Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
     Stock Awards(1)      All Other
  Compensation  
         Total      

M. Brian Aynesworth (2)(3)

   $  35,000      $  27,128      $  12,000      $  74,128  

Douglas A. Cifu

     35,000        27,128        --            62,128  

William E. Fair

     35,000        27,128        --            62,128  

Craig E. Holmes

     40,000        27,128        --            67,128  

J. Webb Jennings III

     30,000        27,128        --            57,128  

Donald L. Poarch

     30,000        27,128        --            57,128  

Jack M. Radke (3)

     30,000        27,128        --            57,128  

G. Stacy Smith

     30,000        27,128        --            57,128  

Michael T. Viola

     30,000        27,128        --            57,128  

 

(1) Reflects awards granted for service in 2016.
(2) Includes fees received for service on the Independent Bank loan committee.
(3) Resigned from the Company’s board of directors in January 2017.

During 2016, each of the Company’s nonmanagement directors received a cash retainer of $30,000 and an award of shares of restricted stock under the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan with a market value of $27,128, for their service as a director. In addition, the chairman of the Audit Committee of the Company’s board of directors received an additional cash retainer of $10,000 and the chairmen of the Company’s Compensation Committee, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and Strategic Planning Committee received an additional cash retainer of $5,000 for their service in those roles. The Company’s directors were reimbursed for the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses they incur in connection with their service as directors, including travel costs to attend the meetings of the board of directors and committees. The Company’s directors who were also the Company’s named executed officers did not receive fees or other compensation for their service as directors of the Company. Mr. David R. Brooks and Mr. Daniel W. Brooks, who are directors and executive officers of the Company, do not receive any compensation in their capacity as directors of the Company.

Chief Executive Officer Compensation

The compensation that the Company paid David R. Brooks, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, was reviewed and determined by the Compensation Committee. The compensation paid reflects the Compensation Committee’s view of Mr. Brooks’ continuing contribution to the success of the Company’s operations. That compensation, including Mr. Brooks’ salary for 2016 and his cash bonus and equity

 

29


Table of Contents

awards for 2016, are intended to compensate Mr. Brooks for his successful leadership of the Company and Independent Bank and management of their operations, as reflected by the Company’s growth in assets, deposits and net income, the expansion of the Company’s markets, the maintenance of the Company’s strong asset quality and credit culture despite volatile economic conditions during 2016, and the successful negotiation of the Carlile acquisition.

Agreements and Arrangements with Named Executive Officers

The Company does not have employment agreements with any of the Company’s named executive officers other than Mr. James C. White, an Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of the Company. The other named executive officers of the Company identified herein (other than Mr. James D. Stein, who is no longer employed by the Company) are employees “at will” of the Company. The compensation that the Company pays to its named executive officers other than Mr. White is determined at the discretion of the Company’s board of directors based upon the Compensation Committee’s recommendation.

Mr. White’s employment agreement with the Company is for an indefinite term and may be terminated by either party at any time on thirty days’ prior written notice. The agreement provides for Mr. White to receive a salary of $265,000 per annum and to be eligible to receive an annual incentive bonus if he and the Company attain pre-established performance goals for the year in question. The annual bonus amount will be determined by the Company’s board of directors based on its review of the extent to which the annual performance goals have been attained. The target amount of the annual bonus is approximately 50% of Mr. White’s annual base salary, with any bonus paid being payable 65% in cash and 35% in restricted shares of the Company common stock that will vest if Mr. White remains employed by the Company for three years after the restricted shares are awarded. Mr. White’s employment agreement also provided for the grant of 12,000 restricted shares of Company common stock to Mr. White that will vest if Mr. White remains employed by the Company for five years after their grant.

In connection with the issuance of the shares of restricted stock the Company issued to the Company’s executive officers and certain senior officers of Independent Bank pursuant to the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, the Company requires that each recipient of an award enter into an award agreement that includes noncompetition and nonsolicitation covenants. Each such agreement provides that the award recipient will not compete with the Company for a specified period following the termination of his or her employment with the Company or Independent Bank. Competition for such purposes is defined to include such person acting as an officer, director, manager or employee of, or a consultant to, any bank holding company, bank or other financial institution conducting banking operations in the Company’s market areas in the State of Texas. The periods for which such competition is prohibited is two years for David R. Brooks, one year for each of Daniel W. Brooks, Michelle S. Hickox, Brian E. Hobart and James C. White and three months for those award recipients who are senior officers of Independent Bank. The various award recipients also agree not to solicit other employees or customers of the Company or Independent Bank. The nonsolicitation period for the Company’s executive officers is one year following the termination of their employment with the Company or Independent Bank. The nonsolicitation period for officers of Independent Bank is set by the Compensation Committee for each officer and ranges from three months to one year following termination of employment. In addition, Independent Bank has entered into a separation agreement with Mr. Stein, which continues the confidentiality, noncompetition and nonsolicitation covenants that were in his employment agreement. See “The Company’s Executive Compensation and Other Matters—Summary Compensation Table” above for information regarding such separation agreement with Mr. Stein.

On July 26, 2016, the Company, entered into Change in Control Agreements (the “Change in Control Agreements”) with David R. Brooks, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Daniel W. Brooks, Vice Chairman and Chief Risk Officer, Brian E Hobart, Vice Chairman and Chief Lending Officer, and Michelle S. Hickox, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (each individually, the “Executive”). Each of the Change in Control Agreements provides, among other things, that if, within twelve months following the

 

30


Table of Contents

occurrence of a Change in Control of the Company (as defined in the Company’s 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”)), (a) the Company terminates the Executive’s employment without Cause (as defined in the applicable Change in Control Agreement) or the Executive terminates his or her employment for Good Reason (as defined in the applicable Change in Control Agreement) and (b) the Executive signs and allows to become effective a general release of all known and unknown claims, in favor of the Company and its affiliates, then (i) the Executive will be entitled to a lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to three times the sum, for David R. Brooks, or two times the sum, for Daniel W. Brooks, Brian E. Hobart and Michelle S. Hickox, of (x) the Executive’s current annual base salary, plus (y) the Executive’s target total annual bonus for the year of termination, (ii) all of Executive’s unvested grants of restricted stock will become vested and will no longer be subject to restriction or forfeiture, and (iii) Executive shall continue to be a participant in the Independent Bank Survivor Benefit Plan such that, upon Executive’s death and provided certain thresholds are met, the Company will pay to the Executive’s beneficiary, as a survivor benefit, a single lump sum cash payment equal to the Executive’s annual base salary in effect on the date of the termination of the Executives’ employment. Each of the Change in Control Agreements provides further that the amount of payments and benefits payable to the Executive is subject to reduction to the extent necessary to ensure that such amount does not constitute a “parachute payment” as defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In addition, Mr. White’s employment agreement provides, among other things, that upon termination of employment within one year of a change in control of the Company, the Company will pay to Mr. White a lump sum cash amount equal to two times Mr. White’s base salary plus the amount of his incentive bonus from the previous year and all of Mr. White’s unvested stock grants from the Company will vest and will no longer be subject to restriction or forfeiture.

Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors

Historically, Independent Bank’s board of directors has maintained a Compensation Committee that has overseen the compensation for Independent Bank’s senior officers. In February 2013, the Company’s board of directors established a Compensation Committee comprised solely of directors who are independent under SEC rules and the rules for the NASDAQ Global Select Market, including NASDAQ Global Select Market’s rules relating to the independence of the members of Compensation Committees. See “Board and Committee Matters - Compensation Committee” for a description of the Compensation Committee’s responsibilities.

In accordance with its charter, the Compensation Committee has the responsibility and authority of establishing the philosophy that underlies the Company’s executive compensation program, for establishing and implementing that program and for reviewing and setting the compensation of each of the Company’s named executive officers and other executive officers. The Company’s board of directors has directed the Compensation Committee, in accordance with its charter, to ensure that the Company’s executive compensation program is designed and executed in a manner necessary to reflect the Company’s executive compensation philosophy, to achieve the Company’s goals and objectives and is consistent with regulatory requirements. Specifically, the Company’s board of directors has directed the Compensation Committee to review the Company’s executive officer compensation program and determine if:

 

    the Company’s executive officer compensation is appropriately linked to the Company’s short-term and long-term financial and other performance;

 

    the interests of the Company’s executive officers are appropriately aligned with the interests of the Company’s shareholders or can be more appropriately aligned through greater equity ownership by the Company’s executive officers and by having a greater proportion of executive officer compensation tied to the Company’s financial and other performance; and

 

    the base salaries and incentive compensation opportunities provided to the Company’s executive officers are competitive with those packages offered by other similarly situated and similarly performing financial institutions.

 

31


Table of Contents

The Company’s board of directors has also instructed the Compensation Committee to address such other matters relating to the Company’s executive compensation program as it deems appropriate.

At the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, the Company’s board of directors adopted the 2015 Performance Award Plan which was approved by the Company’s shareholders at the 2015 annual meeting. Pursuant to the 2015 Performance Award Plan, executive officers are eligible to receive cash and equity based performance awards based upon the achievement of goals related to the performance of the Company. At the end of each year, the Compensation Committee reviews the level of achievement of the pre-established performance goals. For 2016, the Company granted target awards based upon pre-tax net income. The 2016 awards are intended to qualify as deductible “performance based” compensation for federal income tax purposes.

Compensation Policies and Practices and the Company’s Risk Management

The Company does not believe that any risks arise from the Company’s compensation policies and practices for the Company’s executive officers and other employees that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations, results of operations or financial condition.

 

32


Table of Contents

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

Related Person Transaction Review Policy

The Company has adopted a formal written policy concerning related party transactions. A related party transaction is a transaction, arrangement or relationship or a series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000, in which the Company or one of the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries participates (whether or not the Company or the subsidiary is a direct party to the transaction), and in which a director, nominee to become a director, executive officer or employee of the Company or one of the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries or any of his or her immediate family members or any entity that any of them controls or in which any of them has a substantial beneficial ownership interest has a direct or indirect material interest, or in which any person who is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s voting securities or a member of the immediate family of such person has a direct or indirect material interest. A copy of the Company’s policy may be found on the Company’s website at www.ibtx.com.

The Company’s policy requires the Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee to ensure that the Company maintains an ongoing review process for all related party transactions for potential conflicts of interest and requires that the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee pre-approve any such transactions or, if for any reason pre-approval is not obtained, to review, ratify and approve or cause the termination of such transactions. The Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee evaluates each related party transaction for the purpose of recommending to the disinterested members of the Company’s board of directors whether the transaction is fair, reasonable and permitted to occur under the Company’s policy, and should be pre-approved or ratified and approved by the Company’s board of directors. Relevant factors considered relating to any approval or ratification include the benefits of the transaction to the Company, the terms of the transaction and whether the transaction will be or was on an arm’s-length basis and in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, the direct or indirect nature of the related party’s interest in the transaction, the size and expected term of the transaction and other facts and circumstances that bear on the materiality of the related party transaction under applicable law and listing standards. Related party transactions entered into, but not approved or ratified as required by the Company’s policy concerning related party transactions, will be subject to termination by us or the relevant subsidiary, if so directed by the Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee or the Company’s board of directors, taking into account factors as deemed appropriate and relevant. Lending and other banking transactions in the ordinary course of business and consistent with the insider loan provisions of Regulation O of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System are not treated as related party transactions under this policy and, instead, these transactions are monitored and approved, if necessary, by Independent Bank’s board. In addition, any transaction in which the rates or charges are determined by competitive bids are not subject to approval under the policy.

The Company’s directors, officers, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the Company’s voting securities and their respective associates were customers of and had transactions with the Company in the past, and additional transactions with these persons are expected to take place in the future. All outstanding loans and commitments to loan with these persons were made in the ordinary course of business, were made on the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with persons not related to the Company or Independent Bank and did not involve more than the normal risk of collectability or present other unfavorable features. All such loans are approved by Independent Bank’s board of directors in accordance with the bank regulatory requirements. Similarly, all certificates of deposit and depository relationships with these persons were made in the ordinary course of business and involved substantially the same terms, including interest rates, as those prevailing at the time for comparable depository relationships with persons not related to the Company or Independent Bank.

 

33


Table of Contents

Related Person Transactions

The following is a description of certain transactions in which the Company has participated and in which one or more of the Company’s directors, executive officers or beneficial holders of more than 5% of the Company’s capital stock, or their immediate family members or entities affiliated with them, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Issuance of Subordinated Debentures. Since January 2009, the Company has conducted four separate private placements of the Company’s 7% fixed rate subordinated debentures to raise capital to support the Company’s growth and expansion efforts. The material terms of each series of debentures are the same and are as follows:

 

    Interest accruing at the rate of 7% per annum, payable quarterly;

 

    Principal payments due on the third anniversary of issuance of debentures of the series and then semi-annually over the remaining four years until maturity;

 

    Prepayable at the Company’s option and without any prepayment penalty or premium after the third anniversary of issuance of debentures of the series;

 

    Maturing on the last day of the seventh year of the term of the series of debenture;

 

    Subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future senior debt; and

 

    Unsecured with no sinking fund requirement.

The following table lists the aggregate principal amount of debentures purchased by certain of the Company’s directors, executive officers, and beneficial holders of more than 5% of the Company’s voting securities, and their respective affiliates and the amount of principal and interest paid from January 1, 2014, through January 15, 2016, at which date the subordinated debentures were paid in full.

 

Name

   Aggregate Principal
  Amount Purchased (1)  
   Interest
      Paid      
   Principal
      Paid      

M. Brian Aynesworth

   $350,000    $49,583    $162,500

 

(1) Includes $100,000 held by Mr. Aynesworth’s SEP account. Mr. Aynesworth resigned from the Company’s Board of Directors in January 2017.

IBG Aircraft. IBG Aircraft Company III, a subsidiary of Independent Bank, or IBG Aircraft, owns an airplane. The Company uses the airplane to facilitate the travel of the Company’s executives for corporate purposes related to the Company’s business. Independent Bank uses the aircraft to facilitate the travel of Independent Bank employees to and from Independent Bank’s locations across Texas. David R. Brooks elects to receive a portion of his cash bonus in the form of personal use of the aircraft. Under this arrangement, the Compensation Committee establishes the cash bonus for Mr. Brooks. Mr. Brooks is then charged a rate per flight hour for use of the aircraft (computed on an hourly basis and including fuel, maintenance reserves and other operating costs) as established by Independent Bank’s aviation committee, a joint committee of the Company’s and Independent Bank’s boards of directors comprised of David R. Brooks, William E. Fair and David Wood. This amount is then charged against Mr. Brook’s bonus amount, reducing the cash portion of the bonus awarded to Mr. Brooks. The Compensation Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee have reviewed and approved this arrangement, and the Company believes that this arrangement is in compliance with third party regulations established by bank regulatory agencies.

 

34


Table of Contents

Branch Lease. Independent Bank leases its Woodway Branch in Waco from Waco Fairbank Realty, Ltd., of which William E. Fair, one of the Company’s directors, is a limited partner. Independent Bank pays rent for this 5,462 square foot facility, at the rate of $27.50 per square foot, or $150,205 annually, from 2016 – 2018, $29.00 per square foot, or $158,398 annually, from 2018 – 2021, and $30.60 per square foot plus an amount based upon the increase in consumer price index, or approximately $167,137 annually, from 2021 – 2016. Additionally, in March 2011, Independent Bank sold a 2,000 square foot office building to Mr. Fair’s IRA. Independent Bank had previously foreclosed on the building and was holding it as ORE. The purchase price was $200,000. Independent Bank had marketed the property with two separate real estate agents that produced offers from unrelated parties for less than $200,000. Mr. Fair’s IRA also paid the closing costs. As part of the transaction, Independent Bank loaned Mr. Fair’s IRA $150,000 at a fixed interest rate of 5.50%. Principal and interest is payable monthly on the basis of fifteen years with a balloon payment due at maturity in May 2016. In December 2011, the loan was modified to lower the interest rate to 4.75% and to extend the maturity date to December 2016. In December 2016, the loan was modified to extend the maturity date to January 1, 2025 and change the interest rate to be the floating Wall Street Journal prime rate. The outstanding principal balance of the loan is $104,058. The Company believes that these arrangements are at least as favorable to Independent Bank as could have been arranged with unrelated third parties and are in compliance with third party regulations for transactions with directors and their affiliates established by bank regulatory agencies.

Tax Indemnification Agreements. The Company is party to certain tax indemnification agreements with each of the Company’s shareholders existing at the time of the Company’s initial public offering. Pursuant to these agreements, the Company has agreed that upon filing any tax return (amended or otherwise), or in the event of any restatement of the Company’s taxable income, in each case for any period during which the Company was an S corporation (pre-April 2013), the Company will make a payment to each shareholder on a pro rata basis in an amount sufficient so that the shareholder with the highest incremental estimated tax liability (calculated as if the shareholder would be taxable on its allocable share of the Company’s taxable income at the highest applicable federal, state and local tax rates and taking into account all amounts the Company previously distributed in respect of taxes for the relevant period) receives a payment equal to its incremental tax liability. The Company also agrees to indemnify the shareholders for any interest, penalties, losses, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of any claim under the agreements.

 

35


Table of Contents

BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK BY MANAGEMENT AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock as of April 13, 2017, by (1) directors and named executive officers of the Company, (2) each person who is known by the Company to own beneficially 5% or more of the Company’s common stock and (3) all directors and named executive officers as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, based on information furnished by such shareholders, management of the Company believes that each person has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares indicated as owned by such person.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner(1)

  Number of Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
     Percentage
Beneficially Owned
(3)
 

Directors and Executive Officers:

    

David R. Brooks

    890,062   (4)       3.2%              

Daniel W. Brooks

    161,988   (5)       *                  

Brian E. Hobart

    160,240   (6)       *                  

Michelle S. Hickox

    20,994        *                  

James C. White

    12,901        *                  

Douglas A. Cifu

    101,015   (7)       *                  

Christopher M. Doody

    0   (8)       --                  

William E. Fair

    215,667   (9)       *                  

Mark K. Gormley

    0   (10)       --                  

Craig E. Holmes

    12,060        *                  

J. Webb Jennings, III

    41,350        *                  

Tom C. Nichols

    206,127   (11)       *                  

Donald L. Poarch

    128,745   (12)       *                  

G. Stacy Smith

    165,151   (13)       *                  

Michael T. Viola

    23,159        *                  
 

 

 

    

 

 

 

All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (15 persons)

    2,139,459   (14)       7.7%              

Principal Shareholders:

    

Vincent J. Viola

                            4,538,383   (15)       16.3%              

LEP Carlile Holdings, LLC

    1,933,495   (10) (16)                       7.0                 

Trident IV Depository Holdings, LLC

    1,875,716   (8) (17)                       6.8                 

 

* Indicates ownership that does not exceed 1%.

 

(1) The address of the persons shown in the foregoing table who are beneficial owners of more than 5% of the common stock are as follows: Vincent J. Viola, 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069; LEP Carlile Holdings, LLC, 650 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022; Trident IV Depository Holdings, LLC, 20 Horseneck Lane, 2nd Floor, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830.
(2) Beneficial ownership does not include certain officers’ restricted shares rights granted pursuant to its 2012 Stock Grant Plan which have not vested.
(3) Ownership percentages reflect the ownership percentage assuming that such person, but no other person, exercises all warrants to acquire shares of our common stock held by such person that are currently exercisable. The ownership percentage of all executive officers and directors, as a group, assumes that all 15 persons, but no other persons, exercise all warrants to acquire shares of our common stock held by such persons that are currently exercisable. The percentages are based upon 27,767,224 shares issued and outstanding as of April 13, 2017.
(4) Of these shares, 786,792 are held of record by David R. Brooks and 80,000 shares are held of record by trusts for his children of which he and his wife are trustees. Mr. Brooks holds warrants to purchase 23,270 shares, which are included in his total shares, and 175,000 of Mr. Brooks’ shares are pledged as security for bank loans.
(5) Includes warrants to purchase 4,656 shares and 40,000 shares pledged as security for bank loans.
(6) Includes warrants to purchase 4,218 shares and 22,222 shares pledged to secure bank loans.
(7) Includes 6,471 shares owned of record by Mr. Cifu and 94,544 shares beneficially owned indirectly by Mr. Cifu through his ownership interest in VV-IB, LLC, which entity owns 405,000 shares of Company common stock. VV-IB, LLC is beneficially owned by Mr. Cifu (23.3442%) and Vincent J. Viola (76.6558%). Mr. Viola is the sole managing member of VV-IB, LLC and has sole dispositive and voting power with respect to the shares of common stock of the Company owned by VV-IB, LLC. Mr. Cifu disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by VV-IB, LLC.

 

36


Table of Contents
(8) Mr. Doody is a Principal of Stone Point Capital LLC, which manages Trident IV, L.P. and Trident IV Professionals Fund, L.P., the respective owners of Trident IV Depository Holdings LLC and Trident IV PF Depository Holdings LLC, which entities directly own shares of Company common stock. Mr. Doody disclaims beneficial ownership with respect to the shares of Company common stock owned by these entities. See Footnote 17.
(9) Includes 201,930 shares held of record by William E. Fair and 7,919 shares held of record by an IRA of which he is beneficiary. Mr. Fair holds warrants to purchase 5,818 shares which are included in his total shares, and 124,658 shares pledged as security for bank loans.
(10) Mr. Gormley may be deemed to be the indirect beneficial owner of shares owned by LEP Carlile Holdings, LLC. Mr. Gormley disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares, except to the extent of his or its pecuniary interest therein, if any. See Footnote 16, below.
(11) Includes 204,746 shares held of record by Tom C. Nichols and 1,381 shares held of record by his wife, Lynda Nichols. 192,461 of the shares held by Tom C. Nichols are subject to a Voting and Lock Up Agreement dated November 21, 2016 between the Company and Tom C. Nichols which restricts the transfer of those shares until April 1, 2018, without the prior written consent of the Company.
(12) Of these shares, 120,000 shares are held of record by Poarch Family Limited Partnership, of which Mr. Poarch is the President of its General Partner, Donald L. Poarch, Inc., and 8,745 shares are held of record by Donald Poarch.
(13) Of these shares, 90,151 shares are held of record by G. Stacy Smith, and 75,000 shares are held of record by SCW Capital LP, of which Mr. Smith is a principal.
(14) Includes warrants to purchase 37,962 shares.
(15) Of Mr. Viola’s shares, 405,000 are held of record by VV-IB, LLC. Mr. Viola is the sole managing member of VV-IB, LLC and has full voting and dispositive control over all of these shares. Includes warrants to purchase 93,091 shares.
(16) These shares are directly owned by LEP Carlile Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The members of LEP Carlile Holdings are Thomas H. Lee, Lee Equity Partners Realization Fund, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, Lee Equity Strategic Partners Realization Fund, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and LEP Carlile Co-Investor Group I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (collectively, the “Funds”). Mr. Gormley is a member and equity owner of the general partner of the Funds. 1,817,485 of these shares are subject to a Voting and Lock Up Agreement, dated November 21, 2016 between LEP Carlile Holdings, LLC and the Company which restricts the transfer of these shares until April 1, 2018, without the prior written consent of the Company.
(17) Certain of the information reported is based on a Schedule 13D, which was filed with the SEC on April 11, 2017. Consists of 1,844,488 shares owned by Trident IV Depository Holdings LLC and 31,228 shares owned by Trident IV PF Depository Holdings LLC, which entities are, respectively, owned by Trident IV, L.P. and Trident IV Professionals Fund, L.P., investment funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC. Voting and dispositive power over the Company common stock is shared with certain other Trident reporting persons, including Trident Capital IV, L.P., the general partner of Trident IV, L.P. Stone Point Capital LLC reported shared voting power of 1,875,716 shares. 1,733,819 of the shares held by Trident IV Depository Holdings LLC are subject to a Voting and Lock Up Agreement dated November 21, 2016, between Trident IV Depository Holdings LLC and the Company which restricts the transfer of these shares until April 1, 2018, without the prior written consent of the Company. 29,354 of the shares held by Trident IV PF Depository Holdings LLC are subject to a Voting and Lock Up Agreement dated November 21, 2016, between Trident IV PF Depository Holdings LLC and the Company which restricts the transfer of these shares until April 1, 2018, without the prior written consent of the Company.

There are no arrangements currently known to us, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result in a change in control of the Company, except that the Company understands that Vincent Viola, its largest shareholder, is considering certain estate planning transfers, which could result in his son, Michael Viola, who is a director of the Company, having shared voting and dispositive power over certain shares of the Company’s common stock placed in trust for the benefit of members of Vincent Viola’s family.

The Company’s policies prohibit directors and executive officers from holding shares of Company common stock in a margin account. This prohibition recognizes the risk that directors or executives may be forced to sell shares to meet a margin call which could negatively impact the Company’s stock price and may violate insider trading laws and policies. However, the Company’s policies do not prohibit the pledge of shares of Company common stock by directors or executive officers to secure personal indebtedness. The indebtedness incurred by directors and executive officers who have pledged their shares is indebtedness incurred to purchase Company common stock or for personal reasons and is not part of a hedging strategy to immunize the director or executive officer from economic exposure with respect to the Company’s common stock. Further, the pledge of shares typically does not result in a forced sale by the director or executive officer in the event of default on the loan. Rather, upon default, other arrangements typically are made such as the pledge of additional collateral to secure the loan. Ultimately, if suitable arrangements cannot be made and if the loan remains in default, the lender may foreclose upon and take ownership of the pledged shares. The lender may or may not sell the foreclosed shares. Presumably, the lender would sell the foreclosed shares only under circumstances that would maximize

 

37


Table of Contents

the value of the foreclosed shares. For these reasons, the pledge of shares does not present the same risks as holding shares in a margin account and the Company believes that the pledging of shares of Company common stock by directors and executive officers does not present undue risk to the Company or its shareholders.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Based solely on its review of the copies of such report forms received by it with respect to fiscal year 2016, the Company believes that all filing requirements applicable to its directors, executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities have been timely complied with in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, except for the following late filings:

 

    Filing made by G. Stacy Smith in connection with the purchase of common stock by SCW Capital, LP on May 1, 2015. The amended Form 4 was filed with the SEC on February 17, 2016.

 

    Filing made by M. Brian Aynesworth, a director in 2016, in connection with his purchase of common stock on February 2, 2016. The Form 4 was filed with the SEC on February 17, 2016.

 

    Filing made by Donald L. Poarch in connection with the purchase of common stock by the Poarch Family Limited Partnership on February 3, 2016. The Form 4 was filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.

 

38


Table of Contents

PROPOSAL 2. RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Pursuant to the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the board has appointed RSM US LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2017. RSM US LLP has served as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm continuously for over fourteen years.

At the annual meeting, the shareholders will be asked to consider and act upon a proposal to ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP. The ratification of such appointment will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote and present in person or represented by proxy at the annual meeting. Representatives of RSM US LLP are expected to be present at the annual meeting, will be given an opportunity to make a statement (if they desire to do so) and are expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Shareholder ratification of the selection of RSM US LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2017 fiscal year is not required by the Company’s Bylaws, state law or otherwise. However, the board of directors is submitting the selection of RSM US LLP to the Company’s shareholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If the shareholders fail to ratify the selection, the Audit Committee will reconsider whether or not to retain RSM US LLP. Even if the selection of RSM US LLP is ratified, the Audit Committee may, in its discretion, direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the 2017 fiscal year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE PROPOSAL TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF RSM US LLP AS INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2017.

 

39


Table of Contents

DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF SHAREHOLDER

PROPOSALS FOR 2018 ANNUAL MEETING

If a Company shareholder desires to submit a shareholder proposal pursuant to Rule 14a-5(e) under the Exchange Act for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement for the annual meeting of shareholders in 2018, the Company must receive such proposal and supporting statements, if any, at its principal executive office no later than December 29, 2017.

If a shareholder desires to submit a shareholder proposal outside of Rule 14a-5(e) to be brought before the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders in 2018, the shareholder must give timely notice in writing to Jan Webb, Corporate Secretary; 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069; fax: (972) 562-5496; e-mail: jwebb@ibtx.com. The Company must receive such notice at its principal executive office not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the date of the annual meeting of shareholders in 2018, pursuant to the Company’s Third Amended and Restated Bylaws, as amended. A shareholder’s notice to Jan Webb must set forth, as to each matter the shareholder proposes to bring before the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders in 2018:

(i)         the name and residence address of the shareholder of the Company who intends to make a nomination or present any other matter;

(ii)        a representation that the shareholder is a holder of the Company’s voting stock (indicating the class and number of shares owned) and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to make the nomination or bring up the matter specified in the notice;

(iii)        with respect to notice of an intent to make a nomination for the election of a person as a director of the Company, a description of all arrangements or understandings among the shareholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the shareholder;

(iv)        with respect to an intent to make a nomination, such other information regarding each nominee proposed by such shareholder as would have been required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission had each nominee been nominated by the board of directors of the Company; and

(v)        with respect to the notice of an intent to bring up any other matter, a description of the matter, and any material interest of the shareholder in the matter.

Notice of intent to make a nomination of a person for election as a director of the Company shall be accompanied by the written consent of each nominee to serve as director of the Company if so elected.

Such proposals should be submitted in writing to: Independent Bank Group, Inc.; Jan Webb, Corporate Secretary; 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069; fax: (972) 562-5496; e-mail: jwebb@ibtx.com.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

The Company will furnish, without charge, a copy of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, as filed with the SEC, to any shareholder upon written request to Jan Webb, 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney Texas 75069.

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, including consolidated financial statements and related notes, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, as filed with the SEC, accompanies but does not constitute part of this proxy statement.

 

40


Table of Contents

OTHER MATTERS

The board of directors does not intend to bring any other matter before the annual meeting and does not know of any other matters that are to be presented for action at the annual meeting. However, if any other matter does properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournment thereof, the proxies will be voted in accordance with the discretion of the person or persons voting the proxies.

You are cordially invited to attend the annual meeting. Regardless of whether you plan to attend the annual meeting, you are urged to complete, date, sign and return the enclosed proxy in the accompanying envelope at your earliest convenience.

 

By Order of the Board of Directors,
  LOGO
Jan C. Webb
Corporate Secretary

McKinney, Texas

April 28, 2017

 

41


Table of Contents
 

Independent

Bank Group, Inc.

    

 

Shareowner Services

P.O. Box 64945

St. Paul, MN 55164-0945

        
           

 

    

 

     
           

 

Vote by Internet, Telephone or Mail

24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

           

Your phone or Internet vote authorizes the named proxies to vote your shares in the same manner as if you marked, signed and returned your proxy card.

 

            LOGO   INTERNET – www.proxypush.com/ibtx
              Use the Internet to vote your proxy until 11:59 p.m. (CT) on May 24, 2017.
            LOGO   PHONE 1-866-883-3382
              Use a touch-tone telephone to vote your proxy until 11:59 p.m. (CT) on May 24, 2017.
            LOGO   MAIL – Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided.
            If you vote your proxy by Internet or by Telephone, you do NOT need to mail back your Proxy Card.

ò Please detach here ò

 

                 
        

 

The Board of Directors Recommends a Vote FOR Items 1, 2 and 3.

          
  1.   Election of Class I directors to serve for a term expiring at the annual meeting of shareholders in 2020:     

01  Daniel W. Brooks        

02  Craig E. Holmes

03  Tom C. Nichols

04  G. Stacy Smith

     

    ☐

 

Vote FOR

all nominees

(except as marked)

 

  

Vote WITHHELD

from all nominees

 
                                                           
  (Instructions: To withhold authority to vote for any indicated nominee, write the number(s) of the nominee(s) in the box provided to the right.)                           
  2.   To ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2017.       ☐  For        ☐  Against      ☐  Abstain    
  3.   To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.       ☐  For        ☐  Against      ☐  Abstain    
  THIS PROXY WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, WILL BE VOTED AS THE BOARD RECOMMENDS.  
 

Address Change? Mark box, sign, and indicate changes below:    ☐

 

Please indicate if you plan to attend the meeting    ☐    Yes

 

     

  Date                                                                           

 

 
         
                             
      Signature(s) in Box  
      Please sign exactly as your name(s) appears on Proxy. If held in joint tenancy, all persons should sign. Trustees, administrators, etc., should include title and authority. Corporations should provide full name of corporation and title of authorized officer signing the Proxy.  

 

    

                  


Table of Contents

INDEPENDENT BANK GROUP, INC.

ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

Thursday, May 25, 2017

3:30 p.m.

Ballroom of The Grand Hotel

114 West Louisiana Street

McKinney, Texas 75069

This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors

 

Independent

  
Bank Group, Inc.    proxy

The undersigned holder(s) of Independent Bank Group, Inc. common stock hereby revokes all previous proxies, if any, hereby acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement, and hereby appoints David R. Brooks, Daniel W. Brooks and Michelle S. Hickox, and each of them, as attorneys, agents and proxies of the undersigned, with full powers of substitution, to attend and act as proxies of the undersigned at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Independent Bank Group, Inc. to be held at the Ballroom of The Grand Hotel, 114 West Louisiana Street, McKinney, Texas 75069, on Thursday, May 25, 2017, at 3:30 p.m., Central Time, and any and all adjournments thereof, and to vote as specified herein the number of shares of common stock that the undersigned, if personally present, would be entitled to vote, with the same force and effect as the undersigned might or could do if personally present.

This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, this proxy will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of the board of directors of Independent Bank Group, Inc.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT BANK GROUP, INC. UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSALS 1, 2 AND 3: (1) THE ELECTION OF THE NOMINEES TO SERVE AS CLASS I DIRECTORS, (2) THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF RSM US LLP AS THE ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE COMPANY, AND (3) THE APPROVAL OF THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT BANK GROUP, INC. ANNUAL MEETING TO A LATER DATE OR DATES, IF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT BANK GROUP, INC. DETERMINES IT IS NECESSARY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TO PERMIT FURTHER SOLICITATION OF PROXIES IF THERE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT VOTES AT THE TIME OF THE ANNUAL MEETING TO CONSTITUTE A QUORUM OR APPROVE THE FIRST TWO PROPOSALS LISTED ABOVE.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: If you have questions about the annual meeting, need additional copies of the proxy statement or need to obtain proxy cards or other information related to the proxy solicitation, you may contact Jan Webb, Independent Bank Group, Inc.’s Corporate Secretary, at the following address or by calling the following telephone number: Independent Bank Group, Inc., 1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400, McKinney, Texas 75069-3257; (972) 562-9004.

See reverse for voting instructions.