13. STOCK PLANS AND STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

In 2015, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the Republic Bancorp, Inc. 2015 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”), which became effective April 23, 2015 when the Company’s shareholders approved the 2015 Plan. The 2015 Plan replaced the Company’s 2005 Stock Incentive Plan, which expired on March 15, 2015.

The number of authorized shares under the 2015 Plan is fixed at 3,000,000, with such number subject to adjustment in the event of certain circumstances, such as stock dividends, stock splits, or the like. There is a minimum three-year vesting period for awards granted to employees under the 2015 Plan that vest based solely on the completion of a specified period of service, with options generally exercisable five to six years after the issue date. Stock options generally must be exercised within one year from the date the options become exercisable and have an exercise price that is at least equal to the fair market value of the Company’s stock on their grant date.

All shares issued under the above-mentioned plans were from authorized and reserved unissued shares. The Company has a sufficient number of authorized and reserved unissued shares to satisfy all anticipated option exercises. There are no Class B stock options outstanding or available for exercise under the Company’s plans.

Stock Options

The fair value of each stock option granted is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes based stock option valuation model. This model requires the input of subjective assumptions that will usually have a significant impact on the fair value estimate. Expected volatilities are based on historical volatility of Republic’s stock and other factors. Expected dividends are based on dividend trends and the market price of Republic’s stock price at grant. Republic uses historical data to estimate option exercises and employee terminations within the valuation model. The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve at the time of grant.

All share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, are recognized as compensation expense over the service period (generally the vesting period) in the consolidated financial statements based on their fair values.

The following table summarizes stock option activity from January 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018:


				Weighted
		Weighted		Average
	Options	Average		Remaining	Aggregate
	Class A	Exercise		Contractual	Intrinsic
	Shares	Price		Term	Value

Outstanding, January 1, 2017	312,600	$	24.49
Granted	4,500		35.54
Exercised	(3,500)		19.63
Forfeited or expired	(18,600)		24.99
Outstanding, December 31, 2017	295,000	$	24.68	2.86	$	3,935,010

Outstanding, January 1, 2018	295,000	$	24.68
Granted	—		—
Exercised	—		—
Forfeited or expired	—		—
Outstanding, March 31, 2018	295,000	$	24.68	2.61	$	4,017,610

Unvested	295,000	$	24.68	2.61	$	4,017,610
Exercisable (vested) at March 31, 2018	—	$	—	—	$	—

Information related to stock options for each period follows:


	Three Months Ended March 31,
(in thousands, except per share data)	2018		2017

Intrinsic value of options exercised	$	—	$	44
Cash received from options exercised, net of shares redeemed		—		33
Weighted-average fair value per share of options granted		NA		NA

NA - Not applicable

Restricted Stock Awards

Restricted stock awards generally vest within six years after issue, with accelerated vesting due to “change in control” or “death or disability of a participant” as defined and outlined in the 2015 Plan.

The following table summarizes restricted stock awards activity from January 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018:


	Restricted
	Stock Awards	Weighted-Average
	Class A Shares	Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding, January 1, 2017	77,000	$	20.02
Granted	7,413		35.77
Forfeited	(750)		19.85
Earned and issued	(42,053)		21.66
Outstanding, December 31, 2017	41,610	$	21.18

Outstanding, January 1, 2018	41,610	$	21.18
Granted	36,000		38.32
Forfeited	—		—
Earned and issued	—		—
Outstanding, March 31, 2018	77,610	$	29.13

Unvested	77,610	$	29.13

Performance Stock Units

The Company first granted performance stock units (“PSUs”) under the 2015 Plan in January 2016. Shares of stock underlying the PSUs may be earned over a four-year performance period commencing on January 1, 2017 and ending on December 31, 2020 as follows:

If the Company achieves a Return on Average Assets (“ROAA”), as defined in the award agreement, of 1.25% for a calendar year in the performance period, then between March 1st and March 15th of the following year, provided that the recipient is still employed in good standing on the payment date, the Company will issue shares of fully vested stock to the participant equal to 50% of the number of the PSUs initially granted to the participant; and

If the ROAA of 1.25% is met again at the end of another calendar year during the remaining term of the performance period, the Company will similarly issue fully vested stock in an amount equal to the remaining 50% of the initial PSUs granted to the participant.

The following table summarizes PSU activity from January 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018:


	Performance
	Stock Units	Weighted-Average
	Class A Shares	Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding, January 1, 2017	55,000	$	23.13
Granted	—		—
Forfeited	(6,500)		23.48
Earned and issued	—		—
Outstanding, December 31, 2017	48,500	$	23.08

Outstanding, January 1, 2018	48,500	$	23.08
Granted	—		—
Forfeited	—		—
Earned and issued	—		—
Outstanding, March 31, 2018	48,500	$	23.08

Unvested	48,500	$	23.08

Expense Related to the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan

The Company recorded expense related to the 2015 Plan for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 as follows:


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(in thousands)	2018		2017

Stock option expense	$	62	$	63
Restricted stock award expense		64		215
Performance stock unit expense		26		132
Total expense	$	152	$	410

Unrecognized expenses related to unvested awards (net of estimated forfeitures) under the 2015 Plan are estimated as follows:


	Stock			Restricted	Performance
Year Ended (in thousands)	Options			Stock Awards	Stock Units		Total

2018	$	182	$	380	$	79	$	641
2019		139		261		—		400
2020		35		261		—		296
2021		5		261		—		266
2022		1		237		—		238
2023 and beyond		—		135		—		135
Total	$	362	$	1,535	$	79	$	1,976