SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant [X]
Filed by a Party Other than the Registrant [_]
Check the appropriate box:
[_] Preliminary Proxy Statement [_] Confidential, for Use of the
Commission Only (as
permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[X] Definitive Proxy Statement
[_] Definitive Additional Materials
[_] Soliciting Material Pursuant to Rule 14a-11(c) or Rule 14a-12
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Payment of Filing Fee (check the appropriate box):
[X] No fee required.
[_] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
Title of each series of securities to which transaction applies:
(1) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
(2) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant
to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was determined):
(3) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
$
(4) Total fee paid:
$
[_] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
[_] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee
was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
(1) Amount previously paid:
(2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3) Filing Party:
(4) Date Filed:
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 24, 2002
================================================================================
To Our Stockholders:
The 2002 annual meeting of Stockholders of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (the
"Company") will be held at the offices of BDO Seidman, LLP, 330 Madison Avenue,
New York, New York 10017-5001, on October 24, 2002, beginning at 5:30 p.m. local
time. The annual meeting is being held for the following purposes:
1. To elect 7 directors, each for a term of one year;
2. To amend the 1999 Equity Participation Plan to increase the number of
shares subject to that plan from 1,300,000 to 2,600,000;
3. To ratify the appointment of BDO Seidman, LLP as the Company's
independent auditors for fiscal year 2002; and
4. To transact such other business that may properly come before the meeting.
Stockholders of record at the close of business on October 2, 2002, are entitled
to notice of and to vote at the meeting or any postponement or adjournment
thereof. As a result of heightened security concerns, admission to the meeting
will be by ticket only and packages and bags may be inspected and required to be
checked in at the registration desk. You also will be required to present
identification containing a photograph. If you are a registered stockholder
(your shares are held in your name) or a beneficial owner (your shares are held
by a bank, broker or other holder of record) and you plan to attend the meeting,
please present the admission ticket included with your proxy materials upon
entering the meeting. The proxy statement also includes information on how to
obtain a ticket from the Company. Stockholders who do not obtain tickets in
advance may obtain them at the registration desk on the day of the meeting by
presenting proof of ownership, such as a bank or brokerage account statement or
a letter from the bank or broker verifying your ownership.
A copy of our 2001 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which includes audited financial
statements, is enclosed. The Company changed its name from MCM Capital Group,
Inc. to Encore Capital Group, Inc. on April 2, 2002 following stockholder
approval of the name change on January 24, 2002.
Your vote is important. In order to assure your representation at the meeting,
you are requested to complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy as promptly as
possible and return it to the Company via facsimile to (858) 309-6977 and in the
enclosed postage-paid envelope.
By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Carl C. Gregory, III
------------------------------------
Carl C. Gregory, III
President and Chief Executive Officer
October 4, 2002
San Diego, California
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
About the Meeting................................................................1
What is the purpose of the annual meeting?............................1
Who is entitled to vote?..............................................1
Who can attend the meeting?...........................................1
What constitutes a quorum?............................................2
How do I vote?........................................................2
What if I submit a proxy and then change my mind?.....................2
What are the Board's recommendations?.................................2
What vote is required to approve each item?...........................3
Can I dissent or exercise rights of appraisal?........................3
Who pays for the cost of this proxy solicitation?.....................3
Board of Directors...............................................................3
Election of Directors (Proposal No. 1)................................3
General...............................................................3
Vote Required.........................................................4
Nominees..............................................................4
How are directors compensated?........................................5
How often did the Board meet during fiscal 2001?......................6
What committees has the Board established?............................6
Executive Officers and Compensation..............................................7
Executive Officers....................................................7
Executive Compensation................................................9
Option Grants in Last Fiscal Year....................................10
Aggregated Option Exercises In Last Fiscal Year
and Fiscal Year-End Options.......................................10
Employment Contracts and Related Matters.............................10
Report of the Compensation Committee on Executive Compensation.......12
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation..........13
Stock Price Performance Graph...................................................13
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions..................................14
Security Ownership of Principal Stockholders and Management.....................17
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans..............21
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance.........................22
Report of the Audit Committee...................................................22
New Plan Benefits...............................................................23
Proposal No. 2--Approval of Amendment to Equity Participation Plan..............24
Proposal No. 3--Ratification of Selection of Independent Auditors...............26
Stockholder Proposals and Nominations...........................................27
Independent Auditors............................................................27
Other Matters...................................................................28
Appendix A - Amended and Restated 1999 Equity Participation Plan
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
5775 ROSCOE COURT
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92123
(877) 445-4581
================================================================================
PROXY STATEMENT
================================================================================
This Proxy Statement relates to the 2002 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
held on October 24, 2002 at 5:30 p.m. local time, at the offices of BDO Seidman,
LLP, 330 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017-5001, or at such other time
and place to which the annual meeting may be adjourned or postponed. The
enclosed proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors of the Company. The proxy
materials relating to the annual meeting are first being mailed on or about
October 7, 2002 to stockholders of record on October 2, 2002.
ABOUT THE MEETING
What is the purpose of the annual meeting?
At the Company's annual meeting, stockholders will act upon the matters
outlined in the accompanying notice of meeting, including the election of seven
directors, the amendment of the Company's 1999 Equity Participation Plan and the
ratification of independent auditors. In addition, the Company's management will
report on the progress of the Company and respond to questions from
stockholders.
Who is entitled to vote?
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on the record
date, October 2, 2002, are entitled to receive notice of the annual meeting and
to vote the shares that they held on that date at the meeting, or any
postponement or adjournment of the meeting.
At the close of business on October 2, 2002, there were 7,411,132
outstanding shares of the Company's common stock, which are entitled to cast
7,411,132 votes, and 1,000,000 outstanding shares of the Company's Series A
Senior Cumulative Participating Convertible Preferred Stock, which are entitled
to cast 10,000,000 votes.
Who can attend the meeting?
All stockholders as of the record date, or their duly appointed
proxies, may attend the meeting. As a result of heightened security concerns,
admission to the meeting will be by ticket only. If you are a registered
stockholder (your shares are held in your name) or a beneficial owner (your
shares are held by a bank, broker or other holder of record) and you plan to
attend the meeting, please present the admission ticket included with your proxy
materials upon entering the meeting. In addition, you can obtain an admission
ticket in advance by writing to Encore Capital Group, Inc., Attention: Corporate
Secretary, 5775 Roscoe Court, San Diego, California 92123. Please be sure to
enclose proof of ownership, such as a bank or brokerage account statement or a
letter from the bank or broker verifying such ownership. Stockholders who do not
obtain tickets in advance may obtain them upon presenting verification of
ownership at the registration desk on the day of the meeting. Tickets may be
issued to others at the discretion of the Company.
What constitutes a quorum?
The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a
majority of the shares entitled to vote will constitute a quorum, permitting the
Company to conduct its business at the annual meeting. Proxies received but
marked as abstentions will be included in the calculation of the number of
shares considered to be present at the meeting.
How do I vote?
You can vote on matters to come before the meeting in two ways:
1. You can attend the meeting and cast your vote in person; or
2. You can vote by completing, dating and signing the enclosed
proxy card and returning it to the Company. If you do so, you
will authorize the individuals named on the proxy card,
referred to as the proxyholders, to vote your shares according
to your instructions or, if you provide no instructions,
according to the recommendations of the Board of Directors.
What if I submit a proxy and then change my mind?
You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is exercised by:
o filing with the Secretary of the Company a notice of revocation; or
o sending in another duly executed proxy bearing a later date, which
will be counted as your vote; or
o attending the meeting and casting your vote in person.
What are the Board's recommendations?
Unless you give other instructions on your proxy card, the persons
named on the proxy card will vote in accordance with the recommendations of the
Board of Directors. The Board's recommendations are set forth together with a
description of each item in this proxy statement. In summary, the Board
recommends a vote FOR election of the nominated slate of directors, the
amendment to the Company's 1999 Equity Participation Plan and the ratification
of independent auditors.
With respect to any other matter that properly comes before the
meeting, the proxyholders will vote as recommended by the Board of Directors or,
if no recommendation is given, in their own discretion.
2
What vote is required to approve each item?
Election of Directors. The seven nominees who receive the most votes
will be elected to the Board of Directors. A properly executed proxy marked
"WITHHOLD AUTHORITY" with respect to the election of one or more directors will
not be voted with respect to the director or directors indicated, although it
will be counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum.
Other Items. For each other item the affirmative vote of the holders of
a majority of the shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote
on the item will be required for approval. A properly executed proxy marked
"ABSTAIN" with respect to any such matter will not be voted, although it will be
counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum. Accordingly, an
abstention will have the effect of a vote against a proposal.
Effect of Broker Non-Votes. If you hold your shares in "street name"
through a broker or other nominee, your broker or nominee may not be permitted
to exercise voting discretion with respect to some of the matters to be acted
upon, such as the amendment to the 1999 Equity Participation Plan. Thus, if you
do not give your broker or nominee specific instructions, your shares may not be
voted on those matters and will not be counted in determining the number of
shares necessary for approval. Shares represented by such "broker non-votes"
will, however, be counted in determining whether there is a quorum.
Can I dissent or exercise rights of appraisal?
Under Delaware law, holders of our voting stock are not entitled to
dissent from any of the proposals to be presented at the annual meeting or to
demand appraisal of their shares as a result of the approval of any of the
proposals.
Who pays for the cost of this proxy solicitation?
We will bear the cost of solicitation of proxies. This includes the
charges and expenses of brokerage firms and others for forwarding solicitation
material to beneficial owners of our outstanding common stock. We may solicit
proxies by mail, personal interview, telephone or telegraph.
Election of Directors
(Proposal No. 1)
General
A board of seven (7) directors is to be elected at the annual meeting.
Six (6) of the seven (7) nominees named below are presently directors of the
Company. In the event that any nominee named below is unable or declines to
serve as a director, the Board of Directors may reduce the size of the board or
may designate an alternate nominee to fill the vacancy. If a substitute nominee
is named, the proxyholders will vote the proxies held by them for the election
of such person, unless contrary instructions are given. The Company is not aware
of any nominee who will be unable or will decline to serve as a director. The
term of office for each person elected as a director will continue until the
next annual meeting of stockholders or until his or her successor has been
elected and qualified.
3
Vote Required
If a quorum is present, the seven (7) nominees receiving the highest
number of votes will be elected to the Board of Directors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR election of each of the director
nominees.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nominees
The names of the nominees and certain information about them are set
forth below:
Name of Nominee Age Title
--------------- --- -----
Eric D. Kogan 39 Chairman of the Board of Directors
Carl C. Gregory, III 58 Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Peter W. May 59 Director
Robert M. Whyte 58 Director
Raymond Fleming 46 Director
Richard A. Mandell 60 Director
Alexander Lemond 28 Director Nominee
ERIC D. KOGAN. Mr. Kogan has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors
of the Company since February 1998. Since April 2002 Mr. Kogan has been a
Partner of Clarion Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in New York.
From April 1993 to April 2002 Mr. Kogan was an officer of Triarc Companies,
Inc., a holding company and, through its subsidiaries, the franchisor of the
Arby's restaurant system (Triarc"), and certain of its subsidiaries, most
recently serving as Triarc's Executive Vice President of Corporate Development.
Prior thereto, Mr. Kogan was Vice President Corporate Development of Trian
Group, Limited Partnership ("Trian Group"), a private investment banking and
management services firm, from September 1991 to April 1993. Mr. Kogan received
his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
CARL C. GREGORY, III. Mr. Gregory has served as a director and as President
and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since May 2000. Prior to joining the
Company, Mr. Gregory served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
of West Capital Financial Services Corp. from January 1998 to May 2000. Prior to
joining West Capital, Mr. Gregory was Managing Partner of American Western
Partners, a private investment firm, from January 1996 through January 1997.
From 1993 through 1995, Mr. Gregory was Chairman, President and Director of MIP
Properties, Inc., a public real estate investment trust. Mr. Gregory also serves
as a director of Apex Mortgage Capital, Inc. Mr. Gregory received his
undergraduate degree in Accounting from Southern Methodist University and an MBA
from the University of Southern California.
PETER W. MAY. Mr. May has served as a director of the Company since
February 1998. Mr. May has served since April 1993 as a director and as
President and Chief Operating Officer of Triarc. Since April 1993, he has also
been a director or manager and officer of certain of Triarc's subsidiaries. Mr.
May is also a general partner of DWG Acquisition Group, L.P., whose principal
business is ownership of securities of Triarc. From its formation in January
1989 to April 1993, Mr. May was President and Chief Operating Officer of Trian
Group. He was President and Chief Operating Officer and a director of Triangle
Industries, Inc, a manufacturer of packaging products, copper electrical wire
and cable and steel conduit and currency and coin handling products, from 1983
until December 1988. Mr. May holds BA and MBA degrees from the University of
Chicago and is a Certified Public Accountant.
4
ROBERT M. WHYTE. Mr. Whyte has served as a director of the Company since
February 1998. Mr. Whyte has served since 1986 as an investment banker with
Audant Investment Pty. Limited, most recently in the capacity of Executive
Chairman. Since 1997, Mr. Whyte has been a director of Publishing and
Broadcasting Limited, and also serves on the Board of Directors of various other
companies. From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Whyte held non-executive directorships of
Advance Bank Australia Limited and The Ten Group Limited. Mr. Whyte holds a
Bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney.
RAYMOND FLEMING. Mr. Fleming has served as a director of the Company since
June 2001. Mr. Fleming is the Treasurer of Consolidated Press Holdings Limited,
a position he has held since joining that company in August 1999. From May 1997
to August 1999, Mr. Fleming was a banker with BT Australia Ltd., an investment
banking firm. Prior to that, Mr. Fleming had worked within the Australian
banking industry since 1982. Mr. Fleming holds a Bachelor of Economics degree
from the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of
Chartered Accountants.
RICHARD A. MANDELL. Mr. Mandell has served as a director of the Company
since June 2001. He currently is a private investor and financial consultant.
Mr. Mandell was a Vice President - Private Investments of Clariden Asset
Management (NY) Inc., a subsidiary of Clariden Bank, a private Swiss bank, from
January 1996 until February 1998. From 1982 until June 1995, Mr. Mandell served
as a Managing Director of Prudential Securities Incorporated, an investment
banking firm. He also serves as a director of Sbarro, Inc. and Woodworkers
Warehouse, Inc. Mr. Mandell holds a BSE degree from the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania.
ALEXANDER LEMOND. Mr. Lemond has served as Vice President, Corporate
Development of Triarc since November 2000. Mr. Lemond was an Associate,
Corporate Development of Triarc from December 1997 to November 2000. Prior to
that, he was an analyst in the mergers and acquisitions group at Salomon Smith
Barney from July 1996 to December 1997. Mr. Lemond holds a BSE degree from the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
How are directors compensated?
Non-employee directors who are not affiliated with significant
stockholders currently receive a $15,000 annual retainer fee and a $1,000 per
meeting fee for attendance at Board or committee meetings. Directors who are
employees of the Company or who are affiliated with significant stockholders
receive no annual retainer fee and no per meeting fee. All directors are,
however, reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending Board
or committee meetings. The Company has also entered into indemnification
agreements with each of its directors under which it has agreed to indemnify
them to the fullest extent authorized by law against certain expenses and losses
arising out of certain claims related to the fact that such person is or was a
director of the Company or served the Company in certain other capacities.
5
How often did the Board meet during fiscal 2001?
The Board of Directors met in person or acted by written consent six
times during fiscal 2001. Each incumbent director who is a nominee for
reelection attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board of Directors and
its committees that he was eligible to attend in 2001.
What committees has the Board established?
The Board of Directors has standing Audit, Nominating and Compensation
Committees. The current members of each committee are set forth below:
Name Audit Committee Nominating Committee Compensation Committee
Eric D. Kogan X X X
Robert M. Whyte X
Peter W. May X X
Richard A. Mandell X(1)
(1) Mr. Mandell became a member of the Audit Committee on June 8, 2001.
Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is responsible for assisting the
Board in oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing and
financial reporting practices of the Company. In performing its duties, the
Audit Committee recommends to the full Board the appointment of the Company's
independent auditors, reviews and evaluates the Company's financial statements,
accounting principles and system of internal accounting controls and considers
other appropriate matters regarding the financial affairs of the Company. The
Audit Committee met in person or acted by written consent five times during
fiscal 2001 and consisted of Messrs. Kogan and Whyte prior to June 8, 2001 and
Messrs. Kogan, Whyte and Mandell from June 8, 2001 forward.
Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is responsible for
evaluating all proposed candidates for the Board, recommending nominees to fill
vacancies to the full Board and recommending to the full Board, prior to the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a slate of nominees for election to the Board by
the stockholders of the Company at the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee
will consider nominees recommended by stockholders if such recommendations are
submitted in writing, 90 to 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the 2002
Annual Meeting of Stockholders and includes (a) the name and address of the
stockholder making the nomination; (b) the name and address of the person
nominated to serve as Director; (c) a representation that the stockholder is a
holder of record of Common Stock of the Company and intends to vote in person or
by proxy in favor of the nominee; (d) a description of arrangements or
understandings between the nominee and the stockholders; (e) the consent of the
nominee to serve as Director; and (f) such other information regarding each
nominee as would have to be included in a proxy statement pursuant to the proxy
rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in the event the
nominee is nominated. Such recommendations should be addressed to the Secretary
of the Company and to the Nominating Committee at 5775 Roscoe Court, San Diego,
California 92123. The Nominating Committee met in person or acted by written
consent once during 2001 and consisted of Messrs. May and Kogan.
Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee acts on matters relating to
the compensation of directors, senior management, and key employees, including
the granting of stock options. The Compensation Committee met in person or acted
by written consent three times during 2001, and consisted of Messrs. May and
Kogan.
6
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Our management consists of the following personnel, in addition to Carl
C. Gregory, III, our President and Chief Executive Officer, who is named above
as a director.
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
Name Age Position
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
Barry R. Barkley 59 Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
J. Brandon Black 34 Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
John R. Treiman 41 Senior Vice President and
Chief Information Officer
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
Jerome K. Miller, Jr. 53 Senior Vice President, Human Resources
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
Robin R. Pruitt 44 Senior Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
George Brooker 38 Vice President and Controller
------------------------ ------ -------------------------------------------
BARRY R. BARKLEY. Mr. Barkley joined the Company in May 2000 and serves as
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. From March 1998 until
joining the Company, Mr. Barkley was the Chief Financial Officer of West Capital
Financial Services Corp. In October 1995, Mr. Barkley joined Great Western
Financial Corporation as the Corporate Controller reporting to the Vice
Chairman. From August 1990 to September 1995, Mr. Barkley was with Banc One
Corporation, first as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of
Directors of Bank One, Texas, N.A. and from January 1994, serving as Executive
Director, Corporate ReEngineering. Mr. Barkley received a bachelor's degree from
Purdue University in 1966 and received an MBA from Indiana University in 1970.
J. BRANDON BLACK. Mr. Black joined the Company in May 2000 and serves as
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. From March 1998 until
joining the Company, Mr. Black was the Senior Vice President of Operations for
West Capital Financial Services Corp. Prior to joining West Capital, Mr. Black
worked for First Data Resources during the period of September 1997 through
April 1998 and for Capital One Financial Corporation from June 1989 until August
1997. Mr. Black received a bachelor's degree from William and Mary in 1989 and
an MBA from the University of Richmond in 1996.
JOHN R. TREIMAN. Mr. Treiman joined the Company in May 2000 and serves as
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. From August 1998 until
joining the Company, Mr. Treiman was a Vice President and the Chief Information
Officer of West Capital Financial Services Corp. From January 1996 through July
1998, Mr. Treiman served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer for
Frederick's of Hollywood. Additionally, Mr. Treiman served as Vice President and
Chief Information Officer for The Welk Group and spent several years consulting
with KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Treiman received a bachelor's degree from UCLA in
1983 and received an MBA from the University of Southern California in 1986.
JEROME K. MILLER, JR. Mr. Miller joined the Company in May 2000 and serves
as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. From May 1998 until joining the
Company, Mr. Miller was the Vice President of Human Resources for West Capital
Financial Services Corp. From December 1994 to May 1998, Mr. Miller was
Director, Employment & Employee Relations for SunAmerica, Inc., a Fortune 500
financial services company. Mr. Miller received a bachelor's degree from the
University of Scranton in 1971.
7
ROBIN R. PRUITT. Ms. Pruitt joined the Company in September 2001 and serves
as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. From June 2000 until
joining the Company, Ms. Pruitt was Vice President and General Counsel of
Mitchell International, Inc., a developer of claims estimating systems for
insurance industries. Ms. Pruitt served as a Vice President of the Company
during May and June 2000, and prior to that was Vice President and General
Counsel of West Capital Financial Services Corp. from November 1998 to May 2000.
From May 1995 to January 1998, Ms. Pruitt served as General Counsel of ComStream
Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of satellite communications equipment.
Ms. Pruitt received a bachelor's degree in Finance and Economics from the
University of South Carolina in 1978 and a JD degree from Boston University
School of Law in 1983.
GEORGE R. BROOKER. Mr. Brooker joined the Company in June 2002 and serves
as Vice President and Controller. From December 1999 until joining the Company,
Mr. Brooker was a consultant with Visionary Solutions, LLP a management
consulting firm specializing in early stage companies. From January 1997 to
November 1999, he served as Vice President of Finance for Ziro Holdings
Corporation a manufacturer and distributor of home furnishings. From August 1995
to November 1996, Mr. Brooker was a financial management associate at Textron,
Inc. a Fortune 500 multi-industry company. Additionally, Mr. Brooker spent
several years as a CPA with Coopers & Lybrand. Mr. Brooker received a bachelor's
degree from San Diego State in 1987 and an MBA from Duke University in 1995.
8
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The following table sets forth, for the fiscal years ended December 31,
2001 and 2000, respectively, the compensation awarded to or paid by the Company
and its subsidiaries to each person who served as the Company's Chief Executive
Officer during 2000 and 2001, and its four other most highly compensated
executive officers at December 31, 2001 (the "Named Executive Officers"). Each
of the Named Executive Officers became an officer of the Company in May 2000.
Long-Term Compensation
-----------------------
Annual Compensation Awards Payouts
---------------------- ------------- -------------
Restricted Securities
Other Annual Stock Underlying LTIP All Other
Name and Salary Bonus Compensation Award(s) Options/ Payouts Compensation
Principal Position Year ($) ($) ($) ($) SARs ($) ($)(1)
------------------- ----- ----- ------------- ------------- --------- ------- ------- ------------
Carl C. Gregory, III 2001 $350,000 $350,000 $ 3,886
Director, President 2000 204,167 250,000 300,000(2) 2,650
and Chief Executive
Officer
J. Brandon Black 2001 $204,487 $225,000 $ 2,532
Executive Vice 2000 116,667 150,000 200,000(2) 1,933
President and Chief
Operating Officer
Barry R. Barkley 2001 $217,949 $225,000 $ 2,569
Executive Vice 2000 116,667 75,000 200,000(2) 2,057
President and Chief
Financial Officer
John R. Treiman 2001 $172,276 $51,000 $ 2,513
Senior Vice President 2000 97,805 41,250 75,000(2) 1,716
and Chief Information Officer
Jerome K. Miller, Jr. 2001 $126,555 $13,000 $ 2,396
Senior Vice President 2000 72,917 31,250 75,000(2) 1,196
of Human Resources
--------------------
(1) Includes 401(k) plan matching contributions and term life insurance
premiums paid by the Company.
(2) The Board of Directors granted options on January 25, 2001.
9
OPTION GRANTS IN LAST FISCAL YEAR
There were no grants of stock options to the Named Executive Officers
of Encore during 2001 other than the options granted on January 25, 2001 that
were reported in the Company's Form 10-K for the year 2000 and the proxy
statement for the 2001 annual meeting.
AGGREGATED OPTION EXERCISES IN LAST FISCAL YEAR AND
FISCAL YEAR-END OPTIONS
The following table sets forth information concerning option exercises
and option holdings for fiscal 2001 with respect to the Named Executive
Officers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Securities
Shares Underlying Unexercised Value of Unexercised
Acquired Options/SARs at In-The-Money Options/
On Value Fiscal Year-End SARs at Fiscal Year-End(1)
Name Exercise Realized Exercisable Unexercisable Exercisable Unexercisable
-------------------------- -------------- ------------ ------------------------------------------------------------
Carl C. Gregory, III None -- 100,000 200,000 $- $-
Barry R. Barkley None -- 66,667 133,333 $- $-
J. Brandon Black None -- 66,667 133,333 $- $-
John R. Treiman None -- 25,000 50,000 $- $-
Jerome K. Miller, Jr. None -- 25,000 50,000 $- $-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
(1) Options are considered "in the money" if the fair market value of the
underlying securities exceeds the exercise price of the options. These
values are based on the December 31, 2001 closing price of the Common
Stock of $0.30 per share on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board, less the
per share exercise price. The options may never be exercised and the
value, if any, will depend on the actual share price at the time of
exercise.
Employment Contracts and Related Matters
Certain Employment Arrangements With Executive Officers
In March 2002, the Company entered into an employment agreement with
each of Messrs. Gregory and Black, effective as of May 22, 2000. The agreements,
which currently extend through May 22, 2003, provide for automatic annual one
year extensions unless either the Company or the executive gives written notice
not later than 90 days before the date of any such extension that such party
does not wish to extend the term. The agreements provide for annual base
salaries of $350,000 per year for Mr. Gregory and $225,000 per year for Mr.
Black, subject to review during January of each year. In addition, the
executives will be eligible to receive an annual performance-based bonus for
each fiscal year. In the event employment is terminated by the Company without
cause (as defined), or if there is a control event (as defined), the agreements
provide that each executive will be entitled to receive, among other things, an
amount equal to the sum of: (i) the executive's then current base salary in
effect as of the date of termination for the longer of (A) the remainder of the
employment term or (B) 18 months (for Mr. Gregory) or 12 months (for Mr. Black)
from the date of termination, with certain limitations. In addition, the
executives will be entitled to receive payment of accrued vacation pay and,
within 30 days of such termination, a pro rata bonus for the year in which the
termination occurs. The agreements also provide that in the event of a change of
control, all non-vested stock options then owned by Messrs. Gregory and Black
will, subject to certain limitations, vest immediately. A "change of control"
includes the following events: (i) a merger or consolidation, unless the
Company's stockholders continue to own 50% or more of the total voting power of
the resulting entity's voting securities; (ii) all or substantially all of the
assets of the Company are acquired by another corporation; (iii) any "person,"
as defined in the Exchange Act (other than a subsidiary or an employee benefit
plan of the Company), acquires 50% or more of the combined voting power of the
Company's voting securities; or (iv) a majority of the Company's directors are
individuals not nominated by the Board of Directors; provided that the events
described above shall not be deemed to be a "change of control" if they occur as
a result of (i) a transaction involving any person (as defined in clause (iii)
above), or any associate or affiliate of such person, that beneficially owned
more than 5% of the Company's outstanding voting stock as of May 22, 2000 or
(ii) in the case of clause (iii) above, a person acquiring such 50% ownership
position as a result of the acquisition by the Company of its voting stock which
reduces the number of outstanding shares of voting stock of the Company.
10
Performance-Based Bonuses
The Company maintains a cash bonus plan for individuals, including
executive officers, who are deemed key to the Company's performance. The amounts
of such bonuses will be based on the Company's financial performance,
quantifiable individual performance and management's evaluation of each eligible
individual's contribution.
Executive Nonqualified Excess Plan
The Midland Credit Management, Inc. Excess Plan (the "Deferral
Plan") was approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors
effective March 1, 2002. Pursuant to the Deferral Plan, the Company establishes
one or more bookkeeping accounts to reflect the deferred portion of compensation
paid and bonuses awarded to participants. These accounts are adjusted from time
to time for earnings and investment gains and losses. Deferred accounts for each
participant are deemed invested in certain approved investments selected by the
participant. The Company may replicate any deferred account in a trust, in which
event the value of the deferred account on the books of the Company will be
equal to the value of the actual approved investments related to such account in
the trust. The Company may at its option provide a matching credit for a
percentage of a participant's deferrals. A participant may receive the value of
a deferred account, in cash, from the Company upon the participant's retirement,
disability or termination of service. The Deferral Plan also provides for
in-service withdrawals under certain circumstances at the participant's
election. Although a participant is at all times fully vested in his or her
deferred accounts, participants have the status of general unsecured creditors
of the Company with respect to the Company's obligation to make payment to them
under the Deferral Plan and any assets contained in a trust formed under the
Deferral Plan are subject to claims by creditors of the Company. As of September
30, 2002, deferred accounts have been established for Messrs. Gregory, Barkley,
Black, Miller and Treiman and Ms. Pruitt. The Deferral Plan also authorizes the
Company to provide pre-retirement death benefits for selected key managerial
employees. As of September 30, 2002, such benefits have been established for Mr.
Black, Ms. Pruitt and one additional key employee.
11
REPORT OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The Company's executive compensation program is administered by the
Compensation Committee of the Board. The members of the Compensation Committee
are not employees of the Company. The Compensation Committee determines the
compensation of the Company's executive officers and administers the Company's
stock option plans.
Executive Compensation Policies
Overview. Incentive compensation arrangements are the cornerstone of
the Compensation Committee's executive compensation policies. These incentive
compensation arrangements reward those executive officers that achieve
individual and Company objectives that increase stockholder value.
The Company's executive compensation package consists of three
components: base salary and related benefits; annual cash bonus incentives; and
stock-based compensation incentives. The Compensation Committee reviews each of
these components and develops an incentive compensation package for each of the
Company's executive officers based, in part, upon the recommendations of senior
management and, in part, upon the Compensation Committee's assessment of each
executive officer's contribution to the Company. In addition, from time to time,
the Compensation Committee may review competitive information. The Compensation
Committee strives to develop individual compensation packages for the Company's
executive officers that will encourage superior individual and Company-wide
performance, serve to retain those executive officers that perform well, and
lead to increased stockholder value. Each component of the Company's executive
compensation package is discussed below.
Base Salary and Benefits. Each executive officer receives a base salary
and benefits based on his or her responsibilities and experience. The
Compensation Committee reviews each executive officer's base salary and benefits
from time to time.
Annual Incentive Bonuses. The second component of the Company's
executive compensation package is an annual incentive bonus. Officer bonuses
under the Company's annual performance-based cash incentive plan are computed
using a sliding scale based upon achievement of the Company's targeted operating
measures, quantifiable individual performance and the Compensation Committee's
evaluation of each officer's contribution. In addition, when appropriate the
Company may pay discretionary bonuses to certain executives. Bonuses paid to the
Named Executive Officers for the year ended December 31, 2001 are shown in the
Executive Compensation Summary above.
Stock-Based Compensation Incentives. The third component of the
Company's executive compensation package is stock-based compensation incentives,
traditionally non-qualified stock options. This compensation component is an
important incentive tool designed to more closely align the interests of the
executive officers of the Company with the long-term interests of the Company's
stockholders and to encourage its executive officers to remain with the Company.
12
The Compensation Committee considers grants of options to the Company's
executive officers and key employees on an annual basis, taking into account the
other components of the recipients' compensation packages, the recipients'
responsibilities and performance, the Company's performance during the preceding
fiscal year, the exercise price of the options to be awarded and prior option
grants.
Compensation of Chief Executive Officer
On May 22, 2000, Carl C. Gregory, III was hired as the President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Gregory and the Company have entered into
an employment agreement dated as of May 22, 2000. The agreement is described in
"Employment Contracts and Related Matters" above. The agreement resulted from
arms-length negotiation between the Compensation Committee, represented by Eric
Kogan, and Mr. Gregory. The Compensation Committee believes that the
compensation provisions contained in the agreement were necessary to secure Mr.
Gregory's continued employment with the Company and are in the best interests of
the Company and its stockholders. Mr. Gregory's base salary is $350,000 per
year. On April 12, 2002 Mr. Gregory was paid a discretionary bonus of $350,000.
Compliance with Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m). Section 162(m) of
the Internal Revenue Code limits the deductibility of executive compensation
paid by publicly-held corporations to $1 million for each executive officer
named in this proxy statement. The $1 million limitation generally does not
apply to compensation that is considered performance-based.
Non-performance-based compensation paid to the Company's executive officers for
the 2001 fiscal year did not exceed the $1 million limit per employee. The
Company believes that its compensation policy satisfies Section 162(m). As a
result, the Company believes that the compensation paid under this policy is not
subject to limits of deductibility. However, we cannot assure you that the
Internal Revenue Service would reach the same conclusion.
Peter W. May, Chairman
Eric D. Kogan
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The Compensation Committee has consisted of Messrs. May and Kogan. There
were no interlocking relationships between the Company and other entities that
might affect the determination of the compensation of the executive officers of
the Company.
STOCK PRICE PERFORMANCE GRAPH
The following graph compares the total cumulative stockholder return on the
Company's Common Stock for the period July 9, 1999 (the date of the Company's
IPO) through December 31, 2001 with the cumulative total return of (a) the
Nasdaq Index, (b) NCO Portfolio Management, Inc. and Asta Funding, Inc., which
we believe are comparable companies, and (c) NCO Group, Inc., the company to
which the Company's stock price performance was compared in previous years. The
Company believes that its revised peer group index reflects companies that are
more comparable to the Company's business than NCO Group, Inc.
The comparison assumes that $100 was invested on July 9, 1999 in the
Company's Common Stock and in each of the comparison indices.
13
Comparison of Five-Year Cumulative Total Returns
Performance Graph for
Encore Capital Group, Inc.
Produced on 9/24/2002 including data to 12/31/2001
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Companies in the Self-Determined Peer Group:
ASTA FUNDING INC. NCO PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT INC.
Notes:
A. The lines represent monthly index levels derived from compounded daily returns that include all dividends.
B. The indexes are reweighted daily, using the market capitalization on the previous trading day.
C. If the monthly interval, based on the fiscal year-end, is not a trading day, the preceding trading day is used.
D. The index level for all series was set to $100.00 on 07/09/1999.
E. The data for Encore Capital Group, Inc. from 07/2000 to 12/2001 was provided by the company.
F. Data provided by CRSP (www.crsp.uchicago.edu), Center for Research in Security Prices, Graduate School of
Business, The University of Chicago. Used with permission. All rights reserved.(C)Copyright 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
On January 12, 2000, we issued $10.0 million in principal amount of 12%
Series No. 1 Senior Notes to an institutional investor. The Senior Notes are
unsecured obligations of the Company but are guaranteed by Midland Credit
Management, Inc., Midland Acquisition Corporation and Triarc, the parent of a
shareholder of the Company. Triarc beneficially owns approximately 26.7% of the
outstanding common stock of the Company. In connection with the issuance of the
Senior Notes, we issued warrants to the institutional investor and Triarc to
acquire up to 428,571 and 100,000 shares, respectively, of the Company's common
stock at an exercise price of $0.01 per share. Each of the warrant agreements
pursuant to which the foregoing warrants were issued contains antidilutive
provisions. In addition, we paid a fee to Triarc in the amount of $200,000 in
consideration of Triarc's guarantee of this indebtedness. We engaged an
independent valuation firm to determine the allocation of the $10.0 million
principal amount between the Senior Notes and the warrants. The results of the
valuation valued the warrants at approximately $3.05 per share. This valuation
of $3.05 per share results in the warrants being included as a component of
stockholders' equity in the amount of $1.6 million with the same amount recorded
as a reduction of the $10.0 million note payable. This debt discount is being
amortized as interest expense over the five-year exercise period of the warrants
resulting in a remaining debt discount balance of $1,516,000 and $1,373,000 at
December 31, 2000 and 2001, respectively. In addition, the Senior Notes require
semi-annual interest payments each January 15 and July 15 except that on payment
dates occurring prior to July 15, 2003 the interest in excess of the LIBOR rate
may be paid in kind at the Company's option through issuance of additional
Senior Notes due July 1, 2005. For the interest payment that was due in July
2000 we issued a 12% Senior Note in the amount of $0.6 million. Two additional
12% Payment-in-Kind Notes in the aggregate amount of $1,308,000 were issued in
2001 for the interest payment then due. On February 22, 2002, in a transaction
related to the preferred stock investment discussed below, the secured lender
forgave $5,323,000 of outstanding debt (reducing the face amount to $7,250,000),
including the Payment-in-Kind Notes then outstanding, and reduced its warrant
position by 200,000 warrants. The semi-annual interest payment on July 15, 2002
was paid in cash.
Effective October 31, 2000, we executed an agreement with certain of
our affiliates for a $2.0 million stand-by line of credit, secured by
substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, to use, if
necessary, for working capital purposes. Upon execution of the agreement and
subsequent extensions of the funding period through December 31, 2001, the
lenders received Warrants to acquire up to 250,000 shares of the Company's
common stock at $0.01 per share. Also, as a result of the warrants issued to
lenders, warrants to purchase an additional 5,241 shares were issued to the
above-referenced institutional holder of the $10.0 million Senior Note and
warrants to purchase 1,275 shares were issued to Triarc pursuant to the
antidilutive provisions of the warrant agreements discussed in the preceding
paragraph. The stand-by line of credit terminated on December 31, 2001. No
indebtedness was outstanding at the time of such termination. The lenders
exercised the 250,000 warrants on April 18, 2002.
We have extended a facility with Bank of America, NA, formerly
NationsBank, NA, for a revolving line of credit of up to $15 million through
April 15, 2003. Some of our present and former directors, stockholders and
affiliates have guaranteed this facility, including Messrs. May, Kogan and
Lemond, Nelson Peltz, the Chandler Family Limited Partnership, Triarc,
Consolidated Press Holdings Limited, Frank Chandler, and Peter Stewart Nigel
Frazer.
15
On February 22, 2002, certain existing stockholders and their
affiliates (the "Purchasers") made an additional $5,000,000 investment in the
Company. Immediately prior to such investment, the Purchasers on a collective
basis beneficially owned in excess of 50% of the Company's common stock.
The Purchasers purchased 1,000,000 shares of the Company's Series A
preferred stock at a price of $5.00 per share. Each share of Series A preferred
stock is convertible at the option of the holder at any time into 10 shares of
common stock at a conversion price of $.50 per share of common stock, subject to
customary anti-dilution adjustments. The Series A preferred stock has a
cumulative dividend, payable semi-annually. Until February 15, 2004, dividends
are payable in cash and/or additional Series A preferred stock, at the Company's
option, at the rate of 10.0% per annum. Thereafter, dividends will be payable
only in cash, at a rate of 10.0% per annum. The dividend payable on August 15,
2002 was paid in cash. The dividend rate increases to 15.0% per annum in the
event of a qualified public offering, a change of control (each as defined) or
the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company. In the event
dividends are not declared or paid, the dividends will accumulate on a
compounded basis. The Series A preferred stock has a liquidation preference
equal to the sum of the stated value of the Series A preferred stock ($5,000,000
in the aggregate) plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon and a
participation payment equal to shares of common stock at the conversion price
and/or such other consideration that would be payable to holders of the Series A
preferred stock if their shares had been converted into shares of the Company's
common stock immediately prior to the liquidation event.
The Series A preferred stock ranks senior to the common stock and any
other junior securities with respect to the payment of dividends and liquidating
distributions. The Company is prohibited from issuing any capital stock that
ranks senior to the Series A preferred stock without the consent of the holders
of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock.
Upon the occurrence of a qualified public offering, a change in
control, or a sale of the Company (each as defined), the Company may, by
decision of the then independent members of the Board of Directors, redeem the
outstanding Series A preferred stock in whole but not in part at an aggregate
redemption price equal to the $5,000,000 liquidation preference, plus dividends,
as described above, plus the participation payment.
The holders of the Series A preferred stock will be entitled to vote on
an as converted basis with the holders of the common stock as a single class and
will have the right to vote as a class on certain specified matters. In the
event that the Company fails to pay dividends for either two consecutive
semi-annual periods or any four semi-annual periods, the Purchasers are entitled
to designate two directors to serve on the Company's Board of Directors for as
long as at least 10% of the shares of the Series A preferred stock remain
outstanding. The holders of the Series A preferred stock also have been granted
registration rights in respect of the common stock underlying the Series A
preferred stock.
The investment by the Purchasers was approved by the Company's board of
directors, following the recommendation of a special committee consisting of the
Company's independent director formed specifically for the purpose of evaluating
and considering the transaction. The special committee was advised by an
independent financial advisor and by independent legal counsel.
16
Security Ownership of Principal Stockholders and Management
The following table sets forth certain information concerning the
beneficial ownership of the Company's Common Stock as of September 26, 2002, by:
(i) each director of the Company, (ii) the Named Executive Officers, (iii) each
person who is known by the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than five
percent (5%) of the outstanding Common Stock, and (iv) all executive officers
and directors as a group.
Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each of the listed
stockholders is 5775 Roscoe Ct., San Diego, California 92123. The number of
shares includes shares of common stock owned of record by such person's minor
children and spouse and by other related individuals and entities over whose
shares of common stock such person has custody, voting control or the power of
disposition.
Number of Shares
of Common Stock
Beneficially Percentage of Common
Name & Address of Beneficial Owner Owned(1) Stock Beneficially Owned
-------------------------------------------------- -------------- ----------------------------
Consolidated Press International Holdings 6,199,396 54.3%
Limited (2)
54-58 Park Street, Sydney
NSW 2001, Australia
Nelson M. Peltz (3) 4,946,012 44.4%
c/o Triarc Companies, Inc.
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Triarc Companies, Inc. (4) 2,472,544 26.7%
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
DWG Acquisition Group, L.P. (5) 2,472,544 26.7%
c/o Triarc Companies, Inc.
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Madison West Associates Corp. (6) 2,371,269 25.9%
c/o Triarc Companies, Inc.
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Neale M. Albert (7) 1,743,816 21.1%
c/o Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
Frank I. Chandler (8) 1,000,579 13.5%
Carl C. Gregory, III 150,000 2.0%
Barry R. Barkley 100,000 1.4%
J. Brandon Black 100,000 1.4%
Jerome K. Miller, Jr. 37,500 *
17
Number of Shares
of Common Stock
Beneficially Percentage of Common Stock
Name & Address of Beneficial Owner Owned(1) Beneficially Owned
--------------------------------------------------- ------------------ ----------------------------
John R. Treiman 37,500 *
Eric D. Kogan (9) 475,158 6.2%
Raymond Fleming - *
Richard A. Mandell (10) 15,000 *
Peter W. May (11) 3,629,042 35.9%
Robert M. Whyte (12) 1,283,100 15.3%
Alexander Lemond (13) 71,213 *
All directors and executive officers of the
Company as a group (13 persons) (14) 3,438,469 34.3%
-------------------
* Less than one percent.
(1) The numbers and percentages shown include the shares of Common Stock
actually beneficially owned as of September 26, 2002, and the shares of
Common Stock that the person or group had the right to acquire within 60
days of such date. In calculating the percentage of ownership, all shares
of Common Stock that the identified person or group had the right to
acquire within 60 days of September 26, 2002, upon the exercise of options
or warrants or the conversion of convertible securities are deemed to be
outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of the shares of
Common Stock owned by such person or group, but are not deemed to be
outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of the shares of
Common Stock owned by any other person.
(2) According to Amendment No. 4 to Schedule 13D filed on April 18, 2002 by
Consolidated Press International Holdings Limited ("CPIHL") and C. P.
International Investments Limited ("CPII") to further supplement and amend
the Schedule 13D originally filed by CPIHL and CPII on February 22, 2000,
as supplemented and amended by Amendment No. 1 dated March 22, 2001, by
Amendment No. 2 dated August 28, 2001 and by Amendment No. 3 dated
February 27, 2002, each of CPII and CPIHL may be deemed the beneficial
owners of these shares. The shares reported include 2,199,396 shares
directly owned by CPII (including 150,000 shares issued upon exercise of
warrants (the "CTW Warrants") issued to CTW Funding, LLC ("CTW"), a
Delaware limited liability company, which shares were distributed to CPII
on April 16, 2002 upon the liquidation of CTW) and 4,000,000 shares
issuable upon conversion of the 400,000 shares of the Company's Series A
preferred stock held by CPII. CTW was 60% owned by CPII, 25% owned by
Triarc Companies, Inc. and 15% owned by Robert M. Whyte, a director of the
Company. CPIHL and CPII each share voting and dispositive power with
respect to the 2,199,396 shares of Common Stock and the 400,000 shares of
Series A Preferred Stock.
18
(3) According to a Schedule 13D filed on March 4, 2002 (the "Madison West
13D") by Madison West Associates Corp ("Madison"), Triarc Companies, Inc.
("Triarc"), Nelson Peltz, Peter W. May, Neale M. Albert and DWG
Acquisition Group, L.P. ("DWG") and updated to reflect the exercise of the
CTW Warrants, Mr. Peltz is a co-trustee of the Nelson Peltz Children's
Trust (the "NP Trust") and in such capacity shares voting and dispositive
power over the 602,318 shares of Common Stock directly owned by the NP
Trust (including 21,008 shares issued to the NP Trust upon the exercise of
the CTW Warrants) and the 1,871,150 shares issuable upon the conversion of
the Series A Preferred Stock owned by the Peltz Family Limited
Partnership. As the indirect beneficial owner of approximately 34.8% of
the outstanding voting common stock of Triarc, Mr. Peltz shares voting and
dispositive power with Triarc, Mr. May and DWG over the 2,472,544 shares
of Common Stock beneficially owned by Triarc (see note (4) below). As a
result, pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
("Rule 13d-3"), Mr. Peltz may be deemed the indirect beneficial owner of
(i) the 602,318 shares of Common Stock directly owned by the NP Trust,
(ii) the 1,745,660 shares of Common Stock issuable to Madison West upon
the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock owned by Madison West, and
(iii) the 2,472,544 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by Triarc,
which would, in the aggregate, constitute approximately 44.4% of the
Company's outstanding shares of Common Stock. Mr. Peltz disclaims
beneficial ownership of such shares.
(4) According to the Madison West 13D and updated to reflect the exercise of
the CTW Warrants, Triarc may be deemed the beneficial owner of 2,472,544
shares of Common Stock, including (i) 625,609 shares of Common Stock
directly owned by Madison West (including 21,820 shares of Common Stock
issued upon the exercise of the CTW Warrants); (ii) 100,000 shares of
Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a warrant (the "Triarc Warrant")
exercisable at a price of $.01 per share (such warrant is exercisable
immediately and expires on January 12, 2005); and (iii) 1,745,660 shares
of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock
acquired by Madison West. Additionally, the Company issued a warrant to
Triarc for 1,275 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the anti-dilution
provisions of the Triarc Warrant. Assuming exercise by Triarc of the
Triarc Warrant and the anti-dilution warrant for 101,275 shares of the
Common Stock and the conversion by Madison West of its Series A Preferred
Stock into 1,745,660 shares of the Company's Common Stock, the aggregate
holdings of Triarc would constitute approximately 26.7% of the Company's
outstanding shares of Common Stock. Triarc shares with Madison West, Mr.
Peltz, Mr. May and DWG voting and dispositive power over the 2,371,269
shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by Madison West and the 101,275
shares of Common Stock issuable to Triarc upon exercise of the Triarc
Warrant and the anti-dilution warrant.
(5) According to the Madison West 13D and updated to reflect the exercise of
the CTW Warrants, DWG is the direct beneficial owner of approximately
29.4% of the outstanding voting common stock of Triarc, and in such
capacity shares with Mr. Peltz and Mr. May voting and dispositive power
over the 2,472,544 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by Triarc
(see note (4) above). As a result, pursuant to Rule 13d-3, DWG may be
deemed the indirect beneficial owner of 2,472,544 shares of Common Stock,
which would constitute approximately 26.7% of the Company's outstanding
shares of Common Stock. DWG disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares.
(6) According to the Madison West 13D and updated to reflect the exercise of
the CTW Warrants, Madison West may be deemed the beneficial owner of
2,371,269 shares of Common Stock, including (i) 625,609 shares of Common
Stock directly owned by Madison West (including 21,820 shares of Common
Stock issued upon the exercise of the CTW Warrants); and (ii) 1,745,660
shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred
Stock acquired by Madison West. Assuming the conversion by Madison West of
the Series A Preferred Stock into 1,745,660 shares of the Common Stock,
the aggregate holdings of Madison West would constitute approximately
25.9% of the Company's outstanding shares of Common Stock. Madison West
shares with Triarc, Mr. Peltz, Mr. May and DWG voting and dispositive
power over the 2,371,269 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by
Madison West.
19
(7) According to the Madison West 13D and updated to reflect the exercise of
the CTW Warrants, Mr. Albert is a co-trustee of each of the NP Trust, the
Jonathan P. May 1998 Trust (the "JM Trust") and the Leslie A. May 1998
Trust (the "LM Trust") (see note (10) below), and in such capacity Mr.
Albert shares with Mr. Peltz voting and dispositive power over the 602,318
shares of Common Stock directly owned by the NP Trust (including 21,008
shares of Common Stock issued upon exercise of the CTW Warrants
beneficially owned by the NP Trust), and shares with Mr. May voting and
dispositive power over the 150,579 shares of Common Stock directly owned
by the JM Trust (including 5,252 shares of Common Stock issued upon the
exercise of the CTW Warrants beneficially owned by the JM Trust), the
150,579 shares of Common Stock directly owned by the LM Trust (including
5,252 shares of Common Stock issued upon the exercise of the CTW Warrants
beneficially owned by the LM Trust), the 420,170 shares of Common Stock
issuable upon the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock owned by the
JM Trust and the 420,170 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the
conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock owned by the LM Trust. As a
result, pursuant to Rule 13d-3, Mr. Albert may be deemed the beneficial
owner of 1,743,816 shares, which would constitute approximately 21.1% of
the Company's outstanding shares of Common Stock. Mr. Albert disclaims
beneficial ownership of such shares.
(8) Includes 12,353 shares directly owned and 988,226 shares owned by
the Chandler Family Limited Partnership. Mr. Chandler, a former Vice
Chairman and co-founder of the Company, has voting power over the shares
owned by the Partnership.
(9) Includes 169,158 shares of Common Stock (including 3,571 shares of Common
Stock issued upon the exercise of the CTW Warrants) and 306,000 shares of
Common Stock issuable upon conversion of Series A Preferred Stock.
(10) Includes 10,000 shares of Common Stock directly owned and 5,000 shares of
Common Stock issuable upon exercise of vested stock options.
(11) According to the Madison West 13D and updated to reflect the exercise of
the CTW Warrants, Mr. May is a co-trustee of each of the JM Trust and the
LM Trust, and in such capacity Mr. May shares voting and dispositive power
with Mr. Albert over the 150,579 shares of Common Stock directly owned by
the JM Trust (including 5,252 shares of Common Stock issued upon the
exercise of the CTW Warrants beneficially owned by the JM Trust), the
150,579 shares of Common Stock directly owned by the LM Trust (including
5,252 shares of Common Stock issued upon the exercise of the CTW Warrants
beneficially owned by the LM Trust), the 420,170 shares of Common Stock
issuable to JM Trust upon the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock
owned by the JM Trust and the 420,170 shares of Common Stock issuable to
LM Trust upon the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock owned by the
LM Trust (see note (7) above). Mr. May also beneficially owns 15,000
shares of Common Stock that he acquired through a brokerage transaction
and has sole voting and dispositive power over such shares. As the
beneficial owner of approximately 33.1% of the outstanding voting common
stock of Triarc, Mr. May shares with Triarc, Mr. Peltz and DWG voting and
dispositive power over the 2,472,544 shares of Common Stock beneficially
owned by Triarc (see note (4) above). As a result, pursuant to Rule 13d-3,
Mr. May may be deemed the beneficial owner of (i) the 150,579 shares of
Common Stock directly owned by the JM Trust, (ii) the 150,579 shares of
Common Stock directly owned by the LM Trust, (iii) the 420,170 shares of
Common Stock issuable to JM Trust upon the conversion of the Series A
Preferred Stock owned by the JM Trust, (iv) the 420,170 shares of Common
Stock issuable to LM Trust upon the conversion of the Series A Preferred
Stock owned by the LM Trust, (v) the 2,472,544 shares of Common Stock
beneficially owned by Triarc, and (v) the 15,000 shares of Common Stock
owned directly by Mr. May, which would, in the aggregate, constitute
approximately 35.9% of the Company's outstanding shares of Common Stock.
Mr. May disclaims beneficial ownership of all such shares other than the
15,000 shares of Common Stock that he owns directly.
20
(12) According to Amendment No. 1 to Schedule 13D filed on April 18, 2002 by
Robert Michael Whyte to supplement and amend the Schedule 13D originally
filed on March 4, 2002 by Mr. Whyte and updated to reflect open market
purchases by Mr. Whyte, Mr. Whyte may be deemed the beneficial owner of
1,283,100 shares of Common Stock, consisting of 283,100 shares directly
owned (including 37,500 shares issued upon the exercise of the CTW
Warrants) and 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock issuable on conversion of
Series A Preferred Stock. Assuming conversion of the Series A Preferred
Stock into 1,000,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock, Mr. Whyte may
be deemed to beneficially own approximately 15.3% of the Company's
outstanding shares of Common Stock
(13) Includes 43,413 shares directly owned (including 119 shares issued upon
the exercise of the CTW Warrants) and 27,800 shares of Common Stock
issuable on conversion of Series A Preferred Stock.
(14) Excludes the 2,472,544 shares beneficially owned by Triarc. See note (4) above.
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
The following table gives information about our existing equity
compensation plan as of December 31, 2001. The table does not include the
additional shares that would be reserved for issuance under the 1999 Equity
Participation Plan if stockholders approve the proposal to amend that plan,
which is described under 'Proposal No. 2' below.
Number of securities
Number of securities to remaining available for
be issued upon exercise Weighted-average future issuance under equity
of outstanding options, exercise price of compensation plans (excluding
warrants and rights outstanding options, securities reflected in
Plan category warrants and rights column (a))
----------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------------
----------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------------
(a) (b) (c)
Equity compensation
plans approved by 1,035,000 $1.00 265,000
security holders
Equity compensation
plans not approved by --- $--- ---
security holders
Total 1,035,000 $ 1.00 265,000
21
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
requires the Company's executive officers and directors, and persons who own
more than ten percent of a registered class of the Company's equity securities
to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Executive
officers, directors and greater than ten percent Stockholders are required by
SEC regulation to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms
they file. Based solely on its review of the copies of such forms received by it
during the year ended December 31, 2001, the Company reports the following:
------------------------------- ------------------------------ ------------------------------------ ---------------------
Reporting Person No. of Late Reports No. Transactions Not Timely Known failures to
Reported file
------------------------------- ------------------------------ ------------------------------------ ---------------------
Raymond Fleming 1 1 0
Eric D. Kogan 1 1 0
Richard A. Mandell 1 1 0
------------------------------- ------------------------------ ------------------------------------ ---------------------
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The following Report of the Audit Committee does not constitute
soliciting material and should not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference
into any other Company filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent the
Company specifically incorporates this Report into such other filing.
Management is responsible for the Company's financial reporting process
including its system of internal controls, and for the preparation of
consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles. The Company's independent auditors are responsible for
auditing those financial statements. Our responsibility is to monitor and review
these processes. It is not our duty or our responsibility to conduct auditing or
accounting reviews or procedures. We are not employees of the Company and we may
not be, and we may not represent ourselves to be or to serve as, accountants or
auditors by profession or experts in the fields of accounting or auditing.
Therefore, we have relied, without independent verification, on management's
representation that the financial statements have been prepared with integrity
and objectivity and in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America and on the representations of the independent
auditors included in their report on the Company's financial statements. Our
oversight does not provide us with an independent basis to determine that
management has maintained appropriate accounting and financial reporting
principles or policies, or appropriate internal controls and procedures designed
to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and
regulations. Furthermore, our considerations and discussions with management and
the independent auditors do not assure that the Company's financial statements
are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, that
the audit of our Company's financial statements has been carried out in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards or that our company's
independent auditors are in fact "independent."
In accordance with our written charter which was provided to
stockholders with proxy materials for our 2001 annual meeting, we assist the
Board in oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing, and
financial reporting practices of the Company. We are composed of "independent"
directors ("independence" is defined using Rule 4200(a)(15) of the National
Association of Securities Dealers' listing standards). BDO Seidman, LLP, the
Company's independent auditors, have unrestricted access to the Audit Committee.
22
In performing our oversight function, we reviewed the Company's audited
consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001
and met with both management and BDO Seidman, LLP to discuss those consolidated
financial statements. As noted above, management has represented to us that the
consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America. We have received
from and discussed with BDO Seidman, LLP the written disclosure and the letter
required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence
Discussions with Audit Committees). We have also considered whether the
independent auditors' provision of non-audit services to the Company is
compatible with the auditors' independence from the Company and have determined
that their provision of such non-audit services does not adversely impact their
independence. We also discussed with BDO Seidman, LLP any matters required to be
discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 (Communication with Audit
Committees), as amended by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 89 and No. 90.
Based on these reviews and discussions, we recommended to the Board
that the Company's audited financial statements be included in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001.
Eric D. Kogan, Chairman
Robert M. Whyte
Richard A. Mandell
NEW PLAN BENEFITS
1999 Equity Participation Plan
The following table gives information regarding stock options granted on
September 11, 2002, subject to stockholder approval, to the Company’s Chief
Executive Officer, its four other most highly compensated executive officers,
all current executive officers as a group, all current directors who are not
executive officers as a group, and all employees, including all current officers
who are not executive officers, as a group. Shares underlying 503,499 of such
stock options are attributable to the proposed increase in the number of shares
available under the Plan described under ‘Proposal No. 2’ below. Future grants
are at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and are therefore not
determinable:
Name and Position Number of Units
--------------------------------------------------- -----------------------
Carl C. Gregory, III 208,333
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
J. Brandon Black 208,333
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Barry R. Barkley 208,333
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
John R. Treiman 0
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Jerome K. Miller, Jr. 0
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Current Executive Group 624,999 (1)
Non-Executive Director Group 0
Non-Executive Officer Employee Group 0
(1) Consists of the grants to Messrs. Gregory, Black and Barkley listed above.
All grants have an exercise price of $0.51 per share, which was the fair
market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.
23
Approval of Amendment to Encore Capital Group, Inc. 1999 Equity
Participation Plan to Increase Shares Available Under the Plan
(Proposal No. 2)
Introduction
In 1999, as a part of the Company's ongoing program to provide
senior management with incentives linked to corporate performance, the Board
approved the 1999 Equity Participation Plan (the "Plan"). The Plan is designed
to provide senior management and key employees with stock based incentives which
are intended to provide competitive long-term incentive opportunities and tie
executive long-term financial gain to increases in the Company's stock price.
In keeping with the Company's goals to attract and retain top
management, and to provide an incentive to management to enhance stockholder
value, the Board believes it is appropriate to amend the Plan, subject to
approval of the Company's stockholders, to increase the number of shares of
Common Stock available for grant under the Plan from 1,300,000 to 2,600,000.
Brief Description of the Plan
The following brief description of the Plan does not purport to be
complete, and is subject to and qualified in its entirety to the text of the
Plan, as amended and restated, which is attached hereto as Appendix A. In
addition to the increase in the number of shares available for grant, the Plan
as presented in Appendix A has been amended to address certain requirements
under applicable California securities laws.
Eligibility
The following persons are eligible to be granted options to purchase
Common Stock under the Plan ("Optionee" or "Optionees"): (a) officers,
directors, and employees of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates; and
(b) key consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Administration
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the "Board")
administers the Plan. No member of the Board or the Compensation Committee is
liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the
Plan or any option granted under the Plan. The Company pays all of the expenses
of administering the Plan.
Available Securities
If Proposal No. 2 is approved, the aggregate number of shares
available under the Plan will increase from 1,300,000 to 2,600,000 shares of
Common Stock available under the Plan. The Company will not grant any employee
options that relate to more than 500,000 shares of stock during any fiscal year
of the Company. Stock subject to an option that terminates or expires without
being exercised will again be available for grant under the Plan.
24
Exercise Price of Options
The exercise price of any options granted under the Plan is
determined by the Board, but may not be less than 85% of the fair market value
of one share on the date of grant. As of September 30, 2002, the closing price
of the Common Stock was $0.95 as reported on the OTC Bulletin Board.
Termination of Options
Except as otherwise determined by the Board, an option will
automatically terminate without notice at the earliest to occur of the
following: (a) 10 years after the date of the grant, (b) any earlier lapse date
or event occurrence as stated in the option agreement, (c) termination of
employment by, or services to, the Company and its subsidiaries if such
termination is for cause or a result of the Optionee's breach of the employment
or consulting agreement with the Company or any of its subsidiaries, as
determined by the Board, (d) one year after termination of employment due to
death or disability and (e) 90 days after termination of employment for any
other reason. Such determination by the Board will be final and conclusive.
Except as otherwise determined by the Board, persons who receive options through
will or descent may exercise their options no later than one year after the
Optionee's date of death.
Tax Implications
For federal taxation purposes, there is no recognition of taxable
income upon the grant of an option. Upon exercise of an option, the Optionee
realizes ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market
value of the stock on the date of exercise over the exercise price, and the
Company is entitled to take a deduction for the same amount. Upon disposition of
shares, the stockholder realizes capital gain income if the amount realized on
the sale exceeds the stockholder's basis in the shares. A capital loss is
realized if the basis in the shares exceeds the amount realized. Basis is equal
to the exercise price plus any income included as a result of exercising the
option. There is no tax impact on the Company upon a stockholder's disposition
of shares.
When exercising an option, the Optionee must remit to the Company an
amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes required by law to
be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as a result of the Plan.
The Board may allow the tax withholding requirement to be satisfied by accepting
from the Optionee unrestricted shares of the Company having a fair market value
equivalent to the amount to be withheld or by withholding shares of stock from
the shares issuable on exercise of the option.
The Plan is not subject to the Employment Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974 and is not qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code.
Assignment of Option Rights
If provided in the option agreement, option rights may be
transferred: (a) pursuant to a domestic relations order; (b) to the Optionee's
immediate family (as defined in applicable California securities regulations);
(c) to a partnership or limited liability company, the partners or members of
which are limited to the Optionee or his or her immediate family, provided that
such transfer is exempt from registration under applicable securities laws; or
(d) to any other person or entity authorized by the Board, provided that such
transfer is exempt from registration under applicable securities laws
(collectively, "Permitted Transferees"). Otherwise, option rights may only be
assigned or transferred by will or descent, by instrument to a trust in which
the option is to be passed to a beneficiary upon death, or by gift to a member
of the Optionee's immediate family (as defined in applicable California
securities regulations).
25
Optionees must give the Board advance written notice describing the
terms and conditions of a proposed transfer and must receive written notice from
the Board that the transfer complies with the Plan. Optionees remain liable for
any required withholding taxes when the Permitted Transferee exercises the
option.
Modification or Termination of the Plan
The Board must obtain stockholder approval prior to modifying or
terminating the Plan if such approval is required to comply with any tax or
regulatory requirement. No modification or termination will adversely affect in
any material way any option previously granted under the Plan, without the
Optionee's written consent.
Use of Funds
Funds received from the exercise of options are added to the
Company's general funds and used for working capital purposes.
Registration
We intend to register the additional shares of stock available for
issuance under a Registration Statement on Form S-8 to be filed with the SEC as
soon as practicable after approval of the amendment to the Plan.
Required Vote
Approval of Proposal No. 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of
the voting power present (in person or by proxy) and entitled to vote at the
meeting.If Proposal No. 2 is approved, the amendment will become effective as of
the date of the vote.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the approval of the amendment
to the Plan to increase the number of shares available under the Plan from
1,300,000 to 2,600,000.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratification of Selection of Independent Auditors
(Proposal No. 3)
The Board, upon the recommendation of its Audit Committee, has
selected BDO Seidman, LLP as the Company's independent auditors for the fiscal
year ending December 31, 2002, and has further directed that management submit
the selection of independent auditors for ratification by stockholders at the
annual meeting. BDO Seidman, LLP began auditing the Company's financial
statements with the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001.
26
Stockholder ratification of the selection of BDO Seidman, LLP as the
Company's independent auditors is not required by the Company's Bylaws or
otherwise. However, the Board is submitting the selection of BDO Seidman, LLP to
the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If the
stockholders fail to ratify the election, the Audit Committee and the Board will
reconsider whether or not to retain that firm. Even if the selection is
ratified, the Audit Committee and the Board in their discretion may direct the
appointment of different independent auditors at any time during the year if
they determine that such an appointment would be in the best interests of the
Company and its stockholders.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the ratification of the selection
of BDO Seidman, LLP as the Company's independent auditors for 2002.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS
Stockholder proposals for the 2003 annual meeting must be received at
the principal executive offices of the Company by July 24, 2003, to be
considered for inclusion in the Company's proxy materials relating to such
meeting.
If you wish to nominate directors or bring other business before the
stockholders at the 2003 annual meeting of stockholders:
o You must be a stockholder of record at the time of giving notice
and be entitled to vote at the meeting of stockholders to which
the notice relates;
o You must notify the Company in writing no later than July 24, 2003; and
o Your notice must contain the specific information required in our
Bylaws. Our Bylaws require that there be furnished to the Company
written notice with respect to the nomination of a person for
election as a director, as well as the submission of a proposal,
at a meeting of stockholders. In order for any such nomination or
submission to be proper, the notice must contain certain
information concerning the nominating or proposing stockholder,
and the nominee or the proposal, as the case may be. A copy of the
applicable Bylaws may be obtained, without charge, upon written
request to the Secretary of the Company at its principal executive
offices in San Diego, California.
A nomination or other proposal will be disregarded if it does not
comply with the above procedure and any additional requirements set forth in our
Bylaws. Please note that these requirements relate only to the matters that you
wish to bring before your fellow stockholders at an annual meeting. They are
separate from the SEC's requirements to have your proposal included in our proxy
statement.
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
Representatives of BDO Seidman, LLP are expected to be present at the
meeting and will be given an opportunity to make a statement and to respond to
questions regarding BDO Seidman, LLP's audit of the Company's consolidated
financial statements and records for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001.
27
Audit Fees
The aggregate fees billed by BDO Seidman, LLP and Ernst & Young, LLP
for professional services rendered for the audit of the Company's annual
consolidated financial statements and the reviews of the consolidated financial
statements included in the Company's Forms 10-Q for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2001, were $319,100 and $19,400, respectively.
Financial Information Systems Design and Implementation Fees
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001, neither BDO Seidman, LLP
nor Ernst & Young, LLP was paid a fee for, and neither firm provided, directly
or indirectly, any services relating to the design or implementation of the
Company's information system, local area network, or any hardware or software
system.
All Other Fees
BDO Seidman, LLP and Ernst & Young, LLP were also paid fees for
quarterly agreed-upon procedures, audit and tax consulting matters, preparation
of tax returns, and securitization services. Total fees paid to BDO Seidman, LLP
and Ernst & Young, LLP for all matters related to fiscal 2001 amounted to
$224,922 and $71,142, respectively.
Changes in the Company's Certifying Accountant
Effective July 30, 2001, the Company engaged BDO Seidman, LLP as the
Company's independent accounting firm. The decision to engage BDO Seidman, LLP
as the Company's accountants was recommended by the Company's Audit Committee
and approved by the Company's Board of Directors. The Company had not consulted
with BDO Seidman, LLP on any matter during the two most recent fiscal years or
any later interim period prior to engaging BDO Seidman, LLP. Information
relating to the resignation of the Company's former accountant, Ernst & Young
LLP, was reported on the Company's Form 8-K dated May 31, 2001.
OTHER MATTERS
As of the date of this proxy statement, the Board of Directors does not
intend to present at the annual meeting any matters other than those described
herein and does not presently know of any matters that will be presented by
other parties. If any other matter is properly brought before the meeting for
action by stockholders, proxies in the enclosed form returned to the Company
will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Board of Directors
or, in the absence of such a recommendation, in accordance with the judgment of
the proxy holder.
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
/s/ Carl C. Gregory, III
---------------------------
Carl C. Gregory, III
President and Chief Executive Officer
October 4, 2002
28
APPENDIX A
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
1999 EQUITY PARTICIPATION PLAN
Adopted Effective July 7, 1999
Initially Approved by Stockholders June 21, 1999
Amended and Restated Effective September 10, 2002
Amendments Approved by Stockholders _________2002
Termination Date June 20, 2009
1. PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF PLAN
(a) Purpose of Plan. The purpose of this 1999 Equity Participation Plan
(the "Plan") of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (the "Company") is to promote the
interests of the Company and its stockholders by (i) securing for the Company
and its stockholders the benefits of the additional incentive inherent in owning
stock of the Company by selected officers, directors, and employees of, and
consultants to, the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, as defined in
Section 4 ("Eligible Participants"), and who are important to the success and
growth of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, and (ii) assisting
the Company to secure and retain the services of such persons. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the term "Eligible Participants" shall not include a non-natural
person unless the grant of Options to such non-natural person is registered or
exempt from registration under applicable securities laws. The Plan provides for
granting such persons options ("Options") for the purchase of shares of the
Company's common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Shares").
(b) History of the Plan. The Plan was initially adopted to be effective
July 7, 1999, and was approved by its stockholders on June 21, 1999. The
original name of the Plan was the MCM Capital Group, Inc. 1999 Equity
Participation Plan. This document amends and restates the Plan as set forth
herein effective as of September 10, 2002, subject to the approval of the
stockholders of the Company, to change the name of the Plan to match the name of
the Company, increase the share reserve of the Plan, to adopt changes required
by applicable state laws, and to adopt other desirable changes to the Plan. The
amendments set forth herein shall only apply to awards of Options made after the
amendment and restatement of the Plan. Options awarded prior to the amendment
and restatement of the Plan shall be subject to the terms of the Plan in effect
prior to such amendment and restatement except as otherwise expressly provided
by the Board or Committee.
2. ADMINISTRATION
The Plan shall be administered by the Board of Directors of the Company
("Board") or a committee or subcommittee of the Board as may be designated by
the Board, upon the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the directors
then in office, to administer the Plan (the "Committee"). If the Board appoints
a Committee, the Committee will consist of at least two individuals, each of
whom qualifies as (i) a "non-employee director" under Rule 16b-3 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("1934 Act"), and (ii) an "outside
director" under Code Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended ("Code") and the regulations issued thereunder to the extent Rule 16b-3
and Code Section 162(m) apply to the Company and the Plan; however, the fact
that a Committee member shall fail to qualify under either of the foregoing
requirements shall not invalidate any award that is otherwise validly made under
the Plan. Reference to the Committee will refer to the Board if the Board does
not appoint a Committee.
A-1
The members of the Committee may be changed at any time and from time
to time in the discretion of the Board. Subject to the limitations and
conditions hereinafter set forth, the Committee shall have authority to grant
Options hereunder, to determine the number of Shares for which each Option shall
be granted and the Option price or prices and to determine any conditions
pertaining to the exercise or to the vesting of each Option. The Committee shall
have full power to construe and interpret the Plan and any Plan agreement
executed pursuant to the Plan to establish and amend rules for its
administration, and to establish in its discretion terms and conditions
applicable to the exercise of Options. The determination of the Committee on all
matters relating to the Plan or any Plan agreement shall be conclusive. No
member of the Committee shall be liable for any action or determination made in
good faith with respect to the Plan or any award hereunder.
3. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
The Shares to be transferred or sold pursuant to the exercise of
Options granted under the plan shall be authorized Shares, and may be issued
Shares reacquired by the Company and held in its treasury or may be authorized
but unissued Shares. Subject to the provisions of Section 11 hereof (relating to
adjustments in the number and classes or series of Shares to be delivered
pursuant to the Plan), the maximum aggregate number of Shares to be delivered on
the exercise of Options shall be Two Million One Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
(2,600,000).1 2 Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, and
subject to the adjustment in Section 11, the maximum number of Shares with
respect to one or more Options that may be granted to any employee under the
Plan during any fiscal year of the Company is 500,000.
If an Option expires or terminates for any reason during the term of
the Plan and prior to the exercise in full of such Option, the number of Shares
previously subject to but not delivered under such Option shall be available for
the grant of Options thereafter.
4. ELIGIBILITY
Options may be granted from time to time to selected Eligible
Participants of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate, as defined in this
Section 4. From time to time, the Committee shall designate those Eligible
Participants who will be granted Options and in connection therewith, the number
of Shares to be covered by each grant of Options. Persons granted Options are
referred to hereinafter as "optionees." Nothing in the Plan or in any grant of
Options pursuant to the Plan, shall confer on any person any right to continue
in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, nor in
any way interfere with the right of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or
affiliates to terminate the person's employment at any time.
The term "subsidiary" shall mean, at the time of reference, any
corporation organized or acquired (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain
of corporations beginning with the Company if, at the time of reference, each of
the corporations (including the Company) other than the last corporation in the
unbroken chain owns stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting
power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain.
The term "affiliate" shall mean any person or entity which, at the time of
reference, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls,
is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company.
---------------------
1 The September 10, 2002 amendment and restatement of the Plan increased
the share reserve of the Plan from 1,300,000 shares to 2,600,000 shares.
2 California Department of Corporation Regulation section 260.140.45 requires
two-thirds shareholder approval if the total shares of stock issuable under
the plan may exceed 30% of the total outstanding shares on a fully converted basis.
A-2
5. CHARACTER OF OPTIONS
Options granted hereunder shall not be incentive stock Options as such
term is defined in Section 422 of the Code. Options granted hereunder shall be
"non-qualified" stock options subject to the provisions of Section 83 of the
Code.
If an Option granted under the Plan is exercised by an optionee, then,
at the discretion of the Committee, the optionee may receive a replacement or
reload Option hereunder to purchase a number of Shares equal to the number of
Shares utilized to pay the exercise price and/or withholding taxes in the Option
exercise, with an exercise price equal to the "fair market value" (as defined in
Section 7 of the Plan) of a Share on the date such replacement or reload Option
is granted, and, unless the Committee determines otherwise, with all other terms
and conditions (including the date or dates of which the Option shall become
exercisable and the term of the Option) identical to the terms and conditions of
the Option with respect to which the reload Option is granted.
6. STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
Each Option granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by a written
stock option agreement, which shall be executed by the Company and by the person
whom the Option is granted. The agreement shall contain such terms and
provisions, not inconsistent with the Plan, as shall be determined by the Board
or the Committee in its sole discretion.
7. OPTION EXERCISE PRICE
(a) Exercise Price Limits. The exercise price per Share to be paid by
the optionee on the date an Option is exercised as determined by the Committee
shall not be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value (as
defined below) of one Share on the date the Option is granted, provided,
however, that the price shall be one hundred ten percent (110%) of the fair
market value (as defined below) in the case of any person who owns Shares
possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all
classes of the capital stock of the Company or its parent or subsidiary
corporations. In no event shall the exercise price of any Share be less than its
par value.
b) Fair Market Value. For purposes of this Plan, the
"fair market value" as of any date in respect of any Shares shall mean the
closing price per Share on such date as determined as follows:
(1) If the Shares are listed on any established stock exchange
or traded on the Nasdaq National Market or the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, the fair
market value of a Share shall be the closing sales price for such stock (or the
closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or market (or
the exchange or market with the greatest volume of trading in the Shares) on the
last market trading day prior to the day of determination, as reported in the
Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Committee deems reliable.
(2) In the absence of such markets for the Shares, the fair
market value shall be determined in good faith by the Committee in its sole
discretion which determination by the Committee shall be binding and conclusive.
A-3
(3) To the extent the Plan and the award of Options are
subject to the requirements of section 25100 of the California Corporation Code,
the value of a Share shall be determined in a manner consistent with Section
260.140.50 of Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations.
8. OPTION TERM
The period after which Options granted under the Plan may not be
exercised shall be determined by the Committee with respect to each Option
granted, but may not exceed ten years from the date on which the Option is
granted, subject to the third paragraph of Section 9 hereof.
9. EXERCISE OF OPTIONS
(a) Exercise of Options In General. The time or times at which or
during which Options granted under the Plan may be exercised, and any conditions
pertaining to such exercise or to the vesting in the optionee of the right to
exercise Options, shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
Subsequent to the grant of an Option which is not immediately exercisable in
full, the Committee, at any time before complete termination of such Option, may
accelerate or extend the time or times at which such Option may be exercised in
whole or in part.
(b) Vesting of Options. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent
that the following restrictions are required by the California Department of
Corporations for a permit or by section 260.140.41(f) of the Title 10 of the
California Code of Regulations at the time of the grant of the Option, then: (i)
Options granted to an employee who is not an officer, director or consultant of
the Company, shall provide for vesting of the total number of Shares subject to
the Option at a rate of at least twenty percent (20%) per year over five (5)
years from the date the Option was granted, subject to reasonable conditions
including but not limited to continued employment; and (ii) Options granted to
officers, directors or consultants may be made fully exercisable, subject to
reasonable conditions such as continued employment or service, at any time
during any period established by the Board or Committee.
(c) Termination of Options. Except as otherwise determined by the
Committee at the time of grant or thereafter, the unexercised portion of any
Option granted under the Plan shall automatically and without notice terminate
and become null and void at the time of the earliest to occur of the following:
(1) the expiration of the period of time determined by the
Committee upon the grant of such Option; provided that in no event shall such
period exceed ten (10) years from the date on which such Option was granted;
(2) in the event of the termination of the optionee's
employment by, or services to, the Company and its subsidiaries, the Option shall
terminate as follows:
(A) if such termination constitutes or is attributable
to a breach by the optionee of an employment or consulting agreement with the
Company or any of its subsidiaries, or if the optionee is discharged or if his or
her services are terminated for cause, then the Option shall terminate immediately
upon such termination date;
(B) if such termination is due to the death or
disability of the optionee, then the Option shall terminate on the one-year
anniversary of the date of death or disability of the optionee; or
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(C) if such termination is for any other reason
including the voluntary or involuntary termination of the optionee's
employment with, or services to, theCompany, then the Option shall terminate on
the ninetieth (90th) day followingthe date of termination of the employment or
services; or
(3) the expiration of such period of time or the occurrence of
such event or events as the Committee in its discretion may provide upon the
granting thereof.
The Committee shall have the right to determine what constitutes cause
for discharge or termination of services, whether the optionee has been
discharged or his or her services terminated for cause and the date of such
discharge or termination of services, and such determination of the Committee
shall be final and conclusive.
(d) Exercise By Executor or Administrator. Except as otherwise provided
by the Committee at the time of grant or thereafter, in the event of the death
of an optionee, Options exercisable by the optionee at the time of his or her
death may be exercised within one year thereafter by the person or persons to
whom the optionee's rights under the Options shall pass by will or by the
applicable law of descent and distribution. However, in no event may any Option
be exercised by anyone after the earlier of (i) the final date upon which the
optionee could have exercised it had the optionee continued in the employment of
the Company or its subsidiaries to such date, or (ii) one year after the
optionee's death.
(e) Method of Exercise and Consideration for Exercise. An Option may be
exercised only by a notice in writing complying in all respects with the
applicable stock option agreement. Such notice may instruct the Company to
deliver Shares due upon the exercise of the Option to any registered broker or
dealer approved by the Company (an "approved broker") in lieu of delivery to the
optionee. Such instructions shall designate the account into which the Shares
are to be deposited. The optionee may tender such notice, properly executed by
the optionee, together with the aforementioned delivery instructions, to an
approved broker. The purchase price of the Shares as to which an Option is
exercised shall be paid in cash or by check, except that the Committee may, in
its discretion, allow such payment to be made by surrender of unrestricted
Shares that have been held by the Optionee for at least six months (at their
fair market value on the date of exercise), or by a combination of cash, check
and unrestricted Shares (which have been held at least six (6) months),
provided, however, that the par value of the Shares shall be paid in cash or
unrestricted Shares.
Payment in accordance with this Section 9 may be deemed to be
satisfied, if and to the extent provided in the applicable option agreement, by
delivery to the Company of an assignment of a sufficient amount of the proceeds
from the sale of Shares acquired upon exercise to pay for all of the Shares
acquired upon exercise and an authorization to the broker or selling agent to
pay that amount to the Company, which sale shall be made at the optionee's
direction at the time of exercise, provided that the Committee may require the
optionee to furnish an opinion of counsel acceptable to the Committee to the
effect that such delivery would not result in the grantee incurring any
liability under Section 16 of the 1934 Act, and does not require the consent,
clearance or approval of any governmental or regulatory body (including any
securities exchange or similar self-regulatory organization).
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Wherever in this Plan or any option agreement an optionee is permitted
to pay the exercise price of an Option or taxes relating to the exercise of an
Option by delivering Shares, the optionee may, subject to procedures
satisfactory to the Committee, satisfy such delivery requirement by presenting
proof of beneficial ownership of such Shares, in which case the Company shall
treat the Option as exercised without further payment and shall withhold such
number of Shares from the Shares acquired by the exercise of the Option (or if
the Option is paid in cash, cash in an amount equal to the fair market value of
such shares on the date of exercise).
(f) Transferability of Options. Except as otherwise provided in this
paragraph, no Option granted under the Plan shall be assignable or otherwise
transferable by the optionee, either voluntarily or involuntarily, except by
will or the laws of descent and distribution, by instrument to an inter vivos or
testamentary trust in which the Option is to be passed to a beneficiary upon the
death of the trustor (settlor), or by gift to a member of the Optionee's
"immediate family" as that term is used in section 260.140.41(d) of Title 10 of
the California Code of Regulations, and an Option shall be exercisable during
the optionee's lifetime only by the optionee. The Committee may in the
applicable Option agreement or at any time thereafter in an amendment to an
Option agreement provide that Options granted hereunder may be transferred with
or without consideration by the optionee, subject to such rules as the Committee
may adopt to preserve the purposes of the Plan, (i) pursuant to a domestic
relations order, or (ii) to one or more of the optionee's "immediate family"
which includes, except as otherwise prohibited by applicable securities laws the
optionee's spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, sibling,
mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, and
sister-in-law and includes adoptive relationships (collectively, the "Immediate
Family") (each transferee is hereafter referred to as a "Permitted Transferee");
provided, however, that the optionee gives the Committee advance written notice
describing the terms and conditions of the proposed transfer and the Committee
notifies the optionee in writing that such a transfer would comply with the
requirements of the Plan, any applicable Option agreement and any amendments
thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee, in its sole discretion,
may permit the transfer of an Option to an entity other than one included in the
term "Immediate Family" above at any time if such transfer would be permitted
under applicable state and federal securities laws (including but not limited to
an applicable state or federal securities law exemption for the Option and the
shares of common stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of the Option). The
Committee may require as a condition of the transfer of the Option to a trust or
by gift that the optionee's transferee enter into a option transfer agreement
provided by, acceptable to, the Company. The terms of an Option shall be binding
upon a transferee, executor, administrator, heir, successor and assign.
The terms and conditions of any Option transferred in accordance with
the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to the Permitted Transferee and
any reference in the Plan or in an Option agreement or any amendment thereto an
optionee or grantee shall be deemed to refer to the Permitted Transferee, except
that (a) Permitted Transferees shall not be entitled to transfer any Options,
other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution; (b) Permitted
Transferees shall not be entitled to exercise any transferred Options unless
there shall be in effect a registration statement on an appropriate form
covering the shares to be acquired pursuant to the exercise of such Option if
the Committee determines that such a registration statement is necessary or
appropriate; (c) the Committee or the Company shall not be required to provide
any notice to a Permitted Transferee, whether or not such notice is or would
otherwise have been required to be given to the optionee under the Plan or
otherwise; and (d) the events of termination of employment by, or services to,
the Company under clause (2)(A) of paragraph (c) of Section 9 hereof shall
continue to be applied with respect to the original optionee, following which
the Options shall be exercisable by the Permitted Transferee only to the extent,
and for the periods, specified in Section 9.
A-6
(g) Compliance with Terms of Plan and Applicable Laws. The obligation
of the Company to deliver Shares upon such exercise shall be subject to the
terms of the Option, the Plan and all applicable laws, rules and regulations,
and to such approvals by governmental agencies as may be deemed appropriate by
the Committee, including, among others, such steps as counsel for the Company
shall deem necessary or appropriate to comply with requirements of relevant
securities laws.
10. STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS AND OTHER RIGHTS
(a) No Stockholder Rights Until Shares Purchased. No optionee shall
have any of the rights of a stockholder with respect to any Shares unless and
until he or she has exercised his or her Option with respect to such Shares and
has paid the full purchase price therefor. An optionee who holds Shares shall be
entitled to receive all financial statements to which all stockholders of the
Company are entitled to receive.
(b) Other Rights. The grant, retention or exercise of an Option
shall not be construed to confer any service, employment or other rights on an
optionee other than as expressly provided herein.
11. CHANGES IN SHARES
In the event of (i) any split, reverse split, combination of shares,
reclassification, recapitalization or similar event which involves, affects or
is made with regard to any class or series of Shares which may be delivered
pursuant to the Plan ("Plan Shares"), (ii) any dividend or distribution on Plan
Shares payable in Shares, or (iii) a merger, consolidation or other
reorganization as a result of which Plan Shares shall be increased, reduced or
otherwise changed or affected, then in each such event the Committee shall, to
the extent it deems it to be consistent with such event and necessary or
equitable to carry out the purposes of the Plan, appropriately adjust (a) the
maximum number of Shares and the classes of series of such Shares which may be
delivered pursuant to the Plan, (b) the number of Shares and the classes or
series of Shares subject to outstanding Options, (c) the Option price per Share
subject to outstanding Options, and (d) any other provisions of the Plan,
provided, however, that (i) any adjustments made in accordance with clauses (b)
and (c) shall make any such outstanding Option as nearly as practicable,
equivalent to such Option immediately prior to such change and (ii) no such
adjustment shall give any optionee additional benefits under any outstanding
Option.
12. REORGANIZATION
In the event that the Company is merged or consolidated with another
corporation, or in the event that all or substantially all of the assets of the
Company are acquired by another corporation, or in the event of a reorganization
or liquidation of the Company (each such event being hereinafter referred to as
a "Reorganization Event") or in the event that the Board shall propose that the
Company enter into a Reorganization Event, then the Committee may in its
discretion take any or all of the following actions: (i) by written notice to
each optionee, provide that his or her Options will be terminated unless
exercised within thirty days (or such longer period as the Committee shall
determine in its sole discretion) after the date of such notice (without
acceleration of the exercisability of such Options); and (ii) advance the date
or dates upon which any or all outstanding Options shall be exercisable.
A-7
Whenever deemed appropriate by the Committee, any action referred to in
subparagraph (i) above may be made conditional upon the consummation of the
applicable Reorganization Event. The provisions of this Section 12 shall apply
notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan.
13. WITHHOLDING TAXES
Whenever Shares are to be delivered under the Plan pursuant to an
award, the Committee may require as a condition of delivery that the optionee or
grantee remit an amount sufficient to satisfy all federal, state and other
governmental holding tax requirements related thereto. Whenever cash is to be
paid under the Plan, the Company may, as a condition of its payment, deduct
therefrom, or from any salary or other payments due to the optionee, an amount
sufficient to satisfy all federal, state and other governmental withholding tax
requirements related thereto or to the delivery of any Shares under the Plan.
Notwithstanding any provision of this Plan to the contrary, in connection with
the transfer of an Option to a Permitted Transferee pursuant to Section 9 of the
Plan, the optionee shall remain liable for any withholding taxes required to be
withheld upon the exercise of such Option by the Permitted Transferee.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, (i) the Committee may
permit an optionee to satisfy all or part of the foregoing withholding
requirements by delivery of unrestricted Shares owned by the optionee for at
least six months (or such other period as the Committee may determine) having a
fair market value (determined as of the date of such delivery by the optionee)
equal to all or part of the amount to be so withheld, provided that the
Committee may require, as a condition of accepting any such delivery, the
optionee to furnish an opinion of counsel acceptable to the Committee to the
effect that such delivery would not result in the optionee incurring any
liability under Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act; and (ii) the Committee may permit
any such delivery to be made by withholding Shares from the Shares otherwise
issuable pursuant to the award giving rise to the tax withholding obligation (in
which event the date of delivery shall be deemed the date such award was
exercised); provided that such withholding shall be based on the minimum
statutory withholding rates for federal and state purposes, including payroll
taxes, that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income.
14. AMENDMENT AND DISCONTINUANCE
The Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the Plan
or any portion thereof at any time; provided that no such amendment, alteration,
suspension, discontinuation, or termination shall be made without stockholder
approval if such approval is necessary to comply with any tax, statutory,
regulatory or stock exchange requirement applicable to the Company and the Plan;
and provided further that any such amendment, alteration, suspension,
discontinuance, or termination that would impair the rights of any optionee or
any holder or beneficiary of any Option theretofore granted shall not to that
extent be effective without the consent of the affected optionee, holder, or
beneficiary.
15. APPLICABLE LAWS
The obligation of the Company to deliver Shares shall be subject to all
applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by governmental
agencies as may be deemed appropriate by the Committee, including, among others,
such steps as counsel for the Company shall deem necessary or appropriate to
comply with requirements of relevant securities laws. Such obligation shall also
be subject to the condition that the Shares reserved for issuance upon the
exercise of Options granted under the Plan shall have been duly listed on any
national securities exchange which then constitutes the principal trading market
for the Shares.
A-8
16. GOVERNING LAWS
The Plan shall be applied and construed in accordance with and governed
by the law of the State of Delaware, to the extent such law is not superseded by
or inconsistent with Federal law.
17. EFFECTIVE DATE AND DURATION OF PLAN
The Plan was approved by the stockholders of the Company as of June 21,
1999, and became effective upon the closing (the "Closing") of the initial
public offering of the Company's Shares pursuant to Registration Statement No.
333-77483 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Plan is hereby
amended and restated and the term during which Options may be granted under the
Plan shall expire on the day preceding the tenth anniversary of date of the
initial approval of the Plan by the stockholders of the Company.
18. AMENDMENTS TO AGREEMENTS
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Committee may
amend the terms of any agreement entered into in connection with any award
granted pursuant to the Plan, provided that the terms of such amendment are not
inconsistent with the terms of the Plan.
A-9
ANNEX 1
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
PROXY FOR COMMON STOCK
Annual Meeting of Stockholders - October 24, 2002
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The undersigned hereby appoints each of Carl C. Gregory, III, Barry R.
Barkley and J. Brandon Black proxies with full power of substitution acting
unanimously and voting or if only one is present and voting then that one, to
vote the shares of common stock of Encore Capital Group, Inc., which the
undersigned is entitled to vote, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
held at the offices of BDO Seidman, LLP, 330 Madison Avenue, New York, New York
10017-5001, on October 24, 2002, at 5:30 p.m. local time, and at any adjournment
or adjournments thereof, with all the powers the undersigned would possess if
present.
This proxy revokes any and all other proxies heretofore
given by the undersigned.
(Continued and to be signed on other side)
Please date, sign and mail your
proxy card back as soon as possible!
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
October 24, 2002
Please Detach and Mail in the Envelope Provided
A [X] Please mark your votes as in this example.
FOR all nominees WITHHOLD
listed below (except AUTHORITY
as marked to the to vote for all nominees
contrary) listed below
1. ELECTION [ ] [ ] Nominees: Eric D. Kogan
OF DIRECTORS Peter W. May
Robert M. Whyte
(Instruction. To withhold authority to vote for Raymond Fleming
any individual nominee strike a line through Carl C. Gregory, III
the nominee's name in the list at right.) Richard A. Mandell
Alexander Lemond
FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN
2. APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO 1999. [ ] [ ] [ ]
EQUITY PARTICIPATION PLAN
3. RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS [ ] [ ] [ ]
4. In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other
business as may properly come before this meeting.
IF YOU RETURN YOUR PROPERLY EXECUTED PROXY, WE WILL VOTE YOUR SHARES AS YOU
DIRECT. IF YOU DO NOT SPECIFY ON YOUR PROXY CARD HOW YOU WANT TO VOTE YOUR
SHARES, WE WILL VOTE THEM FOR PROPOSALS 1, 2 AND 3 AND IN THE DISCRETION OF THE
PROXIES ON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING OR ANY
ADJOURNMENTS THEREOF.
The undersigned hereby revokes any proxy or proxies heretofore given to vote
such shares at said meeting or at any adjournment thereof.
Please mark, sign and date below and return the proxy card promptly using the
enclosed envelope.
Signature___________________ Signature if held jointly___________________Dated:_____, 200__
NOTE: Please sign EXACTLY as your name appears hereon. When signing as
attorney, executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, please give
your full title as such. If more than one trustee, all should sign. If shares
are held jointly, both owners must sign. PLEASE VOTE, SIGN, DATE, AND RETURN
THE PROXY CARD USING THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.
ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
ADMISSION TICKET
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2002
The 2002 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Encore Capital Group, Inc. will
be held on Thursday, October 24, 2002, at 5:30 p.m., local time, at the offices of
BDO Seidman, LLP, 330 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10017.
Encore Capital Group, Inc.
Annual Meeting of Stockholders -- October 24, 2002
Proxy for Preferred Stock
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The undersigned hereby appoints each of Carl C. Gregory, III, Barry R.
Barkley and J. Brandon Black proxies with full power of substitution acting
unanimously and voting or if only one is present and voting then that one, to
vote the shares of stock of Encore Capital Group, Inc., which the undersigned is
entitled to vote, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at the
offices of BDO Seidman, LLP, 330 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017-5001,
on October 24, 2002, at 5:30 p.m. local time, and at any adjournment or
adjournments thereof, with all the powers the undersigned would possess if
present.
1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
FOR all nominees listed below WITHHOLD AUTHORITY
(except as marked to the contrary below) [ ] to vote for all nominees listed below [ ]
(INSTRUCTION: To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee strike a
line through the nominee's name in the list below.)
Eric D. Kogan, Peter W. May, Robert M. Whyte, Raymond Fleming,
Carl C. Gregory, III, Richard A. Mandell, Alexander Lemond
2. APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO 1999 EQUITY PARTICIPATION PLAN
FOR [ ] AGAINST [ ] ABSTAIN [ ]
3. RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
FOR [ ] AGAINST [ ] ABSTAIN [ ]
4. In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other
business as may properly come before this meeting.
IF YOU RETURN YOUR PROPERLY EXECUTED PROXY, WE WILL VOTE YOUR SHARES AS YOU
DIRECT. IF YOU DO NOT SPECIFY ON YOUR PROXY CARD HOW YOU WANT TO VOTE YOUR
SHARES, WE WILL VOTE THEM FOR PROPOSALS 1, 2 AND 3 AND IN THE DISCRETION OF THE
PROXIES ON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING OR ANY
ADJOURNMENTS THEREOF.
Please mark, sign and date the reverse side and
return the proxy card promptly using the enclosed envelope.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The undersigned hereby revokes any proxy or proxies heretofore given to vote such shares at said meeting or at
any adjournment thereof.
Please sign EXACTLY as your name appears hereon.
When signing as attorney, executor, administrator,
trustee or guardian, please give your full title
as such. If more than one trustee, all should
sign. If shares are held jointly, both owners must sign.
DATED: _________________, 2002
PLEASE VOTE, SIGN, DATE, AND RETURN THE PROXY CARD _________________________________________
USING THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE Signature
_________________________________________
Signature if held jointly