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Glossary Terms
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Clawback provisions, often found in executive compensation agreements or incentive plans, are contractual clauses that allow a company to recover previously disbursed compensation or benefits under certain circumstances.
Clawback provisions, often found in contracts or agreements, are clauses that enable a party to reclaim previously disbursed compensation or benefits under specific circumstances. These provisions are designed to address situations where the recipient of compensation engages in conduct that is detrimental to the interests of the party providing the compensation.
Clawback provisions can be implemented in various contexts, including executive compensation agreements, incentive plans, investment contracts, and employment agreements.
In private equity, a clawback provision is a contractual clause commonly included in limited partnership agreements between private equity funds and their investors. These provisions are designed to ensure equitable distribution of profits and protect the interests of investors.
A typical clawback provision in private equity establishes that if the general partner (the private equity firm) has received excess distributions of profits during the fund's life, beyond their entitled share based on the agreed-upon profit-sharing arrangement, they may be required to "claw back" or return the excess distributions to the fund for redistribution to limited partners.
Best practices for clawback provisions include:
Organizations implement clawback provisions for several reasons:
Managing clawback provisions effectively involves several key steps:
Clawback provisions in employment contracts typically refer to clauses that allow employers to recover previously disbursed compensation or benefits from employees under specific circumstances.
These provisions are often designed to address situations where an employee engages in misconduct or breaches contractual obligations, resulting in financial harm to the employer. The specifics of clawback provisions in employment contracts can vary widely depending on the industry, employer policies, and legal requirements.
These provisions may outline conditions under which the employer can reclaim bonuses, incentives, stock options, or other forms of compensation previously awarded to the employee.
Yes, stock can be issued with a clawback provision. In fact, many organizations include clawback provisions in their stock-based compensation plans to align the interests of executives and employees with the long-term success of the company and to mitigate risks associated with unethical behavior or poor performance.
Clawback provisions related to stock typically allow the company to reclaim shares or the proceeds from the sale of shares under specific circumstances, such as financial restatements, misconduct, or failure to meet performance targets.
These provisions help promote accountability, transparency, and responsible stewardship of shareholder interests.
