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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 13, 2012

Registration No. 333-152700

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Post-Effective Amendment No. 6
to
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

TREE.COM, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  6163
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  26-2414818
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

11115 Rushmore Drive
Charlotte, NC 28277
(704) 541-5351
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant's principal executive offices)

Douglas R. Lebda
Chief Executive Officer
Tree.com, Inc.
11115 Rushmore Drive
Charlotte, NC 28277
(704) 541-5351
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

With a copy to:

John D. Tishler, Esq.
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
12275 El Camino Real, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92130
Telephone: (858) 720-8943
Facsimile: (858) 847-4871

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.

         If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.    ý

         If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

         If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

         If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer o

  Accelerated filer o   Non-accelerated filer o
(Do not check if a smaller
reporting company)
  Smaller reporting company ý

         This Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 covers shares of the registrant's common stock originally registered on the registration statement to which this is an amendment. The registration fees in respect of such shares of common stock were paid at the time of the original filing of such registration statement.

         The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may determine.

   


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EXPLANATORY NOTE

        On August 20, 2008, IAC/InterActiveCorp, a Delaware corporation ("IAC"), distributed to its stockholders all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Tree.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Registrant"). The Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-152700) (as amended and supplemented, the "Registration Statement") to which this Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 relates was declared effective on August 8, 2008. As originally filed, the Registration Statement registered 16,654,428 shares of the Registrant's common stock representing the sum of (i) 9,302,842 shares of common stock distributed to the holders of IAC common stock and IAC Class B common stock upon consummation of the spin-off of the Registrant from IAC, (ii) up to 5,051,586 shares of common stock issuable in respect of certain restricted stock units or stock options, in each case, previously issued pursuant to IAC's equity incentive plans and that were converted, in whole or in part, in connection with the spin-off into stock options and restricted stock units ("Adjusted Awards") issued under the Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the "2008 Plan"), (iii) up to 2,300,000 shares of common stock issuable in respect of stock options, restricted stock units and other equity-based awards to be granted from time to time following the spin-off pursuant to the 2008 Plan ("New Awards").

        Following the spin-off, it was determined that (i) the number of shares registered to cover shares of common stock distributed to IAC stockholders in the spin-off slightly exceeded the actual number of shares distributed to IAC stockholders in the spin-off and (ii) the number of shares registered in respect of Adjusted Awards significantly exceeded the actual number of shares issuable under such awards.

        At the Registrant's annual meeting of stockholders held on April 28, 2009, the Registrant's stockholders approved the Second Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the "Second Amended 2008 Plan"), as a result of which the maximum number of shares issuable pursuant to New Awards thereunder was increased by 550,000 to 2,850,000.

        The Registrant previously filed Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement to (i) reallocate 550,000 of the shares of common stock registered by the Registration Statement issuable pursuant to Adjusted Awards under the Second Amended 2008 Plan to New Awards issuable thereunder, (ii) deregister shares registered to cover shares of common stock distributed to IAC stockholders in the spin-off that exceeded the actual number of shares so distributed and (iii) deregister shares registered in respect of Adjusted Awards that exceeded the actual number of shares issuable under such awards. Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 was declared effective on May 18, 2009.

        This Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 deregisters shares issuable in respect of currently outstanding New Awards. As a result, the total number of shares covered by this Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 is 158,692, all of which are issuable pursuant to currently outstanding Adjusted Awards.

        The information included in this filing amends the Registration Statement and the prospectus contained therein. No additional securities are being registered under this Post-Effective Amendment No. 6. All applicable registration fees were paid at the time of the original filing of the Registration Statement.


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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not issue these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, dated July 13, 2012

PROSPECTUS

TREE.COM, INC.



158,692 Shares of Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 Per Share

        This prospectus relates to 158,692 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, of Tree.com, Inc. issuable in respect of currently outstanding restricted stock units and stock options previously issued pursuant to incentive equity plans of IAC/InterActiveCorp that, in connection with the spin-off of Tree.com, Inc. from IAC/InterActiveCorp, were converted into stock options and restricted stock units issuable under the Third Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan.

        Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "TREE." On July 10, 2012, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market was $12.20 per share.

        In reviewing this prospectus, you should carefully consider the matters described under the caption "Risk Factors" beginning on page 4 of this prospectus.



        NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.



The date of this prospectus is July 13, 2012.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page  

SUMMARY

    1  

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

   
3
 

RISK FACTORS

   
4
 

USE OF PROCEEDS

   
4
 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

   
4
 

DESCRIPTION OF THE STOCK PLAN

   
4
 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

   
10
 

LEGAL MATTERS

   
13
 

EXPERTS

   
13
 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

   
13
 

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

   
14
 

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SUMMARY

        This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus and may not contain all the information that may be important to you. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including any documents filed as exhibits and the documents incorporated herein by reference. Unless the context requires otherwise, references to the "company," "Tree.com," "we," "our," and "us," refer to Tree.com, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.

The Company

        Tree.com is the parent of LendingTree, LLC and is the parent of several companies owned by LendingTree, LLC. LendingTree, Inc. was incorporated in the state of Delaware in June 1996 and commenced nationwide operations in July 1998. LendingTree, Inc. was acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp in 2003 and converted to a Delaware limited liability company (LendingTree, LLC) in December 2004. On August 20, 2008, Tree.com, Inc. (along with its subsidiary, LendingTree, LLC) was spun off from IAC/InterActiveCorp into a separate publicly-traded company. Tree.com was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in April 2008, in anticipation of the spin-off.

        Tree.com is the owner of several brands and businesses that provide information, tools, advice, products and services for critical transactions in consumers' lives. Our family of brands includes: LendingTree®, GetSmart®, DegreeTree ®, LendingTreeAutos, DoneRight!®, ServiceTree SM, InsuranceTree® and HealthTree. Together, these brands serve as an ally for consumers who are looking to comparison shop for loans, real estate and other services from multiple businesses and professionals who will compete for their business. We refer to the collection of these brands and businesses as our Exchanges business.

        On June 6, 2012, we completed the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of our wholly-owned subsidiary, Home Loan Center, Inc. (referred to herein as HLC or LendingTree Loans) to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discover Financial Services. We refer to Discover Financial Services and its affiliates as "Discover." The sale was completed pursuant to the terms of the asset purchase agreement dated May 12, 2011, as amended on February 7, 2012. Discover paid an aggregate of $45.9 million including payments made by Discover prior to the closing which were applied to the closing price, and an additional $10 million will be due on the first anniversary of the closing, subject to certain conditions being satisfied as of that date. Approximately $17.1 million of such amount is being held in escrow pending the discharge of certain contingent liabilities not assumed by Discover related to loans previously sold to secondary market investors. As a result of the closing of the sale, our LendingTree Exchanges represent our sole operating business.

        We will continue to provide certain marketing-related services to Discover in connection with its mortgage origination business for approximately seventeen months following the closing, or such earlier point as the agreed-upon services are satisfactorily completed. Discover has also agreed to be a participating lender in our LendingTree Network following the closing.

        On March 15, 2011, HLC completed its acquisition of certain assets of First Residential Mortgage Network, Inc. dba SurePoint Lending. SurePoint, a LendingTree network lender for eleven years, was a full-service residential mortgage provider licensed in 45 states and employing over 500 people, including more than 300 licensed loan officers. HLC purchased certain specified assets and assumed certain liabilities of SurePoint related to its business of originating, refinancing, processing, underwriting, funding and closing residential mortgage loans; providing title and escrow services; and providing other mortgage related services. The acquired assets also included all of the equity interests of Real Estate Title Services, LLC. HLC paid $8.0 million in cash upon the closing of the transaction, subject to certain adjustments, and $0.2 million in cash for contingent consideration subsequent to the close. We used available cash to fund the acquisition.

 

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        On March 10, 2011, our management made the decision and finalized a plan to close all of the field offices of the proprietary full-service real estate brokerage business known as RealEstate.com, REALTORS®, which was previously reported within our Real Estate reporting segment. We exited all markets by March 31, 2011. In September 2011, we sold the remaining assets of RealEstate.com, which consisted primarily of internet domain names and trademarks, for $8.3 million and recognized a gain on sale of $7.8 million.

The Offering

        This prospectus relates to up to 158,692 shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, issuable in respect of currently outstanding restricted stock units and stock options previously issued pursuant to incentive equity plans of IAC/InterActiveCorp that, in connection with our spin-off from IAC/InterActiveCorp, were converted, in whole or in part, into restricted stock units and stock options issuable under the Third Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan. See section entitled "Description of the 2008 Stock Plan" in this prospectus for additional information.

Description of Our Capital Stock

        Our authorized capital stock consists of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. See section entitled "Description of Capital Stock" in this prospectus for additional information.

Risk Factors

        Before making any investment decision with respect to our common stock, you should carefully consider the risks, cautionary statements and other information contained in this prospectus. For a more detailed discussion of some of the risks you should consider, you are urged to carefully review and consider the section entitled "Risk Factors" beginning on page 4 of this prospectus.

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This prospectus, and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus, contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements also include statements related to our anticipated financial performance, business prospects and strategy; anticipated trends and prospects in the various industries in which our businesses operate; new products, services and related strategies; and other similar matters. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about future events, which are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. The use of words such as "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "intends," "plan" and "believes," among others, generally identify forward-looking statements.

        Actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include those matters discussed below.

        Other unknown or unpredictable factors that could also adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations may arise from time to time. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking statements discussed in this prospectus may not prove to be accurate. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which only reflect the views of Tree.com management as of the date of this prospectus. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results or expectations, except as required by law.

 

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RISK FACTORS

        Before making any investment decision with respect to our common stock, you should carefully consider the risks, cautionary statements and other information contained in this prospectus and in our filings with the SEC that we incorporate herein by reference, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. The risks and uncertainties described in these documents are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business. If any of these known or unknown risks or uncertainties actually occurs with material adverse effects on our company, our business, financial condition, results of operation and/or liquidity could be seriously harmed. In that event, the market price for our common stock will likely decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.


USE OF PROCEEDS

        Any proceeds received by us in connection with the issuance of the shares covered by this prospectus (for example, upon the exercise of stock options) will be used for general corporate purposes.


PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

        Shares offered hereby will be issued pursuant to the Third Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan.


DESCRIPTION OF THE STOCK PLAN

        In August 2008, our board of directors adopted and our stockholders approved the Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan. In February 2009, our board of directors amended and restated the 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan, which our stockholders approved at our annual meeting of stockholders in April 2009. The amended and restated plan was renamed the Second Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan. On February 22, 2012, our board of directors approved the Third Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (as the same may be amended and restated, the "2008 Stock Plan"), which increased the number of shares that may be issued thereunder by 600,000 to 3,350,000. Our stockholders approved the 2008 Stock Plan at our annual meeting of stockholders on June 12, 2012.

        A summary of the principal features of the 2008 Stock Plan is provided below but is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the 2008 Stock Plan, which is included as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Summary of the 2008 Stock Plan

        The 2008 Stock Plan permits the discretionary award of incentive stock options ("ISOs"), nonqualified stock options ("NSOs"), stock appreciation rights ("SARs"), restricted stock, restricted stock units, other stock-based awards and bonus awards. Individuals eligible to receive awards and grants under the 2008 Stock Plan include our directors, officers, employees and consultants or the directors, officers, employees and consultants of any of our subsidiaries or affiliates as well as prospective employees and consultants who have agreed to serve us.

        The 2008 Stock Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee or another committee of our board of directors as it may from time to time designate. Among other things, the Compensation Committee selects individuals to whom awards may be granted, determines the type of award as well as

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the number of shares of common stock to be covered by each award, determines the terms and conditions of any awards, including performance goals (if any) and their degree of satisfaction and interprets the terms and provisions of the 2008 Stock Plan and any stock award issued under the 2008 Stock Plan. Determinations of the Compensation Committee are final, binding and conclusive.

        The 2008 Stock Plan assumed and governs options and restricted stock units that converted from options and restricted stock units for IAC/InterActiveCorp, a Delaware corporation, in connection with our spin-off from IAC/InterActiveCorp. We refer to such options and restricted stock units as "Adjusted Awards" in this prospectus. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the terms of the 2008 Stock Plan described below are applicable to the Adjusted Awards only to the extent that such terms are not inconsistent with the terms of the Adjusted Awards.

        In addition to individuals who hold outstanding Adjusted Awards, persons who serve or agree to serve as our officers, employees, non-employee directors or consultants or as officers, employees, non-employee directors or consultants of our subsidiaries and affiliates are eligible to be granted awards under the 2008 Stock Plan. As of July 10, 2012, there were seven directors, two executive officers who are not directors and approximately 136 employees other than executive officers who are authorized to receive awards under the 2008 Stock Plan.

        After taking into account the addition of 600,000 authorized shares to the 2008 Stock Plan, the 2008 Stock Plan authorizes the issuance of up to 3,350,000 shares of common stock, and no single participant may be granted awards covering in excess of 1,833,333 shares of common stock over the life of the 2008 Stock Plan. On July 10, 2012, the closing price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market was $12.20.

        The shares of common stock subject to grant under the 2008 Stock Plan are to be made available from authorized but unissued shares or from treasury shares, as determined from time to time by our board of directors. Other than Adjusted Awards, to the extent that any stock award is forfeited, or any option or stock appreciation right terminates, expires or lapses without being exercised, or any award is settled for cash, the shares of common stock subject to the awards not delivered as a result thereof will again be available for use under the 2008 Stock Plan. The 2008 Stock Plan provides that any shares subject to those awards that terminate, expire, or lapse will not count against the maximum number of shares that may be subject to awards granted to any individual participant. However, any shares subject to any awards that are settled for cash will continue to count against the maximum number of shares that may be subject to awards granted to any individual participant. If the exercise price of any option and/or the tax withholding obligations relating to any award are satisfied by delivering shares of common stock (by either actual delivery or by attestation), only the number of shares of common stock issued net of the shares of common stock delivered or attested to will be deemed delivered for purposes of the limits in the plan. To the extent any shares of common stock subject to an award are withheld to satisfy the exercise price (in the case of an option) and/or the tax withholding obligations relating to the award, the shares of common stock will not generally be deemed to have been delivered for purposes of the limits set forth in the plan. Further, any dividend equivalents distributed and any bonus awards that are paid in shares of common stock under the 2008 Stock Plan will count against these maximum share limits.

        The 2008 Stock Plan provides that, in the event of a merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or shares, stock rights offering, liquidation, disaffiliation or other similar event, the Compensation Committee or our board of directors may make any substitutions or adjustments as it deems appropriate and equitable to (1) the aggregate number and kind of shares or other securities reserved

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for issuance and delivery under the plan, (2) the various maximum limitations set forth in the plan, (3) the number and kind of shares or other securities subject to outstanding awards, (4) the exercise price of outstanding options and stock appreciation rights and (5) the performance goals applicable to any outstanding awards. In the event of stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, separation, spin-off, reorganization, extraordinary dividend of cash or other property, share combination, recapitalization or other similar event affecting our capital structure, the 2008 Stock Plan provides that the Compensation Committee or our board of directors shall make any substitutions or adjustments as it deems appropriate and equitable to (1) the aggregate number and kind of shares or other securities reserved for issuance and delivery under the plan, (2) the various maximum limitations set forth in the plan, (3) the number and kind of shares or other securities subject to outstanding awards (4) the exercise price of outstanding options and stock appreciation rights and (5) the performance goals applicable to any outstanding awards.

        As indicated above, several types of stock awards can be made under the 2008 Stock Plan in addition to a cash award. A summary of these types of grants is set forth below. The 2008 Stock Plan governs options and restricted stock units that converted from IAC/InterActiveCorp options and IAC/InterActiveCorp restricted stock units in connection with our spin-off in 2008 as well as other award grants made following the spin-off pursuant to the plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the terms that govern IAC/InterActiveCorp options and IAC/InterActiveCorp restricted stock units that converted into our options and restricted stock units in connection with the spin-off govern those options and restricted stock units to the extent inconsistent with the terms described below. Awards issued under the 2008 Stock Plan are evidenced by a written agreement which recites the specific terms and conditions of the award.

        Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights.    Stock options granted under the 2008 Stock Plan may be either ISOs or NSOs. Stock appreciation rights granted under the plan may either be granted alone or in tandem with a stock option. The exercise price of options and stock appreciation rights cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of the stock underlying the options or stock appreciation rights on the date of grant. Optionees may pay the exercise price in cash or, if approved by the Compensation Committee, in common stock (valued at its fair market value on the date of exercise) or a combination thereof, or by "cashless exercise" through a broker or by withholding shares otherwise receivable on exercise. The term of options and stock appreciation rights is determined by the Compensation Committee, but an ISO may not have a term longer than ten years from the date of grant. The Compensation Committee determines the vesting and exercise schedule of options and stock appreciation rights, and the extent to which they will be exercisable after the award holder's employment terminates. Generally, unvested options and stock appreciation rights terminate upon the termination of employment, and vested options and stock appreciation rights will remain exercisable for one year after the award holder's death, disability or retirement, and three months after the award holder's termination for any other reason other than cause. Vested options and stock appreciation rights terminate immediately upon the awardee's termination for cause (as defined in the plan). Stock options and stock appreciation rights are transferable only by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or, in the case of nonqualified stock options or stock appreciation rights, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order or as otherwise expressly permitted by the Compensation Committee including, if so permitted, pursuant to a transfer to the participant's family members or to a charitable organization, whether directly or indirectly or by means of a trust or partnership or otherwise.

        Restricted Stock.    Restricted stock may be granted with restriction periods as the Compensation Committee may designate. The Compensation Committee may provide at the time of grant that the vesting of restricted stock is contingent upon the achievement of applicable performance goals and/or continued service. In the case of performance-based awards that are intended to qualify under

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Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the "Code"), the applicable performance goals will be based on the attainment of one or any combination of the following, with respect to the Company or any subsidiary, division or department of the Company:

specified levels of earnings per share from continuing operations

 

net profit after tax

EBITA

EBITDA

 

cash generation

gross profit

 

market share

unit volume

 

asset quality

sales

 

operating income

earnings per share

 

return on assets

revenues

 

return on equity

return on operating assets

 

profits

return on capital

 

marketing-spending efficiency

cost saving levels

 

change in working capital

core non-interest income

 

stock price

total stockholder return (measured in terms of stock price appreciation and/or dividend growth)

   

        These performance goals also may be based upon the attaining of specified levels of the Company, subsidiary, affiliate or divisional performance under one or more of the measures described above relative to the performance of other entities, divisions or subsidiaries. Performance goals based on the foregoing factors are hereinafter referred to as "Performance Goals." The terms and conditions of restricted stock awards (including any applicable Performance Goals) need not be the same with respect to each participant. During the restriction period, the Compensation Committee may require that the stock certificates evidencing restricted shares be held by us. Restricted stock may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered, and is forfeited upon termination of employment, unless otherwise provided by the Compensation Committee. Other than restrictions on transfer and any other restrictions the Compensation Committee may impose, the participant has all the rights of a stockholder with respect to the restricted stock award, including the right to vote the shares and receive cash dividends unless otherwise provided in the participant's award agreement.

        Restricted Stock Units.    The Compensation Committee may grant restricted stock units payable in cash or shares of common stock, conditioned upon continued service and/or the attainment of Performance Goals determined by the Compensation Committee. The terms and conditions of restricted stock unit awards (including any Performance Goals) need not be the same with respect to each participant. The Compensation Committee will determine whether, to what extent and on what terms and conditions each participant receiving restricted stock units will be entitled to receive current or deferred payments of cash, common stock or other property corresponding to dividends payable on our common stock. Holders of restricted stock units are not entitled to any voting rights with respect to the restricted stock units themselves.

        Other Stock-Based Awards.    Other awards of common stock and other awards that are valued in whole or in part by reference to, or are otherwise based upon, common stock, including (without limitation), unrestricted stock, dividend equivalents and convertible debentures, may be granted under the 2008 Stock Plan.

        Bonus Awards.    Bonus awards granted to our eligible employees and the eligible employees of our subsidiaries and affiliates under the 2008 Stock Plan are based upon the attainment of the Performance Goals established by the Compensation Committee for the plan year or a shorter performance period as may be established by the Compensation Committee. Bonus amounts earned by any individual will be limited to $10 million for any plan year, pro rated (if so determined by the Compensation

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Committee) for any shorter performance period. Bonus amounts are paid in cash or, in our discretion, in common stock, as soon as practicable following the end of the plan year. The Compensation Committee may reduce or eliminate a participant's bonus award in any year notwithstanding the achievement of Performance Goals.

        In no event may any option or stock appreciation right granted under the 2008 Stock Plan be amended, other than in event of certain extraordinary corporate transactions or other transactions affecting our capital structure, to decrease the exercise price thereof, be cancelled in conjunction with the grant of any new option or stock appreciation right with a lower exercise price or otherwise be subject to any action that would be treated, for accounting purposes, as a "repricing" of the option or stock appreciation right, unless the amendment, cancellation, or action is approved by our stockholders.

        In the event of a Change in Control (as defined in the 2008 Stock Plan), the Compensation Committee has the discretion to determine the treatment of awards granted under the 2008 Stock Plan, including providing for the acceleration of the awards upon the occurrence of the Change in Control and/or upon a qualifying termination of employment (e.g., without cause or for good reason) following the Change in Control. However, outstanding Adjusted Awards, subject to the terms of the 2008 Stock Plan and unless otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, will fully vest or all restrictions on these awards shall terminate upon the Termination of Employment (as defined in the 2008 Stock Plan) of the holder of these Adjusted Awards for any reason other than for Cause or Disability or by the holder for Good Reason (all as defined in the 2008 Stock Plan) during the two-year period following a Change in Control.

        The 2008 Stock Plan provides for the withholding and payment by a participant of any taxes required by applicable law. Subject to our approval and to the terms of the 2008 Stock Plan, a participant may settle a withholding obligation with our common stock, including common stock that is a part of the award giving rise to the withholding obligation. We have the right to deduct any applicable taxes from any payment otherwise due to a participant.

        The 2008 Stock Plan may be amended, altered or discontinued by our board of directors, but no amendment, alteration or discontinuance may impair the rights of an optionee under an option or a recipient of a stock appreciation right, restricted stock award, restricted stock unit award or bonus award previously granted without the optionee's or recipient's consent. Amendments to the 2008 Stock Plan require stockholder approval to the extent the approval is required by law or agreement.

        The 2008 Stock Plan is governed by the laws of the State of Delaware (which is the state of our incorporation), without reference to principles of conflict of laws.

        Under the 2008 Stock Plan, we may cause the cancellation of any award, request reimbursement of any award by a participant and effect any other right of recoupment of equity or other compensation provided under the 2008 Stock Plan in accordance with our policies and/or applicable law. In addition, a participant in the 2008 Stock Plan may be required to repay us certain previously paid compensation,

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whether provided under the 2008 Stock Plan or an award agreement under the 2008 Stock Plan, in accordance with any recoupment policy of the Company.

Certain Federal Income Tax Information

        The following discussion is intended only as a brief summary, as of April 23, 2012, of the federal income tax consequences to us and to U.S. participants for awards granted under the 2008 Stock Plan. The federal tax laws may change and the federal, state and local tax consequences for any participant will depend upon his or her individual circumstances. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive and does not discuss the tax consequences of a participant's death or provisions of income tax laws of any municipality, state or other country. We advise participants to consult with a tax advisor regarding the tax implications of their awards under the 2008 Stock Plan.

        Nonqualified Stock Options.    Upon the grant of an NSO, the optionee will not recognize any taxable income and the Company will not be entitled to a deduction. Upon the exercise of an option or related stock appreciation right, the excess of the fair market value of the shares acquired on the exercise of the option or stock appreciation right over the exercise price or the cash paid under a stock appreciation right (the "spread") will constitute compensation taxable to the optionee as ordinary income. We, in computing our U.S. federal income tax, will generally be entitled to a deduction in an amount equal to the compensation taxable to the optionee.

        Incentive Stock Options.    An optionee will not recognize taxable income on the grant or exercise of an ISO. However, the spread at exercise will constitute an item includible in alternative minimum taxable income, and, thereby, may subject the optionee to the alternative minimum tax. The alternative minimum tax may be payable even though the optionee receives no cash upon the exercise of the ISO with which to pay the tax.

        Upon the disposition of shares of stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an ISO after satisfaction of a holding period which ends on the later of (i) two years from the date of grant of the ISO or (ii) one year after the transfer of the shares to the optionee, generally the optionee will recognize long-term capital gain or loss, as the case may be, measured by the difference between the stock's selling price and the exercise price. We are not entitled to any tax deduction by reason of the grant or exercise of an ISO, or by reason of a disposition of stock received upon exercise of an ISO if the ISO holding period is satisfied. If the optionee disposes of the shares of stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an ISO before the expiration of the ISO holding period, then the optionee will recognize ordinary income equal to the lesser of (i) the excess of the fair market value over the exercise price of the shares on the date of exercise, or (ii) the excess of the amount realized on the disposition over the exercise price for the shares. Any remaining gain or loss will be long-term or short-term capital gain or loss depending on whether the optionee has held the shares for more than one year.

        Restricted Stock.    A participant who receives an award of restricted stock does not generally recognize taxable income at the time of the award. Instead, the participant recognizes ordinary income in the first taxable year in which his or her interest in the shares becomes either: (A) freely transferable or (B) no longer subject to substantial risk of forfeiture. The amount of taxable income is equal to the fair market value of the shares less the cash, if any, paid for the shares.

        A participant may elect to recognize income at the time of grant of restricted stock in an amount equal to the fair market value of the restricted stock (less any cash paid for the shares) on the date of the award. We receive a compensation expense deduction in an amount equal to the ordinary income recognized by the participant in the taxable year in which restrictions lapse (or in the taxable year of the award if, at that time, the participant had filed a timely election to accelerate recognition of income).

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        Other Awards.    In the case of an exercise of a stock appreciation right or an award of restricted stock units, a performance share bonus or other stock awards, the participant would generally recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to any cash received and the fair market value of any shares received on the date of payment or delivery. In that taxable year, we would receive a federal income tax deduction in an amount equal to the ordinary income that the participant has recognized.

        Internal Revenue Code Section 409A.    Section 409A of the Code governs the federal income taxation of certain types of nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements. A violation of Section 409A of the Code generally results in an acceleration of the recognition of income of amounts intended to be deferred and the imposition of a federal excise tax of 20% on the employee over and above the income tax owed, plus possible penalties and interest. The types of arrangements covered by Section 409A of the Code are broad and may apply to certain awards available under the 2008 Stock Plan (such as restricted stock units). The intent is for the 2008 Stock Plan, including any awards available thereunder, to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code to the extent applicable. As required by Code Section 409A, certain nonqualified deferred compensation payments to specified employees may be delayed to the seventh month after the employee's separation from service.

        Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m).    Section 162(m) of the Code places a limit of $1 million on the amount of compensation that we may deduct in any one fiscal year with respect to our principal executive officer and each of the other three most highly compensated officers (other than the principal financial officer) ("Covered Employees"). The 2008 Stock Plan is intended to enable certain awards to constitute performance-based compensation not subject to the annual deduction limitations of Section 162(m) of the Code.

Termination of the 2008 Stock Plan

        The 2008 Stock Plan will terminate on August 20, 2018 unless earlier terminated by our board of directors. Termination cannot, however, materially impair the rights of the holder of an award outstanding at the time of the termination in the absence of the holder's consent.


DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

        The following is a summary of information concerning our capital stock. The summaries and descriptions below do not purport to be complete statements of the relevant provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or our Amended and Restated By-laws. The summary is qualified by reference to these documents, which you must read for complete information on our capital stock. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-laws are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

        Our authorized capital stock consists of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share.

Common Stock

        Dividends.    Subject to prior dividend rights of the holders of any preferred shares, holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends when, as and if declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose.

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        Voting Rights.    Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, except that holders of common stock are not entitled to vote on any amendment to the Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Holders of shares of common stock do not have cumulative voting rights. In other words, a holder of a single share of our common stock cannot cast more than one vote for each position to be filled on our board of directors.

        Other Rights.    In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, after the satisfaction in full of the liquidation preferences of holders of any preferred shares, holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to ratable distribution of the remaining assets available for distribution to stockholders. Shares of common stock are not subject to redemption by operation of a sinking fund or otherwise. Holders of shares of common stock are not currently entitled to preemptive rights.

        Fully Paid.    The issued and outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and non-assessable. This means the full purchase price for the outstanding shares of common stock has been paid and the holders of such shares will not be assessed any additional amounts for such shares. Any additional shares of common stock that we may issue in the future will also be fully paid and non-assessable.

Preferred Stock

        We are authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Our board of directors, without further action by the holders of our common stock, may issue shares of preferred stock. The board of directors is vested with the authority to fix the designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including, without limitation, redemption rights, dividend rights, liquidation preferences and conversion or exchange rights of any class or series of preferred stock, and to fix the number of classes or series of preferred stock, the number of shares constituting any such class or series and the voting powers for each class or series.

        The authority possessed by our board of directors to issue preferred stock could potentially be used to discourage attempts by third parties to obtain control of the company through a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise by making such attempts more difficult or more costly. Our board of directors may issue preferred stock with voting rights or conversion rights that, if exercised, could adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock. There are no current agreements or understandings with respect to the issuance of preferred stock and the board of directors does not have a present intention to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Restrictions on Payment of Dividends

        We are incorporated in Delaware and governed by Delaware law. Delaware law allows a corporation to pay dividends only (i) out of surplus, as determined under Delaware law, or (ii) in case there is no such surplus, out of the corporation's net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year.

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

        Section 203 ("Section 203") of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits certain transactions between a Delaware corporation and an "interested stockholder." Generally, an "interested stockholder" for this purpose is a stockholder who is directly or indirectly a beneficial owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting power of a Delaware corporation. This provision, if applicable, prohibits certain business combinations between an interested stockholder and a corporation for a period of three years after the date on which the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless: (1) the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder is approved by the corporation's board of directors before the stockholder became an interested

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stockholder, (2) the interested stockholder acquired at least 85% of the voting power (as calculated pursuant to Section 203) of the corporation in the transaction in which the stockholder became an interested stockholder, or (3) the business combination is approved by a majority of the board of directors and the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder at or subsequent to the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. These restrictions do not apply in certain circumstances, including if the corporation's certificate of incorporation contains a provision expressly electing not to be governed by Section 203. If such a provision is adopted by an amendment to the corporation's certificate of incorporation, the amendment will be effective immediately if, among other requirements, the corporation has never had a class of voting stock listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 stockholders. If this and other requirements are not satisfied, the amendment will not be effective until 12 months after its adoption and will not apply to any business combination between the corporation and any person who became an interested stockholder on or prior to such adoption.

        In accordance with Section 203, the restrictions on certain business combinations in Section 203 do not apply in respect of the company.

Anti-takeover Effects of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws and Delaware Law

        Some provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-laws and certain provisions of Delaware law could make the following more difficult:

        Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-laws provide that the number of directors on our board of directors will be fixed exclusively by the board of directors. Newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors or any vacancies in the board of directors resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause will be filled generally by the majority vote of the directors then in office, though less than a quorum.

        Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-laws expressly eliminate the right of stockholders to act by written consent. Stockholder action must take place at the annual or a special meeting of our stockholders.

        Under our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-laws, stockholders are not entitled to call special meetings of stockholders. Only a majority of our board of directors or specified individuals may call such meetings.

        Our Amended and Restated By-laws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and nomination of candidates for election as directors other than nominations made by or at the direction of the board of directors or a committee of the board of directors. In

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particular, stockholders must notify the corporate secretary in writing prior to the meeting at which the matters are to be acted upon or directors are to be elected. The notice must contain the information specified in our Amended and Restated By-laws. To be timely, the notice must be received at our principal executive office not later than 60 or more than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the date for the preceding year's annual meeting of stockholders. However, if the date of the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than 30 days after the anniversary of the preceding year's annual meeting, or if no annual meeting was held during the preceding year, notice by the stockholder, to be timely, must be delivered no later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Moreover, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the board of directors is increased and we make no public announcement naming all of the nominees for director or specifying the size of the increased board of directors at least 55 days prior to the first anniversary of the date for the preceding year's annual meeting of stockholders, the stockholder's notice will be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it is delivered to the corporate secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which we first made such public announcement.

        The authorization in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with respect to the issuance of undesignated preferred stock makes it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change control of the company. The provision in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation authorizing such preferred stock may have the effect of deferring hostile takeovers or delaying changes of control of our management.


LEGAL MATTERS

        The validity of the issuance of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus was passed upon for us by the General Counsel of IAC/InterActiveCorp.


EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements and the related financial statement schedule incorporated in the Prospectus by reference from the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report (which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph referring to the effects of discontinued operations and a change in reportable segments) which is incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

        We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy these reports, statements or other information we file at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. The reports and other information that we file with the SEC are also available in the "Investors" section of our corporate website at www.tree.com.

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        For printed copies of any of our reports, including this prospectus, please contact our Corporate Secretary in writing at Tree.com, Inc., 11115 Rushmore Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28277, Attention: Corporate Secretary, or call our Corporate Secretary at (704) 541-5351.


INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

        The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" into this prospectus the information we file with the SEC, which means we can disclose important business and financial information about us to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered a part of this prospectus, except for any information that is superseded by information included directly in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below that we previously filed with the SEC:

        Upon request, we will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. You can access these documents on our website at http://investor-relations.tree.com or you may request a copy of these filings at no cost by writing or telephoning our corporate secretary at the following address:

        Except as otherwise specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus, information contained in, or accessible through, our website is not a part of this prospectus.

        You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. This offering is only being made in jurisdictions where such offers and sales of our common stock are permitted. The information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale or issuance of common stock.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 13.    Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

        The following is a statement of the expenses previously incurred and to be incurred by the Registrant in connection with the distribution of the securities registered under this Registration Statement. Such fees and expenses represent both those incurred in connection with the original Registration Statement on Form S-1 declared effective by the SEC on August 8, 2008, Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 declared effective by the SEC on September 9, 2008, Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 declared effective by the SEC on May 18, 2009, Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 declared effective by the SEC on May 14, 2010, Post-Effective Amendments Nos. 4 and 5 declared effective by the SEC on August 12, 2011 and this Post-Effective Amendment No. 6.

Item
  Amount*  

SEC Registration Fee

  $ 9.61  

Printing Fees and Expenses

    100,000  

NASDAQ Listing Fee

    100,000  

Legal Fees and Expenses

    300,000  

Accounting Fees and Expenses

    70,000  

Miscellaneous

     
       

Total

  $ 570,009.61  
       

*
All fees are estimates except SEC registration fee and NASDAQ listing fee.

Item 14.    Indemnification of Directors and Officers

        Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "DGCL") provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers as well as other employees and individuals against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which such person is made a party by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation—a "derivative action"), if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person's conduct was unlawful. A similar standard is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such action, and the statute requires court approval before there can be any indemnification where the person seeking indemnification has been found liable to the corporation. The statute provides that it is not exclusive of other indemnification that may be granted by a corporation's by-laws, disinterested director vote, stockholder vote, agreement or otherwise.

        Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that no director shall be liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation on liability is not permitted under the DGCL, as now in effect or as amended. Currently, Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL requires that liability be imposed for the following:

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        Our Amended and Restated By-laws provide that, to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as now in effect or as amended, we will indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit or proceeding by reason of the fact that such person, or a person of whom he or she is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the Company, or by reason of the fact such person, or a person of whom he or she is the legal representative is or was serving, at the Company's request, as a director, officer, or trustee of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans maintained or sponsored by the Company. To the extent authorized by the DGCL, the Company will indemnify such persons against all expenses, liability and loss (including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such persons in connection with such service. Any amendment of these provisions will not reduce the indemnification obligations of the Company relating to actions taken before such amendment.

        We maintain a directors' and officers' liability insurance policy insuring our directors and officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by them in their capacities as such and insuring us, under certain circumstances, in the event that indemnification payments are made by us to such directors and officers.

Item 15.    Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

        None.

Item 16.    Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

        The exhibits listed in the accompanying Index to Exhibits are filed or incorporated by reference as a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 17.    Undertakings

        The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

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SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Charlotte, State of North Carolina, on July 13, 2012.

    TREE.COM, INC.

 

 

By:

 

/s/ CHRISTOPHER R. HAYEK

Christopher R. Hayek
Senior Vice President and
Chief Accounting Officer

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated, in each case on July 13, 2012.

Signature
 
Title

 

 

 

 

 
*

Douglas R. Lebda
  Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ CHRISTOPHER R. HAYEK

Christopher R. Hayek

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

*

Peter Horan

 

Director

*

W. Mac Lackey

 

Director

*

Joseph Levin

 

Director

*

Patrick McCrory

 

Director

*

Steve Ozonian

 

Director

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Signature
 
Title

 

 

 

 

 
/s/ MARK SANFORD

Mark Sanford
  Director

*By:

 

/s/ CHRISTOPHER R. HAYEK

Christopher R. Hayek

 

Attorney-in-Fact

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  2.1   Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of August 20, 2008, by and among IAC/InterActiveCorp, HSN, Inc., Interval Leisure Group, Inc., Ticketmaster and Tree.com, Inc.   Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008

 

2.2

 

Asset Purchase Agreement dated November 15, 2010 by and among Home Loan Center, Inc., First Residential Mortgage Network, Inc. dba SurePoint Lending, and the shareholders of First Residential Mortgage Network named therein**

 

Exhibit 2.1 to Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed November 16, 2010

 

2.3

 

First Amendment to Asset Purchase Agreement dated March 14, 2011 by and among HLC, SurePoint and the shareholders party thereto

 

Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 21, 2011

 

2.4

 

Second Amendment to Asset Purchase Agreement dated March 15, 2011 by and among HLC, SurePoint and the shareholders party thereto**

 

Exhibit 2.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 21, 2011

 

2.5

 

Asset Purchase Agreement dated May 12, 2011 by and among Tree.com, Inc., Home Loan Center, Inc., LendingTree, LLC, HLC Escrow, Inc. and Discover Bank**

 

Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 16, 2011

 

2.6

 

Form of Assignment and Assumption Agreement in connection with the Asset Purchase Agreement dated May 12, 2011 by and among Tree.com, Inc., Home Loan Center, Inc., LendingTree, LLC, HLC Escrow,  Inc. and Discover Bank

 

Exhibit 2.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 16, 2011

 

2.7

 

Form of Bill of Sale in connection with Asset Purchase Agreement dated May 12, 2011 by and among Tree.com, Inc., Home Loan Center, Inc., LendingTree, LLC, HLC Escrow, Inc. and Discover Bank

 

Exhibit 2.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 16, 2011

 

2.8

 

Escrow Agreement Terms in connection with Asset Purchase Agreement dated May 12, 2011 by and among Tree.com, Inc., Home Loan Center, Inc., LendingTree, LLC, HLC Escrow, Inc. and Discover Bank

 

Exhibit 2.4 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed August 12, 2011

 

2.9

 

Asset Purchase Agreement dated September 15, 2011 by and among LendingTree, LLC, RealEstate.com, Inc. and Market Leader, Inc.**

 

Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 21, 2011

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Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  2.10   Bill of Sale in connection with the Asset Purchase Agreement dated September 15, 2011 by and among LendingTree, LLC, RealEstate.com, Inc. and Market Leader, Inc.   Exhibit 2.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 21, 2011

 

2.11

 

Assignment and Assumption Agreement in connection with the Asset Purchase Agreement dated September 15, 2011 by and among LendingTree, LLC, RealEstate.com, Inc. and Market Leader, Inc.

 

Exhibit 2.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 21, 2011

 

2.12

 

Amendment to Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of February 7, 2012 by and among Home Loan Center, Inc., HLC Escrow, Inc., LendingTree, LLC, Tree.com, Inc., Discover Bank and Discover Financial Services.**

 

Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 8, 2012

 

3.1

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Tree.com, Inc.

 

Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008.

 

3.2

 

Amended and Restated By-laws of Tree.com, Inc.

 

Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008.

 

5.1

 

Opinion of General Counsel of IAC/ InterActiveCorp regarding legality of securities being issued

 

Exhibit 5.1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008

 

10.1

 

Tax Sharing Agreement, dated as of August 20, 2008, by and among IAC/InterActiveCorp, HSN, Inc., Interval Leisure Group, Inc., Ticketmaster and Tree.com, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008.

 

10.2

 

Employee Matters Agreement, dated as of August 20, 2008, by and among IAC/InterActiveCorp, HSN, Inc., Interval Leisure Group, Inc., Ticketmaster and Tree.com, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008.

 

10.3

 

Transition Services Agreement, dated as of August 20, 2008, by and among IAC/InterActiveCorp, HSN, Inc., Interval Leisure Group, Inc., Ticketmaster and Tree.com, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008.

 

10.4

 

Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of August 20, 2008, among Tree.com, Inc., Liberty Media Corporation and Liberty USA Holdings, LLC

 

Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008.

 

10.5

 

Spinco Assignment and Assumption Agreement, dated as of August 20, 2008, among IAC/InterActiveCorp, Tree.com, Inc., Liberty Media Corporation and Liberty USA Holdings, LLC

 

Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 25, 2008.

 

10.6

 

Employment Agreement between Robert L. Harris and LendingTree, LLC, dated as of June 30, 2008*

 

Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

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Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.7   Amended and Restated Restricted Share Grant and Shareholders' Agreement, dated as of July 7, 2003, by and among Forest Merger Corp., LendingTree, Inc., InterActiveCorp and the Grantees named therein, as amended (filed as Exhibit 99.4 to Amendment No. 1 to IAC/InterActiveCorp's Registration Statement on Form S-4 (SEC File No. 333-105876) filed on July 10, 2003 and incorporated herein by reference)*   Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.8

 

Correspondent Loan Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 26, 2004, between CitiMortgage, Inc. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.9 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.9

 

Loan Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 16, 2002, between Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.10 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.10

 

Warehousing Credit Agreement, dated as of November 26, 2007, by and among Home Loan Center, Inc. d/b/a LendingTree Loans, National City Bank and National City Bank in its capacity as Agent for the Banks (as defined therein)

 

Exhibit 10.12 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.11

 

Second Amendment to Warehousing Credit Agreement, made and entered into as of the 12th day of December, 2008, and to be effective as of the 30th day of December, 2008, by and among Home Loan Center,  Inc. d/b/a LendingTree Loans, National City Bank and National City Bank in its capacity as Agent for the Banks (as defined therein).

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 17, 2008.

 

10.12

 

Master Repurchase Agreement, dated as of January 25, 2008, by and among Countrywide Bank, FSB and Home Loan Center, Inc. (the "Master Repurchase Agreement")

 

Exhibit 10.13 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.13

 

Notice, dated June 25, 2008, issued by Countrywide Warehouse Lending, regarding certain amendments to the Master Repurchase Agreement

 

Exhibit 10.14 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.14

 

Amendment to Master Repurchase Agreement No. 1 made and entered into as of February 23, 2009 by and between the Warehouse Lending Division of Countrywide Bank, FSB and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 27, 2009.

Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.15   Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors*   Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.16

 

Employment Agreement between Matt Packey and LendingTree, LLC, dated as of August 3, 2008*

 

Exhibit 10.16 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.17

 

Employment Agreement between Douglas R. Lebda and IAC/InterActiveCorp, dated as of January 7, 2008*

 

Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008.

 

10.18

 

Amendment No. 1 to Employment Agreement between Douglas R. Lebda and IAC/InterActiveCorp, dated as of August 15, 2008*

 

Exhibit 99.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 20, 2008.

 

10.19

 

Restricted Share Grant and Stockholder's Agreement, dated as of August 15, 2008, by and among IAC/InterActiveCorp, LendingTree Holdings Corp. and Douglas R. Lebda, together with Exhibit A thereto, Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of LendingTree Holdings Corp.*

 

Exhibits 99.2 and 99.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 20, 2008.

 

10.20

 

Stock Purchase Agreement, dated February 8, 2009, between Tree.com, Inc. and Douglas R. Lebda*

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 11, 2009.

 

10.21

 

Amendment No. 2 to the Employment Agreement between Douglas R. Lebda and Tree.com, Inc.*

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 27, 2009

 

10.22

 

Amendment No. 1 to the Employment Agreement between Robert Harris and Tree.com, Inc.*

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 27, 2009

 

10.23

 

Amendment No. 1 to the Employment Agreement between Matthew Packey and Tree.com, Inc.*

 

Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 27, 2009

 

10.24

 

Option Cancellation Agreement, made and entered into as of the 28th day of April, 2009, by and between Tree.com, Inc. and Douglas R. Lebda*

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 1, 2009

 

10.25

 

Early Purchase Program Addendum to Loan Purchase Agreement, made and entered into as of May 1, 2009 by and between Bank of America, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 6, 2009

 

10.26

 

Master Repurchase Agreement, made and entered into as of May 1, 2009, by and between Bank of America , N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 6, 2009

Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.27   Transactions Terms Letter for Master Repurchase Agreement, made and entered into as of May 1, 2009, by and between Bank of America, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc.   Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 6, 2009

 

10.28

 

Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of October 30, 2009, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 30, 2009

 

10.29

 

Side Letter dated October 30, 2009 regarding the Master Repurchase Agreement between JPMorgan Chase Bank, and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 30, 2009

 

10.30

 

Third Amendment to Warehousing Credit Agreement, made and entered into as of the 18th day of December, 2009, and to be effective as of the 29th day of December, 2009, by and among Home Loan Center, Inc. d/b/a LendingTree Loans PNC Bank, National Association, successor to National City Bank, its capacity as Agent for the Banks (as defined therein)

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 23, 2009

 

10.31

 

Fourth Amendment to Warehousing Credit Agreement, made and entered into as of February 15, 2010 by and among Home Loan Center, Inc. d/b/a LendingTree Loans, PNC Bank, National Association (successor to National City Bank) and PNC Bank, National Association (successor to National City Bank), in its capacity as Agent for the Banks (as defined therein).

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 19, 2010

 

10.32

 

Amendment No. 1 to Stock Purchase Agreement between Tree.com, Inc. and Douglas R. Lebda, dated May 10, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.33

 

Amendment No. 3 to the Employment Agreement between Douglas R. Lebda and Tree.com, Inc., dated May 10, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.34

 

Form of Amendment to Restricted Stock Awards for Douglas R. Lebda*

 

Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.35

 

Employment Agreement by and between David Norris and LendingTree, LLC, dated June 30, 2008*

 

Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.36

 

Amendment to Employment Agreement between David Norris and Tree.com, Inc., dated December 3, 2009*

 

Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.37   Amendment No. 2 to Employment Agreement between David Norris and Tree.com, Inc., dated May 10, 2010*   Exhibit 10.7 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.38

 

Severance Agreement between Greg Hanson, RealEstate.com and Tree.com, dated April 22, 2009*

 

Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.39

 

Change in Control Letter from Tree.com, Inc. to Greg Hanson, dated March 26, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.9 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.40

 

Confidential Severance Agreement and Release by and between Robert L. Harris and Tree.com, Inc., dated March 2, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.10 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.41

 

Amendment No. 1 to Transactions Term Letter, made and entered into as of April 28, 2010 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. d/b/a LendingTree Loans and Bank of America

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 30, 2010

 

10.42

 

Amendment No. 1 to the Stock Option Award Agreement between Douglas R. Lebda and Tree.com, Inc., dated May 10, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 12, 2010

 

10.43

 

Amendment No. 1 to Transactions Term Letter, made and entered into as of April 28, 2010 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. d/b/a LendingTree Loans and Bank of America

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 30, 2010

 

10.44

 

Severance Agreement between Tree.com, Inc. and Matthew Packey, dated May 10, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed August 3, 2010

 

10.45

 

Letter Agreement between Tree.com, Inc. and Christopher Hayek, dated June 28, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed August 3, 2010

 

10.46

 

Amendment No. 1 to Early Purchase Program Addendum to Loan Purchase Agreement, dated July 15, 2010, by and among Bank of America, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 21, 2010

 

10.47

 

Mandatory Forward Loan Volume Commitment, dated July 15, 2010, by and among Bank of America, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 21, 2010

 

10.48

 

Transaction Terms Letter for Master Repurchase Agreement, dated July 15, 2010, by and among Bank of America, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 21, 2010

Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.49   Amendment No. 3 to Master Repurchase Agreement, dated July 22, 2010, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.   Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 28, 2010

 

10.50

 

Amendment No. 4 to Master Repurchase Agreement, dated as of October 29, 2010 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 25, 2010

 

10.51

 

Second Amendment to Side Letter dated as of October 29, 2010 with respect to the Home Loan Center, Inc. warehouse facility with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 25, 2010.

 

10.52

 

Share Exchange Agreement dated August 30, 2010, between Tree.com, Inc. and Douglas R. Lebda*

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 1, 2010.

 

10.53

 

Amendment No. 1 to the Restricted Share Grant and Stockholder's Agreement, dated August 30, 2010 between Tree.com, Inc., LendingTree Holdings Corp. and Douglas R. Lebda*

 

Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 12, 2010

 

10.54

 

Amendment No. 3 to the Master Repurchase Agreement, dated July 22, 2010, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 28, 2010

 

10.55

 

Employment Agreement between Tree.com, Inc. and Steven Ozonian, dated October 31, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed November 1, 2010

 

10.56

 

Amended and Restated Employment Agreement by and between Tree.com, Inc. and Douglas R. Lebda, dated October 26, 2010*

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed November 1, 2010

 

10.57

 

Letter Agreement dated as of January 24, 2011 by and between RealEstate.com, Inc. and Steven Ozonian*

 

Exhibit 10.66 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed February 28, 2011

 

10.58

 

Award Letter between Greg Hanson and Tree.com BU Holding Company, Inc. dated January 28, 2011*

 

Exhibit 10.1 to Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 3, 2011

 

10.59

 

Standard Terms and Conditions to Restricted Stock Award Letters of Tree.com BU Holding Company, Inc.*

 

Exhibit 10.2 to Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 3, 2011

 

10.60

 

Amendment No. 5 to Master Repurchase Agreement, dated March 31, 2011, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 6, 2011

Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.61   Third Amendment to Side Letter, dated March 31, 2011, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.   Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 6, 2011

 

10.62

 

Confidential Severance Agreement and Release, dated March 31, 2011, by and between Tree.com, Inc. and Steven Ozonian

 

Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 6, 2011

 

10.63

 

Form of Voting and Support Agreement of Douglas R. Lebda

 

Exhibit 99.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 16, 2011

 

10.64

 

Form of Voting and Support Agreement of Liberty Media Corporation

 

Exhibit 99.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 16, 2011

 

10.65

 

Form of Voting and Support Agreement of Second Curve, LLC

 

Exhibit 99.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 16, 2011

 

10.66

 

Amendment No. 6 to Master Repurchase Agreement, dated as of June 29, 2011, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 6, 2011

 

10.67

 

Fourth Amendment to Side Letter, dated as of June 29, 2011, with respect to the Home Loan Center, Inc. warehouse facility with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 6, 2011

 

10.68

 

Amendment No. 1 to Transaction Terms Letter dated as of June 29, 2011, which supplements that certain Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of May 1, 2009 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Bank of America, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 6, 2011

 

10.69

 

Amendment No. 2 to Transactions Terms Letter dated as of July 12, 2011, which supplements that certain Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of May 1, 2009 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Bank of America, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 15, 2011

 

10.70

 

Amendment No. 2 to Early Purchase Program Addendum to Loan Purchase Agreement dated as of July 12, 2011, which supplements that certain Loan Purchase Agreement by and between Bank of America, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc. dated April 16, 2002.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 15, 2011

 

10.71

 

Extension Letter Agreement dated as of August 11, 2011, regarding the Master Repurchase Agreement by and between Bank of America, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc. dated May 1, 2009

 

Exhibit 10.12 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed August 15, 2011

Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.72   Master Repurchase Agreement, dated as of October 13, 2011, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Citibank, N.A.   Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 19, 2011

 

10.73

 

Pricing Side Letter dated as of October 13, 2011, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Citibank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 19, 2011

 

10.74

 

Amendment No. 3 to Transaction Terms Letter dated as of September 30, 2011, which supplements that certain Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of May 1, 2009 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Bank of America, N.A

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 5, 2011

 

10.75

 

Amendment No. 7 to Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of October 28, 2011, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.9 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 14, 2011

 

10.76

 

Amendment No. 5 to Side Letter dated as of October 28, 2011, which supplements that certain Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of October 30, 2009 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.10 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 14, 2011

 

10.77

 

Amendment No. 2 to Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of November 1, 2011, which supplements that certain Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of May 1, 2009 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Bank of America, N.A

 

Exhibit 10.11 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 14, 2011

 

10.78

 

Amendment No. 4 to Transaction Terms Letter dated as of November 1, 2011, which supplements that certain Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of May 1, 2009 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Bank of America, N.A

 

Exhibit 10.12 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 14, 2011

 

10.79

 

Amendment Number One dated as of December 13, 2011 to the Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of October 13, 2011 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and CitiBank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.97 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 16, 2012

 

10.80

 

Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of January 6, 2012 by and between Credit Suisse First Boston Mortgage Capital LLC and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2012

 

10.81

 

Amendment No. 2 dated as of January 20, 2012 to the Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of October 13, 2011 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Citibank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2012

Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
  Description   Location
  10.82   Amendment No. 3 dated as of January 31, 2012 to the Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of October 13, 2011 by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and Citibank, N.A.   Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2012

 

10.83

 

Employment Agreement by and between David Norris and Tree.com, Inc. effective as of February 7, 2012*

 

Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2012

 

10.84

 

Amended and Restated Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of February 17, 2012 by and between Citibank, N.A. and Home Loan Center, Inc.

 

Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2012

 

10.85

 

Amendment No. 8 to Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of April 25, 2012, by and between Home Loan Center, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2012

 

10.86(a)

 

Third Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan*

 


 

10.86(b)

 

Form of Notice of Restricted Stock Unit Award*

 


 

10.86(c)

 

Form of Restricted Stock Award*

 


 

10.86(d)

 

Form of Notice of Stock Option Award*

 


 

21.1

 

Subsidiaries of Tree.com, Inc.

 

Exhibit 21.1 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 16, 2012

 

23.1

 

Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP

 


 

23.2

 

Consent of General Counsel of IAC/InterActiveCorp

 

Included in Exhibit 5.1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-152700), filed August 1, 2008

Filed herewith.

*
Management or compensation plan or agreement.

**
Certain schedules to this Exhibit have been omitted in accordance with Regulation S-K Item 601(b)(2). The Company agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of all omitted schedules to the SEC upon its request.



Exhibit 10.86(a)

 

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED

TREE.COM, INC.

2008 STOCK AND ANNUAL INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Section 1. Purpose; Definition

 

The Company’s Board originally adopted the Plan effective as of August 20, 2008 and the Plan was originally approved by Company stockholders on August 20, 2008.   The Plan has been subsequently amended and restated by the Board on two previous occasions with such restatements also approved by Company stockholders.  The Board’s most recent restatement of the Plan, the Third Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “Third Plan Restatement”), was effected on February 22, 2012 (the “Board Approval Date”).  This Third Plan Restatement is conditioned upon and subject to obtaining Company stockholder approval before the first anniversary of the Board Approval Date.  The Third Plan Restatement and all of its terms shall become effective upon the date the Company stockholders approve the Third Plan Restatement, as long as such date is within twelve months of the Board Approval Date.   If Company stockholder approval is not obtained before the first anniversary of the Board Approval Date, the Third Plan Restatement shall be null and void.

 

The purpose of this Plan is (a) to give the Company a competitive advantage in attracting, retaining and motivating officers, employees, directors and/or consultants and to provide the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates with a stock and incentive plan providing incentives directly linked to stockholder value and (b) to assume and govern other awards pursuant to the adjustment of awards granted under any IAC Long Term Incentive Plan (as defined in the Employee Matters Agreement) in accordance with the terms of the Employee Matters Agreement (“Adjusted Awards”).

 

Certain terms used herein have definitions given to them in the first place in which they are used. In addition, for purposes of this Plan, the following terms are defined as set forth below:

 

(a)  “Affiliate” means a corporation or other entity controlled by, controlling or under common control with, the Company.

 

(b)  “Applicable Exchange” means Nasdaq or such other securities exchange as may at the applicable time be the principal market for the Common Stock.

 

(c)  “Award” means an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit, or Bonus Award or other stock based award granted or assumed pursuant to the terms of this Plan, including Adjusted Awards.

 

(d)  “Award Agreement” means a written or electronic document or agreement setting forth the terms and conditions of a specific Award.

 

(e)  “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meaning given in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.

 

(f)  “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(g)  “Bonus Award” means a bonus award made pursuant to Section 9.

 

(h)  “Cause” means, unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, (i) “Cause” as defined in any Individual Agreement to which the applicable Participant is a party, or (ii) if there is no such Individual Agreement or if it does not define Cause: (A) the willful or gross neglect by a Participant of his employment duties; (B) the plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, or conviction for, the commission of a felony offense by a Participant; (C) a material breach by a Participant of a fiduciary duty owed to the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (D) a material breach by a Participant of any nondisclosure, non-solicitation or non-competition obligation owed to the Company or any of its Affiliates; or (E) before a Change in Control, such other events as shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in a Participant’s Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the general rule of Section 2(c), following a Change in Control, any determination by the Committee as to whether “Cause” exists shall be subject to de novo review.  The Board or Committee may in its discretion determine that a Participant’s employment with, or performance of services for, the Company and any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates may be deemed to have been terminated for Cause if, after the Participant’s employment and/or service has terminated, facts and circumstances are discovered that would have justified a termination for Cause, including, without limitation, violation of material Company policies or breach of confidentiality or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the Participant.

 

(i)   “Change in Control” has the meaning set forth in Section 10(c).

 

Annex A-1



 

(j)  “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and any successor thereto, the Treasury Regulations thereunder and other relevant interpretive guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service or the Treasury Department. Reference to any specific section of the Code shall be deemed to include such regulations and guidance, as well as any successor provision of the Code.

 

(k)  “Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor agency.

 

(l)  “Committee” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).

 

(m)  “Common Stock” means common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company.

 

(n)  “Company” means Tree.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or its successor.

 

(o)  “Disability” means (i) “Disability” as defined in any Individual Agreement to which the Participant is a party, or (ii) if there is no such Individual Agreement or it does not define “Disability,” (A) permanent and total disability as determined under the Company’s long-term disability plan applicable to the Participant, or (B) if there is no such plan applicable to the Participant or the Committee determines otherwise in an applicable Award Agreement, “Disability” as determined by the Committee. Notwithstanding the above, with respect to an Incentive Stock Option, Disability shall mean Permanent and Total Disability as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code and, with respect to each Award that constitutes a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, the foregoing definition shall apply for purposes of vesting of such Award, provided that such Award shall not be settled until the earliest of: (i) the Participant’s “disability” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, or (ii) the Participant’s “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and (iii) the date such Award would otherwise be settled pursuant to the terms of the Award Agreement.

 

(p)  “Disaffiliation” means a Subsidiary’s or Affiliate’s ceasing to be a Subsidiary or Affiliate for any reason (including, without limitation, as a result of a public offering, or a spinoff or sale by the Company, of the stock of the Subsidiary or Affiliate) or a sale of a division of the Company and its Affiliates.

 

(q)  “EBITA” means for any period, operating profit (loss) plus (i) amortization, including goodwill impairment, (ii) amortization of non-cash distribution and marketing expense and non-cash compensation expense, (iii) restructuring charges, (iv) non-cash write-downs of assets or goodwill, (v) charges relating to disposal of lines of business, (vi) litigation settlement amounts and (vii) costs incurred for proposed and completed acquisitions.

 

(r)  “EBITDA” means for any period, operating profit (loss) plus (i) depreciation and amortization, including goodwill impairment, (ii) amortization of non-cash distribution and marketing expense and non-cash compensation expense, (iii) restructuring charges, (iv) non-cash write-downs of assets or goodwill, (v) charges relating to disposal of lines of business, (vi) litigation settlement amounts and (vii) costs incurred for proposed and completed acquisitions.

 

(s)  “Eligible Individuals” means directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, and prospective employees and consultants who have accepted offers of employment or consultancy from the Company or its Subsidiaries or Affiliates.

 

(t)  “Employee Matters Agreement” means the Employee Matters Agreement by and among IAC, Ticketmaster, Interval Leisure Group, Inc., HSN, Inc. and Tree.com, Inc.

 

(u)  “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, and any successor thereto.

 

(v)  “Fair Market Value” means, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, the closing price of a share of Common Stock on the Applicable Exchange on the date of measurement, or if Shares were not traded on the Applicable Exchange on such measurement date, then on the next preceding date on which Shares were traded, all as reported by such source as the Committee may select. If the Common Stock is not listed on a national securities exchange, Fair Market Value shall be determined by the Committee in its good faith discretion, taking into account, to the extent appropriate, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

 

(w)     “Free-Standing SAR” has the meaning set forth in Section 5(b).

 

(x)      “Grant Date” means (i) the date on which the Committee by resolution selects an Eligible Individual to receive a grant of an Award and determines the number of Shares to be subject to such Award or the formula for earning a number of shares or cash

 

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amount, (ii) such later date as the Committee shall provide in such resolution or (iii) the initial date on which an Adjusted Award was granted under the IAC Long Term Incentive Plan.

 

(y)        “Group” shall have the meaning given in Section 13(d)(3) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act.

 

(z)        “IAC” means IAC/InterActiveCorp, a Delaware corporation.

 

(aa)      “Incentive Stock Option” means any Option that is designated in the applicable Award Agreement as an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, and that in fact so qualifies.

 

(bb)      “Individual Agreement” means an employment, consulting or similar agreement between a Participant and the Company or one of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates.

 

(cc)       “Nasdaq” means the National Association of Securities Dealers Inc. Automated Quotation System.

 

(dd)       “Nonqualified Option” means any Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option.

 

(ee)       “Option” means an Award granted under Section 5.

 

(ff)        “Participant” means an Eligible Individual to whom an Award is or has been granted.

 

(gg)       “Performance Goals” means the performance goals established by the Committee in connection with the grant of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units or Bonus Awards or other stock-based awards. In the case of Qualified Performance-Based Awards, (i) such goals shall be based on the attainment of one or any combination of the following: specified levels of earnings per share from continuing operations, net profit after tax, EBITDA, EBITA, gross profit, cash generation, unit volume, market share, sales, asset quality, earnings per share, operating income, revenues, return on assets, return on operating assets, return on equity, profits, total stockholder return (measured in terms of stock price appreciation and/or dividend growth), cost saving levels, marketing-spending efficiency, core non-interest income, change in working capital, return on capital, and/or stock price, with respect to the Company or any Subsidiary, Affiliate, division or department of the Company and (ii) such Performance Goals shall be set by the Committee within the time period prescribed by Section 162(m) of the Code and related regulations. Such Performance Goals also may be based upon the attaining of specified levels of Company, Subsidiary, Affiliate or divisional performance under one or more of the measures described above relative to the performance of other entities, divisions or subsidiaries.

 

(hh)       “Plan” means this Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan, as set forth herein and as hereafter amended from time to time.

 

(ii)        “Plan Year” means the calendar year or, with respect to Bonus Awards, the Company’s fiscal year if different.

 

(jj)        “Qualified Performance-Based Award” means an Award intended to qualify for the Section 162(m) Exemption, as provided in Section 11.

 

(kk)      “Restricted Stock” means an Award granted under Section 6.

 

(ll)       “Restricted Stock Units” means an Award granted under Section 7.

 

(mm)   “Resulting Voting Power” shall mean the outstanding combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (or equivalent governing body, if applicable) of the entity resulting from a Business Combination (including, without limitation, an entity which as a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or more subsidiaries).

 

(nn)      “Retirement” means retirement from active employment with the Company, a Subsidiary or Affiliate at or after the Participant’s attainment of age 65.

 

(oo)      “Section 162(m) Exemption” means the exemption from the limitation on deductibility imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code that is set forth in Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code.

 

(pp)     “Separation” has the meaning set forth in the Employee Matters Agreement.

 

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(qq)      “Share” means a share of Common Stock.

 

(rr)       “Specified Employee” shall mean any individual who is a “key employee” (as defined in Section 416(i) of the Code without regard to paragraph (5) thereof) with respect to the Company and its Affiliates, as determined by the Company (or the Affiliate, in the event that the Affiliate and the Company are not considered a single employer under Sections 414(b) or 414(c) of the Code) in accordance with its uniform policy with respect to all arrangements subject to Section 409A of the Code, based upon the twelve (12) month period ending on each December 31st. All individuals who are determined to be key employees under Section 416(i)(1)(A)(i), (ii) or (iii) of the Code (without regard to paragraph (5) thereof) on December 31st shall be treated as Specified Employees for purposes of the Plan during the twelve (12) month period that begins on the following April 1st.

 

(ss)       “Stock Appreciation Right” has the meaning set forth in Section 5(b).

 

(tt)       “Subsidiary” means any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity during any period in which at least a 50% voting or profits interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company or any successor to the Company.

 

(uu)     “Tandem SAR” has the meaning set forth in Section 5(b).

 

(vv)     “Term” means the maximum period during which an Option or Stock Appreciation Right may remain outstanding, subject to earlier termination upon Termination of Employment or otherwise, as specified in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

(ww)  “Termination of Employment” means the termination of the applicable Participant’s employment with, or performance of services for, the Company and any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, if a Participant’s employment with, or membership on a board of directors of the Company and its Affiliates terminates but such Participant continues to provide services to the Company and its Affiliates in a non-employee director capacity or as an employee, as applicable, such change in status shall not be deemed a Termination of Employment. A Participant employed by, or performing services for, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate or a division of the Company and its Affiliates shall be deemed to incur a Termination of Employment if, as a result of a Disaffiliation, such Subsidiary, Affiliate, or division ceases to be a Subsidiary, Affiliate or division, as the case may be, and the Participant does not immediately thereafter become an employee of (or service provider for), or member of the board of directors of, the Company or another Subsidiary or Affiliate. Temporary absences from employment because of illness, vacation or leave of absence and transfers among the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates shall not be considered Terminations of Employment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Award that constitutes a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, “Termination of Employment” shall mean a “separation from service” as defined under Section 409A of the Code. For the avoidance of doubt, the Separation shall not constitute a Termination of Employment for purposes of any Adjusted Award.  However, for purposes of determining whether an employee’s outstanding Incentive Stock Options are eligible to continue to qualify as Incentive Stock Options (and not become Nonqualifed Options), an employee’s employment and/or services will be treated as terminating three (3) months after such employee went on leave, unless such employee’s right to return to active work is guaranteed by law or by a contract.

 

(xx)     “10-Percent Shareholder” means an individual who owns more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of outstanding stock of the Company, its parent corporation or any of its Subsidiaries.  In determining stock ownership, the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code shall be applied.

 

Section 2. Administration

 

(a)  Committee.  The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board or such other committee of the Board as the Board may from time to time designate (the “Committee”), which shall be composed of not less than two directors, and shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Committee shall, subject to Section 11, have plenary authority to grant Awards pursuant to the terms of the Plan to Eligible Individuals. Among other things, the Committee shall have the authority, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Employee Matters Agreement (including the original terms of the grant of the Adjusted Award):

 

(i)                                     to select the Eligible Individuals to whom Awards may from time to time be granted;

 

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(ii)                                  to determine whether and to what extent Incentive Stock Options, Nonqualified Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, other stock-based awards, or any combination thereof, are to be granted hereunder;

 

(iii)                               to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

 

(iv)                              to determine the terms and conditions, including Performance Goals (if any) and their degree of satisfaction, of each Award granted hereunder, based on such factors as the Committee shall determine;

 

(v)                                 subject to Section 12, to modify, amend or adjust the terms and conditions of any Award;

 

(vi)                              to adopt, alter and repeal such administrative rules, guidelines and practices governing the Plan as it shall from time to time deem advisable;

 

(vii)                         subject to Section 11, to accelerate the vesting or lapse of restrictions of any outstanding Award, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion determines;

 

(viii)                      to interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan and any Award issued under the Plan (and any agreement relating thereto);

 

(ix)                                to establish any “blackout” period that the Committee in its sole discretion deems necessary or advisable;

 

(x)                                 to determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances cash, Shares, and other property and other amounts payable with respect to an Award under this Plan shall be deferred either automatically or at the election of the Participant;

 

(xi)                                to decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with an Award; and

 

(xii)                             to otherwise administer the Plan.

 

(b)  Procedures.

 

(i)                                   The Committee may act only by a majority of its members then in office, except that the Committee may, except to the extent prohibited by applicable law or the listing standards of the Applicable Exchange and subject to Section 11, allocate all or any portion of its responsibilities and powers to any one or more of its members and may delegate all or any part of its responsibilities and powers to any person or persons selected by it.

 

(ii)                                Subject to Section 11(c), any authority granted to the Committee may also be exercised by the full Board. To the extent that any permitted action taken by the Board conflicts with action taken by the Committee, the Board action shall control.

 

(c)  Discretion of Committee.  Subject to Section 1(h), any determination made by the Committee or by an appropriately delegated officer pursuant to delegated authority under the provisions of the Plan with respect to any Award shall be made in the sole discretion of the Committee or such delegate at the time of the grant of the Award or, unless in contravention of any express term of the Plan, at any time thereafter. All decisions made by the Committee or any appropriately delegated officer pursuant to the provisions of the Plan shall be final and binding on all persons, including the Company, Participants, and Eligible Individuals.

 

(d)  Award Agreements.  The terms and conditions of each Award, as determined by the Committee, shall be set forth in an Award Agreement, which shall be delivered to the Participant receiving such Award upon, or as promptly as is reasonably practicable following, the grant of such Award. The effectiveness of an Award shall not be subject to the Award Agreement’s being signed by the Company and/or the Participant receiving the Award unless specifically so provided in the Award Agreement. Award Agreements may be amended only in accordance with Section 12 hereof. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, in the event that any term of an Award Agreement conflicts with any provision of the Plan that specifically pertains to Section 409A of the Code, the provision of the Plan shall govern.

 

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Section 3. Common Stock Subject to Plan

 

(a)  Plan Maximums.  The maximum number of Shares that may be delivered pursuant to Awards under the Plan shall be the sum of (a) the number of Shares that may be issuable upon exercise or vesting of the Adjusted Awards and (b) 3,350,000. The maximum number of Shares that are permitted to be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan as described in Section 5 shall be 1,833,333Shares. Shares subject to an Award under the Plan may be authorized and unissued Shares or may be treasury Shares.

 

(b)  Individual Limits.  No Participant may be granted Awards covering in excess of  1,833,333 Shares during the term of the Plan (i.e., August  20, 2008 — August 20, 2018); provided that Adjusted Awards shall not be subject to this limitation.

 

(c)  Rules for Calculating Shares Delivered.

 

(i)                                     With respect to Awards other than Adjusted Awards, to the extent that any Award is forfeited, or any Option and the related Tandem SAR (if any) or Free-Standing SAR terminates, expires or lapses without being exercised (specifically including the Award contemplated by clause (iii) below), or any Award is settled for cash, (A) the Shares subject to such Awards not delivered as a result thereof shall again be available for Awards under the Plan and (B) other than with respect to any Awards settled for cash, such Shares shall no longer be counted when calculating the respective Participant’s individual limit set forth in Section 3(b).

 

(ii)                               With respect to Awards other than Adjusted Awards, if the exercise price of any Option and/or the tax withholding obligations relating to any Award are satisfied by delivering Shares to the Company (by either actual delivery or by attestation), only the number of Shares issued net of the Shares delivered or attested to shall be deemed delivered for purposes of the limits set forth in Section 3(a). To the extent any Shares subject to an Award are withheld to satisfy the exercise price (in the case of an Option) and/or the tax withholding obligations relating to such Award, such Shares shall not be deemed to have been delivered for purposes of the limits set forth in Section 3(a).

 

(iii)                            Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary (including Sections 5(d) and 12(c) hereof), Douglas R. Lebda may surrender for cancellation an option to purchase 589,500 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price of $25.43 per share awarded on August 21, 2008 and the Shares subject to such Option shall be available for future Awards under the Plan (including to Mr. Lebda) immediately following such surrender.

 

(iv)                              Any dividend equivalents distributed under the Plan shall count against the Share limits set forth in Sections 3(a) and (b).  Dividend equivalents will not be paid (or accrue) on unexercised Options or unexercised Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(d)  Adjustment Provision.  In the event of a merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or shares, stock rights offering, liquidation, Disaffiliation, or similar event affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (each, a “Corporate Transaction”), the Committee or the Board may in its discretion make such substitutions or adjustments as it deems appropriate and equitable to (i) the aggregate number and kind of Shares or other securities reserved for issuance and delivery under the Plan, (ii) the various maximum limitations set forth in Sections 3(a) and 3(b) upon certain types of Awards and upon the grants to individuals of certain types of Awards, (iii) the number and kind of Shares or other securities subject to outstanding Awards; and (iv) the exercise price of outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. In the event of a stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, separation, spinoff, reorganization, extraordinary dividend of cash or other property, share combination, or recapitalization or similar event affecting the capital structure of the Company (each, a “Share Change”), the Committee or the Board shall make such substitutions or adjustments as it deems appropriate and equitable to (i) the aggregate number and kind of Shares or other securities reserved for issuance and delivery under the Plan, (ii) the various maximum limitations set forth in Sections 3(a) and 3(b) upon certain types of Awards and upon the grants to individuals of certain types of Awards, (iii) the number and kind of Shares or other securities subject to outstanding Awards; and (iv) the exercise price of outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. In the case of Corporate Transactions, such adjustments may include, without limitation, (1) the cancellation of outstanding Awards in exchange for payments of cash, property or a combination thereof having an aggregate value equal to the value of such Awards, as determined by the Committee or the Board in its sole discretion (it being understood that in the case of a Corporate Transaction with respect to which stockholders of Common Stock receive consideration other than publicly traded equity securities of the ultimate surviving entity, any such determination by the Committee that the value of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall for this purpose be deemed to

 

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equal the excess, if any, of the value of the consideration being paid for each Share pursuant to such Corporate Transaction over the exercise price of such Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall conclusively be deemed valid); (2) the substitution of other property (including, without limitation, cash or other securities of the Company and securities of entities other than the Company) for the Shares subject to outstanding Awards; and (3) in connection with any Disaffiliation, arranging for the assumption of Awards, or replacement of Awards with new awards based on other property or other securities (including, without limitation, other securities of the Company and securities of entities other than the Company), by the affected Subsidiary, Affiliate, or division or by the entity that controls such Subsidiary, Affiliate, or division following such Disaffiliation (as well as any corresponding adjustments to Awards that remain based upon Company securities). The Committee may adjust in its sole discretion the Performance Goals applicable to any Awards to reflect any Share Change and any Corporate Transaction and any unusual or non-recurring events and other extraordinary items, impact of charges for restructurings, discontinued operations, and the cumulative effects of accounting or tax changes, each as defined by generally accepted accounting principles or as identified in the Company’s financial statements, notes to the financial statements, management’s discussion and analysis or the Company’s other SEC filings, provided that in the case of Performance Goals applicable to any Qualified Performance-Based Awards, such adjustment does not violate Section 162(m) of the Code. Any adjustment under this Section 3(d) need not be the same for all Participants.  Any adjustment of Shares pursuant to this Section 3(d) shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number of Shares.  Under no circumstances shall the Company be required to authorize or issue fractional shares.  To the extent permitted by applicable law, no consideration shall be provided as a result of any fractional shares not being issued or authorized.

 

(e)  Section 409A.  Notwithstanding the foregoing: (i) any adjustments made pursuant to Section 3(d) to Awards that are considered “deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code shall be made in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code; (ii) any adjustments made pursuant to Section 3(d) to Awards that are not considered “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code shall be made in such a manner as to ensure that after such adjustment, the Awards either (A) continue not to be subject to Section 409A of the Code or (B) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code; and (iii) in any event, neither the Committee nor the Board shall have the authority to make any adjustments pursuant to Section 3(d) to the extent the existence of such authority would cause an Award that is not intended to be subject to Section 409A of the Code at the Grant Date to be subject thereto as of the Grant Date.

 

Section 4. Eligibility

 

Awards may be granted under the Plan to Eligible Individuals and, with respect to Adjusted Awards, in accordance with the terms of the Employee Matters Agreement; provided, however, that Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries or parent corporation (within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code) and, with respect to Adjusted Awards that are intended to qualify as incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 421 of the Code, in accordance with the terms of the Employee Matters Agreement.

 

Section 5. Options and Stock Appreciation Rights

 

With respect to Adjusted Awards, the provisions below will be applicable only to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the Employee Matters Agreement and the terms of the Adjusted Award assumed under the Employee Matters Agreement:

 

(a)  Types of Options.  Options may be of two types: Incentive Stock Options and Nonqualified Options. The Award Agreement for an Option shall indicate whether the Option is intended to be an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonqualified Option.  An employee who is a 10-Percent Shareholder shall not be eligible for the grant of an Incentive Stock Option unless the requirements set forth in Section 422(c)(5) of the Code are satisfied.  If and to the extent that any Shares are issued under a portion of any Option that exceeds the $100,000 limitation of Section 422 of the Code, such Shares shall not be treated as issued under an Incentive Stock Option notwithstanding any designation otherwise. Certain decisions, amendments, interpretations and actions by the Company or Committee and certain actions by a Participant may cause an Option to cease to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option pursuant to the Code and by accepting an Option, the Participant agrees in advance to such disqualifying action(s).

 

(b)  Types and Nature of Stock Appreciation Rights.  Stock Appreciation Rights may be “Tandem SARs,” which are granted in conjunction with an Option, or “Free-Standing SARs,” which are not granted in conjunction with an Option. Upon the exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right, the Participant shall be entitled to receive an amount in cash, Shares, or both, in value equal to the product of (i) the excess of the Fair Market Value of one Share over the exercise price of the applicable Stock Appreciation Right, multiplied by (ii) the number of Shares in respect of which the Stock Appreciation Right has been exercised. The applicable Award Agreement shall specify whether such payment is to be made in cash or Common Stock or both, or shall reserve to the Committee or the Participant the right to make that determination prior to or upon the exercise of the Stock Appreciation Right.

 

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(c)  Tandem SARs.  A Tandem SAR may be granted at the Grant Date of the related Option. A Tandem SAR shall be exercisable only at such time or times and to the extent that the related Option is exercisable in accordance with the provisions of this Section 5, and shall have the same exercise price as the related Option. A Tandem SAR shall terminate or be forfeited upon the exercise or forfeiture of the related Option, and the related Option shall terminate or be forfeited upon the exercise or forfeiture of the Tandem SAR.

 

(d)  Exercise Price.  The exercise price per Share subject to an Option or Free-Standing SAR shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement, and shall not be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share (or less than 110% for 10-Percent Shareholders in the case of Incentive Stock Options) on the applicable Grant Date. In no event may any Option or Free-Standing SAR granted under this Plan be amended, other than pursuant to Section 3(d), to decrease the exercise price thereof, be cancelled in conjunction with the grant of any new Option or Free-Standing SAR with a lower exercise price or otherwise be subject to any action that would be treated, for accounting purposes, as a “repricing” of such Option or Free-Standing SAR, unless such amendment, cancellation, or action is approved by the Company’s stockholders.

 

(e)  Term.  The Term of each Option and each Free-Standing SAR shall be fixed by the Committee, but shall not exceed ten years from the Grant Date.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, an Incentive Stock Option that is granted to a 10-Percent Shareholder shall have a maximum term of five years.

 

(f)  Vesting and Exercisability.  Except as otherwise provided herein, Options and Free-Standing SARs shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee. If the Committee provides that any Option or Free-Standing SAR will become exercisable only in installments, the Committee may at any time waive such installment exercise provisions, in whole or in part, based on such factors as the Committee may determine. In addition, the Committee may at any time accelerate the exercisability of any Option or Free-Standing SAR.

 

(g)  Method of Exercise.  Subject to the provisions of this Section 5, Options and Free-Standing SARs may be exercised, in whole or in part, at any time during the applicable Term by giving written notice of exercise to the Company or through the procedures established with the Company’s appointed third-party Option administrator specifying the number of Shares as to which the Option or Free-Standing SAR is being exercised; provided, however, that, unless otherwise permitted by the Committee, any such exercise must be with respect to a portion of the applicable Option or Free-Standing SAR relating to no less than the lesser of the number of Shares then subject to such Option or Free-Standing SAR or 100 Shares. In the case of the exercise of an Option, such notice shall be accompanied by payment in full of the purchase price (which shall equal the product of such number of Shares multiplied by the applicable exercise price) by certified or bank check or such other instrument as the Company may accept. If approved by the Committee, payment, in full or in part, may also be made as follows:

 

(i)          Payments may be made in the form of unrestricted Shares (by delivery of such Shares or by attestation) of the same class as the Common Stock subject to the Option already owned by the Participant (based on the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date the Option is exercised); provided, however, that, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the right to make a payment in the form of already owned Shares of the same class as the Common Stock subject to the Option may be authorized only at the time the Option is granted.

 

(ii)          To the extent permitted by applicable law, payment may be made by delivering a properly executed exercise notice to the Company, together with a copy of irrevocable instructions to a broker to deliver promptly to the Company the amount of sale or loan proceeds necessary to pay the purchase price, and, if requested, the amount of any federal, state, local or foreign withholding taxes. To facilitate the foregoing, the Company may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, enter into agreements for coordinated procedures with one or more brokerage firms. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Committee may also provide for Company loans to be made for purposes of the exercise of Options.

 

(iii)        Payment may be made by instructing the Company to withhold a number of Shares having a Fair Market Value (based on the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date the applicable Option is exercised) equal to the product of (A) the exercise price multiplied by (B) the number of Shares in respect of which the Option shall have been exercised.

 

(h)  Delivery; Rights of Stockholders.  No Shares shall be delivered pursuant to the exercise of an Option until the exercise price therefor has been fully paid and the Participant has satisfied any applicable withholding or tax obligations relating to the Option. The applicable Participant shall have all of the rights of a stockholder of the Company holding the class or series of Common Stock

 

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that is subject to the Option or Stock Appreciation Right (including, if applicable, the right to vote the applicable Shares and the right to receive dividends), when the Participant (i) has given written notice of exercise, (ii) if requested, has given the representation described in Section 14(a), (iii) in the case of an Option, has paid in full for such Shares, and (iv) has satisfied any applicable withholding or tax obligations relating to the Option or Stock Appreciation Right.

 

(i)  Terminations of Employment.  Subject to Section 10, a Participant’s Options and Stock Appreciation Rights shall be forfeited upon such Participant’s Termination of Employment, except as set forth below:

 

(i)           Upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment by reason of death, any Option or Stock Appreciation Right held by the Participant that was exercisable immediately before the Termination of Employment may be exercised at any time until the earlier of (A) the first anniversary of the date of such death and (B) the expiration of the Term thereof;

 

(ii)         Upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment by reason of Disability or Retirement, any Option or Stock Appreciation Right held by the Participant that was exercisable immediately before the Termination of Employment may be exercised at any time until the earlier of (A) the first anniversary of such Termination of Employment and (B) the expiration of the Term thereof;

 

(iii)        Upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment for Cause, any Option or Stock Appreciation Right held by the Participant shall be forfeited, effective as of such Termination of Employment;

 

(iv)        Upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment for any reason other than death, Disability, Retirement or for Cause, any Option or Stock Appreciation Right held by the Participant that was exercisable immediately before the Termination of Employment may be exercised at any time until the earlier of (A) three months following such Termination of Employment and (B) expiration of the Term thereof; and

 

(v)         Notwithstanding the above provisions of this Section 5(i), if a Participant dies after such Participant’s Termination of Employment but while any Option or Stock Appreciation Right remains exercisable as set forth above, such Option or Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised at any time until the later of (A) the earlier of (1) the first anniversary of the date of such death and (2) expiration of the Term thereof and (B) the last date on which such Option or Stock Appreciation Right would have been exercisable, absent this Section 5(i)(v).

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee shall have the power, in its discretion, to apply different rules concerning the consequences of a Termination of Employment; provided, however, that if such rules are less favorable to the Participant than those set forth above, such rules are set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. If an Incentive Stock Option is exercised after the expiration of the exercise periods that apply for purposes of Section 422 of the Code, such Option will thereafter be treated as a Nonqualified Option.

 

(j)  Nontransferability of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights.  No Option or Free-Standing SAR shall be transferable by a Participant other than (i) by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, or (ii) in the case of a Nonqualified Option or Free-Standing SAR, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order or as otherwise expressly permitted by the Committee including, if so permitted, pursuant to a transfer to the Participant’s family members or to a charitable organization, whether directly or indirectly or by means of a trust or partnership or otherwise. For purposes of this Plan, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, “family member” shall have the meaning given to such term in General Instructions A.1(a)(5) to Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any successor thereto. A Tandem SAR shall be transferable only with the related Option as permitted by the preceding sentence. Any Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall be exercisable, subject to the terms of this Plan, only by the applicable Participant, the guardian or legal representative of such Participant, or any person to whom such Option or Stock Appreciation Right is permissibly transferred pursuant to this Section 5(j), it being understood that the term “Participant” includes such guardian, legal representative and other transferee; provided, however, that the term “Termination of Employment” shall continue to refer to the Termination of Employment of the original Participant.

 

Section 6. Restricted Stock

 

With respect to Adjusted Awards, the provisions below will be applicable only to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the Employee Matters Agreement and the terms of the Adjusted Award assumed under the Employee Matters Agreement:

 

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(a)   Nature of Awards and Certificates.  Shares of Restricted Stock are actual Shares issued to a Participant, and shall be evidenced in such manner as the Committee may deem appropriate, including book-entry registration or issuance of one or more stock certificates. Any certificate issued in respect of Shares of Restricted Stock shall be registered in the name of the applicable Participant and, in the case of Restricted Stock, shall bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Award, substantially in the following form, in addition to any other legend the Committee determines appropriate:

 

“The transferability of this certificate and the shares of stock represented hereby are subject to the terms and conditions (including forfeiture) of the Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan and an Award Agreement. Copies of such Plan and Agreement are on file at the offices of Tree.com, Inc., 11115 Rushmore Drive, Charlotte, NC 28277.”

 

The Committee may require that the certificates evidencing such shares be held in custody by the Company until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed and that, as a condition of any Award of Restricted Stock, the applicable Participant shall have delivered a stock power, endorsed in blank, relating to the Common Stock covered by such Award.

 

(b)   Terms and Conditions.  Shares of Restricted Stock shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:

 

(i)          The Committee shall, prior to or at the time of grant, condition the vesting or transferability of an Award of Restricted Stock upon the continued service of the applicable Participant or the attainment of Performance Goals, or the attainment of Performance Goals and the continued service of the applicable Participant. In the event that the Committee conditions the grant or vesting of an Award of Restricted Stock upon the attainment of Performance Goals or the attainment of Performance Goals and the continued service of the applicable Participant, the Committee may, prior to or at the time of grant, designate such an Award as a Qualified Performance-Based Award. The conditions for grant, vesting, or transferability and the other provisions of Restricted Stock Awards (including without limitation any Performance Goals) need not be the same with respect to each Participant.

 

(ii)         Subject to the provisions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, during the period, if any, set by the Committee, commencing with the date of such Restricted Stock Award for which such vesting restrictions apply and until the expiration of such vesting restrictions (the “Restriction Period”), the Participant shall not be permitted to sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise encumber Shares of Restricted Stock.

 

(iii)        Except as provided in this Section 6 and in the applicable Award Agreement, the applicable Participant shall have, with respect to the Shares of Restricted Stock, all of the rights of a stockholder of the Company holding the class or series of Common Stock that is the subject of the Restricted Stock, including, if applicable, the right to vote the Shares and the right to receive any cash dividends. If so determined by the Committee in the applicable Award Agreement and subject to Section 14(e), (A) cash dividends on the class or series of Common Stock that is the subject of the Restricted Stock Award shall be automatically deferred and reinvested in additional Restricted Stock, held subject to the vesting of the underlying Restricted Stock, and (B) subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 3(d), dividends payable in Common Stock shall be paid in the form of Restricted Stock of the same class as the Common Stock with which such dividend was paid, held subject to the vesting of the underlying Restricted Stock.

 

(iv)         Except as otherwise set forth in the applicable Award Agreement, upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment for any reason during the Restriction Period, all Shares of Restricted Stock still subject to restriction shall be forfeited by such Participant without consideration (except for repayment of any amounts the Participant had paid to the Company to acquire unvested Shares underlying the forfeited Awards); provided, however, that subject to Section 11(b), the Committee shall have the discretion to waive, in whole or in part, any or all remaining restrictions with respect to any or all of such Participant’s Shares of Restricted Stock.

 

(v)          If and when any applicable Performance Goals are satisfied and the Restriction Period expires without a prior forfeiture of the Shares of Restricted Stock for which legended certificates have been issued, unlegended certificates for such Shares shall be delivered to the Participant upon surrender of the legended certificates.

 

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Section 7. Restricted Stock Units

 

With respect to Adjusted Awards, the provisions below will be applicable only to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the Employee Matters Agreement and the terms of the Adjusted Award assumed under the Employee Matters Agreement:

 

(a)   Nature of Awards.  Restricted Stock Units are Awards denominated in Shares that will be settled, subject to the terms and conditions of the Restricted Stock Units, in an amount in cash, Shares or both, based upon the Fair Market Value of a specified number of Shares.

 

(b)   Terms and Conditions.  Restricted Stock Units shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:

 

(i)            The Committee shall, prior to or at the time of grant, condition the grant, vesting, or transferability of Restricted Stock Units upon the continued service of the applicable Participant or the attainment of Performance Goals, or the attainment of Performance Goals and the continued service of the applicable Participant. In the event that the Committee conditions the grant or vesting of Restricted Stock Units upon the attainment of Performance Goals or the attainment of Performance Goals and the continued service of the applicable Participant, the Committee may, prior to or at the time of grant, designate such Awards as Qualified Performance-Based Awards. The conditions for grant, vesting or transferability and the other provisions of Restricted Stock Units (including without limitation any Performance Goals) need not be the same with respect to each Participant. Except as otherwise provided in Section 7(b)(iv) or in the applicable Award Agreement, an Award of Restricted Stock Units shall be settled if and when the Restricted Stock Units vest(but in no event later than two and a half months after the end of the fiscal year in which the Restricted Stock Unit vest).

 

(ii)           Subject to the provisions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, during the period, if any, set by the Committee, commencing with the date of such Restricted Stock Units for which such vesting restrictions apply and until the expiration of such vesting restrictions (the “Restriction Period”), the Participant shall not be permitted to sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise encumber Restricted Stock Units.

 

(iii)          The Award Agreement for Restricted Stock Units shall specify whether, to what extent and on what terms and conditions the applicable Participant shall be entitled to receive current or deferred payments of cash, Common Stock or other property corresponding to the dividends payable on the Common Stock (subject to Section 14(e) below).

 

(iv)          Except as otherwise set forth in the applicable Award Agreement, upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment for any reason during the Restriction Period, all Restricted Stock Units still subject to restriction shall be forfeited by such Participant; provided, however, that subject to Section 11(b), the Committee shall have the discretion to waive, in whole or in part, any or all remaining restrictions with respect to any or all of such Participant’s Restricted Stock Units, provided, however, if any of such Participant’s Restricted Stock Units constitute a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, settlement of such Restricted Stock Units shall not occur until the earliest of (1) the date such Restricted Stock Units would otherwise be settled pursuant to the terms of the Award Agreement or (2) the Participant’s “separation of service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code.

 

Section 8. Other Stock-Based Awards

 

Other Awards of Common Stock and other Awards that are valued in whole or in part by reference to, or are otherwise based upon or settled in, Common Stock, including (without limitation), unrestricted stock, performance units, dividend equivalents, and convertible debentures, may be granted under the Plan.

 

Section 9. Bonus Awards

 

(a)  Determination of Awards.  The Committee shall determine the total amount of Bonus Awards for each Plan Year or such shorter performance period as the Committee may establish in its sole discretion. Prior to the beginning of the Plan Year or such shorter performance period as the Committee may establish in its sole discretion (or such later date as may be prescribed by the

 

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Internal Revenue Service under Section 162(m) of the Code), the Committee shall establish Performance Goals for Bonus Awards for the Plan Year or such shorter period; provided, that such Performance Goals may be established at a later date for Participants who are not “covered employees” (within the meaning of Section 162(m)(3) of the Code). Bonus amounts payable to any individual Participant with respect to a Plan Year will be limited to a maximum of $10 million. For performance periods that are shorter than a Plan Year, such $10 million maximum may be prorated if so determined by the Committee.

 

(b)  Payment of Awards.  Bonus Awards under the Plan shall be paid in cash or in shares of Common Stock (valued at Fair Market Value as of the date of payment) as determined by the Committee, as soon as practicable following the close of the Plan Year or such shorter performance period as the Committee may establish. Bonus Awards under the Plan that are paid in shares of Common Stock shall count against the limits set forth in Sections 3(a) and (b) of the Plan.  It is intended that a Bonus Award will be paid no later than the fifteenth (15th) day of the third month following the later of: (i) the end of the Participant’s taxable year in which the requirements for such Bonus Award have been satisfied by the Participant or (ii) the end of the Company’s fiscal year in which the requirements for such Bonus Award have been satisfied by the Participant. The Committee may at its option establish procedures pursuant to which Participants are permitted to defer the receipt of Bonus Awards payable hereunder. The Bonus Award for any Plan Year or such shorter performance period to any Participant may be reduced or eliminated by the Committee in its discretion.

 

Section 10. Change in Control Provisions

 

(a)  Adjusted Awards.  With respect to all Adjusted Awards, subject to Sections 3(d), 3(e), 10(e) and 14(k) unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement, notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan to the contrary, upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment, during the two-year period following a Change in Control, by the Company other than for Cause or Disability or by the Participant for Good Reason (as defined below):

 

(i)            Any Options outstanding as of such Termination of Employment which were outstanding as of the date of such Change in Control (and were not cancelled, substituted, assumed or replaced in connection with such Change in Control) shall be fully exercisable and vested and shall remain exercisable until the later of (i) the last date on which such Option would be exercisable in the absence of this Section 10(a) and (ii) the earlier of (A) the first anniversary of such Change in Control and (B) expiration of the Term of such Option;

 

(ii)           The restrictions and deferral limitations applicable to any Restricted Stock shall lapse, and such Restricted Stock outstanding as of such Termination of Employment which were outstanding as of the date of such Change in Control shall become free of all restrictions and become fully vested and transferable; and

 

(iii)          All Restricted Stock Units outstanding as of such Termination of Employment which were outstanding as of the date of such Change in Control shall be considered to be earned and payable in full, and any restrictions shall lapse and such Restricted Stock Units shall be settled as promptly as is practicable in the form set forth in the applicable Award Agreement; provided, however, that with respect to any Restricted Stock Unit that constitutes a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, the settlement of each such Restricted Stock Unit pursuant to this Section 10(a)(iii) shall not occur until the earliest of (1) the Change in Control if such Change in Control constitutes a “change in the ownership of the corporation,” a “change in effective control of the corporation” or a “change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the corporation,” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(v) of the Code, (2) the date such Restricted Stock Units would otherwise be settled pursuant to the terms of the Award Agreement and (3) the Participant’s “separation of service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, subject in all cases to Section 14(k).

 

(b)  Impact of Event on Awards other than Adjusted Awards.  Subject to paragraph (e) of this Section 10, and paragraph (d) of Section 12, unless otherwise provided in any applicable Award Agreement and except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a) of this Section 10, in connection with a Change of Control, the Committee may make such adjustments and/or settlements of outstanding Awards as it deems appropriate and consistent with the Plan’s purposes, including, without limitation, the acceleration of vesting of Awards either upon a Change of Control or upon various terminations of employment following a Change of Control. The Committee may provide for such adjustments as a term of the Award or may make such adjustments following the granting of the Award.

 

(c)  Definition of Change in Control.  For purposes of the Plan, unless otherwise provided in an option agreement or other agreement relating to an Award, a “Change in Control” shall mean the happening of any of the following events:

 

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(i)            The acquisition by any individual, entity or Group (a “Person”), other than the Company, of Beneficial Ownership of equity securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the voting power of the then outstanding equity securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”); provided, however, that any acquisition that would constitute a Change in Control under this subsection (i) that is also a Business Combination shall be determined exclusively under subsection (iii) below; or

 

(ii)           Individuals who, as of the Effective Date, constitute the Board (the “Incumbent Directors”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the Effective Date, whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the Incumbent Directors at such time shall become an Incumbent Director, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board; or

 

(iii)          Consummation of a reorganization, merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, the purchase of assets or stock of another entity, or other similar corporate transaction (a “Business Combination”), in each case, unless immediately following such Business Combination, (A) more than 50% of the Resulting Voting Power shall reside in Outstanding Company Voting Securities retained by the Company’s stockholders in the Business Combination and/or voting securities received by such stockholders in the Business Combination on account of Outstanding Company Voting Securities, and (B) at least a majority of the members of the board of directors (or equivalent governing body, if applicable) of the entity resulting from such Business Combination were Incumbent Directors at the time of the initial agreement, or action of the Board, providing for such Business Combination; or

 

(iv)          Consummation of a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Separation shall not constitute a Change in Control. For the avoidance of doubt, with respect to Adjusted Awards, any reference in an Award Agreement or the applicable IAC Long Term Incentive Plan to a “change in control,” “change of control” or similar definition shall be deemed to refer to a Change of Control hereunder.

 

(d)  For purposes of this Section 10, “Good Reason” means (i) “Good Reason” as defined in any Individual Agreement or Award Agreement to which the applicable Participant is a party, or (ii) if there is no such Individual Agreement or if it does not define Good Reason, without the Participant’s prior written consent: (A) a material reduction in the Participant’s rate of annual base salary from the rate of annual base salary in effect for such Participant immediately prior to the Change in Control, (B) a relocation of the Participant’s principal place of business more than 35 miles from the city in which such Participant’s principal place of business was located immediately prior to the Change in Control or (C) a material and demonstrable adverse change in the nature and scope of the Participant’s duties from those in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control. In order to invoke a Termination of Employment for Good Reason, a Participant shall provide written notice to the Company of the existence of one or more of the conditions described in clauses (A) through (C) within 90 days following the Participant’s knowledge of the initial existence of such condition or conditions, and the Company shall have 30 days following receipt of such written notice (the “Cure Period”) during which it may remedy the condition. In the event that the Company fails to remedy the condition constituting Good Reason during the Cure Period, the Participant must terminate employment, if at all, within 90 days following the Cure Period in order for such Termination of Employment to constitute a Termination of Employment for Good Reason.

 

(e)  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Award is subject to Section 409A of the Code, this Section 10 shall be applicable only to the extent specifically provided in the Award Agreement and as permitted pursuant to Section 14(k).

 

Section 11. Qualified Performance-Based Awards; Section 16(b)

 

(a)  The provisions of this Plan are intended to ensure that all Options and Stock Appreciation Rights granted hereunder to any Participant who is or may be a “covered employee” (within the meaning of Section 162(m)(3) of the Code) in the tax year in which such Option or Stock Appreciation Right is expected to be deductible to the Company qualify for the Section 162(m) Exemption, and all such Awards shall therefore be considered Qualified Performance-Based Awards and this Plan shall be interpreted

 

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and operated consistent with that intention (including, without limitation, to require that all such Awards be granted by a committee composed solely of members who satisfy the requirements for being “outside directors” for purposes of the Section 162(m) Exemption (“Outside Directors”)). When granting any Award other than an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, the Committee may designate such Award as a Qualified Performance-Based Award, based upon a determination that (i) the recipient is or may be a “covered employee” (within the meaning of Section 162(m)(3) of the Code) with respect to such Award, and (ii) the Committee wishes such Award to qualify for the Section 162(m) Exemption, and the terms of any such Award (and of the grant thereof) shall be consistent with such designation (including, without limitation, that all such Awards be granted by a committee composed solely of Outside Directors).

 

(b)  Each Qualified Performance-Based Award (other than an Option or Stock Appreciation Right) shall be earned, vested and payable (as applicable) only upon the achievement of one or more Performance Goals (as certified in writing by the Committee, except if compensation is attributable solely to the increase in the value of the Common Stock) (but in no event shall such Award be payable later than two and a half months after the end of the Company’s fiscal year in which the Qualified Performance-Based Award becomes earned and vested (as applicable)), together with the satisfaction of any other conditions, such as continued employment, as the Committee may determine to be appropriate, and no Qualified Performance-Based Award may be amended, nor may the Committee exercise any discretionary authority it may otherwise have under this Plan with respect to a Qualified Performance-Based Award under this Plan, in any manner that would cause the Qualified Performance-Based Award to cease to qualify for the Section 162(m) Exemption; provided, however, that (i) the Committee may provide, either in connection with the grant of the applicable Award or by amendment thereafter, that achievement of such Performance Goals will be waived upon the death or Disability of the Participant or under any other circumstance with respect to which the existence of such possible waiver will not cause the Award to fail to qualify for the Section 162(m) Exemption as of the Grant Date, and (ii) the provisions of Section 10 shall apply notwithstanding this Section 11(b).

 

(c)  The full Board shall not be permitted to exercise authority granted to the Committee to the extent that the grant or exercise of such authority would cause an Award designated as a Qualified Performance-Based Award not to qualify for, or to cease to qualify for, the Section 162(m) Exemption.

 

(d)  The provisions of this Plan are intended to ensure that no transaction under the Plan is subject to (and not exempt from) the short-swing recovery rules of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (“Section 16(b)”). Accordingly, the composition of the Committee shall be subject to such limitations as the Board deems appropriate to permit transactions pursuant to this Plan to be exempt (pursuant to Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) from Section 16(b), and no delegation of authority by the Committee shall be permitted if such delegation would cause any such transaction to be subject to (and not exempt from) Section 16(b).

 

Section 12. Term, Amendment and Termination

 

(a)  Effectiveness.  The Plan shall be effective as of August 20, 2008 (the “Effective Date”).

 

(b)  Termination.  The Plan will terminate on August 20, 2018 and may be terminated on any earlier date pursuant to Section 12(c). Awards outstanding as of such termination date shall not be affected or impaired by the termination of the Plan.

 

(c)  Amendment of Plan.  The Board may amend, alter, or discontinue the Plan, but no amendment, alteration or discontinuation shall be made which would materially impair the rights of the Participant with respect to a previously granted Award without such Participant’s consent, except such an amendment made to comply with applicable law, including without limitation Section 409A of the Code, stock exchange rules or accounting rules. In addition, no such amendment shall be made without the approval of the Company’s stockholders to the extent such approval is required by applicable law or the listing standards of the Applicable Exchange.

 

(d)  Amendment of Awards.  Subject to Section 5(d), the Committee may unilaterally amend the terms of any Award theretofore granted, but no such amendment shall cause a Qualified Performance-Based Award to cease to qualify for the Section 162(m) Exemption or without the Participant’s consent materially impair the rights of any Participant with respect to an Award, except such an amendment made to cause the Plan or Award to comply with applicable law, stock exchange rules or accounting rules.

 

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Section 13. Unfunded Status of Plan

 

It is presently intended that the Plan constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and deferred compensation. Solely to the extent permitted under Section 409A, the Committee may authorize the creation of trusts or other arrangements to meet the obligations created under the Plan to deliver Common Stock or make payments; provided, however, that the existence of such trusts or other arrangements is consistent with the “unfunded” status of the Plan. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan to the contrary, with respect to any Award that constitutes a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, no trust shall be funded with respect to any such Award if such funding would result in taxable income to the Participant by reason of Section 409A(b) of the Code and in no event shall any such trust assets at any time be located or transferred outside of the United States, within the meaning of Section 409A(b) of the Code.

 

Section 14. General Provisions

 

(a)  Conditions for Issuance.  The Committee may require each person purchasing or receiving Shares pursuant to an Award to represent to and agree with the Company in writing that such person is acquiring the Shares without a view to the distribution thereof. The certificates for such Shares may include any legend which the Committee deems appropriate to reflect any restrictions on transfer. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or agreements made pursuant thereto, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificate or certificates for Shares under the Plan prior to fulfillment of all of the following conditions: (i) listing or approval for listing upon notice of issuance, of such Shares on the Applicable Exchange; (ii) any registration or other qualification of such Shares of the Company under any state or federal law or regulation, or the maintaining in effect of any such registration or other qualification which the Committee shall, in its absolute discretion upon the advice of counsel, deem necessary or advisable; and (iii) obtaining any other consent, approval, or permit from any state or federal governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its absolute discretion after receiving the advice of counsel, determine to be necessary or advisable.

 

(b)  Additional Compensation Arrangements.  Nothing contained in the Plan shall prevent the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate from adopting other or additional compensation arrangements for its employees.

 

(c)  No Contract of Employment.  The Plan shall not constitute a contract of employment, and adoption of the Plan shall not confer upon any employee any right to continued employment, nor shall it interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate to terminate the employment of any employee at any time.

 

(d)  Required Taxes.  No later than the date as of which an amount first becomes includible in the gross income of a Participant for federal, state, local or foreign income or employment or other tax purposes with respect to any Award under the Plan, such Participant shall pay to the Company, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Company regarding the payment of, any federal, state, local or foreign taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to such amount. If determined by the Company, withholding obligations may be settled with Common Stock, including Common Stock that is part of the Award that gives rise to the withholding requirement. The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be conditional on such payment or arrangements, and the Company and its Affiliates shall, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct any such taxes from any payment otherwise due to such Participant. The Committee may establish such procedures as it deems appropriate, including making irrevocable elections, for the settlement of withholding obligations with Common Stock.

 

(e)  Limitation on Dividend Reinvestment and Dividend Equivalents.  Reinvestment of dividends in additional Restricted Stock at the time of any dividend payment, and the payment of Shares with respect to dividends to Participants holding Awards of Restricted Stock Units, shall only be permissible if sufficient Shares are available under Section 3 for such reinvestment or payment (taking into account then outstanding Awards). In the event that sufficient Shares are not available for such reinvestment or payment, such reinvestment or payment shall be made in the form of a grant of Restricted Stock Units equal in number to the Shares that would have been obtained by such payment or reinvestment, the terms of which Restricted Stock Units shall provide for settlement in cash and for dividend equivalent reinvestment in further Restricted Stock Units on the terms contemplated by this Section 14(e).

 

(f)  Designation of Death Beneficiary.  The Committee shall establish such procedures as it deems appropriate for a Participant to designate a beneficiary to whom any amounts payable in the event of such Participant’s death are to be paid or by whom any rights of such eligible Individual, after such Participant’s death, may be exercised.

 

(g)  Subsidiary Employees.  In the case of a grant of an Award to any employee of a Subsidiary of the Company, the Company may, if the Committee so directs, issue or transfer the Shares, if any, covered by the Award to the Subsidiary, for such lawful consideration as the Committee may specify, upon the condition or understanding that the Subsidiary will transfer the Shares to

 

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the employee in accordance with the terms of the Award specified by the Committee pursuant to the provisions of the Plan. All Shares underlying Awards that are forfeited or canceled should revert to the Company.

 

(h)  Governing Law and Interpretation.  The Plan and (unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement) all Awards made and actions taken thereunder shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without reference to principles of conflict of laws. The captions of this Plan are not part of the provisions hereof and shall have no force or effect.

 

(i)  Non-Transferability.  Except as otherwise provided in Section 5(j) or by the Committee, Awards under the Plan are not transferable except by will or by laws of descent and distribution.

 

(j)  Foreign Employees and Foreign Law Considerations.  The Committee may grant Awards to Eligible Individuals who are foreign nationals, who are located outside the United States or who are not compensated from a payroll maintained in the United States, or who are otherwise subject to (or could cause the Company to be subject to) legal or regulatory provisions of countries or jurisdictions outside the United States, on such terms and conditions different from those specified in the Plan as may, in the judgment of the Committee, be necessary or desirable to foster and promote achievement of the purposes of the Plan, and, in furtherance of such purposes, the Committee may make such modifications, amendments, procedures, or subplans as may be necessary or advisable to comply with such legal or regulatory provisions.

 

(k)  Section 409A of the Code.  It is the intention of the Company that no Award shall be “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code, unless and to the extent that the Committee specifically determines otherwise as provided in this Section 14(k), and the Plan and the terms and conditions of all Awards shall be interpreted accordingly. Any payment made pursuant to any Award shall be considered a separate payment and not one of a series of payments for purposes of Section 409A of the Code.  Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, with respect to any Award that constitutes a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” subject to Section 409A of the Code and if the Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, any payments (whether in cash, Shares or other property) to be made with respect to the Award upon such Participant’s Termination of Employment shall be delayed until the earlier of (A) the first day of the seventh month following the Participant’s Termination of Employment and (B) the Participant’s death.  Any such delayed payments shall be made without interest.  In no event whatsoever shall the Company be liable for any additional tax, interest or penalties that may be imposed on a Participant by Section 409A of the Code or any damages for failing to comply with Section 409A of the Code.

 

(l)  Employee Matters Agreement.  Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, to the extent that the terms of this Plan are inconsistent with the terms of an Adjusted Award, the terms of the Adjusted Award shall be governed by the Employee Matters Agreement, the applicable IAC Long-Term Incentive Plan and the award agreement entered into thereunder.

 

(m)  Suspension or Termination of Awards.  If at any time (including after a notice of exercise has been delivered) the Committee (or the Board), reasonably believes that a Participant has committed an act of Cause (which includes a failure to act), the Committee (or Board) may suspend the Participant’s right to exercise any Award (or vesting or settlement of any Award) pending a determination of whether there was in fact an act of Cause.  If the Committee (or the Board) determines a Participant has committed an act of Cause, neither the Participant nor his or her estate shall be entitled to exercise any outstanding Award whatsoever and all of Participant’s outstanding Awards shall then terminate without consideration.  Any determination by the Committee (or the Board) with respect to the foregoing shall be final, conclusive and binding on all interested parties.

 

(n)  Successor Provision.  Any reference to a statute, rule or regulation, or to a section of a statute, rule or regulation, is a reference to that statute, rule, regulation, or section as amended from time to time, both before and after the Effective Date and including any successor provisions.

 

(o)  Clawback Policy.  The Company may (i) cause the cancellation of any Award, (ii) require reimbursement of any Award by a Participant and (iii) effect any other right of recoupment of equity or other compensation provided under this Plan or otherwise in accordance with Company policies as may be adopted and/or modified from time to time by the Company and/or applicable law (each, a “Clawback Policy”).  In addition, a Participant may be required to repay to the Company certain previously paid compensation, whether provided under this Plan or an Award Agreement or otherwise, in accordance with the Clawback Policy.  By accepting an Award, a Participant is also agreeing to be bound by the Company’s Clawback Policy which may be amended from time to time by the Company in its discretion (including without limitation to comply with applicable laws or stock exchange requirements) and is further agreeing that all of the Participant’s Awards (and/or Adjusted Awards) may be unilaterally amended by the Company to the extent needed to comply with the Clawback Policy.

 

Annex A-16




Exhibit 10.86(b)

 

 

Notice of [YEAR] Restricted Stock Unit Award Granted Under the
Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan

(the “2008 Amended Plan”)

 

Important Note: You must login to your account at www.benefitaccess.com to obtain other important information concerning this award, including a copy of the 2008 Amended Plan and the Terms and Conditions for 2012 Restricted Stock Unit Awards (the “Terms and Conditions”).

 

Award Recipient:

 

 

 

 

 

[YEAR] Restricted Stock Unit Award:

 

xxxxx restricted stock units (“RSUs”) granted under the 2008 Amended Plan.

 

 

 

Award Date:

 

 

 

 

 

Vesting Schedule:

 

Your RSUs shall, subject to the provisions of the 2008 Amended Plan and the Terms and Conditions, vest and no longer be subject to any restriction as of the dates set forth below:

 

 

 

 

 

Vesting Date

 

Percentage of Total 
Award Vesting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

33.3316

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

33.3342

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

33.3342

%

 

 

 

 

Impact of a Termination of Employment:

 

Except as otherwise provided in the 2008 Amended Plan or in the attached Terms and Conditions, or any prior employment agreement, all of your unvested RSUs will be forfeited and canceled in their entirety upon a Termination of Employment.

 

 

 

Terms and Conditions:

 

Capitalized terms used (but not defined) in this Award Notice shall have the meanings set forth in the 2008 Amended Plan.

 

Your RSUs are subject to the Terms and Conditions and to the 2008 Amended Plan, both of which are posted on www.benefitaccess.com. Additional copies of these documents are also available on the MyEquity page of the Company intranet at http://mytreehouse/EmployeeFocus/Pages/MyEquity.aspx or upon request from your Human Resources Department.

 

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Exhibit 10.86(c)

 

RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT

 

This Restricted Stock Award Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made between Tree.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Tree.com”), and [NAME].

 

Tree.com sponsors the Tree.com Amended and Restated 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).  This Agreement represents an award of Shares of Restricted Stock under the Plan. All capitalized terms used herein, to the extent not defined, shall have the same meaning as set forth in the Plan.

 

The Shares of Restricted Stock covered by this Agreement are being awarded subject to the following terms and provisions:

 

1.               Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, Tree.com awards to you [NUMBER] Shares of Restricted Stock (the “Shares”).

 

2.               In order for all or any portion of the Shares to vest, you must be continuously employed by Tree.com (or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) to the vesting date on which the applicable performance conditions are met, as described in Section 3.  The actual number Shares that vest will be determined based on the extent to which the performance conditions described in Section 3 are met.  Nothing in this Agreement or the Plan shall confer upon you any right to continue in the employ or service of Tree.com (or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) or interfere in any way with their rights to terminate your employment or service at any time, [subject to the terms of [EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT]].

 

3.               You will earn and become vested in the Shares in accordance with the conditions of this Section.  Until they become vested, the Shares shall be subject to cancellation and forfeiture in accordance with Section 5 below.  Until vested, you may not sell, transfer, pledge, assign or otherwise alienate or hypothecate the Shares (such period during which restrictions apply is the “Restriction Period”).  Subject to the Performance Goals set forth below, the Shares shall vest as follows:

 

(a)                                  If Tree.com’s EBITDA is $[XXX] or more for the [YEAR] fiscal year, [XXX] Shares will become vested on [DATE] if you have been in continuous employment or service with Tree.com (or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) to that date.

 

(b)                                 If Tree.com’s EBITDA is $[XXX] or more for the [YEAR] fiscal year, [XXX] Shares will become vested on [DATE] if you have been in continuous employment or service with Tree.com (or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) to that date.

 

(c)                                  If Tree.com’s EBITDA is $[XXX] or more for the [YEAR] fiscal year, [XXX] Shares will become vested on [DATE] if you have been in continuous employment or service with Tree.com (or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) to that date.

 

(d)                                 If Tree.com’s EBITDA is less than $[XXX]for either the [YEAR] or the [YEAR] fiscal year, but Tree.com’s cumulative EBITDA is $[XXX] or more that fiscal year and the immediately following fiscal year (the “Second Fiscal Year”), [XXX] Shares will become vested on the [MONTH, DAY] immediately following the Second Fiscal Year if you have been in continuous employment or service with Tree.com (or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) to that date.

 

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(e)                                  If Tree.com’s EBITDA did not equal or exceed $[XXX] for either the [YEAR] or the [YEAR] fiscal year, but its cumulative EBITDA for the [YEAR] through [YEAR] fiscal year period was $[XXX] or more, all [NUMBER] Shares will become vested on [DATE] if you have been in continuous employment or service with Tree.com (or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) to that date.

 

[Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of a Change in Control, [XXX]% of your then-outstanding and -unvested Shares Award shall vest upon the occurrence of such Change in Control.]

 

4.               You agree that you shall comply with (or provide adequate assurance as to future compliance with) all applicable securities laws and income tax laws as determined by Tree.com with respect to your receipt of the Shares.  In addition, you agree that, upon request, you will furnish a letter agreement providing that (a) you will not distribute or resell any of said shares in violation of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (b) you will indemnify and hold Tree.com harmless against all liability for any such violation and (c) you will accept all liability for any such violation.

 

5.               You acknowledge and agree that upon your ceasing to be employed by Tree.com or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates during the Restriction Period any unvested Shares at such time will be canceled and forfeited and returned to Tree.com.  For the avoidance of doubt, transfers of employment among the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates, without any break in service, is not a Termination of Employment. In order to facilitate the transfer to Tree.com of any Shares pursuant to the terms hereof, you shall execute the enclosed stock power (Assignment Separate from Certificate).  The stock power may be used by Tree.com to transfer any unvested Shares to Tree.com in accordance with this Section.  You further hereby irrevocably appoint (which appointment is coupled with an interest) Tree.com as your agent and attorney-in-fact to take any necessary or appropriate action to cause Shares to be returned to Tree.com in accordance with this Section, including without limitation executing and delivering stock powers and instruments of transfer, making endorsements and/or making, initiating or issuing instructions or entitlement orders, all in your name and on your behalf.  Without limiting the foregoing, you expressly acknowledge and agree that any transfer agent for the Shares is fully authorized and protected in relying on, and shall incur no liability in acting on, any documents, instruments, endorsements, instructions, orders or communications from Tree.com in connection with the Shares or the transfer thereof, and that any such transfer agent is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.

 

6.               In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and the Plan, the Plan shall control; provided, that an action or provision that is permissive under the terms of the Plan, and required under this Agreement, shall not be deemed a conflict and this Agreement shall control.  In the event of any ambiguity in this Agreement, or any matters as to which this Agreement are silent, the Plan shall govern.

 

7.               Tree.com may modify, amend or waive the terms of your Shares, prospectively or retroactively, but no such modification, amendment or waiver shall materially impair your rights without your consent, except as required by applicable law, NASDAQ or stock exchange rules, tax rules or accounting rules.

 

8.              Your acceptance of the Shares constitutes your authorization of the release from time to time to Tree.com or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates and to the Agent (together, the “Relevant Companies”) of any and all personal or professional data that is necessary or desirable for the administration of your Shares and/or the Plan (the “Relevant Information”).  Without limiting the above, this authorization permits your employing company to collect, process, register and transfer to the Relevant Companies all Relevant Information (including any professional and personal data that

 

2



 

may be useful or necessary for the purposes of the administration of the Shares and/or the Plan and/or to implement or structure any further grants of equity awards (if any)).  The acceptance of the Shares also constitutes your authorization of the transfer of the Relevant Information to any jurisdiction in which Tree.com, your employing company or the Agent considers appropriate.  You shall have access to, and the right to change, the Relevant Information, which will only be used in accordance with applicable law.

 

9.               Your Award is not intended to constitute “nonqualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules and regulations issued there under (“Section 409A”).  In no event shall Tree.com be required to pay you any “gross-up” or other payment with respect to any taxes or penalties imposed under Section 409A with respect to any amounts or benefits paid to you in respect of your Award.

 

10.         In the event any provision of this Agreement shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the Agreement, and the Agreement shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included.  This Agreement and the Plan, constitutes the final understanding between you and Tree.com regarding the Shares.  Any prior agreements, commitments or negotiations concerning the Shares are superseded.

 

11.         No stock certificates evidencing Shares free from a restrictive legend shall be delivered to you until you have paid to Tree.com the amount that must be withheld with respect to those Shares under federal, state and local income and employment tax laws (the “Applicable Withholding Taxes”) or you and Tree.com have made satisfactory arrangements for the payment of such taxes. As an alternative to making a cash payment to satisfy the Applicable Withholding Taxes, you may elect to (i) deliver shares of Common Stock which you already own (valued at their Fair Market Value as of the delivery date) in whole or partial satisfaction of such taxes or (ii) have Tree.com retain that number of Shares (valued at their Fair Market Value as of the delivery date) that would satisfy the Applicable Withholding Taxes.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Tree.com has caused this Agreement to be executed by its duly authorized officer, and you have hereunto set your hand, all effective as of the Grant Date listed above.

 

 

 

TREE.COM, INC.

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NAME]

 

3



 

ASSIGNMENT SEPARATE FROM CERTIFICATE

(Stock Power)

 

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned does hereby assign and transfer unto

 

 

Name:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Address:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Security or

 

Taxpayer Identification Number:

 

                                                                                shares of the                                                            Stock of

                                                                                                                                 represented by Certificate No(s).

                                                     herewith, standing in the name of the undersigned, and does hereby appoint

                                                                             attorney, with full power of substitution, to transfer said shares on the books of said corporation.

 

 

 

 

Signature:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NAME]

 




Exhibit 10.86(d)

 

Notice of [YEAR] Stock Option Award Granted Under the
Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan

 

Award Recipient:

 

 

 

 

 

[YEAR] Stock Option Award:

 

Under the Amended and Restated Tree.com, Inc. 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “Amended 2008 Plan”):

 

1)    Stock options to acquire xxx shares of Tree.com common stock at an exercise price of $xxx per share (“Stock Options”);

 

2)    Stock options to acquire xxx shares of Tree.com common stock at an exercise price of $xxx per share (“Stock Options”); and

 

3)    Stock options to acquire xxx shares of Tree.com common stock at an exercise price of $xxx per share (“Stock Options”);

 

 

 

Award Date

 

 

 

 

 

Vesting Schedule:

 

Subject to your continued employment with Tree.com or its Subsidiaries, your Stock Options shall, subject to the provisions of the Amended 2008 Plan, vest and no longer be subject to any restriction in three equal annual installments on the anniversary of your Award Date, beginning [DATE].

 

 

 

Expiration Date:

 

Once vested, your Stock Options will expire upon the earlier of (i) the expiration of the 12-month period following your Termination of Employment for any reason other than death, Disability or Retirement, (ii) the expiration of the one-year period following your Termination of Employment due to death, Disability or Retirement or (iii) 10 years from your Award Date (the “Expiration Date”), except as otherwise provided in the Amended 2008 Plan or the attached Terms and Conditions.

 

If you do not exercise your vested Stock Options before the Expiration Date, your Stock Options will be forfeited and canceled in their entirety.

 

 

 

Impact of a Termination of Employment:

 

Except as otherwise provided in the Amended 2008 Plan, and any employment agreement between you and Tree, all of your unvested Stock Options will be forfeited and canceled in their entirety upon a Termination of Employment by Tree.com.

 

 

 

Terms and Conditions:

 

Capitalized terms used (but not defined) in this Award Notice shall have the meanings set forth in the Amended 2008 Plan.

 

Your Stock Options are subject to the Terms and Conditions attached hereto and to the Amended 2008 Plan, which are posted on www.benefitaccess.com and incorporated herein by reference, and any employment agreement between you and Tree. Copies of these documents are also available upon request from your Human Resources Department. In the event of a conflict between the Terms and Conditions and this Notice, this Notice shall control.

 

Without a complete review of these documents, you will not have a full understanding of all the material terms of your Stock Options.

 




Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 to Registration Statement No. 333-152700 on Form S-1 of our report dated April 16, 2012, relating to the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule of Tree.com, Inc. (which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph relating to the effects of discontinued operations and a change in reportable segments), appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Tree.com, Inc., for the year ended December 31, 2011, and to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in the Prospectus, which is part of such Registration Statement.

 

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Charlotte, North Carolina

July 13, 2012