from the Board Governance Series
The Right Way to Evaluate Your CEO
David A.Hofrichter, principal and leader with Hewitt Associates, reviews best practices in CEO evaluation and the importance of board members using CEO evaluations as an opportunity to engage in a productive dialogue that goes beyond the company’s financial performance.

from the Board Governance Series
What a Director Should Understand about Fair Value Accounting
There are certain pitfalls of fair value accounting that directors need to understand, as well as risks to be mitigated. Don Walker, senior managing director, FTI Consulting, discusses the steps directors must take to make sure that the proper controls are in place and the right questions are being asked about those controls.

from the Board Governance Series
Executive Change-in-Control Arrangements: What Directors Need to Know
Directors, especially those serving on the compensation committee, need to familiarize themselves with issues related to provisions that trigger benefits under change-in-control agreements. Roberta D. Fox, a principal and senior executive compensation consultant with Hewitt Associates, outlines the five primary issues.

from the Board Governance Series
The New Business Combinations Standard is Coming—Is Your Board Ready?
From purchase price date to deal costs and restructuring charges, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Partner, Corporate Governance, Catherine L.Bromilow discusses the impact of the new business combinations standard and what corporate board
members should be considering when contemplating a deal.

INTERVIEW
Inside the Boardroom with Alan Friesen
Bank Director’s associate publisher talks with Alan Friesen, president & CEO at Haberfeld Associates, about the importance of core funding to banks–and the mistakes that most banks make in their deposit gathering strategies.

SUPPLEMENT
Banker and Board Poll 2009: Speaking Out About M&A and Growth
At the 15th annual Acquire or Be Acquired conference in Phoenix, Bank Director asked nearly 500 audience members to offer their M&A predictions for 2009, including their prognostications for the industry as well as details regarding their own banks’ approach to growth in today’s turbulent times.This supplement outlines their responses and includes expert commentary from Erik van Nispen, managing director, financial institutions group, BMO Capital Markets.

ARTICLE
Swimming Through Underwater Stock Options: Strategies for Navigating Financial, Retention, and Motivation Obstacles
It is not news that many organizations in a variety of industries such as the financial services, home building, automotive, and retail industries are
experiencing a market downturn and an associated drop in stock price. As a result, many stock option grants are significantly underwater and not expected to rebound to their original strike price over the next few years. This report from Amalfi Consulting, LLC attempts to identify the most common solutions, as well as the disadvantages and advantages.


SUPPLEMENT
Surviving in Challenging Times: Critical Issues Facing Bank CFOs
The current environment requires extraordinary skills from bank chief financial officers to ensure their institution survives the year ahead. This supplement features thought leaders from national accounting firm KPMG as well as top attorneys from Alston & Bird LLP, who offer instruction to directors on risk management and capital planning for 2009.

SUPPLEMENT
16th Annual Bank Executive Research
Bank Director and Grant Thornton LLP collaborated to present the sweeping 16th Bank Executive Survey. This comprehensive report provides an assessment of how bank executives are managing the turmoil around them and outlines the strategies they will take in the months to come. Topics include the economy, funding, growth strategies, risk management, compensation, accounting, and much more.