Backdated stock options definition

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Options Backdating

English-Spanish dictionary : translate English words into Spanish with online dictionaries. Like never backdate a or don't stamp a B transfer without telling a client first. Como nunca antedatar una o estampar una transferencia B sin decirle antes al cliente. But you knew he didn't, which is why after her death you ordered Mr. Musio to backdate and file case reports on Keisha, isn't that right? Musio antedatar y los informes de casos sobre Keisha? They're even going to backdate the new payment scales to bugs reported up to 1st July Incluso van a retrotraer la nueva escala de pagos a las vulnerabilidades descubiertas hasta el 1 de julio de You had 'em backdate your sale to yesterday, so it falls under your old pay structure?

With the U. The practice involves stock options. A company promises a worker the right to buy a share of of stock at a specific price, called the strike price. The strike price is typically tied to the value of the stock on a certain date—the hiring date for an employee, for example. That option is currently worth nothing. If that difference seems slight, imagine it multiplied by thousands—or even millions—of options.

The Economic Impact of Backdating of Executive Stock Options

No—in fact, companies often do it as a way to lure top talent. At the most basic level, Dina says, improperly backdating stock options is a way for companies to overstate their assets and understate their expenses. According to Patrick Taylor, CEO of options-monitoring software maker Oversight Systems, there have been at least public companies that have come under scrutiny in the last year.

Because of changes in the law. First, the U. Subsequently, compensating employees with options was a way to save on taxes for both the company its employees, as the proceeds from exercising stock options are eligible only for the percent capital gain tax rate. Thus, companies had healthy incentives to load compensation packages with stock options. Second, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of required companies to report stock option grants within two days.

The University of Michigan found that nearly a quarter of stock options were still reported late, often to the financial benefit of the options grantee. Finally, the U. So: the U. In JuneApple announced that an internal probe had found some irregularities in some option grants issued between and Among those irregularities—a grant to its CEO, Jobs. We are focused on resolving these issues as quickly as possible. Four months later, Apple said a special committee had found irregularities in 15 of the grants made between and —6 percent of the total grants issued in that period.

What is a stock option?

The answer may be in a Wall Street Journal report from earlier this month. According to the Journalregulators are looking into a falsely dated grant of 7. What will help or hurt any company enmeshed in a backdating probe is how its actions look to the government and to shareholders. It really depends on how improper backdating is perceived—was it maliciously done and something done to hide it?

The public typically sits up and takes notice of improper backdating when it begins to understand the financial impact that practice had, Dina added. You have to wait until it becomes real to people losing money. The shares split, and last March, Jobs was eligible to exercise his now million options.

How Much Is Too Much?

Whether this argument will hold up under regulatory and public scrutiny remains to be seen. Paul Hodgson, a compensation expert with The Corporate Library, is skeptical. The second factor helping Apple: it has positioned the problematic backdating practices as a past problem.


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  4. The Economic Impact of Backdating of Executive Stock Options.

Nevertheless, Apple faces more than just a federal probe into its backdating practices. A group of shareholders is suing the companyalleging that improper backdating has harmed Apple financially. What is backdating and how does it work? Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

American courts have brought the practice of stock option backdating to the forefront. Described by the Wall Street Journal as "the perfect payday" 1some company executives and directors are now beginning to suffer the consequences of a practice that saw several of them draw undue profits after issuing stock options on dates hand-selected to coincide with favourable exercise prices. The number of cases involving options backdating continues to rise in the United States. Nearly 40 directors and officers have resigned as a result of these investigations. Recent court decisions have given way to a variety of actions against both company executives and directors.

Of late, Delaware's Court of Chancery has agreed to hear a shareholder derivative suit that is aimed at both the directors and the recipients of backdated stock options; the former for a breach of their fiduciary duty, and the latter for unjust enrichment. Having been the first to plead guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy in relation to backdating, Mr.

With Canadian corporate culture generally considered akin to that of the United States, the question of whether or not options backdating will reach scandalous proportions North of the border inevitably presents itself. In anticipation of this possibility, there is certain information that all company directors should now be aware of. At its root, backdating allows for the use of hindsight when determining the grant date for stock options and therefore the price. By drafting or modifying the grant document to reflect a past date associated with a favourable exercise price, one may create the illusion that the decision to grant options was, in fact, made on the indicated date.

While, according to the grant document, it appears that options are offered "at the money", meaning at a price equal to the share price at the time of the grant, the options are, in reality, offered "in the money". As opposed to an " at the money" option, an " in the money" option holds an intrinsic value; there is already a built-in profit at the time of the grant. Originally conceived as a tremendous tool allowing companies to attract talent and reward employees without affecting cash flow, stock options also serve to align the interests of company executives with those of shareholders.

The granting of an "in the money" option clearly negates such an alignment. In its most traditional form, backdating is accomplished by the intentional modification of the minutes of the meeting in which an option grant is authorized.


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  • Such situations make it possible to modify not only the date of a grant but also the number of options in question and the identities of the grantees. As highlighted by Delaware courts, it is the intent with which these actions are taken that causes them to be in bad faith, thus opening the doors to director liability. Certain practices are more likely to raise red flags than others; grants by unanimous written consent and large grants with long lists of grantees are among such practices.

    Open-ended clauses reading "effective as of", as well as long, ambiguous lists attached to more complex grant documents, are particularly likely to raise suspicions of misconduct. Beyond practices involving the modification of grant documents, the value of options may also be inflated by timing a grant in relation to the release of information that is likely to affect stock price.

    For example, "spring-loading" takes place when a grant is authorized prior to the publication of positive information that is likely to cause a rise in stock price. In this case, the result is not only a more favourable exercise price but the likely contravention of Canadian securities legislation as well. These guidelines include, among other points, i the establishment of a compensation committee; and ii the adopting of policies regarding corporate disclosure, insiders and "black-out" periods around earning announcements.

    The notice concludes with a warning that enforcement action may be taken if the CSA is made aware of any non-compliance with securities legislation. While conclusive evidence has yet to be reported, the study highlights the fact that the opportunity was present. Note: This page has been archived and is no longer being updated. It may include obsolete or out-of-date information.

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    Spotlight on Stock Options Backdating Note: This page has been archived and is no longer being updated. Trident Microsystems, Inc. Lin, and Peter Y. Jen, Litigation Release No. Anthony Bonica, Litigation Release No. Carl W. Jasper, Litigation Release No. Byrd SEC v. Michael J. Byrd, Litigation Release No. Henry T. Shanahan, Sr. Michael Shanahan, Sr. Black Box Corporation, Frederick C. Young, and Anna M. Lisa M. Roberts, Litigation Release No. Comverse Technology, Inc. Monster Worldwide, Inc. Gary A.

    Ray, Litigation Release No. Gregory Reyes, et al. Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Quest Software, Inc. Smith, John J. Laskey, and Kevin E. Brooks, Litigation Release No. Stock option backdating involves setting the issuance date of options prior to their actual issuance date. By doing so, the strike price of each option can be set lower for the option recipient, allowing more room for the person to earn a profit when the options are eventually exercised.

    Stock options give their holder the right to purchase the common stock of a corporation at a specific price. This right is available over a date range, such as for the next five years. Once a stock option is used to buy shares, these shares are typically sold right away, in order to pay any related income taxes. Consequently, a person who has been awarded stock options will only use them if the current market price is higher than the exercise price built into the options.

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