SCHEDULE
14A
Proxy
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LML
PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC.
Suite
1680 - 1140 West Pender Street
Vancouver,
British Columbia V6E 4G1
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON AUGUST 6, 2009
TO
THE HOLDERS OF COMMON SHARES OF LML PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC.
The
annual and special meeting of the shareholders of LML Payment Systems Inc. will
be held at the offices of Clark Wilson LLP, Suite 800, 885 West Georgia Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia, on August 6, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. local time, for
the purposes of:
1.
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electing
four (4) members of our board of
directors;
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2.
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to
consider and, if thought fit, to approve an ordinary resolution to adopt a
2009 Stock Incentive Plan for the Corporation pursuant to which the
Corporation can grant to its eligible employees, officers, directors and
consultants stock options and other stock-based awards to purchase or
receive up to 6,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Corporation on
the terms and conditions as described in the accompanying proxy
statement;
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3.
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ratification
of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent auditors;
and
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4.
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transacting
any other business that may properly come before the meeting or any
adjournment or adjournments
thereof.
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The
record date for our annual and special meeting is June 30, 2009. Only
shareholders of record at the close of business on June 30, 2009 are entitled to
notice of, and to vote at, our annual and special meeting, and any adjournment
or postponement of our annual and special meeting.
A copy of
our Annual Report to Shareholders for our fiscal year ended March 31, 2009
accompanies this notice.
Important
Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual and Special
Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on August 6, 2009: This Notice and
Proxy Statement and the Corporation’s 2009 Annual Report are available
electronically at https://materials.proxyvote.com/50208p.
Our board
of directors hopes that you will find it convenient to attend our annual and
special meeting in person, but whether or not you attend, please mark, sign, date and return the enclosed Form of
Proxy immediately to ensure that your common shares are represented at our
annual and special meeting. Returning your proxy does not deprive you
of the right to attend our annual and special meeting and vote your common
shares in person.
PLEASE
MARK, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED
PROXY PROMPTLY.
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By
Order of the Board of Directors:
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Patrick
H. Gaines
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Chief
Executive Officer
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Dated: July
6, 2009
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PROXY
STATEMENT
ANNUAL
AND SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS OF LML PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC.
August
6, 2009
LML
Payment Systems Inc.
Suite
1680 - 1140 West Pender Street
Vancouver,
British Columbia V6E 4G1
The
accompanying Form of Proxy is solicited on behalf of the board of directors of
LML Payment Systems Inc. to be used at our annual and special meeting to be held
at at the offices of Clark Wilson LLP, Suite 800, 885 West Georgia Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia, on August 6, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. local
time. This Proxy Statement, accompanying Form of Proxy, Notice of
Meeting and Annual Report to Shareholders on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
March 31, 2009 are first being mailed to shareholders on or about July 6,
2009.
We will
bear the expense of this solicitation. Certain of our directors,
officers and employees may solicit the return of proxies by mail, telephone,
facsimile or other similar means without additional
compensation. Requests will also be made of brokerage houses and
custodians, nominees or fiduciaries to forward proxy material at our expense to
the beneficial owners of stock held of record by such persons. Our
transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc. (“Computershare”), has
agreed to assist us in the tabulation of proxies and the counting of votes at
our annual and special meeting.
All of a
shareholder's common shares registered in the same name will be represented by
one proxy.
WHO
CAN VOTE
Only
shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 30, 2009 are entitled
to receive notice of, attend and vote at our annual and special
meeting. As of June 15, 2009, there were 27,116,408 common shares in the capital of our
corporation issued and outstanding owned by approximately 389 shareholders of
record. We have no other voting securities
outstanding. Each shareholder of record on June 30, 2009 is
entitled to one vote for each common share held.
HOW
YOU CAN VOTE
Common shares cannot be voted at our
annual and special meeting unless the holder of record is present in person or
represented by proxy. A shareholder has the right to attend our
annual and special meeting at the time and place set forth in the Notice of
Annual and Special Meeting and to vote their shares directly at the
meeting. In the alternative, a shareholder may appoint a person to
represent such shareholder at our annual and special meeting by completing the
enclosed Form of Proxy, which authorizes a person other than the holder of
record to vote on behalf of the shareholder, and returning it to our transfer
agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc., 6th Floor, 530 - 8th Avenue, S.W.,
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3S8 (facsimile (403) 267-6529) in the enclosed
envelope. All shareholders are urged to mark, sign, date and
promptly return the enclosed Form of Proxy by mail in the enclosed envelope, or
by telephone or electronically via the Internet, after reviewing the information
contained in this proxy statement. Valid proxies will be voted at our annual and
special meeting and at any postponements or adjournments thereof as you direct
in the proxy, provided that such proxies are received by Computershare no later
than 10:00 am Pacific Time on August 5, 2009 or at least 24 hours prior to any
adjournment of the annual and special meeting, or deposited with the Chair of
the annual and special meeting on the day of the annual and special meeting or
any adjournment thereof prior to the time of voting.
The
common shares represented by the proxy will be voted, or withheld from voting,
as directed in the proxy. If no direction is given and the proxy is
validly executed, the proxy will be voted FOR the election of the nominees for
our board of directors set forth in this proxy statement; FOR the approval of an
ordinary resolution to adopt a 2009 Stock Incentive Plan for the Corporation as
described in this proxy statement; and FOR the ratification of the
appointment of our independent auditors, Grant Thornton LLP. If
any other matters properly come before our annual and special meeting, the
persons authorized under the proxies will vote upon such other matters in
accordance with their best judgment, pursuant to the discretionary authority
conferred by the proxy.
ADVICE
TO BENEFICIAL HOLDERS OF COMMON SHARES
THE
INFORMATION SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION IS OF SIGNIFICANT IMPORTANCE TO MANY
SHAREHOLDERS OF OUR CORPORATION AS A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF SHAREHOLDERS DO NOT
HOLD SHARES IN THEIR OWN NAME.
Shareholders
who do not hold their shares in their own name (referred to in this proxy
statement as “beneficial shareholders”) should note that only proxies deposited
by shareholders whose names appear on the records of our corporation as the
registered holders of common shares can be recognized and acted upon at our
annual and special meeting. If common shares are listed in an account
statement provided to a shareholder by a broker, then in almost all cases, those
common shares will not be registered in the shareholder's name on the records of
our corporation. Such common shares will more likely be registered
under the name of the shareholder's broker or an agent of that
broker. In the United States, the vast majority of such shares are
registered under the name of Cede & Co. as nominee for The Depositary Trust
Company (which acts as depositary for many U.S. brokerage firms and custodian
banks), and in Canada, under the name of CDS & Co. (the registration name
for The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited, which acts as nominee for
many Canadian brokerage firms). Beneficial shareholders should ensure
that instructions respecting the voting of their common shares are communicated
to the appropriate person.
Applicable
regulatory policy requires intermediaries/brokers to seek voting instructions
from beneficial shareholders in advance of shareholders'
meetings. Every intermediary/broker has its own mailing procedures
and provides its own return instructions to clients, which should be carefully
followed by beneficial shareholders in order to ensure that their common shares
are voted at our annual and special meeting. The majority of brokers
now delegate responsibility for obtaining instructions from clients to
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge U.S.”) in the United States
and Broadridge Investor Communications Solutions, Canada (“Broadridge Canada”)
in Canada. Broadridge U.S. and Broadridge Canada typically apply
a special sticker to proxy forms, mail those forms to the beneficial
shareholders and ask beneficial shareholders to return the proxy forms to
Broadridge U.S. for the United States and Broadridge Canada for
Canada. Broadridge U.S. and Broadridge Canada then tabulate the
results of all instructions received and provide appropriate instructions
respecting the voting of shares to be represented at our annual and special
meeting. A beneficial shareholder receiving a Broadridge U.S.
proxy or a Broadridge Canada proxy cannot use that proxy to vote common shares
directly at our annual and special meeting - the proxy must be returned to
Broadridge U.S. or Broadridge Canada, as the case may be, well in advance
of our annual and special meeting in order to have the common shares
voted.
Although
a beneficial shareholder may not be recognized directly at our annual and
special meeting for the purposes of voting common shares registered in the name
of his broker (or agent of the broker), a beneficial shareholder may attend our
annual and special meeting as proxyholder for the registered shareholder and
vote the common shares in that capacity. Beneficial shareholders who
wish to attend our annual and special meeting and indirectly vote their common
shares as proxyholder for the registered shareholder should enter their own
names in the blank space on the instrument of proxy provided to them and return
the same to their broker (or the broker's agent) in accordance with the
instructions provided by such broker (or agent), well in advance of our annual
and special meeting.
Alternatively,
a beneficial shareholder may request in writing that his or her broker send to
the beneficial shareholder a legal proxy which would enable the beneficial
shareholder to attend our annual and special meeting and vote his or her common
shares.
QUORUM
A quorum
of shareholders is necessary to take action at our annual and special
meeting. A minimum of one person present in person or represented by
proxy and holding at least 33 1/3 percent of the outstanding common shares as at
June 30, 2009 will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at our
annual and special meeting. However, if a quorum is not present, the
shareholders present at our annual and special meeting have the power to adjourn
the meeting until a quorum is present. At any such adjourned meeting
at which a quorum is present or represented by proxy, any business may be
transacted that might have been transacted at the original
meeting. Broker non-votes occur when a nominee holding common shares
for a beneficial owner of those common shares has not received voting
instructions from the beneficial owner with respect to a particular matter and
such nominee does not possess or choose to exercise discretionary authority with
respect thereto. Broker non-votes and abstentions will be included in
the determination of the number of common shares present at our annual and
special meeting for quorum purposes but will not be counted as votes cast on any
matter presented at our annual and special meeting.
YOUR VOTE
IS IMPORTANT. ACCORDINGLY, YOU ARE ASKED TO MARK, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THE
ACCOMPANYING FORM OF PROXY WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND OUR ANNUAL AND
SPECIAL MEETING. IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND OUR ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETING
TO VOTE IN PERSON AND YOUR SHARES ARE REGISTERED WITH OUR TRANSFER AGENT
(COMPUTERSHARE INVESTOR SERVICES INC.) IN THE NAME OF A BROKER OR BANK, YOU MUST
SECURE A PROXY FROM THE BROKER OR BANK ASSIGNING VOTING RIGHTS TO YOU FOR YOUR
COMMON SHARES.
REVOCATION
OF PROXIES
You may
revoke your proxy at any time prior to the start of our annual and special
meeting in three ways:
1.
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by
delivering a written notice of revocation to the Corporate Secretary of
our corporation;
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2.
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by
submitting a duly executed proxy bearing a later date;
or
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3.
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by
attending our annual and special meeting and expressing the desire to vote
your common shares in person (attendance at our annual and special meeting
will not in and of itself revoke a
proxy).
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CURRENCY
Except
where otherwise indicated, all dollar ($) amounts referred to in this proxy
statement are expressed in U.S. dollars.
PROPOSAL
ONE - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Our
Restated Articles of Incorporation provide that the number of directors shall be
determined by resolution of our board of directors and set out in the notice
calling the annual and special meeting of shareholders provided that the number
of directors may be not less than three (3) or more than fifteen
(15). The number of our directors has been set at four (4). All of
our current directors are standing for re-election at our annual and special
meeting. Each director who is elected will serve until an annual
meeting is held for the fiscal period ending March 31, 2010, until his or her
successor has been elected and qualified, or until the director's earlier death,
resignation or removal. Each nominee has consented to being named in this proxy
statement and to serve if elected. We have no reason to believe that
any of the nominees will be unable to serve if elected, but if any of them
should become unable to serve as a director, and if our board of directors
designates a substitute nominee, the persons named in the accompanying Form of
Proxy will vote for the substitute nominee designated by our board of directors,
unless a contrary instruction is given in the Form of Proxy.
Directors
are elected by a plurality of votes cast in person or by proxy at our annual and
special meeting. Votes may be cast in favor or
withheld. Votes that are withheld will be excluded entirely from the
vote and will have no effect. Votes that are withheld for a
particular nominee will be excluded from the vote for that nominee
only.
NOMINEES
The
persons nominated to be directors are listed below. All of the
nominees are currently directors. The following information as of
June 15, 2009, which has been provided by the individuals named, is submitted
concerning the nominees named for election as directors:
Name
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Age
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Position
with the Corporation
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Date
Position First Held
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Patrick
H. Gaines
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50
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Chief
Executive Officer and Director
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1990
- Director; February
9, 2000 – CEO
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Greg
A. MacRae
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55
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Director
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February
12, 1998
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David
C. Cooke
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63
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Director
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May
20, 2009
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Jacqueline
Pace
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65
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Director
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November
27, 2000
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Patrick H.
Gaines
Patrick
H. Gaines has been the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer since February 9,
2000 and a member of the Corporation’s board of directors since
1990. Mr. Gaines was President of LML Payment Systems Inc. from March
31, 1992 until February 4, 2009 (at which time Mr. Gaines relinquished that
position in connection with the promotion of Craig Thomson to President of the
Corporation). Mr. Gaines is also the Chairman and a director of the
Corporation’s subsidiary Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., and is the President
and Director of the following subsidiaries of the Corporation: LML Corp., Legacy
Promotions Inc., LHTW Properties, Inc., LML Patent Corp., LML Payment Systems
Corp and Beanstream Internet Commerce Corp. In addition to his
position as President of LML Corp., LML Patent Corp., LML Payment Systems Corp.
and Beanstream Internet Commerce Corp., he is also the Chief Executive Officer
of each of those subsidiaries. Mr. Gaines is married to Carolyn L.
Gaines, our Corporate Secretary.
Greg A.
MacRae
Greg A.
MacRae has served as the President of CSI Capital Solutions Inc., a business
administrative services company, since September 1996. Mr. MacRae has
been a director of North Group Limited since July, 2002, Starfire Minerals Inc.
since April, 2005 and Shoreham Resources Ltd. since October
2007. Prior to his position with CSI Capital Solutions Inc., between
February 1985 and September 1996, Mr. MacRae was the Senior Account Manager of
the Corporate Services Department at Montreal Trust Company of Canada (now
Computershare Investor Services Inc.).
Jacqueline
Pace
Since
January 2000, Jacqueline Pace has been self-employed as an
attorney. Prior to that, between November 1998 and January 2000, Ms.
Pace was employed as an attorney by Baker & Hostetler, and from November
1991 to November 1998, she was employed as an attorney by Pillsbury Madison
& Sutro. Ms. Pace holds a Juris Doctor degree from Emory
University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from The American
University.
David C.
Cooke
Mr. Cooke
was appointed as a director by the board of directors on May 20, 2009 to fill
the vacancy resulting from the demise of the late L. William Seidman, who had
been serving as a director of the Corporation since October 13,
1999. Mr. Cooke spent over 15 years with the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), including serving as the sole Deputy to Mr.
Seidman when Mr. Seidman served as the FDIC Chairman. After leaving
the FDIC, Mr. Cooke served as Executive Director of the Resolution Trust
Corporation from 1989 to 1992 and then spent 11 years as a senior level
consultant in the private sector before returning to the FDIC in 2003 to serve
as its Chief Learning Officer in charge of its new Corporate University until
his retirement from the FDIC in 2006. Currently, Mr. Cooke is self-employed as
an independent consultant in the financial services sector. He is a
Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst, who brings
extensive financial industry experience to LML through his roles in both the
public and private sectors.
THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT SHAREHOLDERS VOTE "FOR" EACH OF THE
NOMINEES SET FORTH IN PROPOSAL ONE.
MEETINGS
AND COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
L.
William Seidman, Greg A. MacRae, Patrick H. Gaines and Jacqueline Pace served on
our board of directors during the fiscal year ended March 31,
2009. Mr. Seidman continued to serve as a director until his death on
May 13, 2009. The Corporation wishes to express its condolences to
Mr. Seidman’s family and its deep appreciation for Mr. Seidman’s service to the
Corporation. On May 20, 2009, David C. Cooke was appointed to the
board of directors and to the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the board, to fill the vacancy
resulting from Mr. Seidman’s death.
During
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, our board of directors held five (5)
meetings and acted two (2) times by written consent. With the
exception of one meeting which one of our directors was unable to attend, the
meetings were attended by all of our directors either in person or by
teleconference. Messrs. MacRae and Cooke and Ms. Pace are independent
directors within the meaning of the listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock
Market. Mr. Seidman was an independent director within the meaning of
the listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock Market. Our independent directors
meet regularly following most directors’ meetings.
For the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the board of directors had four (4) standing
committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Stock Option Plan
Administration Committee.
From time
to time the board of directors has also established special committees of the
board of directors whose purposes are to provide oversight regarding various
corporate transactions or initiatives, as the case may be.
During
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, each incumbent director attended at least
75% of the total number of meetings of the board of directors and of all
committees of the board on which such person served that were held during the
period in which such person served as a director.
Audit
Committee
We have a separately designated
standing Audit Committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 173 of the Business Corporations Act
(Yukon).
During
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the members of the Audit Committee
included Greg A. MacRae (Chair), L. William Seidman and Jacqueline
Pace. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the Audit
Committee met five (5) times. With the exception of one meeting which one of the
Audit Committee members was unable to attend, the meetings were attended by all
of our Audit Committee members either in person or by
teleconference.
The function of the Audit Committee is
set out in its written charter, and includes reviewing and approving the scope
of audit procedures employed by our independent auditors, approving in advance
all audit and permitted non-audit services performed by the independent auditors
and the scope and cost of their annual audit, reviewing the independent
auditors' opinions on the adequacy of internal controls and quality of financial
reporting, and reviewing our accounting and reporting principles, policies and
practices, as well as its accounting, financial and operating controls. The
Audit Committee also reports to our board of directors with respect to such
matters and approves the selection of independent auditors.
The
board of directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is
financially literate, that the Audit Committee has at least one member who is an
"audit committee financial expert", as defined by the Securities and Exchange
Commission, and that L. William Seidman was the “audit committee financial
expert” during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. Following
his appointment to the Audit Committee, the board of directors determined that
David C. Cooke is the person serving on the Audit Committee who meets the
qualifications of an "audit committee financial expert".
The
board of directors has determined that all of the members of the Audit Committee
are independent within the meaning of the listing standards of The NASDAQ Stock
Market.
Compensation
Committee
We have a separately designated
standing Compensation Committee. During the fiscal year ended March
31, 2009, the members of the Compensation Committee included Jacqueline Pace
(Chair), Greg A. MacRae, and L. William Seidman. Our Compensation
Committee met two (2) times and acted one (1) time by written consent during the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. With the exception of one
meeting which one of our Compensation Committee members was unable to attend,
the meetings were attended by all of our Compensation Committee members either
in person or by teleconference.
The
Compensation Committee's duties are set out in its written charter and include
developing policies that are designed to offer competitive compensation
opportunities for our executive officers that are based on personal performance,
individual initiative and achievement, as well as assisting in attracting and
retaining qualified executives. The Compensation Committee also endorses the
position that stock ownership by management and stock-based compensation
arrangements are beneficial in aligning management's and shareholders' interests
in the enhancement of shareholder value.
The
board of directors has determined that all of the members of the Compensation
Committee are independent within the meaning of the listing standards of The
NASDAQ Stock Market.
Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee
We
have a separately designated standing Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the members
of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee included L. William
Seidman (Chair), Greg A. MacRae and Jacqueline Pace. The board of
directors appointed Greg A. MacRae as the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee on May 15, 2009, following Mr. Seidman’s
death. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met one (1)
time during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. With the
exception of one meeting which one of our Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee members was unable to attend, the meetings were attended by all of our
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee members either in person or by
teleconference.
Our
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee's duties are set out in its
written charter which sets forth its primary responsibilities of developing
criteria for evaluating and selecting new directors to serve on our board of
directors, recommending nominees for election as directors to our board of
directors, the evaluation of the qualifications and independence of directors
and members of the various committees of our board of directors and the
development and recommendation to our board of directors of corporate governance
principles applicable to our corporation.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will seek highly qualified,
independent candidates who combine a broad spectrum of experience and expertise
with a reputation for integrity. Candidates should have experience in
positions with a high degree of responsibility and be leaders in the companies
or institutions with which they are affiliated. The Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee will consider candidates recommended by our
directors, members of management and shareholders.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended
by shareholders if such proposed nominations are submitted to our corporation in
writing by shareholders no later than 120 days before the first anniversary of
the date of the proxy statement sent to shareholders in connection with the
previous year’s annual meeting. The Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee believes this deadline is reasonable, and in the best
interests of the corporation and our shareholders, because it ensures that the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has sufficient time to properly
evaluate all proposed candidates. Shareholder recommendations may be
submitted to the Corporate Secretary of the corporation at 1140 West Pender
Street, Suite 1680, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6E 4G1, and they will
be forwarded to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee members for
their consideration. Any such recommendation should include the following
information:
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a)
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the
number of shares of our corporation held by the shareholder making the
recommendation;
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b)
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the
name and address of the candidate;
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c)
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a
brief biographical description of the candidate, including his or her
occupation for at least the last five years, and a statement of the
candidate’s qualifications, taking into account the qualification
requirements set forth above;
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d)
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information
regarding the recommended candidate relevant to a determination of whether
the recommended candidate would be considered independent within the
meaning of the listing standards of The NASDAQ Stock Market;
and
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e)
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the
candidate's signed consent to serve as a director if elected and to be
named in the proxy statement.
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Once we
receive the recommendation, we may request additional information from the
candidate about the candidate's independence, qualifications and other
information that would assist the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
in evaluating the candidate, as well as certain information that must be
disclosed about the candidate in our corporation’s proxy statement, if
nominated. Candidates must complete and return the questionnaire within the
timeframe provided to be considered for nomination by the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee. Candidates recommended by
shareholders that comply with these procedures will receive the same
consideration that candidates recommended by the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee and management receive.
The board
of directors has determined that all of the members of the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee are independent within the meaning of the listing
standards of The NASDAQ Stock Market.
Stock Option Plan
Administration Committee
We have a
separately designated standing Stock Option Plan Administration Committee.
During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the members of our Stock Option
Plan Administration Committee included Patrick H. Gaines (Chair), Jacqueline
Pace and Greg A. MacRae. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009,
our Stock Option Plan Administration Committee acted one (1) time by written
consent. The function of the Stock Option Plan Administration
Committee is to oversee our 1996 Stock Option Plan, our 1998 Stock Incentive
Plan and our 2009 Stock Incentive Plan. The Stock Option Plan
Administration Committee has sole discretion as to the interpretation and
construction of any provision of the 1996 Stock Option Plan, the 1998 Stock
Incentive Plan, and the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan and the determination of the
terms and conditions with respect to any grant made pursuant to the 1996 Stock
Option Plan, the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan, and the 2009 Stock Incentive
Plan.
Other
Committees
From time
to time the board of directors has established special committees of the board
of directors whose purposes are to provide oversight regarding various corporate
transactions or initiatives, as the case may be.
Corporate Governance and
Ethics Information
The
charters of our Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committees can be viewed on our website at the following
address: http://www.lmlpayment.com/html/governance.html. We have
adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer,
principal financial officer, controller and others performing similar
functions. Our Code of Ethics also applies to all of our other
employees and to our directors. Our Code of Ethics is available on
our website located at www.lmlpayment.com
under the heading “Investor Relations; Corporate Governance”. We
intend to satisfy any disclosure requirements pursuant to Item 5.05 of Form 8-K
regarding any amendment to, or a waiver from, certain provisions of our Code of
Ethics by posting such information on our website (unless we are otherwise
required to file a Form 8-K under the rules and regulations of The NASDAQ Stock
Market).
REPORT OF
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The
Securities and Exchange Commission rules now require our corporation to include
in our proxy statement a report from the Audit Committee of our board of
directors. The following report concerns the Audit Committee's
activities regarding oversight of our corporation's financial reporting and
auditing process. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the Audit
Committee has:
|
(1)
|
reviewed
and discussed with our corporation's management our audited consolidated
financial statements;
|
|
(2)
|
discussed
with the independent accountants the matters described by the statement on
Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended, as adopted by the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board in Rule
3200T;
|
|
(3)
|
received
the written disclosures and the letter from the independent accountants
required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board regarding the independent accountant’s communications with
the audit committee concerning independence, and has discussed with the
independent accountants the independent accountant’s independence;
and
|
|
(4)
|
recommended
to our board of directors that the audited financial statements be
included in our corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period
ended March 31, 2009, based on the review and discussions referred to
above.
|
|
AUDIT
COMMITTEE
|
|
|
|
Greg
A. MacRae
|
|
David
C. Cooke
|
|
Jacqueline
Pace
|
DIRECTOR
COMMUNICATIONS
Shareholders
may contact any of our directors, including any committee of the board of
directors or the entire board of directors, by writing to “The Board of
Directors of LML Payment Systems Inc.”, c/o LML Payment Systems Inc., Suite
1680-1140 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6E
4G1.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS
Shareholders
may contact the Chair of the Audit Committee, Mr. MacRae, regarding any
complaints or concerns related to the Corporation's accounting practices,
internal controls or auditing matters by writing to “Chair of the Audit
Committee of LML Payment Systems Inc.”, c/o LML Payment Systems Inc., Suite
1680-1140 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6E
4G1. Our corporation’s process for collecting and organizing all
communications received by us from our shareholders has been approved by a
majority of our independent directors.
ANNUAL
AND SPECIAL MEETING ATTENDANCE
We have
not adopted a formal policy with respect to the members of our board of
directors attending our annual and/or special meetings, however all of the
members of our board of directors attended our annual meeting on August 7,
2008.
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
As of
June 15, 2009 we had five (5) executive officers, as follows:
Name
and Age of Executive Officers
|
|
Position
with Our Corporation and Work History
|
|
|
|
Patrick
H. Gaines
Age: 50
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer since February 9, 2000 and Director since
1990
Patrick
H. Gaines has been the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer since
February 9, 2000 and a member of the Corporation’s board of directors
since 1990. Mr. Gaines was President of LML Payment Systems
Inc. from March 31, 1992 until February 4, 2009 (at which time Mr. Gaines
relinquished that position in connection with the promotion of Craig
Thomson to President of the Corporation). Mr. Gaines is also
the Chairman and a Director of the Corporation’s subsidiary Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc., and is the President and Director of the following
subsidiaries of the Corporation: LML Corp., Legacy Promotions Inc., LHTW
Properties, Inc., LML Patent Corp., LML Payment Systems Corp and
Beanstream Internet Commerce Corp. In addition to his position
as President of LML Corp., LML Patent Corp., LML Payment Systems Corp. and
Beanstream Internet Commerce Corp., he is also the Chief Executive Officer
of each of those subsidiaries. Mr. Gaines is married to Carolyn
L. Gaines, our Corporate Secretary.
|
|
|
|
Craig
Thomson
Age:
44
|
|
President
of LML Payment Systems Inc. since February 4, 2009, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc. since July
2007
Craig
Thomson has been President of LML Payment Systems Inc. since February 4,
2009. He has been President and Chief Executive Officer of
Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc. and Beanstream Internet Commerce Corp.,
subsidiaries of LML Payment Systems Inc., since July 1, 2007 and March 11,
2009, respectively. Prior to that, Mr. Thomson served as
Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc.’s President and CEO since July
2000. In 1999, Mr. Thomson received the prestigious
“Entrepreneur of the Year Award” in manufacturing, wholesale and
distribution for Pacific Canada by Ernst and Young. Mr. Thomson
holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the Royal Military College of
Canada.
|
|
|
|
Richard
R. Schulz
Age:
38
|
|
Controller
(Chief Accounting Officer) since June 2002
Richard
R. Schulz has been employed as our Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
since June 2002. Mr. Schulz also serves as the Chief Accounting
Officer and director of all of our subsidiaries. Mr. Schulz was
employed with our corporation as the Assistant Controller from August 2001
to June 2002. Prior to that, Mr. Schulz was self-employed as a
financial consultant with RRS Consulting from June 1, 2000 to July 31,
2001, and prior to that he was employed as a senior staff accountant with
Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Chartered Accountants from May 1, 1992 to May
31, 2000.
|
|
|
|
Chris
Koide
Age:
47
|
|
Executive
Vice-President Operations of LML Payment Systems Inc. since February 4,
2009 and Chief Operating Officer of Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc.
since July 2007
Chris
Koide became an executive officer of our corporation upon his promotion to
Executive Vice-President - Operations of LML Payment Systems Inc. on
February 4, 2009. Mr. Koide has served Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc., a subsidiary of LML Payment Systems Inc., as Chief
Operating Officer of since June 2005 and Vice-President eCommerce since
June 2000. Mr. Koide has also served as Chief Operating Officer
of Beanstream Internet Commerce Corp., also a subsidiary of LML Payment
Systems Inc., since March 11, 2009. Mr. Koide has
over 15 years experience in national and international corporate banking,
with a focus in the area of business and financial risk analysis,
securitization, financial engineering and cash
management.
|
|
|
|
Carolyn
L. Gaines
Age: 42
|
|
Corporate
Secretary since February 1995
Carolyn
L. Gaines has served as Corporate Secretary of our corporation and certain
of our subsidiaries since February 1995, and has served our corporation
and our subsidiaries in various administrative capacities since 1989. Mrs.
Gaines is married to Patrick H. Gaines, our Chief Executive
Officer.
|
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
Messrs.
MacRae and Seidman and Ms. Pace served as members of the Compensation Committee
during the last fiscal year. Mr. Cooke was appointed to the
Compensation Committee on May 20, 2009 to fill the vacancy left as a result of
Mr. Seidman’s death. None of these persons: (a) is a current or
former officer or employee of LML, or of any of its subsidiaries; or (b) since
the beginning of our fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, participated, either
directly or indirectly, in any transaction or any series of transactions to
which LML or any of its subsidiaries was or is a party, and which involved an
amount in excess of the lesser of (i) $120,000 or (ii) one percent of the
average of our total assets at year-end for our last two completed fiscal
years. During the last fiscal year, no executive officer of LML
served as a member of the board of directors or as a member of the Compensation
Committee of another entity one of whose executive officers served as a member
of LML’s board of directors or Compensation Committee.
COMPENSATION
OF DIRECTORS
The
following table sets forth for each director certain information concerning the
compensation of independent (non-employee) directors as of March 31,
2009.
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
Name
|
|
Fees
Earned or
Paid
in Cash ($)
|
|
Option
Awards(1)
($)
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greg
A. MacRae
|
|
$14,500
|
|
$13,056(2)
|
|
$27,556
|
Jacqueline
Pace
|
|
$12,000
|
|
$13,056(2)
|
|
$25,056
|
L.
William Seidman
|
|
$12,000
|
|
$13,056
(2)
|
|
$25,056
|
David
C. Cooke
|
|
N/A
|
|
N/A
|
|
N/A
|
|
(1)
|
The
amounts reported in the “Option Awards” column reflect the dollar amount
of expense recognized for financial statement reporting purposes for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, in accordance with SFAS 123R. For additional
information relating to the assumptions used in the calculation of these
amounts please refer to Note 5 in our financial statements for the second
quarter of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, included in our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
November 9, 2007. The amounts shown exclude the impact of
estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions. The
amounts in this column reflect our accounting expense for these awards, if
no forfeiture was estimated, and may not correspond to the actual value
that will be recognized by the independent directors. On August
8, 2007, each of the independent directors was granted 25,000 stock
options at an exercise price of $3.16 per share. Options
granted to our independent directors vest on the first anniversary of the
date of grant.
|
|
(2)
|
This
amount relates to 25,000 options granted in August
2007.
|
We pay an annual director's fee to each
of our independent directors as follows: cash compensation in the amount of
$12,000 and a grant of 25,000 stock options for services rendered as a director
in the fiscal year. The annual director's fee is paid pursuant to a
compensation plan that we adopted for our independent directors during the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2005. The stock options awarded under the plan vest
on the first anniversary date of their issuance. The $12,000 cash component is
payable annually on the date of our annual meeting and the options are to be
awarded on the same date. As a result of the significant
decline in the price of the Corporation’s stock since December 2008, the board
determined that it was not appropriate for the stock options to be granted to
the independent directors during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. We do not
compensate employee directors for their service as directors.
We
pay the Chairman of our Audit Committee an annual retainer for this position in
the amount of $2,500, in recognition of the increased responsibilities of this
role specifically as related to the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002. The Compensation Committee approved this fee for the Chairman
of the Audit Committee during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.
Directors
are entitled to reimbursement for reasonable travel and other out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with attendance at board or committee meetings.
The board of directors may award special remuneration to any director
undertaking any special services on behalf our corporation other than services
ordinarily required of a director. Other than as indicated in this proxy
statement, no director received and/or accrued any compensation for his or her
services as a director, including committee participation and/or special
assignments.
The board
of directors, based upon the recommendation of the Compensation
Committee, makes all final decisions for the total direct
compensation of all of our independent directors and no Named Executive Officer
has any role in determining such compensation for any of the independent
directors.
EQUITY
COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
We have a
1996 Stock Option Plan which currently permits the granting of up to 6,000,000
options (which may be incentive stock options or non-qualified stock options) to
purchase our common stock. We also have a 1998 Stock Incentive Plan,
however, the 10-year term of our 1998 Stock Incentive Plan has expired and,
accordingly, the 4,825,217 shares that had remained available for grant pursuant
to additional options or other equity awards may no longer be granted under that
plan (although, outstanding awards under the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan are not
affected by the expiration of the term and will continue to be governed by the
provisions of the plan). The board of directors of the Corporation has
adopted the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, which is being submitted for shareholder
approval at the Corporation’s 2009 annual and special meeting of shareholders
and which will provide for the issuance of up to 6,000,000 shares of the
Corporation’s common stock (see “Proposal Two – 2009 Stock Incentive Plan” in
this proxy statement for more information regarding the material terms of the
2009 Stock Incentive Plan). Our 1996 Stock Option Plan, 1998 Stock
Incentive Plan and 2009 Stock Incentive Plan (“Stock Option Plans”) are
currently administered by our Stock Option Plan Administration Committee, which
has the sole discretion to determine the terms and conditions of options or
other awards granted pursuant to our Stock Option Plans and to interpret and
administer the Stock Option Plans.
The
following table provides a summary of the number of options granted under our
Stock Option Plans, the weighted average
exercise prices and the number of options remaining available for issuance, all
as at March 31, 2009.
|
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants
and rights
|
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding options and warrants
|
|
Number
of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity
compensation plans
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders
|
4,005,000(1)
|
|
$3.74
|
|
1,027,000(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders (3)
|
400,000
|
|
$3.40
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
4,405,000
|
|
|
|
1,027,000
|
|
(1)
|
Comprised
of 3,365,000 common shares to be issued upon exercise of outstanding
options as at March 31, 2009 under the 1996 Stock Option Plan and 640,000
common shares to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options as at
March 31, 2009 under the 1998 Stock Incentive
Plan.
|
|
(2)
|
Includes
the 1,027,000 shares that remain available for grant under the 1996 Stock
Option Plan but does not include (i) the 6,000,000 shares that will become
available for issuance under the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan if that plan is
approved by our shareholders at our 2009 annual and special meeting of
shareholders or (ii) any options or equity awards under the 1998 Stock
Incentive Plan since the term of that plan has expired and, accordingly,
no additional options or other equity awards may be granted under that
plan.
|
|
(3)
|
These
securities consist of warrants issued to Ladenburg Thalmann & Co.,
Inc. who acted as the placement agent and financial advisor to LML in
connection with the private placement transaction with Millennium Partners
LLP completed on March 31, 2008. The warrants are exercisable
for 400,000 shares of LML’s common stock for a period of five years from
March 26, 2008 at a price of $3.40 per
share.
|
During
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, no stock options were granted under our
1996 Stock Option Plan and no awards were granted under our 1998 Stock Incentive
Plan.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Compensation
Discussion and Analysis
Overview
The
following Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes the material elements
of compensation for our executive officers identified in the Summary
Compensation Table, whom we refer to in this proxy statement as our “Named
Executive Officers.” The Compensation Committee is governed by its
charter adopted by our board of directors on June 8, 2004 and makes all
decisions for the total direct compensation - that is, the base salary, bonuses
(including performance related bonuses), and stock option or other equity awards
- of all of our executive officers (including Named Executive Officers) who are
employed by LML, including Patrick H. Gaines, our Chief Executive Officer, Craig
Thomson, our President, Richard R. Schulz, our Controller and Chief Accounting
Officer, Chris Koide, our Executive Vice-President Operations and Carolyn L.
Gaines, our Corporate Secretary, all of whom were Named Executive Officers
during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, and are identified in the Summary
Compensation Table.
The
day-to-day design and administration of the compensation policies applicable to
our employees in general are handled by our Human Resources and Accounting
departments. The Stock Option Plan Administration Committee, in
consultation with our Compensation Committee and our Human Resources and
Accounting Departments, is responsible for the determination of option awards to
the employees (including Named Executive Officers) of LML and its
subsidiaries.
Compensation
Philosophy
We
believe that our success depends in large part on our ability to attract and
retain qualified executive officers. As part of our efforts to
satisfy the need to attract, retain and motivate the individuals who possess the
skills necessary to grow our business, management and our Compensation Committee
believe that our compensation programs should reflect our compensation
philosophy. This philosophy includes the following core beliefs:
·
|
our
executive officers should be rewarded fairly and competitively through a
mix of short-term compensation (i.e., base salary and performance-related
bonuses) and long-term compensation (i.e., stock option
grants);
|
·
|
our
compensation programs should be flexible in order to meet the needs of our
business and should be reviewed periodically, as appropriate, by our
Compensation Committee;
|
·
|
stock
ownership by our executive officers demonstrates an economic stake in our
business that aligns the interests of our executive officers with those of
our shareholders; and
|
·
|
our
executive officers should share appropriately with investors in the value
that their results help to create.
|
While a
key component of our compensation philosophy is to pay our executive officers
(including our Named Executive Officers) an annual cash salary as well as a
performance-related bonus that is competitive among our peer group, we believe
that short-term financial rewards alone are not sufficient to attract and retain
our executive officers (including our Named Executive Officers) and that a
properly designed long-term compensation program is a necessary component of
recruitment and retention of these individuals. We currently have two
long-term incentive plans (our 1996 Stock Option Plan and, subject to
shareholder approval, our 2009 Stock Incentive Plan) that give our Compensation
Committee, together with our Stock Option Plan Administration Committee, the
ability to provide appropriate long-term incentives to our executive officers
(including our Named Executive Officers).
The
Compensation Committee has engaged the services of Equilar Inc. for purposes of
providing independent compensation data to the Compensation Committee in its
compensation review for fiscal 2009.
The Compensation Committee, in making the compensation decisions described
above, relies on information and analyses provided to it by our Human Resources
and Accounting Departments, including information and analyses regarding (i) the
performance, productivity and, where applicable, achievement of individual
and/or corporate goals and objectives by the respective executive officers and
(ii) the compensation paid to executive officers with comparable titles and
responsibilities who are employed by companies within our peer group (including
Goldleaf Financial Solutions Inc, Global Payments Inc., Cybersource Corp. and
Electronic Clearing House Inc.).
We have
also reviewed executive compensation data from Equilar with respect to our peer
group which has shown that, historically, our total executive compensation
levels have been below that of all of these peers, after taking into account the
different scales of operations of those companies, all of which are
substantially larger than LML.
Role
of Executive Officers in Determining Compensation
As stated
above, the Compensation Committee makes all final decisions for the total direct
compensation of all of our executive officers (including our Named Executive
Officers), and no Named Executive Officer has any role in determining such
compensation for any of the other Named Executive Officers.
Employment
Arrangements
The
Corporation entered into employment agreements with each of Mr. Gaines, Mr.
Schulz and Mrs. Gaines on March 31, 2008 following the completion of its review
of executive performance and compensation in the fourth quarter of the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2008.
The
Compensation Committee completed its evaluation of employment agreements between
the Corporation and Mr. Thomson and Mr. Koide as part of its review of executive
performance and compensation in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended
March 31, 2009. Following the completion of this performance
review and evaluation, the Corporation entered into employment agreements with
each of Mr. Thomson and Mr. Koide on February 5, 2009.
In keeping with our compensation
philosophy, the compensation components included in the employment agreements
for Mr. Gaines, Mr. Thomson, Mr. Koide, Mr. Schulz and Mrs. Gaines consist
of (i) base salary, (ii) performance related bonuses (in the case of Mr. Gaines,
Mr. Thomson, Mr. Koide and Mr. Schulz), and (iii) stock options (in the case of
Mr. Gaines, Mr. Schulz and Mrs. Gaines). The employment
agreements also include provisions with respect to the executive officers’
termination or a change in control of the Corporation. Please see
“Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control”.
Components
of Executive Compensation
As discussed above, compensation paid
to our executive officers (including our Named Executive Officers) is generally
comprised of three components: (i) base salary, (ii) performance related
bonuses, and (iii) long-term compensation in the form of stock
options. Decisions regarding base salary, performance related
bonuses, and stock option awards for our Named Executive Officers are based
on the objectives of our compensation philosophy described above and, in
particular, are designed to motivate these executives to achieve our business
goals and reward the executives for achieving these goals.
Specific compensation levels for our
executive officers (including our Named Executive Officers) are determined by
consideration of a number of factors, including each officer's initiative and
contribution to our overall corporate performance and the officer's managerial
abilities and performance in any special projects that the officer may have
undertaken. Subjective considerations of individual performance are considered
in establishing both base and incentive compensation.
The Compensation Committee also
considers our financial position and cash flow in making compensation
decisions. In addition, the Compensation Committee also considers the
overall compensation paid to executive officers of companies within LML’s peer
group who have comparable titles and responsibilities, after making allowances
for the different scales of operations of those other companies as compared to
our corporation. The peer group that has traditionally been
considered by the Compensation Committee consists principally of companies
operating in the financial services/transaction processing industry, including
Goldleaf Financial Solutions Inc, Global Payments Inc., Cybersource Corp.
and Electronic Clearing House Inc.
Base
Salary
We
provide our executive officers (including our Named Executive Officers) with a
base salary to compensate them for services rendered during the
year. Ensuring that each executive officer is paid a competitive base
salary that reflects the individual's level of responsibility is an important
consideration in setting executive compensation. These base salaries
are based on experience, skills, job responsibilities and individual
contribution, with consideration given to the compensation paid to executive
officers of companies within LML’s peer group who have comparable titles and
responsibilities. Salary levels are typically considered
annually as part of our performance review process as well as upon a promotion
or other change in job responsibility.
The
members of the Compensation Committee, relying on their significant current and
past business experience, make reasoned subjective determinations as to merit
based increases to salaries for our executive officers (including our Named
Executive Officers) based on a number of factors, including (i) an assessment of
each individual’s performance during the prior year and (ii) the base salaries
paid to comparable executives within LML’s peer group.
Bonuses
The Compensation Committee has
determined that performance-related bonuses are an important component of
overall executive compensation and, during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2009, established an Executive Bonus Plan for Messrs. Gaines,
Thomson, Koide and Schulz, all Named Executive Officers, based on its executive
performance reviews and its review of overall compensation paid to comparable
executives within LML’s peer group. The components of the Executive
Bonus Plan currently include targets related to our revenue and earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and stock compensation expenses
(“EBITDA”) as well as individual objectives. The weight of each of
these components used in determining the extent to which performance goals have
been satisfied is as follows:
|
40%
of the bonus opportunity is based upon our achievement of revenue
targets;
|
|
40%
of the bonus opportunity is based upon our achievement of EBITDA targets;
and
|
|
20%
of the bonus opportunity is based upon the executive’s achievement of
individual objectives
|
In addition, the Compensation Committee
has established threshold, target and maximum payout amounts to be paid to the
respective executives based upon the Corporation’s achievement of the financial
performance goals as follows:
|
|
Threshold
|
|
Target
|
|
Maximum
|
Objective
|
|
Performance
required
|
Amount
of bonus payout
|
|
Performance
required
|
Amount
of bonus payout
|
|
Performance
required
|
Maximum
Amount
of
payout
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
|
|
80%
of target
|
50%
|
|
100%
of target
|
100%
|
|
200%
of target
|
150%
|
Revenue
|
|
80%
of target
|
50%
|
|
100%
of target
|
100%
|
|
200%
of target
|
150%
|
Criteria
for individual performance objectives includes improvement in internal processes
in the areas under the executives’ direct management, implementation of
strategic changes within areas under the executives’ direct management, and
improvements in client retention and sales performance.
The
Compensation Committee will review the Executive Bonus Plan on an annual basis
and make any adjustments or changes as it deems appropriate.
The
performance related bonuses for Mr. Gaines, Mr. Thomson, Mr. Koide and Mr.
Schulz were determined by the Compensation Committee. For more
information, see “Employment Arrangements”.
Stock Option
Awards
Stock
option awards are an integral component of the compensation package for our
executive officers, including our Named Executive Officers. Our
Compensation Committee determines the grant of stock option awards for our
executive officers (including our Named Executive Officers) who are employed by
LML and directs our Stock Option Plan Administration Committee to carry out the
grant of such option awards. Mr. Gaines, who is the chairman of the Stock Option
Plan Administration Committee, does not cast a vote as a member of the Stock
Option Plan Administration Committee with respect to the grant of options to
either himself or Mrs. Gaines, his spouse, as the case may be.
In the
case of LML’s subsidiaries, the Stock Option Plan Administration Committee
determines and grants stock option awards for executive officers (including
our Named Executive Officers). In making their
determinations as to stock option awards, the Compensation Committee and the
Stock Option Plan Administration Committee take into account (i) the current
base salary (and any proposed increases) for the executive officers (including
the Named Executive Officers), (ii) any performance-related bonuses
that have been awarded to the executives, and (iii) the level of stock options
and other long-term compensation awarded to executives with comparable titles
and job responsibilities within LML’s peer group, as well as the total
compensation being paid to those executives relative to the total compensation
received by LML’s executives.
Setting
Fiscal 2009 Compensation for our Named Executive Officers
Our Compensation Committee met two (2)
times and acted one (1) time by written consent during the fiscal year ended
March 31, 2009 to, among other things, discuss and set compensation levels for
our executive officers (including Named Executive Officers) employed by
LML.
The fiscal 2009 compensation levels for
our Named Executive Officers set by our Compensation Committee were dependent in
large part on the prior years’ compensation levels of those officers, which is
discussed in more detail below.
Historical Compensation
Levels of Named Executive Officers Prior to Fiscal
2009
During the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2007, the Compensation Committee reviewed Mr. Gaines’
base salary and his compensation history taking into consideration that Mr.
Gaines’ base salary, since it was first established at US$150,000 by
the Compensation Committee in fiscal 2001, had never been increased and
Mr. Gaines had voluntarily agreed to a reduction in salary of 20% in fiscal
2002. In light of these and
other factors (including the compensation levels of comparable executives within
LML’s peer group), on August 30, 2006, the Compensation Committee increased Mr.
Gaines’ annual base salary from CDN$168,000
to CDN$181,000. This increase, which took effect part way through the
fiscal year, resulted in Mr. Gaines’ actual salary for the year ended March 31,
2007 being CDN$175,583.
In setting compensation levels for
fiscal 2008 for Mr. Gaines, the Compensation Committee noted that Mr. Gaines’
annual base salary had not been increased since August 2006 and, since that
time, the Corporation had successfully completed the acquisition of Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc., resulting in a significant improvement in the
Corporation’s revenues for the fiscal year ended March 31,
2008. In light of these and other factors (including
the compensation levels of comparable executives within LML’s peer group), the
Compensation Committee increased Mr. Gaines’ annual base salary from CDN$181,000 to
CDN$200,000. This increase, which took effect on September 24,
2007, resulted
in Mr. Gaines’ actual salary for the year ended March 31, 2008 being
CDN$190,896. Mr. Gaines is also eligible to earn a cash bonus
of up to 35% of his base salary, based upon objective criteria to be established
by the Compensation Committee to be used in determining the extent to which
performance goals have been satisfied. As of March 31, 2008, the
Compensation Committee had not yet determined the basis for the performance
related bonus. No performance related bonus was paid to Mr. Gaines
during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008.
On August
30, 2006, the Compensation Committee reviewed Mr. Schulz’s base salary and
compensation history. The Compensation Committee noted in particular
that the completion of any of the potential mergers or business combination
transactions that LML was evaluating at that time would likely result in
significantly increased future responsibilities for Mr. Schulz. In
light of Mr. Schulz’s past performance and the anticipated future increase in
his job responsibilities, on August 30, 2006, the Compensation Committee
increased Mr. Schulz’s annual base salary from CDN$87,000 to CDN$101,000. This
increase, which took effect part way through the fiscal year, resulted in Mr.
Schulz’s actual salary for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 being
CDN$95,166.
In setting compensation levels for
fiscal 2008 for Mr. Schulz, the Compensation Committee noted that Mr. Schulz’
annual base salary had not been increased since August 2006 and, since that
time, the Corporation had successfully completed the acquisition of Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc., resulting in an increase in Mr. Schulz’s role and
responsibilities with the Corporation for the fiscal year ended March 31,
2008. In light of these and other factors (including
the compensation levels of comparable executives within LML’s peer group), the
Compensation Committee increased Mr. Schulz’s annual base salary from CDN$101,000 to
CDN$120,000. This increase, which took effect on September 24,
2007, resulted
in Mr. Schulz’s actual salary for the year ended March 31, 2008 being
CDN$110,896. Mr. Schulz was also eligible to earn a cash bonus
of up to 15% of his base salary, based upon objective criteria to be established
by the Compensation Committee to be used in determining the extent to which
performance goals have been satisfied. As of March 31, 2008, the
Compensation Committee had not determined the basis for the performance related
bonus. No performance related bonus was paid to Mr. Schulz during the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2008.
On August
30, 2006, the Compensation Committee reviewed Mrs. Gaines’ base salary, taking
into consideration her past performance and the compensation paid to comparable
executives within LML’s peer group, Upon completion of this evaluation, the
Compensation Committee increased Mrs. Gaines’ base salary from CDN$54,912 to
CDN$61,000. This increase, which took effect part way through the fiscal year,
resulted in Mrs. Gaines’ actual salary for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007
being CDN$58,717.
In setting compensation levels for
fiscal 2008 for Mrs. Gaines, the Compensation Committee noted that Mrs. Gaines
annual base salary had not been increased since August 2006 and, since that
time, the Corporation had successfully completed the acquisition of Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc., resulting in an increase in Mrs. Gaines
responsibilities with the Corporation for the fiscal year ended March 31,
2008. In light of
these
and other
factors (including the compensation levels of comparable executives within LML’s
peer group), the Compensation Committee increased Mrs. Gaines’ annual
base
salary from
CDN$61,000 to CDN$71,000. This increase, which took effect on
September 24, 2007, resulted in Mrs. Gaines’
actual salary for the year ended March 31, 2008 being
CDN$66,208.
In
addition to the increases in base salary for Mr. Gaines, Mr. Schulz, and Mrs.
Gaines and the potential for performance–related bonuses for Mr. Gaines and Mr.
Schulz, on March 31, 2008, the Compensation Committee also recommended
the grant of 1,200,000 stock options to Mr. Gaines and 210,000 stock options to
each of Mr. Schulz and Mrs. Gaines which were granted to them by the Stock
Option Plan Administration Committee on March 31, 2008. All of these
stock options have an exercise price of $3.00 per share and expire on March 31,
2018. Mr. Gaines’ stock options vested as to 240,000 stock options
on each of
March 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009, and an additional
240,000 stock options will vest on each of the third and
fourth anniversaries of the date of
the option grant. Mr. Schulz’s
and Mrs. Gaines’ stock options vested as to 70,000 stock options on each of
March 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009, and an additional 70,000 stock options will
vest on the second anniversary of the date of the option
grant.
Mr. Thomson’s employment agreement with
the Corporation’s subsidiary Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., was established
by management on July 2, 2007 in connection with the acquisition of Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc., and was principally the
result of negotiations between Mr. Thomson and the Corporation as part of that
acquisition. Pursuant to the employment agreement with the
Corporation’s subsidiary, Mr. Thomson’s annual salary was set at CDN$135,000 for
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. In October 2007,
Mr. Gaines reviewed Mr. Thomson’s base salary and brief compensation history
with the Corporation. In light of the acquisition and Mr. Thomson’s
increased responsibilities, upon Mr. Gaines recommendation, the Stock Option Plan Administration Committee granted
Mr. Thomson 300,000 stock options on October 4, 2007, of which 50,000
options vested on each of April 4, 2008, October 4, 2008 and April 4,
2009 and an additional 50,000 options will vest on each of October 4, 2009,
April 4, 2010 and October 4, 2010. These stock options have an exercise price
of $3.90 per share and expire on October 4, 2012. No performance
related bonus was paid to Mr. Thomson during the fiscal year ended March 31,
2008.
Mr. Koide’s employment agreement with
the Corporation’s subsidiary Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., was established
by management on July 2, 2007 in connection with the acquisition of Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc., and was principally the
result of negotiations between Mr. Koide and the Corporation as part of that
acquisition. Pursuant to the employment agreement with the
Corporation’s subsidiary, Mr. Koide’s annual salary was set at CDN$120,000 for
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. In October 2007,
Mr. Gaines reviewed Mr. Koide’s base salary and brief compensation history with
the Corporation. In light of the acquisition and Mr. Koide’s
increased responsibilities, upon Mr. Gaines recommendation, the Stock Option Plan Administration Committee granted
Mr. Koide 210,000 stock options on October 4, 2007, of which 40,000
options vested on April 4, 2008, an additional 34,000 options vested on
each of October 4, 2008 and April 4, 2009 and an additional 34,000 options
will vest on each of October 4, 2009, April 4, 2010 and October 4, 2010. These stock options have an exercise price
of $3.90 per share and expire on October 4, 2012. No performance
related bonus was paid to Mr. Koide during the fiscal year ended March 31,
2008.
Fiscal 2009 Compensation Levels of
Named Executive Officers
During the fourth quarter of the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2009, the Compensation Committee completed its evaluation
of the Corporation’s executive officers (including the Named Executive
Officers). On February 4, 2009, our board of directors determined
that it would be in the best interests of the Corporation to appoint Mr.
Thomson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation’s
subsidiary Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., as the President of LML and to
appoint Mr. Koide, the Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation’s subsidiary
Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., as the Executive Vice-President Operations of
LML. In consideration of these appointments, the Compensation
Committee determined it would be in the best interests of the Corporation to
enter into Employment Agreements with Messrs. Thomson and Koide, such agreements
to replace the existing employment agreements between each of them and the
Corporation’s subsidiary, Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc. These agreements
were entered into on February 5, 2009.
In setting compensation levels for
fiscal 2009 for Mr. Thomson, the Compensation Committee noted that, in addition
to Mr. Thomson’s position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation’s subsidiary, Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., Mr. Thomson’s
appointment as President of the Corporation will result in an increase in Mr.
Thomson’s role and responsibilities with the Corporation. In light of these and
other factors, the Compensation Committee increased Mr. Thomson’s annual base
salary from CDN$135,000 to CDN$165,000. This increase, which took effect part
way through the fiscal year, resulted in Mr. Thomson’s actual salary for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 being CDN$140,423.
In setting compensation levels for
fiscal 2009 for Mr. Koide, the Compensation Committee noted that, in addition to
Mr. Koide’s position as Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation’s subsidiary,
Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., Mr. Koide’s appointment as Executive
Vice-President Operations of the Corporation will result in an increase in Mr.
Koide’s role and responsibilities with the Corporation. In light of these and
other factors, the Compensation Committee increased Mr. Koide’s annual base
salary from CDN$120,000 to CDN$140,000. This increase took effect part way
through the fiscal year. However, this increase was partially offset by
Mr. Koide’s part-time status for a brief period during the fiscal year (at his
request to address personal matters), which resulted in Mr. Koide’s
actual salary for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 being
CDN$108,960.
In setting compensation levels for
fiscal 2009 for Mr. Schulz, the Compensation Committee noted that the employment
agreement between the Corporation and Mr. Schulz which was entered into on March
31, 2008, provided for a bonus opportunity of 15% of his total base
salary. However, as a result of Mr. Schulz’s increased
responsibilities with respect to internal control over financial reporting as a
result of the integration of Beanstream’s operations and systems into the
Corporation’s overall operations and systems, it was appropriate to increase Mr.
Schulz’s bonus opportunity to 35% of his total base salary (effective for the
2010 fiscal year). The Compensation Committee did not make any
changes to Mr. Schulz’s base salary during the fiscal year ended March 31,
2009.
The Compensation Committee did not make
any changes to the compensation levels or components of compensation for Mr.
Gaines or Mrs. Gaines during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.
No performance related bonuses were
paid to any of the Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended March
31, 2009. However, pursuant to their respective employment
agreements, Mr. Gaines was eligible to earn a cash bonus of up to 35% of his
base salary and Mr. Schulz was eligible to earn a cash bonus of up to 15% of his
base salary for the 2009 fiscal year. While the Corporation
anticipates that such bonuses may be paid to Messrs. Gaines and Schulz in
respect of the 2009 fiscal year (and has accrued for the same), as of June 15,
2009, the Compensation Committee had not determined the basis for or the amount
(if any) of any such performance related bonuses.
Perquisites
Our Named
Executive Officers are not entitled to any benefits that are not otherwise
available to all of our employees. We do not provide pension
arrangements, post-retirement health coverage, or similar benefits for our Named
Executive Officers or other employees.
401(k)
Plan
We do not
provide pension arrangements or post-retirement health coverage for our Named
Executive Officers. Our Named Executive Officers who are U.S. residents are
eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan. We provide a matching
contribution to eligible Named Executive Officers. See “Summary
Compensation Table” below.
Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation
We do not
provide any nonqualified defined contribution or other deferred compensation
plans.
Compensation
Committee Report
The
Compensation Committee has reviewed this Compensation Discussion and Analysis
and has discussed this analysis with management. Based on its review and
discussions with management, the Compensation Committee recommended to our board
of directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this
proxy statement. This report is provided by the following independent
directors, who comprise the Compensation Committee:
|
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE
|
|
|
|
Jacqueline
Pace
|
|
Greg
A. MacRae
|
|
David
C. Cooke
|
Summary
of Compensation of Executive Officers
The
following table summarizes the compensation that we paid during the fiscal years
ended March 31, 2009, March 31, 2008 and March 31, 2007 to our Principal
Executive Officer, our Principal Financial Officer and to our next three most highly compensated
executive officers serving as of March 31, 2009 (collectively, “Named Executive
Officers”).
Summary Compensation
Table
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
Fiscal
Year Ended
|
|
Salary
(US$)(1)
|
|
Bonus
($)
|
|
Option
Awards
(US$)
(2)
|
|
All
Other Compensation (US$)
|
|
Total
(US$)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick
H. Gaines, CEO and Director (Principal Executive
Officer)
|
|
2009
|
|
$193,828
|
|
-
|
|
$343,476
|
(3)
|
-
|
|
$537,304
|
|
|
2008
|
|
184,899
|
|
-
|
|
344,417
|
(4)
|
-
|
|
529,316
|
|
|
2007
|
|
154,194
|
|
-
|
|
91,214
|
(5)
|
-
|
|
245,408
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Craig
Thomson, President
|
|
2009
|
|
124,555
|
|
-
|
|
182,003
|
(3)
|
-
|
|
306,558
|
|
|
2008
|
|
121,012
|
|
-
|
|
89,256
|
(4)
|
-
|
|
210,268
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
R. Schulz, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal
Financial Officer)
|
|
2009
|
|
115,024
|
|
-
|
|
100,199
|
(3)
|
-
|
|
215,223
|
|
|
2008
|
|
107,412
|
|
-
|
|
100,474
|
(4)
|
-
|
|
207,886
|
|
|
2007
|
|
83,573
|
|
-
|
|
146,941
|
(5)
|
-
|
|
230,514
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris
Koide, Executive Vice-President Operations
|
|
2009
|
|
97,150
|
|
-
|
|
127,402
|
(3)
|
-
|
|
224,552
|
|
|
2008
|
|
240,611
|
|
-
|
|
62,479
|
(4)
|
-
|
|
303,090
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carolyn
L. Gaines, Corporate Secretary
|
|
2009
|
|
67,842
|
|
-
|
|
100,199
|
(3)
|
-
|
|
168,041
|
|
|
2008
|
|
64,156
|
|
-
|
|
100,473
|
(4)
|
-
|
|
164,629
|
|
|
2007
|
|
51,554
|
|
-
|
|
108,939
|
(5)
|
-
|
|
160,493
|
(1)
|
Messrs.
Gaines and Schulz and Mrs. Gaines’ salaries are paid in Canadian dollars
and, for purposes of reporting such in this table, have been converted to
U.S. dollars at the exchange rates of 0.878, 0.969 and 0.887
which are the average exchange rates for each of the fiscal years ended
March 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. Messrs Thomson and
Koide’s salaries are also paid in Canadian dollars and, for purposes of
reporting such in this table for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008,
have been converted to U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of 0.989, which
is the average exchange rate for the period from July 1, 2007 (when Messrs
Thomson and Koide’s employment began with LML) to March 31, 2008 and 0.887
which is the average exchange rate for the fiscal year ended March 31,
2009.
|
(2)
|
The
amounts reported in the “Option Awards” column reflect the dollar amount
of expense recognized for financial statement reporting purposes for the
fiscal years ended March 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009, in accordance with SFAS
123R. Pursuant to SEC rules, the amounts shown exclude the impact of
estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting
conditions. These amounts reflect the Corporation’s accounting
expense, if no forfeiture was estimated, for these awards and do not
correspond to the actual value that may be recognized by the Named
Executive Officers. Other than indicated below or otherwise in this proxy
statement, we have not granted any restricted shares or restricted share
units, stock appreciation rights ("SARs") or long term incentive plan
payouts to the named officers and directors during the fiscal years
indicated.
|
(3)
|
For
additional information relating to the assumptions used in the calculation
of these amounts for Messrs. Gaines, Thomson, Schulz and Koide, and Mrs.
Gaines refer to Note 11 in our financial statements for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2009, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the SEC on June 23, 2009.
|
(4)
|
For
additional information relating to the assumptions used in the calculation
of these amounts for Messrs. Gaines, Thomson, Schulz and Koide, and Mrs.
Gaines refer to Note 11 in our financial statements for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2008, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the SEC on June 19, 2008.
|
(5)
|
For
additional information relating to the assumptions used in the calculation
of these amounts for Messrs. Gaines and Schulz and Mrs. Gaines, refer to
Note 3 in our financial statements for the second quarter of the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2007, included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
filed with the SEC on November 8,
2006.
|
Grants
of Plan-Based Awards During the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009
There were no plan-based awards granted
to any Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended March 31,
2009. We did not award stock to any Named Executive Officers during
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at March 31, 2009
Outstanding Equity Awards At
Fiscal Year-End
Name
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
(#)
Exercisable
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#)
Unexercisable
|
|
Option
Exercise Price ($)
|
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick
H. Gaines
|
|
75,000
|
|
-
|
|
$4.52
|
|
August
24, 2010
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
-
|
|
3.62
|
|
August
30, 2011
|
|
|
480,000
|
|
720,000
|
(1)
|
3.00
|
|
March
31, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Craig
Thomson
|
|
150,000
|
|
150,000
|
(2)
|
3.90
|
|
October
4, 2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
R. Schulz
|
|
25,000
|
|
-
|
|
4.52
|
|
August
24, 2010
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
-
|
|
3.62
|
|
August
30, 2011
|
|
|
140,000
|
|
70,000
|
(3)
|
3.00
|
|
March
31, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris
Koide
|
|
108,000
|
|
102,000
|
(4)
|
3.90
|
|
October
4, 2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carolyn
L. Gaines
|
|
50,000
|
|
-
|
|
4.52
|
|
August
24, 2010
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
-
|
|
3.62
|
|
August
30, 2011
|
|
|
140,000
|
|
70,000
|
(3)
|
3.00
|
|
March
31, 2018
|
(1)
|
These options
will vest as to 240,000 stock options on each of March 31, 2010, March 31,
2011 and March 31, 2012.
|
(2)
|
These
options will vest as to 50,000 options on each of October 4, 2009, April
4, 2010 and October 4, 2010.
|
(3)
|
These
options will vest as to 70,000 stock options on March 31,
2010.
|
(4)
|
These
options will vest as to 34,000 options on each of October 4, 2009, April
4, 2010 and October 4, 2010.
|
Option
Exercises and Stock Vested at March 31, 2009
There were no options exercised by any
Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended March 31,
2009. We did not award stock to any Named Executive
Officers during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.
Potential
Payments upon Termination or Change in Control
Pursuant to the terms of the employment
agreement entered into on March 31, 2008 between the Corporation and Mr. Gaines,
in the event that (i) Mr. Gaines terminates his employment for good reason
(which includes the right of Mr. Gaines to terminate his employment in the event
of a change in control of the Corporation) or (ii) the Corporation terminates
Mr. Gaines’ employment without cause, Mr. Gaines will be eligible to receive:
(i) a lump sum severance payment equal to two (2) years’ current base salary
plus two (2) times the last annual bonus he received; and (ii) immediate vesting
of all the granted but unexpired stock options awarded to Mr. Gaines. In
addition, in the event such termination for good reason or termination without
cause occurs following a change of control of LML, Mr. Gaines will also be
eligible to receive a lump sum payment equal to three and one-half per cent
(3.5%) of the total consideration paid to/for the Corporation in the change of
control transaction.
Pursuant
to the terms of the employment agreement entered into on February 5, 2009
between the Corporation and Mr. Thomson, in the event that (i) Mr. Thomson
terminates his employment for good reason (which includes the right of Mr.
Thomson to terminate his employment in the event of a change in control of the
Corporation) or (ii) the Corporation terminates Mr. Thomson’s employment without
cause, Mr. Thomson will be eligible to receive a lump sum severance payment
equal to six (6) months’ base salary; provided, however, if such termination for
good reason or termination without cause occurs following a change of control of
the Corporation, then Mr. Thomson will be eligible to receive a lump sum
severance payment equal to one (1) year’s current base salary.
Pursuant to the terms of the employment
agreement entered into on March 31, 2008 between the Corporation and Mr. Schulz,
in the event that (i) Mr. Schulz terminates his employment for good reason
(which includes the right of Mr. Schulz to terminate his employment in the event
of a change in control of the Corporation) or (ii) the Corporation terminates
Mr. Schulz’s employment without cause, Mr. Schulz will be eligible to receive:
(i) a lump sum severance payment equal to two (2) years’ current base salary
plus two (2) times the last annual bonus he received; and (ii) immediate vesting
of all the granted but unexpired stock options awarded to Mr.
Schulz.
Pursuant
to the terms of the employment agreement entered into on February 5, 2009
between the Corporation and Mr. Koide, in the event that (i) Mr. Koide
terminates his employment for good reason (which includes the right of Mr. Koide
to terminate his employment in the event of a change in control of the
Corporation) or (ii) the Corporation terminates Mr. Koide’s employment without
cause, Mr. Koide will be eligible to receive a lump sum severance payment equal
to six (6) months’ base salary; provided, however, if such termination for good
reason or termination without cause occurs following a change of control of the
Corporation, then Mr. Koide will be eligible to receive a lump sum severance
payment equal to one (1) year’s current base salary.
Pursuant to the terms of the employment
agreement entered into on March 31, 2008 between the Corporation and Mrs.
Gaines, in the event that (i) Mrs. Gaines terminates her employment for good
reason (which includes the right of Mrs. Gaines to terminate her employment in
the event of a change in control of the Corporation) or (ii) the Corporation
terminates Mrs. Gaines’ employment without cause, Mrs. Gaines will be eligible
to receive: (i) a lump sum severance payment equal two (2) years’ current base
salary; and (ii) immediate vesting of all the granted but unexpired stock
options awarded to Mrs. Gaines.
In addition, Mr. Gaines, Mr. Schulz and
Mrs. Gaines’ participation in the Corporation’s group insurance benefit plans
(which are provided to all eligible employees of the Corporation) will be
continued by the Corporation for a period of two (2) years following the date of
termination or until any of them replaces such plans, whichever is
earlier.
The terms of Messrs. Gaines, Schulz,
Thomson and Koide and Mrs. Gaines’ employment agreements also include
non-compete provisions in favor of the Corporation. Pursuant to these
provisions, in the event of the termination of employment by any one of them
without good reason (as defined in the employment agreements), or termination
with cause, they are not to engage in or become associated with, any business or
other endeavour that is carrying on a Competitive Activity, as defined in the
employment agreements, in any country in which the Corporation has significant
business operations, until the twelve (12) month anniversary of the date of
termination.
Below are the details of the benefits
to be paid to the current Named Executive Officers in connection with a change
in control and/or termination as of March 31, 2009.
|
|
As
of March 31, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
Without Cause or
for
Good Reason
|
|
No
Termination
|
Name
|
|
Benefit
|
|
Before
Change in Control
|
|
After
Change in Control
|
|
Before
Change in Control
|
|
After
Change in Control
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick
H. Gaines
Chief
Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
|
|
Severance
– Base Salary
|
|
$354,760
|
|
$354,760(1)
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Severance
– Bonus(2)
|
|
$124,166
|
|
$124,166
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Stock
Option Vesting Acceleration(3)
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Benefits
Continuation
|
|
$3,952
|
|
$3,952
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Craig
Thomson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President
|
|
Severance
– Base Salary
|
|
$73,169
|
|
$146,338
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
R. Schulz
Controller
and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
|
|
Severance
– Base Salary
|
|
$212,856
|
|
$212,856
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Severance
– Bonus(2)
|
|
$31,928
|
|
$31,928
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Stock
Option Vesting Acceleration(3)
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Benefits
Continuation
|
|
$8,019
|
|
$8,019
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris Koide
Executive Vice-President
Operations
|
|
Severance
– Base Salary
|
|
$62,083
|
|
$124,166
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carolyn
L. Gaines
Corporate
Secretary
|
|
Severance
– Base Salary
|
|
$125,939
|
|
$125,939
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Stock
Option Vesting Acceleration(3)
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
Benefits
Continuation
|
|
$4,111
|
|
$4,111
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
(1)
|
Mr.
Gaines would also be entitled to receive 3.5% of the total consideration
paid to/for the Corporation in the change of control
transaction.
|
(2)
|
Assumes
that Mr. Gaines receives the maximum bonus of 35% of his base salary and
that Mr. Schulz receives the maximum bonus of 15% of his base salary for
the 2009 fiscal year. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis
– Fiscal 2009 Compensation Levels of Named Executive
Officers.”
|
(3)
|
All
of the options held by Messrs. Gaines and Schulz and Mrs. Gaines that
would have been accelerated at March 31, 2009 pursuant to a termination
event had an exercise price in excess of the closing price of the
Corporation’s common stock on March 31,
2009.
|
For more
information, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” above.
SECTION
16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires that LML’s executive officers and
directors and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of LML’s
equity securities file with the Securities and Exchange Commission initial
statements of beneficial ownership, reports of changes in ownership and annual
reports concerning their ownership of our common stock and other equity
securities, on Forms 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Executive officers, directors and
greater than 10% shareholders are required by the Securities and Exchange
Commission regulations to furnish the Corporation with copies of all Section
16(a) reports they file.
To the best of our knowledge, all
executive officers, directors and greater than 10% shareholders filed the
required reports in a timely manner during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009,
except one report on Form 4 for Craig Thomson reporting an acquisition of shares
in August 2008 was filed late on May 29, 2009. In addition, the
filing of a Form 5 reporting this transaction was inadvertently
missed.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth, as of June 15, 2009, certain information with
respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock by each stockholder
known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock and
by each director, director nominee and named executive officer, and by the
directors and executive officers as a group. Each person has sole
voting and investment power with respect to the shares of common stock, except
as otherwise indicated. Beneficial ownership consists of a direct
interest in the shares of common stock, except as otherwise
indicated.
|
|
Shares
of Common Stock Beneficially Owned
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
|
Amount
and Nature of Beneficial Ownership
|
|
Percent
of Class(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick
H. Gaines (CEO/Director)
1680
– 1140 West Pender St. Vancouver, British
Columbia
|
|
1,029,894(2)
|
|
3.8%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Craig
Thomson (President)
302
– 2659 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia
|
|
1,273,201(3)
|
|
4.7%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
R. Schulz (Controller and Chief Accounting Officer)
1680
– 1140 West Pender St. Vancouver, British
Columbia
|
|
190,000(4)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris
Koide (Executive Vice-President Operations)
302
– 2659 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia
|
|
224,567(5)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carolyn
L. Gaines (Corporate Secretary)
1680
– 1140 West Pender St. Vancouver, British
Columbia
|
|
262,112(6)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greg
A. MacRae (Director)
613
– 375 Water St. Vancouver, British Columbia
|
|
125,000(7)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
David
C. Cooke (Director)
12
Stacey Court, Selbyville, Delaware
|
|
Nil
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jacqueline
Pace (Director)
P.O.
Box 141 Bailey, MS
|
|
100,500(8)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Don
G. Choquer
20290
– 25th
Avenue, Langley, British Columbia
|
|
5,279,584 (9)
|
|
19.5%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Millennium
Partners, L.P
c/o
Millennium Management LLC
666
Fifth Avenue, 8th
Floor, New York, NY
|
|
4,000,000
(10)
|
|
14.8%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Directors
and Executive Officers as a Group (8 persons)
|
|
2,754,995(11)
|
|
9.6%
|
|
(1)
|
Based
on 27,116,408 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of June 15,
2009. Except as otherwise indicated, we believe that the
beneficial owners of the common stock listed above, based on information
furnished by such owners, have sole investment and voting power with
respect to such shares, subject to community property laws where
applicable. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance
with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and generally
includes voting or investment power with respect to
securities. Shares of common stock subject to options or
warrants currently exercisable, or exercisable within 60 days of June 15,
2009, are deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage
ownership of the person holding such option or warrants, but are not
deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of
any other person.
|
|
(2)
|
Includes
605,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2009. On August 24, 2005 we granted
to Mr. Gaines options to purchase 75,000 common shares in the capital of
our corporation. The options vested on August 24, 2005, are
exercisable at a price of $4.52 per share and expire on August 24, 2010.
On August 30, 2006 we granted to Mr. Gaines options to purchase 50,000
common shares in the capital of our corporation. The options
vested on August 30, 2006, are exercisable at a price of $3.62 per share
and expire on August 30, 2011. On March 31, 2008, we granted Mr. Gaines
options to purchase 1,200,000 common shares in the capital of our
corporation, of which 240,000 options vested on each of March 31,
2008 and March 31, 2009 and an additional 240,000 options will vest
on each of March 31, 2010, March 31, 2011 and March 31,
2012. The options are exercisable at a price of $3.00 per share
and will expire on March 31, 2018.
|
|
Also
includes shares held by companies controlled by Mr. Gaines as
follows:
|
|
(a)
|
Keats
Investments Ltd.: 168,400
shares
|
|
(b)
|
397389
British Columbia Ltd.: 16,622
shares
|
|
(c)
|
Does
not include 262,112 shares (including 215,000 options exercisable within
sixty days of June 15, 2009) that are beneficially held by Carolyn L.
Gaines, Mr. Gaines’ spouse
|
|
(3)
|
Includes
150,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2009. On October 4, 2007 we granted
to Mr. Thomson options to purchase 300,000 common shares in the capital of
our corporation, of which 50,000 options vested on each of April 4, 2008,
October 4, 2008 and April 4, 2009, and 50,000 options will vest on each of
October 4, 2009, April 4, 2010 and October 4, 2010. The options
are exercisable at a price of $3.90 per share and expire on October 4,
2012.
|
Also
includes shares held by a company controlled by Mr. Thomson and shares held by
his spouse, as follows:
|
(a)
|
588267
BC Ltd.: 1,108,722
shares
|
|
(b)
|
Owned
by spouse: 14,479 shares
|
|
(4)
|
Includes
190,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2009. On August 24, 2005 we granted
to Mr. Schulz options to purchase 25,000 common shares in the capital of
our corporation. The options vested on August 24, 2005, are
exercisable at a price of $4.52 per share and expire on August 24, 2010.
On August 30, 2006 we granted to Mr. Schulz options to purchase 25,000
common shares in the capital of our corporation. The options
vested on August 30, 2006, are exercisable at a price of $3.62 per share
and expire on August 30, 2011. On March 31, 2008, we granted Mr. Schulz
options to purchase 210,000 common shares in the capital of our
corporation, of which 70,000 options vested on each of March 31,
2008 and March 31, 2009 and an additional 70,000 options will vest on
March 31, 2010. The options are exercisable at a price of $3.00
per share and will expire on March 31,
2018.
|
|
(5)
|
Includes
108,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2009. On October 4, 2007 we granted
to Mr. Koide options to purchase 210,000 common shares in the capital of
our corporation, of which 40,000 options vested on April 4, 2008, 34,000
options vested on each of October 4, 2008 and April 4, 2009, and an
additional 34,000 options will vest on each of October 4, 2009, April 4,
2010 and October 4, 2010. The options are exercisable at a
price of $3.90 per share and expire on October 4,
2012.
|
|
(6)
|
Includes
215,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2009. On August 24, 2005
we granted to Mrs. Gaines options to purchase 50,000 common shares in the
capital of our corporation. The options vested on August 24,
2005, are exercisable at a price of $4.52 per share and expire on August
24, 2010. On August 30, 2006 we granted to Mrs. Gaines options to purchase
25,000 common shares in the capital of our corporation. The
options vested on August 30, 2006, are exercisable at a price of $3.62 per
share and expire on August 30, 2011. On March 31, 2008, we granted Mrs.
Gaines options to purchase 210,000 common shares in the capital of our
corporation, of which 70,000 options vested on each of March 31, 2008 and
March 31, 2009 and an additional 70,000 options will vest on March 31,
2010. The options are exercisable at a price of $3.00 per share
and will expire on March 31, 2018.
|
|
(7)
|
Includes
100,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2009. On August 25,
2004, we granted to Mr. MacRae options to purchase 25,000 common shares in
the capital of our corporation, all of which vested on August 25,
2005. These options are exercisable at a price of $5.08 per
share and expire on August 25, 2009. On August 24, 2005, we granted to Mr.
MacRae options to purchase 25,000 common shares in the capital of our
corporation, all of which vested on August 24, 2006. These
options are exercisable at a price of $4.52 per share and expire on August
24, 2010. On August 30, 2006, we granted to Mr. MacRae options to purchase
25,000 common shares in the capital of our corporation, all of which
vested on August 30, 2007. These options are exercisable at a
price of $3.62 per share and expire on August 30, 2011. On August 8, 2007,
we granted to Mr. MacRae options to purchase 25,000 common shares in the
capital of our corporation, all of which vested on August 8,
2008. These options are exercisable at a price of $3.16 per
share and expire on August 8, 2012.
|
|
(8)
|
Includes
100,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2009. On August 25, 2004, we
granted to Ms. Pace options to purchase 25,000 common shares in the
capital of our corporation, all of which vested on August 25,
2005. These options are exercisable at a price of $5.08 per
share and expire on August 25, 2009. On August 24, 2005, we granted to Ms.
Pace options to purchase 25,000 common shares in the capital of our
corporation, all of which vested on August 24, 2006. These
options are exercisable at a price of $4.52 per share and expire on August
24, 2010. On August 30, 2006, we granted to Ms. Pace options to purchase
25,000 common shares in the capital of our corporation, all of which
vested on August 30, 2007. These options are exercisable at a
price of $3.62 per share and expire on August 30, 2011. On August 8, 2007,
we granted to Ms. Pace options to purchase 25,000 common shares in the
capital of our corporation, all of which vested on August 8,
2008. These options are exercisable at a price of $3.16 per
share and expire on August 8, 2012.
|
|
(9)
|
Also
includes shares held by companies controlled by Mr. Choquer as
follows:
|
|
(a)
|
847279
BC Ltd.: 4,733,446
shares
|
|
(b)
|
C-Quest
Holdings Ltd.: 159,201
shares
|
|
(c)
|
Titan
Investments Corp.: 386,426
shares
|
|
(10)
|
On
March 26, 2008, LML Payment Systems Inc. entered into a definitive
Securities Purchase Agreement with Millennium Partners, LLP
(“Purchaser”). Under the Securities Purchase Agreement, LML and
the Purchaser completed a private placement transaction pursuant to which
the Purchaser acquired 4,000,000 common shares of the Corporation for an
aggregate purchase price of $7,200,000, or $1.80 per
share.
|
(11)
|
Includes
1,468,000 shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or are
exercisable within 60 days of June 15,
2009.
|
PROPOSAL
TWO – 2009 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
Our 2009 Stock Incentive Plan (the
“2009 Plan”) was adopted by our board of directors on June 17,
2009. The Corporation is submitting the plan for approval by
the Corporation’s shareholders at the annual and special meeting to be held in
Vancouver, B.C. on Thursday, August 6, 2009. Any awards granted under
the 2009 Plan before shareholder approval is obtained will be subject to
obtaining shareholder approval. If shareholder approval is not
obtained prior to the anniversary of the date the plan was adopted by the board
of directors, all previously issued awards shall be cancelled and shall be of no
force or effect. No holder of awards granted under the 2009 Plan will
be permitted to exercise any awards before shareholder approval is
obtained. If approved, a maximum of 6,000,000 shares of Common Stock
will be available for issuance under the 2009 Plan. As of June 15,
2009, no awards had been granted under the 2009 Plan. As of that same
date, the number of employees, officers, directors and consultants eligible to
receive grants under the 2009 Plan was approximately 58 persons. The
following description of the 2009 Plan is a summary and is subject, in its
entirety, to the language of the 2009 Plan, a copy of which is annexed hereto as
Appendix “A”.
The
2009 Plan provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock and other
stock-based awards to acquire our common stock to eligible
participants. The purpose of the 2009 Plan is to attract and retain
the best available personnel, to provide additional incentives to employees,
officers, directors and consultants to achieve the goals of our corporation and
our shareholders and to promote the success of our business. The
board of directors believes that the grant of stock options and other equity
awards is a highly effective way to align the interests of management with those
of our shareholders and provides a cost-effective means of recognizing employee
contributions to the success of the Corporation.
The board of directors believes that
adopting the 2009 Plan will be important to our future success by allowing us to
remain competitive in attracting and retaining highly qualified employees and
executive officers. Therefore, on June 17, 2009, the board of
directors adopted the 2009 Plan subject to shareholder approval.
Accordingly,
the shareholders of the Corporation are now being asked to consider and, if
thought fit, pass the following ordinary resolution:
“RESOLVED
that the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan in the form approved by the directors of the
Corporation, pursuant to which the Corporation can grant to its eligible
employees, officers, directors and consultants stock options and other
stock-based awards to purchase or receive up to 6,000,000 common shares, be and
the same is hereby approved, subject to any amendment thereto requested or
required by the applicable regulatory authorities.”
The
affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares represented in person or by
proxy at our annual and special meeting is required to approve this
proposal.
THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT SHAREHOLDERS VOTE "FOR" ADOPTING THE
2009 PLAN.
Summary
of the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan
The material terms of the 2009 Stock
Incentive Plan are summarized below. The following summary of certain
provisions of the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan does not purport to be complete and
is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the 2009 Stock
Incentive Plan, a copy of which is annexed hereto as Appendix A.
Administration
and General Terms
Our 2009 Stock Incentive Plan is
currently administered by our Stock Option Plan Administration
Committee. The Stock Option Plan Administration Committee considers
recommendations from our Compensation Committee as to the granting of stock
options or other awards and has sole discretion as to the interpretation and
construction of any provision of the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, and the
determination of the terms and conditions of awards granted pursuant to the 2009
Stock Incentive Plan. Awards will be evidenced by a written agreement
or other document containing the terms and conditions of the
awards.
The maximum number of shares with
respect to which options or SARs may be granted in any fiscal year to any
grantee who is a director, officer or employee of our corporation or any of its
subsidiaries is 500,000 shares, subject to certain adjustments. The term of each
award shall not exceed that permitted by any applicable regulator (presently 10
years from the date of grant), provided that the term of any incentive stock
option shall not exceed 10 years, and provided further that if an incentive
stock option is granted to a grantee who, at the time of the grant, owns stock
representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of stock of our
corporation or any of its subsidiaries, the term of the incentive stock option
shall not exceed 5 years. The right to exercise awards is limited in the event
the participant ceases, for any reason, to be a director, employee or consultant
of our corporation. Awards are generally not transferable or assignable, other
than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution upon the demise of the
award holder.
The Stock Option Plan Administration
Committee has the discretion to determine the exercise or purchase price for any
awards under the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, except that: (a) the exercise or
purchase price of any incentive stock option or any award intended to qualify as
"Performance-Based Compensation" under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue
Code may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on
the date of grant; and the exercise price of an incentive stock option granted
to a grantee whose holdings exceed 10% of the voting power must be at least 110%
of the fair market value on the date of grant. The Stock Option Plan
Administration Committee does not intend to grant any stock options for an
exercise price less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on
the date of grant.
Types
of Awards
The 2009
Stock Incentive Plan permits the granting of:
·
|
stock
options (including both incentive and non-qualified stock
options),
|
·
|
stock
appreciation rights ("SARs"),
|
·
|
dividend
equivalents rights,
|
·
|
performance
awards (which may be "qualified performance-based compensation" within the
meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code),
and
|
·
|
other
stock-based awards.
|
Stock options may be granted as either
"Incentive Stock Options" under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
or options which do not qualify as incentive stock options (which are commonly
referred to as non-qualified stock options). Stock appreciation
rights generally entitle the grantee to acquire such number of common shares or
such cash compensation as will be determined by reference to any appreciation in
the value of our common shares in accordance with terms established by the Stock
Option Plan Administration Committee. Shares of restricted stock are
generally issuable for such consideration (if any) and subject to such
restrictions on transfer, rights of first refusal, repurchase provisions,
forfeiture provisions, and other terms and conditions as are established by the
Stock Option Plan Administration Committee. Dividend equivalent
rights generally entitle the grantee to compensation measured by any dividends
paid on our common shares. Performance awards include “Performance
Shares" that may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of performance
criteria established by the Stock Option Plan Administration Committee and
"Performance Units" that may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of
performance criteria established by the Stock Option Plan Administration
Committee and which may be settled in cash, common shares or other securities,
or a combination of cash, common shares or other securities, as established by
the Stock Option Plan Administration Committee.
Shares
Available for Award Grants
If the
2009 Stock Incentive Plan is approved by shareholders, the aggregate number of
shares of our common stock that would be available for future issuance would be
6,000,000. In the event of an equity restructuring of our Corporation
that causes the per-share fair value of the our common stock to change (e.g., a stock dividend, stock
split, spinoff, etc.),
the Stock Option Plan Administration Committee will make equitable adjustments
to the share limits described above, the number and type of shares subject to
outstanding awards, and the purchase or exercise price of outstanding awards. In
the case of any other corporate transaction or event, the Stock Option Plan
Administration Committee may make adjustments in order to prevent dilution or
enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be provided under
the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan.
Shares
that are subject to options or other awards that terminate, lapse or are
cancelled or forfeited will be available again for grant under the 2009 Stock
Incentive Plan.
Eligibility
Generally,
employees, directors, officers and consultants of the Corporation and its
subsidiaries are eligible to receive options and other awards under the 2009
Stock Incentive Plan. Incentive stock options may only be granted to
employees and officers of the Corporation and its subsidiaries. The
Stock Option Plan Administration Committee currently intends to grant options
and/or other awards to both eligible participants who are residents of the
United States and those who are residents of Canada. As of June 15,
2009, approximately 58 employees, officers and directors of the Corporation are
eligible as a class to be selected by the Stock Option Plan Administration
Committee to receive options or other awards under the 2009 Stock Incentive
Plan.
Withholding
of Taxes
The
Corporation may deduct, from any payment or distribution of shares under the
2009 Stock Incentive Plan, the amount of any tax required by law to be withheld
with respect to such payment, or may require the participant to pay such amount
to the Corporation prior to, and as a condition of, making such payment or
distribution.
Termination
and Amendment
The 2009
Stock Incentive Plan became effective in 2009 upon its adoption by the board of
directors on June 17, 2009 and will continue in effect for a term of ten (10)
years unless sooner terminated. The 2009 Stock Incentive Plan may be suspended or
terminated by the board of directors at any time, provided no such suspension or
termination will adversely affect any then-outstanding options or other awards
that have been granted under the plan. The board of directors may at
any time amend the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, provided that the board of
directors will obtain shareholder approval of any amendment if required under
any applicable laws or under the rules of any regulatory agency.
Federal
Income Tax Consequences
The
following discussion of the principal U.S. federal income tax consequences of
participation in the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan is based on statutory authority,
as well as judicial and administrative interpretations as of the date of this
proxy statement, all of which are subject to change at any time (possibly with
retroactive effect). The following discussion pertains only to the
tax laws of the U.S. and does not pertain to the tax laws of any other
jurisdiction (including Canada).
Grant
of Options and SARs
The grant
of a stock option or SAR is not expected to result in any taxable income for the
recipient.
Exercise
of Options and SARs
Upon
exercise of a non-qualified stock option, the option holder must recognize
ordinary income equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of
our common stock acquired on the date of exercise over the exercise price, and
the Corporation generally will be entitled at that time to an income tax
deduction for the same amount. The holder of an incentive stock option generally
will have no taxable income upon exercising the option (except that an
alternative minimum tax liability may arise), and the Corporation will not be
entitled to an income tax deduction. Upon exercise of an SAR, the amount of any
cash received and the fair market value on the exercise date of any shares of
our common stock received are taxable to the recipient as ordinary income and
generally deductible by the Corporation.
Disposition
of Shares Acquired Upon Exercise of Options and SARs
The tax
consequence upon a disposition of shares acquired through the exercise of an
option or SAR will depend on how long the shares have been held and whether the
shares were acquired by exercising an incentive stock option or by exercising a
non-qualified stock option or SAR. Generally, there will be no tax consequence
to the Corporation in connection with the disposition of shares acquired under
an option or SAR, except that the Corporation may be entitled to an income tax
deduction in the case of the disposition of shares acquired under an incentive
stock option before the applicable incentive stock option holding periods set
forth in the Internal Revenue Code have been satisfied.
Awards
Other than Options and SARs
As to
other awards granted under the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan that are payable either
in cash or shares of our common stock that are either transferable or not
subject to substantial risk of forfeiture, the holder of the award must
recognize ordinary income equal to (a) the amount of cash received or, as
applicable, (b) the excess of the (i) fair market value of the shares
received (determined as of the date of receipt) over (ii) the amount (if
any) paid for the shares by the holder of the award. The Corporation generally
will be entitled at that time to an income tax deduction for the same
amount.
As to an
award that is payable in shares of our common stock that are restricted as to
transferability and subject to substantial risk of forfeiture, unless a special
election is made by the holder of the award pursuant to the Internal Revenue
Code, the holder must recognize ordinary income equal to the excess of
(i) the fair market value of the shares received (determined as of the
first time the shares become transferable or not subject to substantial risk of
forfeiture, whichever occurs earlier) over (ii) the amount (if any) paid
for the shares by the holder of the award. The Corporation generally will be
entitled at that time to an income tax deduction for the same
amount.
Income
Tax Deduction
Subject
to the usual rules concerning reasonable compensation, including the
Corporation's obligation to withhold or otherwise collect certain income and
payroll taxes, and assuming that, as expected, stock options, SARs and certain
other performance awards paid under the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan are "qualified
performance-based compensation" within the meaning of
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Corporation generally
will be entitled to a corresponding income tax deduction at the time a
participant recognizes ordinary income from awards made under the
Plan.
Special
Rules
Special
rules may apply to individuals subject to Section 16 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. In particular, unless a special election is made by the
holder of the award pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code, shares received
through the exercise of a stock option or SAR may be treated as restricted as to
transferability and subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture for a period of
up to six months after the date of exercise. Accordingly, the amount of any
ordinary income recognized and the amount of the Corporation's income tax
deduction will be determined as of the end of that period.
Plan
Benefits
No awards
have been granted to date under the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan. The amounts
and types of options and other awards that will be granted in the future under
the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan are not determinable because the Stock Option Plan
Administration Committee in its discretion will make such
determinations.
On June
15, 2009, the closing price of LML’s common stock on The NASDAQ Stock Market was
$0.69 per share.
PROPOSAL
THREE – RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
Grant
Thornton LLP of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has been selected by our
board of directors and Audit Committee to serve as our independent auditors for
the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. Grant Thornton LLP was
appointed by our Audit Committee to serve as our independent auditors effective
July 12, 2004. It is proposed that the remuneration to be paid to the
independent auditors be fixed by our Audit Committee.
During
the two most recent fiscal years there were no disagreements between us and
Grant Thornton LLP on any matter of accounting principles or practices,
financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure which
disagreement or disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of the
independent auditors, would have caused it to make reference to the subject
matter of the disagreement or disagreements in connection with its report on the
financial statements for such years.
All
services provided by Grant Thornton LLP in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009
have been reviewed with our Audit Committee to confirm that the performance of
such services is consistent with the regulatory requirements for auditor
independence.
A
representative of Grant Thornton LLP is not expected to be present at our annual
and special meeting, nor is a representative of Grant Thornton LLP expected to
make a statement. In the event that a representative of Grant
Thornton LLP is present at our annual and special meeting, such representative
or representatives will have an opportunity to make a statement if such
representative or representatives so desire, and will be available to respond to
appropriate questions by shareholders. The affirmative vote of a majority of the
common shares represented in person or by proxy at our annual and special
meeting is required to approve this proposal.
THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT SHAREHOLDERS VOTE "FOR" THE
RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF GRANT THORNTON LLP AS INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 2010.
AUDIT
FEES
As at May
31, 2009, Grant Thornton LLP had billed our corporation aggregate fees of
CDN$218,400 for: professional services rendered for the audit of our annual
financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2009; the audit of our corporation’s internal control over
financial reporting; and the attestation of management’s report on the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. In addition,
for the review of our financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended June 30, 2008, September 30, 2008, and
December 31, 2008, the aggregate fees billed by Grant Thornton LLP were
CDN$47,250.
As at May
31, 2008, Grant Thornton LLP had billed our corporation aggregate fees of
CDN$215,500 for: professional services rendered for the audit of our annual
financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2008; the audit of our corporation’s internal control over
financial reporting; and the attestation of management’s report on the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. In addition,
for the review of our financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended June 30, 2007, September 30, 2007, and
December 31, 2007, the aggregate fees billed by Grant Thornton LLP were
CDN$50,000.
AUDIT-RELATED
FEES
During
the fiscal years ended March 31, 2008 and 2009, there were no audit-related fees billed to our
corporation by Grant Thornton LLP which are not otherwise reported under the
caption “Audit Fees” above. “Audit-related fees” are fees for
assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of
the audit or review of our corporation’s financial statements.
TAX
FEES
During
the fiscal years ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, we did not engage Grant Thornton
LLP to provide us with any services related to tax compliance, tax advice or tax
planning.
ALL
OTHER FEES
During
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the aggregate fees billed for services by
Grant Thornton LLP that did not constitute audit fees, audit-related fees or tax
fees were CDN$10,185. Included in the these fees is (i) CDN$7,350
related primarily to the provision of consent with respect to the use through
incorporation by reference of the audit report regarding the audit of our
financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 in the
registration statement on Form S-3 relating to the offering of 4,000,000
common shares and 400,000 warrants of the Corporation filed by the Corporation
under the Securities Act of 1933, and (ii) CDN$2,835 related primarily to
consultation with respect to the Corporation’s response to certain
correspondence received from the British Columbia Securities Commission during
the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009.
During
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, the aggregate fees billed for services by
Grant Thornton LLP that did not constitute audit fees, audit-related fees or tax
fees were CDN$58,000. These fees related primarily to consultation
with respect to the accounting and disclosure treatment of the
Corporation’s acquisition of Beanstream
Internet Commerce Inc.
PRE-APPROVAL
POLICIES OF AUDIT COMMITTEE
Our Audit
Committee has adopted a policy governing the pre-approval by the Audit Committee
of all services, audit and non-audit, to be provided to the Corporation by its
independent auditors. Under the policy, the Audit Committee has
pre-approved the provision by the Corporation’s independent auditors of specific
audit, audit-related, tax and other non-audit services as being consistent with
auditor independence. Requests or applications to provide services
that require the specific pre-approval of the Audit Committee must be submitted
to the Audit Committee by the independent auditors, and the independent auditors
must advise the Audit Committee as to whether, in the independent auditor’s
view, the request or application is consistent with the Securities and Exchange
Commission’s rules on auditor independence. The Audit Committee may
delegate either type of pre-approval authority to one or more of its members,
and has currently delegated such authority to the chairman of the Audit
Committee. All audit and non-audit services performed by our
independent auditors during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2009 and March 31,
2008 were pre-approved in accordance with this policy.
INCLUSION
OF FUTURE SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS IN PROXY MATERIALS
All
proposals of shareholders intended to be included in our proxy statement and
form of proxy relating to our annual meeting of shareholders for the year ending
March 31, 2010 (the "2010 Annual Meeting") must be received by our corporation
no later than March 8, 2010 (assuming that the 2010 Annual Meeting is held on a
date that is within 30 days from the anniversary date of our annual and special
meeting of shareholders to be held on August 6, 2009). All such
proposals must comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 of Regulation 14A of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 138 of the Business Corporations
Act (Yukon), both of which set forth specific requirements and limitations
applicable to nominations and proposals at annual meetings of
shareholders.
For any
shareholder proposal that is not submitted for inclusion in our proxy statement
and form of proxy relating to the 2010 Annual Meeting pursuant to the processes
of Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or any proposal that is
submitted under Section 138 of the Business Corporations Act (Yukon), notice of
such proposal must be received by our corporation no later than May 24, 2010
(assuming that the 2010 Annual Meeting is held on a date that is within 30 days
from the anniversary date of our annual and special meeting of shareholders to
be held on August 6, 2009); otherwise, we may exercise, pursuant to Rule
14a-4(c)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, discretionary voting
authority under proxies we solicit for the 2010 Annual Meeting.
All
shareholder proposals, notices and requests should be made in writing and sent
via registered, certified or express mail, to our corporation at Suite 1680,
1140 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4G1
Attention: Carolyn Gaines, Corporate Secretary.
With
respect to business to be brought before the annual and special meeting to be
held on August 6, 2009, we have not received any notices from shareholders that
we were required to include in this proxy statement.
“HOUSEHOLDING”
OF PROXY MATERIAL
The
Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted rules that permit companies and
intermediaries (e.g. brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for a proxy
statement, an annual report to shareholders and a Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, with respect to two or more
shareholders sharing the same address by delivering a single copy of those
documents addressed to those shareholders. This process, which is
commonly referred to as “householding”, potentially means extra conveniences for
security holders and cost savings for companies.
This
year, a number of brokers with accountholders who are shareholders of our
corporation will be “householding” our proxy materials. As indicated
in the notice previously provided by these brokers to shareholders of our
corporation, a single proxy statement, a single annual report to shareholders
and, if applicable, a single Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials
will be delivered to multiple shareholders sharing an address unless contrary
instructions have been received from an affected shareholder. Once
you have received notice from your broker that they will be “householding”
communications to your address, “householding” will continue until you are
notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If at any time,
you no longer wish to participate in “householding” and would prefer to receive
a separate proxy statement, a separate annual report to shareholders and/or, if
applicable, a separate Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials,
please notify your broker, or call us at 604-689-4440 or write to us at LML
Payment Systems Inc., Suite 1680, 1140 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada, V6E 4G1, Attn: Corporate Secretary. We will deliver
promptly upon written or oral request a separate copy of the proxy statement, a
separate annual report to shareholders and/or a separate Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, to a shareholder at a shared
address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.
Shareholders
who currently receive multiple copies of the proxy statement, a separate annual
report to shareholders and/or, if applicable, a separate Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials, at their address and would like to request
“householding” of their communications should contact their broker.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Other
than as described under the heading “Executive Compensation”, since the
beginning of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, we have not been a party to
any transaction, proposed transaction, or series of transactions in which the
amount involved exceeds the lesser of (i) $120,000 or (ii) one percent of the
average of our total assets at year-end for our last two completed fiscal years,
and in which, to our knowledge, any of the following persons had, or will have,
a direct or indirect material interest: any director or executive officer of our
corporation; any nominee for election as a
director of our corporation; any beneficial
owner of more than five percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock;
or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing
persons.
All
transactions with related persons are reviewed, approved and ratified by the
Audit Committee of our board of directors. The Audit Committee is in
the process of adopting a written policy with respect to the review, approval
and ratification of transactions with related persons.
ANNUAL
REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Attention
is directed to the financial statements contained in our Annual Report to
Shareholders on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2009. A copy
of the Annual Report to Shareholders on Form 10-K has been sent, or is
concurrently being sent, to all shareholders of record as of June 30,
2009.
AVAILABILITY
OF FORM 10-K
A
copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009,
which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the
financial statements, but without exhibits, is available on our website at www.lmlpayment.com by
clicking on “investor relations” and will be provided without charge to any
shareholder or beneficial owner of our common shares upon written request to
Carolyn L. Gaines, Corporate Secretary, LML Payment Systems Inc., Suite 1680 -
1140 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4G1.
REGISTRAR
AND TRANSFER AGENT
Our
registrar and transfer agent is Computershare Investor Services Inc., 6th Floor,
530 - 8th Avenue, S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 3S8 (facsimile (403)
267-6529).
SUBMITTING
A PROXY VIA THE INTERNET OR BY TELEPHONE
For
Shares Directly Registered in the Name of the Shareholder
Shareholders with shares registered
directly with Computershare Investor Services Inc. may submit a proxy to vote
those shares telephonically or via the Internet by following the instructions on
the proxy card that they receive.
For
Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker or a Bank
A number
of brokers and banks are participating in a program provided through Broadridge
U.S. and Broadridge Canada that offers telephone and Internet voting
options. This program is different from the program provided by
Computershare for shares registered directly in the name of
shareholders. If your shares are held in an account with a broker or
a bank participating in the Broadridge Solutions program, you may provide voting
instructions to the broker or bank holding your shares telephonically by calling
the telephone number shown on the voting form received from your broker or bank,
or via the Internet at Broadridge Solutions’ website (www.proxyvote.com).
OTHER
MATTERS TO COME BEFORE THE MEETING
In
addition to the matters to be voted upon by the shareholders of our common
shares, we will receive and consider both the Report of the Board of Directors
to the Shareholders, and the financial statements of our corporation for the
years ended March 31, 2009, March 31, 2008 and March 31, 2007, together with the
auditors report thereon. These matters do not require
shareholder approval, and therefore shareholders will not be required to vote
upon these matters.
Except
for the above-noted matters, our board of directors does not intend to bring any
other matters before the meeting and does not know of any matters that will be
brought before the meeting by others. If other matters properly come
before the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the solicited
proxy to vote the proxy on such matters in accordance with their good
judgment.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PROXIES
BE RETURNED PROMPTLY. THEREFORE, SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO MARK,
DATE, SIGN AND PROMPTLY RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY.
|
By
Order of the Board of Directors:
/s/
Patrick H. Gaines
|
|
Patrick
H. Gaines
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
Dated: July
6, 2009
|
Appendix
A
LML
PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC.
2009 STOCK INCENTIVE
PLAN
Purposes of the
Plan. The purposes of this Stock Incentive Plan are to attract
and retain the best available personnel, to provide additional incentive to
Employees, Directors and Consultants and to promote the success of the Company’s
business.
Definitions. As
used herein, the following definitions shall apply:
“Administrator” means
the Board or any of the Committees appointed to administer the
Plan.
“Affiliate” and “Associate” shall have
the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 promulgated
under the Exchange Act.
“Applicable Laws”
means the legal requirements relating to the administration of stock incentive
plans, if any, under applicable provisions of federal securities laws, state
corporate and securities laws, the Code, the rules of any applicable stock
exchange or national market system, and the rules of any foreign jurisdiction
applicable to Awards granted to residents therein.
“Award” means the
grant of an Option, SAR, Dividend Equivalent Right, Restricted Stock,
Performance Unit, Performance Share, or other right or benefit under the
Plan.
“Award Agreement”
means the written agreement evidencing the grant of an Award executed by the
Company and the Grantee, including any amendments thereto.
“Beneficial Owner”
means a “beneficial owner” as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under
the Exchange Act.
“Board” means the
board of directors of the Company.
“Cause” means, with respect to
the termination by the Company or a Related Entity of the Grantee’s Continuous
Service, that such termination is for “Cause” as such term is expressly defined
in a then-effective written agreement between the Grantee and the Company or
such Related Entity, or in the absence of such then-effective written agreement
and definition, is based on, in the determination of the Administrator, the
Grantee’s: (i) refusal or failure to act in accordance with any
specific, lawful direction or order of the Company or a Related Entity; (ii)
unfitness or unavailability for service or unsatisfactory performance (other
than as a result of Disability); (iii) performance of any act or failure to
perform any act in bad faith and to the detriment of the Company or a Related
Entity; (iv) dishonesty, intentional misconduct or material breach of any
agreement with the Company or a Related Entity; or (v) commission of a crime
involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, breach of trust, or physical or emotional
harm to any Person. At least 30 days prior to the termination of the
Grantee’s Continuous Service pursuant to (i) or (ii) above, the Administrator
shall provide the Grantee with notice of the Company’s or such Related Entity’s
intent to terminate, the reason therefor, and an opportunity for the Grantee to
cure such defects in his or her service to the Company’s or such Related
Entity’s satisfaction. During this 30 day (or longer) period, no
Award issued to the Grantee under the Plan may be exercised or
purchased.
“Change in
Control” means, with respect to
any Award, the occurrence at any time after the date of grant of such Award of a
change in the ownership or control of the Company effected through either of the
following transactions:
the
direct or indirect acquisition by any Person or related group of Persons (other
than an acquisition from or by the Company or by a Company-sponsored employee
benefit plan or by a Person that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled
by, or is under common control with, the Company) of Beneficial Ownership of
securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined
voting power of the Company’s outstanding Voting Stock pursuant to a tender or
exchange offer made directly to the Company’s stockholders which a majority of
the Continuing Directors who are not Affiliates or Associates of the offeror do
not recommend such stockholders accept, or a change
in the composition of the Board over a period of thirty-six (36) months or less
such that a majority of the Board members (rounded up to the next whole number)
ceases, by reason of one or more contested elections for Board membership, to be
comprised of individuals who are Continuing Directors.
“Code” means the U.S.
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Committee” means any
committee appointed by the Board to administer the Plan.
“Common Stock” means
the common stock of the Company.
“Company” means LML
Payment Systems Inc., a Yukon corporation.
“Consultant” means any
Person (other than an Employee or, solely with respect to rendering services in
such Person’s capacity as a Director) who is engaged by the Company or any
Related Entity to render consulting or advisory services to the Company or such
Related Entity.
“Continuing Directors”
means members of the Board who either (i) have been Board members
continuously for a period of at least thirty-six (36) months or (ii) have
been Board members for less than thirty-six (36) months and were elected or
nominated for election as Board members by at least a majority of the Board
members described in clause (i) who were still in office at the time such
election or nomination was approved by the Board.
“Continuous Service”
means that the provision of services to the Company or a Related Entity in any
capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, is not interrupted or
terminated. Continuous Service shall not be considered interrupted in
the case of (i) any approved leave of absence, (ii) transfers between locations
of the Company or among the Company, any Related Entity, or any successor, in
any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, or (iii) any change in status
as long as the individual remains in the service of the Company or a Related
Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant (except as otherwise
provided in the Award Agreement). An approved leave of absence shall
include sick leave, military leave, or any other authorized personal
leave. For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may
exceed ninety (90) days, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is
guaranteed by statute or contract.
“Corporate
Transaction” means any of the
following transactions:
a merger
or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving entity, except for a
transaction the principal purpose of which is to change the jurisdiction in
which the Company is organized;
the sale,
transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the
Company (including the capital stock of the Company’s subsidiary corporations)
in connection with the complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company;
or
any
reverse merger in which the Company is the surviving entity but in which
securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting
power of the Company’s outstanding Voting Stock are transferred to a Person or
Persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such
merger.
“Covered Employee”
means an Employee who is a “covered employee” under Section 162(m)(3) of
the Code.
“Director” means a
member of the Board or the board of directors of any Related
Entity.
“Disability” shall
have the meaning given it or any similar term in any then-effective written
agreement between the Grantee and the Company or any Related Entity; provided,
however, that if Grantee has no such written agreement or if such written
agreement does not specify the meaning of such term, then “Disability” shall
mean total and permanent disability as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the
Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event an Award issued
under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, then, in lieu of the
foregoing definition and to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements
of Section 409A of the Code, the definition of “Disability” for purposes of such
Award shall be the definition of “disability” provided for under Section
409A(a)(2)(C) of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued
thereunder. A Grantee will not be considered to have incurred a
Disability unless he or she furnishes proof of such impairment sufficient to
satisfy the Administrator in its discretion.
“Dividend Equivalent
Right” means a right entitling the Grantee to compensation measured by
dividends paid with respect to Common Stock.
“Employee” means any
Person, including an Officer or Director, who is an employee of the Company or
any Related Entity. The payment of a director’s fee by the Company or
a Related Entity shall not be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the
Company.
“Exchange Act” means
the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Fair Market Value”
means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as
follows:
If the
Common Stock is listed on any national securities exchange (including without
limitation any market tier of the NASDAQ Stock Market) or quoted on a national
market system, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing price for a Share
for the last market trading day prior to the time of the determination (or, if
no closing price was reported on that date, on the last trading date on which a
closing price was reported) on the national securities exchange or national
market system determined by the Administrator to be the primary market for the
Common Stock;
If the
Common Stock is not listed on any national securities exchange or quoted on a
national market system, but is regularly quoted by a recognized securities
dealer (whose selling prices are not reported), its Fair Market Value shall be
the average of the closing bid and asked prices of a Share for the day prior to
the time of the determination (or, if no such prices were reported on that date,
on the last date on which such prices were reported), in each case, as reported
in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems
reliable; or
In the
absence of an established market for the Common Stock of the type described in
(i) and (ii), above, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the
Administrator in good faith.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, in the event an Award issued under the Plan may be subject to
Section 409A of the Code, then, in lieu of the foregoing definition and to the
extent necessary to comply with or exempt such Award from the requirements of
Section 409A of the Code, the definition of “Fair Market Value” for purposes of
such Award shall be the value determined based on the applicable method or
methods prescribed in Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(b)(5)(iv) for
purposes of 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued
thereunder.
“Grantee” means an
Employee, Director or Consultant who receives an Award pursuant to an Award
Agreement under the Plan.
“Incentive Stock
Option” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option
within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
“Non-Qualified Stock
Option” means an Option not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock
Option.
“Officer” means a
Person who is an officer of the Company or a Related Entity within the meaning
of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder.
“Option” means an
option to purchase Shares pursuant to an Award Agreement granted under the
Plan.
“Parent” means a
“parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in
Section 424(e) of the Code.
“Performance - Based
Compensation” means compensation qualifying as “performance-based
compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.
“Performance Shares”
means Shares or an Award denominated in Shares which may be earned in whole or
in part upon attainment of performance or other criteria established by the
Administrator.
“Performance Units”
means an Award which may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of
performance or other criteria established by the Administrator and which may be
settled for cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of cash, Shares or
other securities as established by the Administrator.
“Person” means any
individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture,
estate, trust, unincorporated association, or any other entity.
“Plan” means this 2009
Stock Incentive Plan.
“Related Entity” means
any Parent, Subsidiary and any Person in which the Company, a Parent or a
Subsidiary holds a substantial ownership interest, directly or
indirectly.
“Related Entity
Disposition” means the sale, distribution or other disposition by the
Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s interests in any Related
Entity effected by a sale, merger or consolidation or other transaction
involving that Related Entity or the sale of all or substantially all of the
assets of that Related Entity.
“Restricted Stock”
means Shares issued under the Plan to the Grantee for such consideration, if
any, and subject to such restrictions on transfer, rights of first refusal,
repurchase provisions, forfeiture provisions, and other terms and conditions as
established by the Administrator.
“Rule 16b-3”
means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or any successor
thereto.
“SAR” means a stock
appreciation right entitling the Grantee to Shares or cash compensation, as
established by the Administrator, measured by appreciation in the value of
Common Stock.
“Share” means a share
of the Common Stock.
“Subsidiary” means a
“subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in
Section 424(f) of the Code.
“Voting Stock” means
those classes of capital stock of the Company normally entitled to vote for the
election of directors of the Company.
Stock Subject to the
Plan.
Subject
to the provisions of Section 10, below, the maximum aggregate number of
Shares which may be issued pursuant to all Awards (including Incentive Stock
Options) is 6,000,000 Shares. The Shares to be issued
pursuant to Awards may be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired Common
Stock.
Any
Shares covered by an Award (or portion of an Award) which is forfeited or
cancelled, expires or is settled in cash, shall be deemed not to have been
issued for purposes of determining the maximum aggregate number of Shares which
may be issued under the Plan. If any unissued Shares are retained by
the Company upon exercise of an Award in order to satisfy the exercise price for
such Award or any withholding taxes due with respect to such Award, such
retained Shares subject to such Award shall become available for future issuance
under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). Shares that actually
have been issued under the Plan pursuant to an Award shall not be returned to
the Plan and shall not become available for future issuance under the Plan,
except that if unvested Shares are forfeited, or repurchased by the Company at
their original purchase price, such Shares shall become available for future
grant under the Plan.
Administration of the
Plan.
Plan
Administrator.
Administration with Respect
to Directors and Officers. With respect to grants of Awards to
Directors or Employees who are also Officers or Directors of the Company, the
Plan shall be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee
designated by the Board, which Committee shall be constituted in such a manner
as to satisfy the Applicable Laws and to permit such grants and related
transactions under the Plan to be exempt from Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act
in accordance with Rule 16b-3, if applicable. Once appointed,
such Committee shall continue to serve in its designated capacity until
otherwise directed by the Board.
Administration With Respect
to Consultants and Other Employees. With respect to grants of
Awards to Employees or Consultants who are neither Directors nor Officers of the
Company, the Plan shall be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee
designated by the Board, which Committee shall be constituted in such a manner
as to satisfy the Applicable Laws. Once appointed, such Committee
shall continue to serve in its designated capacity until otherwise directed by
the Board. The Board may authorize one or more Officers to grant such
Awards and may limit such authority as the Board determines from time to
time.
Administration With Respect
to Covered Employees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, grants of
Awards to any Covered Employee intended to qualify as Performance-Based
Compensation shall be made only by a Committee (or subcommittee of a Committee)
which is comprised solely of two or more Directors eligible to serve on a
committee making Awards qualifying as Performance-Based
Compensation. In the case of such Awards granted to Covered
Employees, references to the “Administrator” or to a “Committee” shall be deemed
to be references to such Committee or subcommittee.
Administration
Errors. In the event an Award is granted in a manner
inconsistent with the provisions of this subsection (a), such Award shall
be presumptively valid as of its grant date to the extent permitted by the
Applicable Laws.
Powers of the
Administrator. Subject to Applicable Laws and the provisions
of the Plan (including any other powers given to the Administrator hereunder),
and except as otherwise provided by the Board, the Administrator shall have the
authority, in its discretion:
to select
the Employees, Directors and Consultants to whom Awards may be granted from time
to time hereunder;
to
determine whether and to what extent Awards are granted hereunder;
to
determine the number of Shares or the amount of other consideration to be
covered by each Award granted hereunder;
to
approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan;
to
determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted hereunder;
to amend
the terms of any outstanding Award granted under the Plan, including a reduction
in the exercise price (or base amount on which appreciation is measured) of any
Award to reflect a reduction in the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock since
the grant date of the Award, provided that (A) any reduction in the exercise
price shall be limited to the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock at the time
of the reduction and (ii) any amendment that would adversely affect the
Grantee’s rights under an outstanding Award shall not be made without the
Grantee’s written consent;
the
Administrator shall have the right to suspend the right of a Grantee to exercise
all or part of an Option for any reason that the Administrator considers in the
best interest of the Company;
to
establish additional terms, conditions, rules or procedures to accommodate the
rules or laws of applicable foreign jurisdictions and to afford Grantees
favorable treatment under such laws; provided, however, that no Award shall be
granted under any such additional terms, conditions, rules or procedures with
terms or conditions which are inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan;
and
to take
such other action, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the
Administrator deems appropriate.
Effect of Administrator’s
Decision. All decisions, determinations and interpretations of
the Administrator shall be conclusive and binding on all Persons.
Eligibility. Awards
other than Incentive Stock Options may be granted to Employees, Directors and
Consultants. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees
of the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary. An Employee, Director or
Consultant who has been granted an Award may, if otherwise eligible, be granted
additional Awards. Awards may be granted to such Employees, Directors
or Consultants who are residing in foreign jurisdictions as the Administrator
may determine from time to time.
Terms and Conditions of
Awards.
Type of
Awards. The Administrator is authorized under the Plan to
award any type of arrangement to an Employee, Director or Consultant that is not
inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan and that by its terms involves or
might involve the issuance of (i) Shares, (ii) an Option, a SAR or similar right
with a fixed price related to the Fair Market Value of the Shares and with an
exercise or conversion privilege related to the passage of time, the occurrence
of one or more events, or the satisfaction of performance criteria or other
conditions, or (iii) any other security with the value derived from the value of
the Shares. Such awards include, without limitation, Options, SARs,
sales or bonuses of Restricted Stock, Dividend Equivalent Rights, Performance
Units or Performance Shares, and an Award may consist of one such security or
benefit, or two (2) or more of them in any combination or
alternative.
Designation of
Award. Each Award shall be designated in the Award
Agreement. In the case of an Option, the Option shall be designated
as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock
Option. However, notwithstanding such designation, to the extent that
the aggregate Fair Market Value of Shares subject to Options designated as
Incentive Stock Options which become exercisable for the first time by a Grantee
during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company or any Parent or
Subsidiary) exceeds $100,000, such excess Options, to the extent of the Shares
covered thereby in excess of the foregoing limitation, shall be
treated as Non-Qualified Stock Options. For this purpose, Incentive
Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which they were
granted, and the Fair Market Value of the Shares shall be determined as of the
date the Option with respect to such Shares is granted.
Conditions of
Award. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Administrator
shall determine the provisions, terms, and conditions of each Award including,
but not limited to, the Award vesting schedule, repurchase provisions, rights of
first refusal, forfeiture provisions, form of payment (cash, Shares, or other
consideration) upon settlement of the Award, payment contingencies, and
satisfaction of any performance criteria. The performance criteria
established by the Administrator may be based on any one of, or combination of,
increase in share price, earnings per share, total stockholder return, return on
equity, return on assets, return on investment, net operating income, cash flow,
revenue, economic value added, personal management objectives, or other measures
of performance selected by the Administrator. Partial achievement of
the specified criteria may result in a payment or vesting corresponding to the
degree of achievement as specified in the Award Agreement.
Acquisitions and Other
Transactions. The Administrator may issue Awards under the
Plan in settlement, assumption or substitution for, outstanding Awards or
obligations to grant future Awards in connection with the Company or a Related
Entity acquiring another Person, an interest in another Person or an additional
interest in a Related Entity whether by merger, stock purchase, asset purchase
or other form of transaction.
Award Exchange
Programs. The Administrator may establish one or more programs
under the Plan to permit selected Grantees to exchange an Award under the Plan
for one or more other types of Awards under the Plan on such terms and
conditions as determined by the Administrator from time to time.
Separate
Programs. The Administrator may establish one or more separate
programs under the Plan for the purpose of issuing particular forms of Awards to
one or more classes of Grantees on such terms and conditions as determined by
the Administrator from time to time.
Individual Option and SAR
Limit. The maximum number of Shares with respect to which
Options and SARs may be granted to any Employee in any fiscal year of the
Company shall be 500,000 Shares. The foregoing limitation shall be
adjusted proportionately in connection with any change in the Company’s
capitalization pursuant to Section 10, below. To the extent
required by Section 162(m) of the Code or the regulations thereunder, in
applying the foregoing limitation with respect to an Employee, if any Option or
SAR is canceled, the canceled Option or SAR shall continue to count against the
maximum number of Shares with respect to which Options and SARs may be granted
to the Employee. For this purpose, the repricing of an Option (or in
the case of a SAR, the base amount on which the stock appreciation is calculated
is reduced to reflect a reduction in the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock)
shall be treated as the cancellation of the existing Option or SAR and the grant
of a new Option or SAR.
Term of
Award. The term of each Award shall be the term stated in the
Award Agreement, provided, however, that the term of an Incentive Stock Option
shall be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant
thereof. However, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to
a Grantee who, at the time the Option is granted, owns stock representing more
than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the
Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option
shall be five (5) years from the date of grant thereof or such shorter term
as may be provided in the Award Agreement.
Transferability of
Awards. Incentive Stock Options may not be sold, pledged,
assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by
will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the
lifetime of the Grantee, only by the Grantee; provided, however, that the
Grantee may designate a beneficiary of the Grantee’s Incentive Stock Option in
the event of the Grantee’s death on a beneficiary designation form provided by
the Administrator. Other Awards shall be transferable to the extent
provided in the Award Agreement.
Time of Granting
Awards. The date of grant of an Award shall for all purposes
be the date on which the Administrator makes the determination to grant such
Award, or such other date as is determined by the
Administrator. Notice of the grant determination shall be given to
each Employee, Director or Consultant to whom an Award is so granted within a
reasonable time after the date of such grant.
Intent. It
is the Company's intent that Non-Qualified Stock Options granted under the Plan
not be classified as Incentive Stock Options, that Incentive Stock Options be
consistent with and contain or be deemed to contain all provisions required
under Section 422 of the Code or any successor thereto, that neither any
Non-Qualified Stock Option, any Incentive Stock Option nor any Award be treated
as a payment of deferred compensation for the purposes of Section 409A of the
Code and any successor thereto, and that any ambiguities in construction be
interpreted in order to effectuate such intent. If an Incentive Stock Option
granted under the Plan does not qualify as such for any reason, then to the
extent of such non-qualification, the Option represented thereby shall be
regarded as a Non-Qualified Stock Option duly granted under the Plan, provided
that such stock option otherwise meets the Plan's requirements for Non-Qualified
Stock Options.
Award Exercise or Purchase
Price, Consideration, Taxes and Reload Options.
Exercise or Purchase
Price. The exercise or purchase price, if any, for an Award
shall be as follows:
In the
case of an Incentive Stock Option:
granted
to an Employee who, at the time of the grant of such Incentive Stock Option owns
stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all
classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share
exercise price shall be not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair
Market Value per Share on the date of grant; or
granted
to any Employee other than an Employee described in the preceding paragraph, the
per Share exercise price shall be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of
the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.
In the
case of a Non-Qualified Stock Option, the per Share exercise price shall be not
less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the
date of grant unless otherwise determined by the Administrator.
In the
case of Awards intended to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, the
exercise or purchase price, if any, shall be not less than one hundred percent
(100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.
In the
case of other Awards, such price as is determined by the
Administrator.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing provisions of this Section 7(a), in the case of an Award issued
pursuant to Section 6(d), above, the exercise or purchase price for the Award
shall be determined in accordance with the principles of Section 424(a) of the
Code.
Consideration. Subject
to Applicable Laws, the consideration to be paid for the Shares to be issued
upon exercise or purchase of an Award including the method of payment, shall be
determined by the Administrator (and, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option,
shall be determined at the time of grant). In addition to
any other types of consideration the Administrator may determine, the
Administrator is authorized to accept as consideration for Shares issued under
the Plan the following:
cash;
money
order;
bank
draft;
cashier’s
check;
wire
transfer;
surrender
of Shares or delivery of a properly executed form of attestation of ownership of
Shares as the Administrator may require (including withholding of Shares
otherwise deliverable upon exercise of the Award) which have a Fair Market Value
on the date of surrender or attestation equal to the aggregate exercise price of
the Shares as to which said Award shall be exercised (but only to the extent
that such exercise of the Award would not result in an accounting compensation
charge with respect to the Shares used to pay the exercise price unless
otherwise determined by the Administrator); or
any
combination of the foregoing methods of payment.
Taxes. No
Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Grantee or other Person until
such Grantee or other Person has made arrangements acceptable to the
Administrator for the satisfaction of any foreign, federal, state, or local
income and employment tax withholding obligations, including, without
limitation, obligations incident to the receipt of Shares or the disqualifying
disposition of Shares received on exercise of an Incentive Stock
Option. Upon exercise of an Award, the Company shall withhold or
collect from Grantee an amount sufficient to satisfy such tax
obligations.
Reload
Options. In the event the exercise price or tax withholding of
an Option is satisfied by the Company or the Grantee’s employer withholding
Shares otherwise deliverable to the Grantee, the Administrator may issue the
Grantee an additional Option, with terms identical to the Award Agreement under
which the Option was exercised, but at an exercise price as determined by the
Administrator in accordance with the Plan.
Exercise of
Award.
Procedure for Exercise;
Rights as a Stockholder.
Any Award
granted hereunder shall be exercisable at such times and under such conditions
as determined by the Administrator under the terms of the Plan and specified in
the Award Agreement.
An Award
shall be deemed to be exercised when written notice of such exercise has been
given to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Award by the Person
entitled to exercise the Award and full payment for the Shares with respect to
which the Award is exercised. Until the issuance (as evidenced by the
appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer
agent of the Company) of the stock certificate evidencing such Shares, no right
to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall exist
with respect to Shares subject to an Award, notwithstanding the exercise of an
Option or other Award. The Company shall issue (or cause to be
issued) such stock certificate promptly upon exercise of the
Award. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for
which the record date is prior to the date the stock certificate is issued,
except as provided in the Award Agreement or Section 10,
below.
Exercise of Award Following
Termination of Continuous Service.
An Award
may not be exercised after the termination date of such Award set forth in the
Award Agreement and may be exercised following the termination of a Grantee’s
Continuous Service only to the extent provided in the Award
Agreement.
Where the
Award Agreement permits a Grantee to exercise an Award following the termination
of the Grantee’s Continuous Service for a specified period, the Award shall
terminate to the extent not exercised on the last day of the specified period or
the last day of the original term of the Award, whichever occurs
first.
Any Award
designated as an Incentive Stock Option to the extent not exercised within the
time permitted by law for the exercise of Incentive Stock Options following the
termination of a Grantee’s Continuous Service shall convert automatically to a
Non-Qualified Stock Option and thereafter shall be exercisable as such to the
extent exercisable by its terms for the period specified in the Award
Agreement.
Buyout
Provisions. The Administrator may at any time offer to buy out
for a payment in cash or Shares, an Award previously granted, based on such
terms and conditions as the Administrator shall establish and communicate to the
Grantee at the time that such offer is made.
Conditions Upon Issuance of
Shares.
Shares
shall not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Award unless the exercise of
such Award and the issuance and delivery of such Shares pursuant thereto shall
comply with all Applicable Laws, and shall be further subject to the approval of
counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.
As a
condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the Person
exercising such Award to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise
that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present
intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for
the Company, such a representation is required by any Applicable
Laws.
Adjustments Upon Changes in
Capitalization. Subject to any required action by the
shareholders of the Company, the number of Shares covered by each outstanding
Award, and the number of Shares which have been authorized for issuance under
the Plan but as to which no Awards have yet been granted or which have been
returned to the Plan, the exercise or purchase price of each such outstanding
Award, as well as any other terms that the Administrator determines require
adjustment shall be proportionately adjusted for (i) any increase or decrease in
the number of issued Shares resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split,
stock dividend, combination or reclassification of the Shares, (ii) any
other increase or decrease in the number of issued Shares effected without
receipt of consideration by the Company, or (iii) as the Administrator may
determine in its discretion, any other transaction with respect to Common Stock
to which Section 424(a) of the Code applies; provided, however that conversion
of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been
“effected without receipt of consideration.” Such adjustment shall be
made by the Administrator and its determination shall be final, binding and
conclusive. Except as the Administrator determines, no issuance by
the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into
shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason hereof
shall be made with respect to, the number or price of Shares subject to an
Award.
Corporate
Transactions/Changes in Control/Related Entity
Dispositions. Except as may be provided in an Award
Agreement:
The
Administrator shall have the authority, exercisable either in advance of any
actual or anticipated Corporate Transaction, Change in Control or Related Entity
Disposition or at the time of an actual Corporate Transaction, Change in Control
or Related Entity Disposition and exercisable at the time of the grant of an
Award under the Plan or any time while an Award remains outstanding, to provide
for the full automatic vesting and exercisability of one or more outstanding
unvested Awards under the Plan and the release from restrictions on transfer and
repurchase or forfeiture rights of such Awards in connection with a Corporate
Transaction, Change in Control or Related Entity Disposition, on such terms and
conditions as the Administrator may specify. The Administrator also
shall have the authority to condition any such Award vesting and exercisability
or release from such limitations upon the subsequent termination of the
Continuous Service of the Grantee within a specified period following the
effective date of the Corporate Transaction, Change in Control or Related Entity
Disposition. The Administrator may provide that any Awards so vested
or released from such limitations in connection with a Change in Control or
Related Entity Disposition, shall remain fully exercisable until the expiration
or sooner termination of the Award. Effective upon the consummation
of a Corporate Transaction, all outstanding Awards under the Plan shall
terminate unless assumed by the successor company or its parent.
The
portion of any Incentive Stock Option accelerated under this Section 11 in
connection with a Corporate Transaction, Change in Control or Related Entity
Disposition shall remain exercisable as an Incentive Stock Option under the Code
only to the extent the $100,000 dollar limitation of Section 422(d) of the
Code is not exceeded. To the extent such dollar limitation is
exceeded, the accelerated excess portion of such Option shall be exercisable as
a Non-Qualified Stock Option.
Effective Date and Term of
Plan. The Plan shall become effective upon the earlier to
occur of its adoption by the Board or its approval by the stockholders of the
Company. It shall continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years
unless sooner terminated. Subject to Section 17, below, and
Applicable Laws, Awards may be granted under the Plan upon its becoming
effective.
Amendment, Suspension or
Termination of the Plan.
The Board
may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the Plan. To the extent necessary to
comply with Applicable Laws, the Company shall obtain stockholder approval of
any Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as
required.
No Award
may be granted during any suspension of the Plan or after termination of the
Plan.
Any
amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan (including termination of the
Plan under Section 13(a), above) shall not affect Awards already granted, and
such Awards shall remain in full force and effect as if the Plan had not been
amended, suspended or terminated, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the
Grantee and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by
the Grantee and the Company.
Reservation of
Shares.
The
Company, during the term of the Plan, will at all times reserve and keep
available such number of Shares as shall be sufficient to satisfy the
requirements of the Plan.
The
inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having
jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary
to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the
Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares
as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.
No Effect on Terms of
Employment/Consulting Relationship. The Plan shall not confer
upon any Grantee any right with respect to the Grantee’s Continuous Service, nor
shall it interfere in any way with his or her right or the Company’s right to
terminate the Grantee’s Continuous Service at any time, with or without
cause.
No Effect on Retirement and
Other Benefit Plans. Except as specifically provided in a
retirement or other benefit plan of the Company or a Related Entity, Awards
shall not be deemed compensation for purposes of computing benefits or
contributions under any retirement plan of the Company or a Related Entity, and
shall not affect any benefits under any other benefit plan of any kind or any
benefit plan subsequently instituted under which the availability or amount of
benefits is related to level of compensation. The Plan is not a
“Retirement Plan” or “Welfare Plan” under the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended.
Stockholder Approval.
The Plan shall be subject to the Plan’s approval by the stockholders of the
Company within twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted
by the Company’s board of directors. Such stockholder approval shall
be obtained in the degree and manner required under Applicable
Laws. The Administrator may grant Awards under the Plan prior to
approval by the stockholders, but until such approval is obtained, no such Award
shall be exercisable. In the event that stockholder approval is not
obtained within the twelve (12) month period provided above, all Awards
previously granted under the Plan shall be cancelled and of no force or
effect.
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Computershare
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9th
Floor, 100 University Avenue
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Toronto, Ontario M5J
2Y1
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www.computershare.com
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000001
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Sam
Sample
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123
Samples Street
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Security
Class:COMMON-NEW
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Sampletown
SS X9X X9X
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Holder
Account Number
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C9999999999 I
N D
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Form
of Proxy - Annual and Special Meeting to be held on August 6, 2009
This
Form of Proxy is solicited by and on behalf of Management.
Notes
to proxy
1.
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Every
holder has the right to appoint some other person or company of their
choice, who need not be a holder, to attend and act on their behalf at the
meeting. If you wish to appoint a person or company other than the persons
whose names are printed herein, please insert the name of your chosen
proxyholder in the space provided (see
reverse)
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2.
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If
the securities are registered in the name of more than one owner (for
example, joint ownership, trustees, executors, etc.), then all those
registered should sign this proxy. If you are voting on behalf of a
corporation or another individual you may be required to provide
documentation evidencing your power to sign this proxy with signing
capacity stated.
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3.
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This
proxy should be signed in the exact manner as the name appears on the
proxy.
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4.
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If
this proxy is not dated, it will be deemed to bear the date on which it is
mailed by Management to the holder.
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5.
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The securities represented by
this proxy will be voted as directed by the holder, however, if such a
direction is not made in respect of any matter, this proxy will be voted
as recommended by
Management.
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6.
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The
securities represented by this proxy will be voted or withheld from
voting, in accordance with the instructions of the holder, on any ballot
that may be called for and, if the holder has specified a choice with
respect to any matter to be acted on, the securities will be voted
accordingly.
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7.
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This
proxy confers discretionary authority in respect of amendments to matters
identified in the Notice of Meeting or other matters that may properly
come before the meeting.
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8.
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This
proxy should be read in conjunction with the accompanying documentation
provided by Management.
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9.
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Important Notice Regarding the
Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual and Special Meeting of
Shareholders to be Held on August 6, 2009: This Notice and
Proxy Statement and the Corporation’s 2009 Annual Report are available
electronically at https://materials.proxyvote.com/50208p.
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Proxies
submitted must be received by 10:00 am, Pacific Time, on Wednesday, August 5,
2009.
VOTE
USING THE TELEPHONE OR INTERNET 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK!
To
Vote Using the Telephone
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To
Vote Using the Internet
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To
|Receive Documents Electronically
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Call
the number listed BELOW from a touch-tone telephone
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Got
o the following web site:
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You
can enrol to receive future securityholder communications electronically
by visiting www.computershare.com - click
‘Enrol for e-delivery under the Shareholder Services
menu.
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1-866-732-VOTE
(8683) Toll Free
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www.investorvote.com
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If
you vote by telephone or the Internet, DO NOT mail back this proxy.
Voting by mail may be the only
method for securities held in the name of a corporation or securities being
voted on behalf of another individual. Voting by mail or by Internet
are the only methods by which a holder may appoint a person as
proxyholder other than the Management nominees named on the reverse of this
proxy. Instead of mailing this proxy, you may choose one of the two voting
methods outlined above to vote this proxy.
To
vote by telephone or the Internet, you will need to provide your CONTROL NUMBER,
HOLDER ACCOUNT NUMBER and ACCESS NUMBER listed below.
CONTROL
NUMBER
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014249
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HOLDER
ACCOUNT NUMBER
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C9999999999
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ACCESS
NUMBER
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99999
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Appointment
of Proxyholder
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I/We, being holder(s) of LML
Payment Systems Inc. hereby appoint: Patrick H. Gaines, or failing
him, Greg A. MacRae
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or
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Enter
the name of the person you are appointing if this person is someone other
than the foregoing.
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as my/our
proxyholder with full power of substitution and to vote in accordance with the
following direction (or if no directions have been given, as the proxyholder
sees fit) and all other matters that may properly come before the Annual and
Special Meeting of LML Payment
Systems Inc. to be held at offices of Clark
Wilson LLP, Suite 800, 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, on
August 6, 2009, at 10:00 a.m local time and at any adjournment
thereof.
VOTING
RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INDICATED BY HIGHLIGHTED TEXT OVER THE BOXES
1.
Election of Directors
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold
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01.
Patrick H. Gaines
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02.
Greg A. MacRae
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03.
Jacqueline Pace
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04.
David C. Cooke
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For
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Against
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Abstain
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2.Ratification
of the Appointment of Auditors
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To
ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as independent auditors
of the Corporation for the ensuing year and authorizing the Directors to
fix their remuneration.
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For
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Against
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Abstain
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3.2009
Stock Incentive Plan
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To
approve a ordinary resolution to adopt a 2009 Stock Incentive Plan for the
Corporation pursuant to which the Corporation can grant to its eligible
employees, officers, directors and consultants stock options and other
stock-based awards to purchase or receive up to 6,000,000 common shares in
the capital of the Corporation on the terms and conditions as described
in the accompanying proxy statement.
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Authorized
Signature(s) - This section must be completed- for your instructions to be
executed.
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Signature
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Date
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I/We
authorize you to act in accordance with my/our instructions set out above.
I/We hereby revoke any proxy previously given with respect to the Meeting.
If no voting instructions
are indicated above, this Proxy will be voted as recommended by
Management.
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Mm/dd/yy
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Interim
Financial Statements
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Annual
Report
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Mark
this box if you would like to receive interim financial statements and
accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis by mail.
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Mark
this box if you would NOT like to receive the Annual Report and
accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis by mail
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If you
are not mailing back your proxy, you may register online to receive the above
financial report(s) by mail at www.computershare.com/mailinglist.