Except as modified in this regulation or unless the context otherwise requires, the terms used in this regulation have the same meaning as set forth in the relevant statutes. For purposes of this subpart:

Act means the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994, as amended (12 U.S.C. 4701 et seq.).

Appropriate Federal banking agency has the same meaning as in 12 U.S.C. 1813 and also includes the NCUA with respect to a federally insured credit union.

Capital distributions means:

1. (1) Dividends, including discretionary dividends, on non-senior securities and any other payments on a share of stock or other equity or equivalent interest;
2. (2) Payments, including interest payments, on non-senior securities, that the issuer has full discretion to permanently or temporarily suspend without triggering a default;
3. (3) Redemptions or repurchases of non-senior securities; or
4. (4) Any similar transaction that the Department of the Treasury determines to be in substance a capital distribution;

5. (5) Provided, that a “capital distribution” does not include:

   1. (i) Redemptions or repurchases of shares that are part of an employee stock ownership plan for an ECIP recipient that is not publicly traded, provided that the repurchase is required solely by virtue of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended;

   2. (ii) In the case of federally insured credit unions:

      1. (A) Payments of dividends and interest (as defined by 12 CFR 707.2(h) and (o)) on accounts held by their members; provided that this exclusion does not apply to any extraordinary or special dividend by a credit union; or
      2. (B) Redemptions of membership share interests upon voluntary or involuntary terminations of membership by a credit union or its members, as applicable; and
   3. (iii) Solely in the case of § 35.23(b) (Limit on amount of capital distributions), redemptions or repurchases of non-senior securities if the issuer of the non-senior securities being repurchased or redeemed fully funds the redemption or repurchase by issuing at least a corresponding amount of new non-senior securities that rank equally in liquidation with, receive the same capital treatment as and, if applicable, have a stated maturity date no earlier than the non-senior securities being redeemed or repurchased.

ECIP means the Emergency Capital Investment Program established under Section 104A of the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994, as amended.

ECIP investment means any preferred stock, subordinated debt, or other instrument (including any successor to any such instrument) issued by an ECIP recipient to the Department of the Treasury under the ECIP.

ECIP investment agreement means the agreement between an ECIP recipient and the Department of the Treasury with respect to the ECIP investment in that ECIP recipient.

ECIP investment date means the date on which an ECIP recipient first issued an ECIP investment.

ECIP period means the period from the ECIP investment date until the earliest of:

1. (1) The date on which the ECIP recipient has fully redeemed or repaid the ECIP investment received under ECIP;
2. (2) The date on which the investment the ECIP recipient received under the ECIP is no longer held, in full or in part, by the Department of the Treasury or any affiliate thereof; and
3. (3) Ten years after the ECIP investment date.

ECIP recipient means any entity that has received a capital investment under the ECIP.

Excessive or luxury expenditures means:

1. (1) Excessive expenditures on any of the following to the extent such expenditures are not reasonable expenditures for staff development, reasonable performance incentives, or other similar reasonable measures conducted in the normal course of the ECIP recipient's business operations:

   1. (i) Entertainment or events;
   2. (ii) Office and facility renovations;
   3. (iii) Aviation or other transportation services;
   4. (iv) Tax gross-ups; and
   5. (v) Other similar items, activities, or events for which the ECIP recipient may reasonably anticipate incurring expenses, or reimbursing an employee for incurring expenses;
2. (2) Provided, that reasonable capital investments in technology, equipment, and similar items that expand the long-term capability of an ECIP recipient to provide products and services to its customers and community are not excessive or luxury expenditures.

Excessive or luxury expenditures policy means written standards applicable to the ECIP recipient and its employees that address the five categories of expenses set forth in the definition of “excessive or luxury expenditures,” and that are reasonably designed to eliminate excessive and luxury expenditures. Such written standards must:

1. (1) Identify the types or categories of expenditures which are prohibited (which may include a threshold expenditure amount per item, activity, or event or a threshold expenditure amount per employee receiving the item or participating in the activity or event);
2. (2) Identify the types or categories of expenditures for which prior approval is required (which may include a threshold expenditure amount per item, activity, or event or a threshold expenditure amount per employee receiving the item or participating in the activity or event);
3. (3) Provide reasonable approval procedures for expenditures requiring prior approval;
4. (4) Require the ECIP recipient to deliver a certification, executed by two senior executive officers (one of which must be its principal executive officer or principal financial officer) certifying that the approval of any expenditure requiring the prior approval of any senior executive officer, any executive officer of a substantially similar level of responsibility, or the ECIP recipient's board of directors (or a committee of such board of directors), was properly obtained with respect to each such expenditure;
5. (5) Require the prompt internal reporting of violations to an appropriate person or persons identified in this policy; and
6. (6) Mandate accountability for adherence to the policy.

FDIC means the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Federal Reserve Board means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

NCUA means the National Credit Union Administration.

Non-senior security means any equity interest or equivalent interest (including but not limited to membership share interests in the case of a credit union) or any other interest in, or instrument issued by, an ECIP recipient that is pari passu with, or junior to, the ECIP investment with respect to capital distributions or ranking in liquidation, including but not limited to the common stock (or equivalent equity interest) of the ECIP recipient, or any equity interest or equivalent interest or any other interest in or instrument issued by a depository institution holding company of which the ECIP recipient is a subsidiary.

OCC means the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Principal executive officer means the chief executive officer of an ECIP recipient (or individual performing a similar function).

Principal financial officer means the chief financial officer of an ECIP recipient (or individual performing a similar function).

Senior executive officer means an ECIP recipient's president, any vice president in charge of a principal business unit, division or function, any other officer who performs a policy making function, or any other person who performs similar policy making functions.

Severance payment means any payment or benefit provided to an officer or employee of an ECIP recipient in connection with any termination of such officer or employee's employment with the ECIP recipient (including resignation, severance, retirement, or constructive termination), except for payment for services performed or benefits accrued. A severance payment includes cash payments, health care benefits, perquisites, the enhancement or acceleration of any payment or vesting of any payment or benefit, or any other in-kind benefit payable or provided in connection with any termination of an officer or employee of the ECIP recipient.

Total compensation means all compensation, other than any severance payment, provided by an ECIP recipient to an officer or employee, including salary, wages, bonuses, awards of stock, deferred compensation, and other financial benefits.