Do Executives Want Equity?

Are equity awards still effective tools that tie the interests of executive management to those of a bank’s shareholders?

Equity is an important piece of the compensation pie for many banks, particularly those that are publicly traded, according to the 262 directors, CEOs, human resources officers and other senior executives responding to Bank Director’s 2016 Compensation Survey, sponsored by Compensation Advisors, a member of Meyer-Chatfield Group. Forty percent say that their institution allocates equity grants to executives annually. Boards and shareholders like equity because, in theory, it ties the interests of the executive to the long-term success of the company. For executives, it’s a reward that, hopefully, grows along with the value of the bank.

The survey also finds many banks preparing for the next generation of bank CEOs, but there remains a lot of work to do in this area. Almost one-third anticipate the retirement of the bank’s CEO within the next five years, and responding CEOs indicate differing desires, based on age, when it comes to their compensation packages. Can banks weather the transition from a baby boomer CEO to someone who is younger—maybe even a millennial? Twelve percent of bank CEOs are now between the ages of 32 and 46, so the dawn of the millennial CEO isn’t that far off. But more than one-third of respondents indicate that attracting talented millennial employees is a challenge for their bank, and they cite two factors: Millennials aren’t interested in working for a bank, and their bank’s culture is too traditional.

With just a few exceptions, the 2016 Compensation Survey finds that few banks have millennials serving on their board. But bank boards are also aging, and 90 percent of respondents indicate their board will see at least one director retire within the next five years. Almost half expect to lose more than three directors to retirement. As they seek new directors to fill these slots, 63 percent indicate that their board seeks to foster more diversity among its members.

For more on these considerations, read the white paper.

To view the full results to the survey, click here.