pre14a
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
(AMENDMENT NO.___)
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
KB HOME
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
KB HOME
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11. |
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Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
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Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction
computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the
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Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the
filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
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Date Filed:
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NOTICE OF 2007
KB Home Annual
Meeting of Stockholders
and Proxy Statement
TABLE OF CONTENTS
KB HOME
10990 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90024
(310) 231-4000
Jeffrey T. Mezger
President and Chief Executive Officer
March 5, 2007
Dear Fellow Stockholder:
Your officers and directors join me in inviting you to attend
the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of KB Home at 9:00 a.m.
Pacific Daylight Time on April 5, 2007 in the Garden Room
at the Hotel Bel-Air, 701 Stone Canyon Road, in Los Angeles,
California.
The matters expected to be acted on at the meeting are described
in detail in the attached Notice of Annual Meeting of
Stockholders and Proxy Statement. In addition to specific agenda
items, by attending the Annual Meeting you will have an
opportunity to hear about our plans for the future and to meet
your officers and directors.
We look forward to seeing you on April 5.
Sincerely,
/s/ Jeffrey T. Mezger
Jeffrey T. Mezger
President and Chief Executive Officer
Notice of Annual Meeting
of Stockholders
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Time and
Date:
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9:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, April 5,
2007. |
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Location:
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Garden Room, Hotel Bel-Air, 701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles,
California. |
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Items of
Business:
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(1) |
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Elect three Class III Directors, each to serve for a
three-year term, and one Class I Director, to serve for a
one-year term; |
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Vote on an amendment to the Amended Certificate of Incorporation
of KB Home to declassify the Board of Directors and provide
for the annual election of Directors; |
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Vote on an amendment to the Amended Certificate of Incorporation
of KB Home to eliminate its fair price
provision and related supermajority voting requirements; |
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Ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal
year ending November 30, 2007; |
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Consider three stockholder proposals, if properly presented at
the meeting; and |
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To transact any other business as may properly come before the
meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. |
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Record Date:
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You can vote if you were a stockholder of record on
February 14, 2007. |
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If you attend the
Meeting:
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If you plan to attend the meeting, you may be asked to present
photo identification and you may be accompanied by only one
guest. If you hold your shares in a brokerage or similar account
(in street name), you will need to bring a statement
reflecting the shares you owned on February 14, 2007. |
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Proxy Voting:
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Whether or not you expect to attend the meeting, please
promptly complete and return the Proxy Card or voting
instruction card you received to ensure that your shares will be
represented. If available to you, you may also vote by using the
telephone number or via the Internet web site address printed on
your Proxy Card or voting instruction card. |
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Annual
Report:
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Copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended November 30, 2006, including audited financial
statements, are being mailed to stockholders concurrently with
this Proxy Statement. It is anticipated that the mailing will
commence on or about March 5, 2007. |
By Order of The Board
of Directors,
/s/ William A. Richelieu
William A. Richelieu
Assistant Corporate Secretary
Los Angeles, California
March 5, 2007
KB HOME
10990 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90024
Proxy Statement
for
Annual Meeting of
Stockholders
To Be Held April 5, 2007
General
Information
Why did I receive this Proxy Statement?
Your Board of Directors is furnishing this Proxy Statement to
you to solicit your proxy to be voted at our 2007 Annual Meeting
of Stockholders. The Annual Meeting is scheduled for Thursday,
April 5, 2007, at the time and place and for the purposes
set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of
Stockholders.
Can I attend the Annual Meeting?
You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting.
Please note, however, that you may be subject to a security
check and that no cameras, recording equipment, electronic
devices, large bags, briefcases or packages will be permitted in
the Annual Meeting. Also, due to space constraints, you may be
accompanied by only one guest.
Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?
Only holders of record of the 89,374,122 shares of our
Common Stock outstanding at the close of business on
February 14, 2007 will be entitled to vote at the Annual
Meeting. Each holder of our Common Stock is entitled to one vote
for each share held. Our Grantor Stock Ownership Trust,
established to assist us in meeting certain of our obligations
to employees under our employee benefit plans, held
12,337,882 shares of our Common Stock for voting purposes
as of February 14, 2007. These shares will be voted by the
trustee of the Grantor Stock Ownership Trust in accordance with
instructions received from employees who participate in certain
of our employee benefit plans. There is no right to cumulative
voting.
Who is a Holder of Record?
If your shares of our Common Stock are registered directly in
your name with our transfer agent, Mellon Investor Services LLC,
you are considered the holder of record of those
shares. If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or
by a financial institution or other holder of record, you are
considered the beneficial owner of those shares held in
street name.
1
How do I vote?
If you are a beneficial owner, you have the right to instruct
your broker, financial institution or other holder of record on
how to vote your shares by using the voting instruction card you
received from them or by following their respective telephone
and/or Internet voting instructions.
If you are a holder of record, you may vote by mail, by
telephone or via the Internet, as described below.
Mail. Please promptly complete and return your
Proxy Card in the postage-paid envelope provided.
Telephone. Please call the toll-free telephone
number listed on your Proxy Card. Telephone voting procedures
have been established to verify your identity, to allow you to
provide proxy voting instructions and to confirm that your
instructions were accurately recorded. Please have your Proxy
Card available when you call.
Internet. Please visit the Internet web site
address listed on your Proxy Card. As with telephone voting,
procedures have been established to verify your identity and to
confirm your voting instructions. Please have your Proxy Card
available when you visit the Internet web site address.
Telephone and Internet voting will be available to holders of
record 24 hours each day until 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Time on April 4, 2007. If you use the toll-free
telephone number or the Internet to provide your proxy voting
instructions, you do not need to mail in your Proxy Card.
Revoking Your Proxy Vote. If you are a holder of
record, you may revoke the proxy voting instructions you make by
mail, by telephone or via the Internet at any time prior to the
exercise of those instructions at the Annual Meeting by
delivering a revocation in writing to us in care of the
Corporate Secretary, KB Home, 10990 Wilshire Boulevard, Los
Angeles, California 90024.
If you are a beneficial owner, you may submit new voting
instructions by contacting your broker, financial institution or
other holder of record. You may also vote in person at the
Annual Meeting as described in the next paragraph.
In Person at the Annual Meeting. Whether you are a
holder of record or a beneficial owner, you may vote in person
at the Annual Meeting, even if you have previously provided
proxy voting instructions by mail, by telephone or via the
Internet. If you are a holder of record, you may also be
represented by another person at the Annual Meeting by executing
a proper proxy designating that person. If you are a beneficial
owner of shares of our Common Stock, you must obtain a legal
proxy from your broker, bank or other holder of record and
present it with your ballot to be able to vote in person at the
Annual Meeting.
What are the voting requirements to elect the Director
nominees and to approve each of the proposals in this Proxy
Statement?
Under the laws of the State of Delaware, where we are
incorporated, stockholders may take action at the Annual Meeting
by voting their shares as described above, provided a quorum is
present. At least a majority of the outstanding shares entitled
to vote must be present or represented at the Annual Meeting to
establish a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes
are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of
establishing a quorum.
A broker non-vote arises when a broker, financial
institution or other holder of record that holds shares in
street name does not receive instructions from a beneficial
owner and does not have the discretionary authority to vote on a
particular item. Per current New York Stock Exchange rules, bro-
2
kers have discretionary authority to vote on the election of
directors, each of the management proposals to amend our Amended
Certificate of Incorporation and the ratification of the
appointment of our independent registered public accounting
firm. Brokers do not, however, have discretionary authority to
vote on the stockholder proposals in this Proxy Statement.
Accordingly, broker non-votes will not be considered entitled to
vote for those proposals and will have no effect on the outcome.
All shares of Common Stock represented by valid proxies received
pursuant to this solicitation and not revoked will be voted in
accordance with the proxy instructions given.
Because a proxy confers discretionary authority to vote upon
other matters that may properly come before the Annual Meeting,
shares represented by valid proxies will be voted in accordance
with the judgment of Jeffrey T. Mezger, President and Chief
Executive Officer, and William A. Richelieu, Assistant Corporate
Secretary, who are the persons named as proxies on the Proxy
Cards for holders of record, or their duly authorized designees.
Where no instruction is made on a signed Proxy Card with respect
to any item submitted to a vote, such shares will be voted for
the election as Directors of the four individuals named under
Election of Directors on pages 13-15 below, for
each of the management proposals to amend our Amended
Certificate of Incorporation discussed on
pages 20-23 below,
for the ratification of the appointment of Ernst &
Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm
for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2007 discussed on
page 24 below and against the three stockholder proposals
in this Proxy Statement, if properly presented at the Annual
Meeting, discussed on pages 25-32 below.
Election of Directors. The affirmative vote of a
plurality of the votes present or represented at the Annual
Meeting is required to elect each Director nominee. Accordingly,
the Director nominee with the most votes for a particular board
seat will be elected to that seat. You may vote for
all Director nominees or you may withhold your vote
with respect to one or more of the Director nominees.
Abstentions will not be counted.
Under our Governance Principles, any Director elected to the
Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting in an uncontested
election with less than the affirmative vote of a majority of
shares present in person or represented by proxy shall promptly
tender his or her resignation to the Chair of the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will then promptly
evaluate all relevant factors and recommend to the full Board
whether to accept the resignation or, if appropriate, to adopt
another course of action to remedy the underlying cause(s) of
the election result. Subject to any applicable legal or
regulatory requirements, the Board shall within 90 days
following certification of the stockholder vote decide whether
to accept the resignation, reject the resignation or, if
appropriate, reject the resignation but adopt measures designed
to address the underlying cause(s) of the election result. A
full explanation of the Boards decision will be publicly
disclosed in a periodic or current report filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. A Director who tenders his
or her resignation because he or she was elected in an
uncontested election with less than a majority of the shares
present or represented at an Annual Meeting and any
non-independent Director will not participate in these
deliberations and decisions. As part of the new corporate
governance initiatives discussed on page 5 below, the Board
of Directors has resolved to move our mandatory majority voting
policy from our Governance Principles to our Bylaws.
3
Other Proposals in this Proxy Statement. The
affirmative vote of not less than 80% of the outstanding shares
of our Common Stock is required to approve each of the
management proposals to amend our Amended Certificate of
Incorporation. The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares
of our Common Stock present or represented at the Annual Meeting
and entitled to vote is required both to ratify the appointment
of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
November 30, 2007 and to approve each of the stockholder
proposals in this Proxy Statement, if properly presented at the
Annual Meeting. You may vote for,
against, or abstain with respect to any
of these proposals. Abstentions will have the same effect as an
against vote.
Are the Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement and the
2006 Annual Report on
Form 10-K
available online?
Yes. The Notice of Annual Meeting, this Proxy Statement and the
2006 Annual Report on
Form 10-K may be
viewed or downloaded from our website at:
http://www.kbhome.com/investor.
Who will pay for this proxy solicitation?
We will pay the entire cost of soliciting proxies. In addition
to use of the mail, proxies may be solicited by our officers,
Directors and other employees by telephone, facsimile or
personal solicitation, and no additional compensation will be
paid to such individuals. We will, if requested, reimburse
banks, brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and
certain fiduciaries for their reasonable expenses incurred in
mailing proxy material to their principals. We have hired
Georgeson Inc., a professional soliciting organization, to
assist in proxy solicitation and in distributing proxy materials
to institutions, brokerage houses, custodians, nominees and
other fiduciaries. For these services, we will pay Georgeson a
fee of $8,500.
Who will count the vote?
Representatives of our transfer agent, Mellon Investor Services
LLC, will count the votes and act as independent inspectors of
election.
4
Corporate Governance
and Board Matters
Role of the Board
The Board of Directors is elected by the stockholders to oversee
the management of our business and to assure that the long-term
interests of our stockholders are being served.
Recent Corporate Governance Initiatives
The Board of Directors has recently taken a number of actions to
strengthen our corporate governance, including:
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Creating the position of independent Non-Executive Chairman of
the Board and initiating a search to fill this position; |
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Appointing Kenneth M. Jastrow, II to serve as independent
Lead Director until the Non-Executive Chairman position is
filled; |
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Dissolving the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors,
effective in April 2007; |
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Initiating a comprehensive review of our compensation programs
and practices; |
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Approving a resolution to declassify the Board of Directors,
which is being presented to stockholders for their approval at
the Annual Meeting; |
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Approving a resolution to eliminate the fair price
provision and related supermajority voting requirements from our
Amended Certificate of Incorporation, which is being presented
to stockholders for their approval at the Annual Meeting; |
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Resolving to move our mandatory majority voting for Directors
policy from our Governance Principles to our Bylaws; |
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Creating the positions of Chief Compliance Officer and Risk
Assessment Officer, each of which will report to the Audit and
Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors as well as to
senior executive management, and initiating a search to fill
these positions; |
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Resolving to conduct a comprehensive internal review of our
compliance environment upon the engagement of a Chief Compliance
Officer; |
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Adopting an Equity-Based Award Grant Policy to improve the
policies and procedures governing our equity compensation
practices; and |
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Resolving to review our Director and executive stock ownership
guidelines and assess Board compensation. |
The Board cannot declassify the Board of Directors or eliminate
the fair price provision and related supermajority
voting requirements from our Amended Certificate of
Incorporation without first obtaining the affirmative vote of at
least 80% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock. We are
therefore presenting Proposals 2 and 3 for your
consideration at the Annual Meeting, as further described on
pages 20-23 below.
Director Qualifications
We believe that our Directors should possess the highest
personal and professional ethics, integrity, judgment and
values, and be committed to representing the long-term interests
of our stockholders. Directors should also have an inquisitive
and objective perspective, and be able and willing to dedicate
the time necessary to Board and Committee service.
5
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board
of Directors regularly assesses the skills and characteristics
of current and potential Directors in view of the perceived
needs of the Board at the time an assessment is made and may
consider the following attributes, among others:
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Personal qualities, accomplishments and reputation in the
business community; |
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Financial literacy, financial and accounting expertise and
significant business, academic or government experience in
leadership positions or at senior policy-making levels; |
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Geographical representation in areas relevant to our business; |
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Diversity of background and personal experience; |
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Fit of abilities and personality with those of current and
potential Directors in building a Board that is effective,
collegial and responsive to the needs of our business; and |
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Independence and an absence of conflicting time commitments. |
Director Independence
We believe that a substantial majority of our Directors should
be independent. A Director is deemed to be independent if he or
she does not have any direct or indirect material commercial or
charitable relationship with us based on all relevant facts and
circumstances. The Board of Directors makes independence
determinations annually based on information supplied by
Directors and other sources, and on the prior review and
recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee.
The Boards Director independence determinations are guided
by certain standards which are set forth in our Governance
Principles and are consistent with New York Stock Exchange
listing standards.
The Board has determined that all currently incumbent Directors
and Director nominees are independent under the Boards
Director independence standards, except Jeffrey T. Mezger,
our President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition, the
Board has determined that all Committees of the Board, except
the Executive Committee, which did not regularly meet in the
2006 fiscal year, are entirely composed of independent Directors
within the meaning of New York Stock Exchange listing standards
and Securities and Exchange Commission rules. The Executive
Committee was comprised of Dr. Ray R. Irani and
Luis G. Nogales, who are both independent, and
Mr. Mezger.
Governance Principles
In addition to containing our Director independence standards,
our Governance Principles provide the framework within which we
conduct our business and pursue strategic goals. Our Governance
Principles are regularly reviewed by the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee, and the full Board approves
changes as appropriate.
Ethics Policy
We expect all of our Directors and employees to follow the
highest ethical standards when representing KB Home and our
interests. To this end, all employees, including senior
executive management and Directors, must abide by our Ethics
Policy. Our Ethics Policy is reviewed regularly by the Audit and
Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors, and the full
Board approves changes as appropriate. Our Ethics Policy was
amended on September 15, 2006.
6
Board Meetings, Membership and Attendance
The Board held seven meetings in our 2006 fiscal year. As of the
date of this Proxy Statement, the Board has 11 members.
All Directors are expected to attend our Annual Meetings. All
Directors who were serving at the time attended the 2006 Annual
Meeting, which was held on April 6, 2006, except for
J. Terrence Lanni.
Each Director attended at least 75% of all Board meetings and of
all meetings of the Committees on which he or she served in our
2006 fiscal year, except for Leslie Moonves.
Board Committees
In our 2006 fiscal year, the Board had four standing Committees:
Audit and Compliance; Management Development and Compensation;
Nominating and Corporate Governance; and Executive. Each
standing Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its
responsibilities, as described below.
The chart below shows the standing Committees of the Board, the
current members of those Committees and the number of meetings
each standing Committee held during the 2006 fiscal year.
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Management |
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Nominating and |
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Audit and |
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Development and |
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Corporate |
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Name of Director |
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Compliance |
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Compensation |
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Governance |
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Executive |
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Independent Directors
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Ronald W. Burkle
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X |
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X |
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Timothy W. Finchem
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X |
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X |
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Dr. Ray R. Irani
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X |
* |
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X |
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Kenneth M. Jastrow, II(a)
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X |
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James A. Johnson(b)
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X |
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* |
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J. Terrence Lanni
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X |
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X |
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Melissa Lora
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X |
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Michael G. McCaffery
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X |
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Leslie Moonves
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X |
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Luis G. Nogales
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X |
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X |
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X |
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Employee Director(c)
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Jeffrey T. Mezger
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X |
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Number of Meetings in Fiscal 2006
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10 |
(d) |
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3 |
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3 |
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1 |
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X = Member * =
Chair = Lead Director |
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(a) |
Mr. Jastrow was elected as the independent Lead Director of
the Board of Directors on November 12, 2006. |
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(b) |
Mr. Johnson served as the Presiding Director of the Board
of Directors during the 2006 fiscal year until November 12,
2006. |
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(c) |
Mr. Bruce Karatz served as our Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer through November 12, 2006. During his tenure on our
Board of Directors, Mr. Karatz also served on the Executive
Committee. On November 12, 2006, the Board of Directors
elected Jeffrey T. Mezger to the Board and to the Executive
Committee of the Board and as our President and Chief Executive
Officer. |
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(d) |
Includes quarterly conference calls with management to review
our earnings releases prior to their release. |
7
Shown below are the standing Committees of the Board and the
members of those Committees effective April 5, 2007.
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Management |
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Nominating and |
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Audit and |
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Development and |
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Corporate |
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Compliance |
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Compensation |
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Governance |
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Independent Directors
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Ronald W. Burkle
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X |
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X |
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Timothy W. Finchem
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X |
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X |
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Dr. Ray R. Irani
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X |
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Kenneth M. Jastrow, II
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X |
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James A. Johnson
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J. Terrence Lanni
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Melissa Lora
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Michael G. McCaffery
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Leslie Moonves
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Luis G. Nogales
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Employee Director
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Jeffrey T. Mezger
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X = Member * =
Chair = Lead Director |
8
Audit and Compliance Committee. The Audit and
Compliance Committee represents and assists the Board in
fulfilling its responsibilities for oversight of our:
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accounting and reporting practices, including the quality and
integrity of our financial statements and reports; |
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internal control over financial reporting and disclosure
controls and procedures; |
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audit process, including our independent registered public
accounting firms qualifications, independence, retention,
compensation and performance, and the performance of our
internal audit department; and |
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compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and management
of matters in which we have or may have material liability
exposure. |
The Audit and Compliance Committee also oversees the preparation
of a report for inclusion in the annual proxy statement and is
charged with the duties and responsibilities listed in its
Charter. The report of the Audit and Compliance Committee is
included in this Proxy Statement on page 51 below.
The Board has determined that each current member of the Audit
and Compliance Committee is independent under our Governance
Principles, New York Stock Exchange listing standards and
Securities and Exchange Commission rules. The Board has also
determined that each current member of the Audit and Compliance
Committee is financially literate under New York Stock Exchange
listing standards, and that Ms. Lora qualifies as an
audit committee financial expert under Securities
and Exchange Commission rules.
In August 2006, a Subcommittee of the Audit and Compliance
Committee was established to conduct a review of our past stock
option grant practices in conjunction with independent legal
counsel. This Subcommittee met 20 times in fiscal 2006.
Mr. Finchem, Ms. Lora and Mr. McCaffery
constituted this Subcommittee.
Management Development and Compensation Committee.
The Management Development and Compensation Committee represents
and assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities for
oversight of:
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the compensation of corporate and division officers, including
the determination of the nature and amount of awards to be
granted under our employee compensation plans; and |
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our efforts to attract, develop and promote qualified executives. |
The Management Development and Compensation Committee also
oversees the preparation of a report on executive compensation
for inclusion in the annual proxy statement and is charged with
the duties and responsibilities listed in its Charter. The
report of the Management Development and Compensation Committee
is included in this Proxy Statement beginning on page 37
below.
In addition to being independent under our Governance Principles
and New York Stock Exchange listing standards, the Board has
determined that each current member of the Management
Development and Compensation Committee is a non-employee
director under Securities and Exchange Commission rules
and an outside director under Section 162(m) of
the Internal Revenue Code.
No member of the Management Development and Compensation
Committee was part of a compensation committee
interlock during our 2006 fiscal year as described under
Securities and Exchange Commission rules. In addition, none of
our executive officers served as a director or member of the
compensation committee of another
9
entity that would constitute a compensation committee
interlock.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee represents and
assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities to:
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shape and monitor the implementation of our governance policies
and practices; |
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identify and investigate individuals qualified to become Board
members, consistent with criteria approved by the Board, and
recommend proposed nominees for Board membership; |
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assess the Boards size, operations, structure, needs and
effectiveness by, among other things, reviewing and making
recommendations as to the membership, purpose and functions of
Board Committees and overseeing the annual evaluation of the
Boards and its Committees respective performance; and |
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establish and from time to time adjust non-employee Director
compensation and benefits in accordance with, among other
things, the compensation guidelines set forth in our Governance
Principles. |
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also reviews
and makes recommendations to the full Board on proposed changes
to our Amended Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws,
periodically assesses and recommends action with respect to our
stockholder rights plan and other stockholder protections,
reviews and approves or ratifies (as applicable) transactions in
which we participate and in which certain related parties have a
material interest, and is charged with the other duties and
responsibilities listed in its Charter.
The Board has determined that each member of the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee is independent under our
Governance Principles and New York Stock Exchange listing
standards.
Executive Committee. The Executive Committee met
once in our 2006 fiscal year and acted periodically by written
consent. As part of the new corporate governance initiatives
discussed on page 5 above, the Board of Directors has voted
to dissolve the Executive Committee effective April 5, 2007.
Executive Sessions of Independent Directors
The independent Directors have met in executive session without
management present as part of the Boards regularly
scheduled meetings, and will continue to do so. Any independent
Director can request additional executive sessions. Until
November 12, 2006, Mr. Johnson served as the
Boards Presiding Director and scheduled and chaired
executive sessions. Since November 12, 2006, the
independent Lead Director of the Board of Directors, currently
Mr. Jastrow, is responsible for scheduling and chairing the
executive sessions.
Communications with the Board
You may write to the Board or to any of the independent
Directors in care of our Corporate Secretary at KB Home, 10990
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90024. The Corporate
Secretary or the Assistant Corporate Secretary reviews all such
written correspondence promptly upon receipt and will forward
it, as they determine is appropriate, to a Committee Chair, to
an individual Director and/or to the Lead Director. Directors
who receive such correspondence determine, individually or with
other Directors and/or senior executive management, whether and
how to respond.
10
Consideration of Director Candidates
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible
for identifying and evaluating Director candidates on the
Boards behalf. Director candidates may come to the
attention of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
through current Board members, professional search firms or
other persons. These candidates are evaluated at regular or
special meetings of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee, and may be considered at any point during the year.
Stockholders may recommend a candidate for the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees consideration by
submitting the candidates name and qualifications to us in
care of the Corporate Secretary at the address listed above
under the heading Communications with the Board.
Candidates recommended by stockholders will be evaluated in the
same manner as candidates recommended by any other person.
Director Compensation
Only non-employee Directors receive compensation for their Board
and Committee service. Non-employee Directors are compensated on
a Director Year basis, which is the period between
Annual Meetings. Accordingly, the 2006 Director
Year commenced on April 6, 2006, the date of our 2006
Annual Meeting, and will conclude on April 4, 2007, the
date before our 2007 Annual Meeting.
Non-employee Director compensation is currently provided under
our Non-Employee Directors Stock Plan (the Director
Plan).
The Director Plan provides each non-employee Director with an
annual cash retainer of $80,000 and an annual grant of 4,000
deferred Stock Units. A Stock Unit is a
contract right to receive a cash payment equal to the fair
market value of a share of our Common Stock.
Annual Retainer. Each non-employee Director may receive
the annual cash retainer in quarterly installments of $20,000
paid out over the course of a Director Year.
Under the Director Plan, each non-employee Director may elect to
receive the annual cash retainer in Stock Units or in Stock
Options. If a Director elects to receive the annual cash
retainer in Stock Units, the Stock Units are granted at the
beginning of each Director Year at a value of 120% of the cash
value of the retainer on the day of grant.
If a non-employee Director elects to receive Stock Options in
lieu of the annual cash retainer, the Stock Options are granted
at the beginning of each Director Year and will have an exercise
price equal to the closing price of our Common Stock on the New
York Stock Exchange on the date of grant. The number of Stock
Options granted is equal to four times the number of shares of
our Common Stock that can be acquired with the amount of the
annual retainer based on the closing price of our Common Stock
on the date of grant.
Stock Options granted to a non-employee Director under the
Director Plan are fully vested when granted, but cannot be
exercised until the earlier to occur of (a) the
Directors acquisition and continued ownership of at least
5,000 shares of our Common Stock or (b) the date the
Director ceases to serve on our Board. These Stock Options have
a term of fifteen years, although they must be exercised within
one year of the date the Director ceases to serve on our Board.
Annual Stock Unit Grant. Each non-employee Director
receives an annual grant of 4,000 Stock Units at the beginning
of each Director Year. A Director may elect to receive the
annual Stock Unit grant in Stock Options, as described above.
11
Non-employee Directors are paid the equivalent of cash dividends
on their Stock Units when cash dividends are paid on shares of
our Common Stock. The amount of these cash dividend equivalent
payments is equal to the number of Stock Units held multiplied
by the amount of the cash dividend paid on a share of our Common
Stock. Stock Units granted to a non-employee Director under the
Director Plan are paid out in cash when the Director leaves the
Board, and the amount paid is equal to the number of Stock Units
held multiplied by the closing price of our Common Stock on the
last business day before the payment date.
Committee Chair Retainer. At the beginning of each
Director Year, the Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee
receives an additional annual retainer of 1,000 Stock Units, and
each Chair of the other Board Committees receives an annual
retainer of 600 Stock Units. A Committee Chair may elect to
receive the Chair Stock Unit grant in Stock Options as described
above.
Cash Election. Although the Director Plan provides the
non-employee Directors with the option to receive payout of any
Stock Units and Stock Options in shares of our Common Stock, all
non-employee Directors have elected to receive payouts of
currently outstanding stock-based awards granted to them under
the Director Plan in cash.
Directors Legacy Program. Under our Directors Legacy
Program we will make a charitable donation on each
Directors behalf of up to $1,000,000. Each donation can be
allocated to up to five qualifying institutions or organizations
of the Directors choice upon his or her death. Directors
vest in the full donation in five equal annual installments of
$200,000, and therefore must serve on the Board for five
consecutive years to be able to donate the maximum amount.
The Board of Directors has elected to close the Directors Legacy
Program to new participants, and any future Directors will not
be eligible to participate.
Copies of Governance Principles, Ethics Policy and Board
Committee Charters
Copies of our Governance Principles, Ethics Policy and all Board
Committee Charters can be viewed on and downloaded from our
website at http://www.kbhome.com/investor. Stockholders may
request free print copies of our Governance Principles, Ethics
Policy and Board Committee Charters by writing to the Corporate
Secretary at the address listed above under the heading
Communications with the Board.
12
Proposals to be Voted
on
Proposal 1:
Election of
Directors
At the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors will present as
nominees and recommend to stockholders that each of
Messrs. Burkle, Moonves and Nogales be elected as
Class III Directors to serve for a three-year term ending
at the 2010 Annual Meeting, and that Dr. Irani be elected
as a Class I Director to serve for a one-year term ending
at the 2008 Annual Meeting. Each nominee is currently a
Director, is standing for re-election, has consented to being
nominated and has agreed to serve as a Director if elected.
Should any of these nominees become unable to serve as a
Director prior to the Annual Meeting, the persons named on the
enclosed Proxy Card will, unless otherwise directed, vote for
the election of such other person as the Board of Directors may
recommend in place of such nominee. Although Dr. Irani has
reached the retirement age for Directors under our Corporate
Governance Principles, the Board believes it is in our and our
stockholders best interests that Dr. Irani continues
to serve on the Board until the 2008 Annual Meeting.
Vote Required
The election of each Director nominee will require the
affirmative vote of a plurality of shares of Common Stock
present or represented at the Annual Meeting.
Your Board recommends a vote FOR the election to the
Board of each of the following nominees. A brief summary of
each nominees principal occupation, recent professional
experience and their directorships at other public companies, if
any, is provided below.
Ron Burkle, age 54, is the founder and managing
partner of The Yucaipa Companies, a private investment firm
based in Southern California. Yucaipa specializes in
acquisitions, mergers and management of large retail,
manufacturing and distribution companies. Mr. Burkle has
served as Chairman of the Board and controlling shareholder of
numerous companies including Alliance Entertainment,
Dominicks, Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Food4Less. He is
currently a member of the board of Occidental Petroleum
Corporation, Yahoo! Inc. and Kaufman & Broad S.A., the
Companys publicly-traded French subsidiary. He has been a
Director of the Company since 1995.
13
Dr. Ray R. Irani, age 72, is Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Occidental Petroleum
Corporation. He joined Occidental in 1983 as Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Occidental Chemical Corporation, an
Occidental subsidiary, and as Executive Vice President of
Occidental. In 1984 he was elected to the Board of Directors of
Occidental and was named President and Chief Operating Officer.
He assumed the responsibilities of Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer in 1990, and the additional position of President in
2005. Dr. Irani was Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., an Occidental affiliate,
from 1987 to 1999. Dr. Irani is a director of
Kaufman & Broad S.A., the Companys
publicly-traded French subsidiary. Dr. Irani has been a
Director of the Company since 1992.
Leslie Moonves, age 57, is President and Chief
Executive Officer and a Director of CBS Corporation and
most recently was Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of
Viacom, which title he held from June 2004 to December 2005.
Mr. Moonves previously served as President and Chief
Executive Officer of CBS from 1998 to 2004, and served as its
Chairman from 2003 to 2005, with responsibility for UPN since
January 2002. He joined CBS in 1995 as President, CBS
Entertainment. Prior to that, Mr. Moonves was President of
Warner Bros. Television from 1993, when Warner Bros. and Lorimar
Television combined operations. From 1989 to 1993, he was
president of Lorimar Television. Mr. Moonves joined the
Board in 2004.
14
Luis G. Nogales, age 63, is the Managing Partner of
Nogales Investors, LLC, a private equity investment firm. He was
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Embarcadero Media, Inc.
from 1992 to 1997, President of Univision Communications, Inc.,
from 1986 to 1988, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
United Press International from 1983 to 1986. He is a director
of Edison International, Southern California Edison, Arbitron,
and Kaufman & Broad S.A., the Companys
publicly-traded French subsidiary. Mr. Nogales has been a
Director of the Company since 1995.
15
Listed below are our other incumbent Directors and their
respective principal occupations, business affiliations and
other information for at least the past five years.
Timothy W. Finchem, age 59, has been Commissioner of
the PGA TOUR since 1994. He joined the TOUR staff as Vice
President of Business Affairs in 1987, and was promoted to
Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer in 1989.
Mr. Finchem served in the White House as Deputy Advisor to
the President in the Office of Economic Affairs in 1978 and
1979, and in the early 1980s, co-founded the National
Marketing and Strategies Group in Washington, D.C. He
joined the Board in May 2005 and his current term expires in
2008.
Kenneth M. Jastrow, II, age 59, has been
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Temple-Inland Inc. since
2000. Prior to that, Mr. Jastrow served as President and
Chief Operating Officer in 1998 and 1999, Group Vice President
from 1995 until 1998, and as Chief Financial Officer of
Temple-Inland from November 1991 until 1999. Mr. Jastrow is
also a director of MGIC Investment Corporation. He joined the
Board in December 2001 and was elected Lead Director in
November 2006. His current term expires in 2009.
16
James A. Johnson, age 63, has been Vice Chairman of
Perseus LLC, a merchant banking and private equity firm, since
2001. In 2000, Mr. Johnson served as Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Johnson Capital Partners, a private
investment company. Mr. Johnson was employed by Fannie Mae
from 1990 through 1999, where he served as Vice Chairman in
1990, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1991 through
1998 and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board in
1999. He serves on the boards of Target Corporation,
UnitedHealth Group, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., and
Temple-Inland Inc. Mr. Johnson has been a member of the
Board of Directors since 1992 and his current term expires in
2008.
J. Terrence Lanni, age 63, has been Chairman of
MGM MIRAGE since July 1995, and Chief Executive
Officer from June 1995 to December 1999, and since
March 2000. Before joining MGM MIRAGE, Mr. Lanni
was President and Chief Operating Officer of Caesars World, Inc.
from April 1981 to February 1995. Mr. Lanni has
been a Director of the Company since 2003 and his current term
expires in 2008.
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Melissa Lora, age 44, is the Chief Financial Officer
of Taco Bell Corp., a position that she has held since 2001.
Ms. Lora joined Taco Bell Corp. in 1987 and has held
various positions throughout the company, most recently acting
as Regional Vice President and General Manager from 1998 to 2000
for Taco Bells operations throughout the Northeastern
United States. Ms. Lora joined the Board of Directors in
April 2004 and her current term expires in 2009.
Michael G. McCaffery, age 53, is the Chief Executive
Officer of Makena Capital Management. From 2000 to 2006,
Mr. McCaffery was President and CEO of the Stanford
Management Company (SMC), which was established in 1991 to
manage Stanford Universitys financial and real estate
investments. Previous to joining SMC, Mr. McCaffery was
President and Chief Executive Officer of Robertson Stephens
Investment Bankers from January 1993 to December 1999, and also
served as Chairman from January 2000 to December 2000.
Mr. McCaffery is a director of the Lucile Salter Packard
Childrens Hospital, Thomas Weisel Partners Group, Inc.,
Western Technology Ventures, Savvian, LLC and RS Investment
Trust, and is a member of the Advisory Boards of Accel Ventures,
Silver Lake Partners, Stanford Universitys Graduate School
of Business and Princeton Universitys Bendheim Institute
of Finance. Mr. McCaffery was elected to the Board of
Directors in 2003, and his current term expires in 2009.
18
Jeffrey T. Mezger, age 51, has been President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Company since November 2006.
Prior to becoming President and Chief Executive Officer,
Mr. Mezger served as the Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer of the Company, a position he assumed in 1999.
From 1995 until 1999, Mr. Mezger held a number of executive
posts in the Companys southwest region, including Division
President, Phoenix Division, and Senior Vice President and
Regional General Manager over Arizona and Nevada.
Mr. Mezger joined the Company in 1993 as president of the
Antelope Valley Division in Southern California. Mr. Mezger
is a member of the executive board of the USC Lusk Center for
Real Estate and is on the Policy Advisory Board for the Harvard
Joint Center for Housing Studies. He is also a member of the
NAHB High Production Builders Council and has served as an
officer on numerous boards of the NAHB. Mr. Mezger is a
director of Kaufman & Broad SA, the Companys
publicly-traded French subsidiary. Mr. Mezger has been a
Director of the Company since November 2006, and his current
term expires in 2009.
19
Proposal 2:
Approval of an
Amendment to the Amended Certificate of Incorporation of
KB Home to Declassify the Board of Directors and Provide
for the Annual Election of Directors
The Board of Directors has recently taken a number of actions to
strengthen our corporate governance. These initiatives are
discussed on page 5 above. As part of these initiatives,
the Board of Directors proposes to amend our Amended Certificate
of Incorporation to declassify the Board of Directors and
provide for the annual election of Directors.
Our current Amended Certificate of Incorporation divides the
Board of Directors into three classes, and provides that each
Director be elected for three-year terms within his or her
respective class. The action described above would amend the
Amended Certificate of Incorporation to eliminate these classes
and provide for the annual election of Directors.
Although the current classification of Directors has served
KB Home well, the Board believes approval of the proposed
amendment, as described below, will enhance KB Homes
corporate governance and will bring KB Homes method
of electing Directors in line with many U.S. public
companies.
Proposed Amendment
To implement this proposal, the Board has adopted resolutions
approving and declaring the advisability of amending our Amended
Certificate of Incorporation, subject to stockholder approval,
as follows:
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RESOLVED, that the Amended Certificate of Incorporation of
KB Home be amended to declassify the Board of Directors and
provide for the annual election of directors and for this
purpose each of Paragraph (c) and Paragraph (d) of
Article Fifth thereof shall be struck out in its entirety
and will be replaced with the following new Paragraph (c)
of Article Fifth: |
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FIFTH: (c) Except as provided herein or in the
Corporations Bylaws, or as permitted by the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, the directors shall be
elected at each annual meeting of stockholders. Each director so
elected shall hold office until his or her term expires and his
or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until his or
her earlier death, resignation or removal. After the annual
meeting of stockholders in 2007, all directors will be elected
for a one-year term expiring at the next annual meeting of
stockholders; provided, that nothing in this paragraph (c)
of Article Fifth will shorten the term of any director
elected at or prior to the annual meeting of stockholders in
2007. |
This proposal requires the approval of at least 80% of all
outstanding shares of our Common Stock. If this proposal is not
approved, the current classified structure will remain in place.
Declassification Process
If this proposal is approved, the declassification of the Board
of Directors will occur as follows:
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(a) the Directors elected at this Annual Meeting and all
incumbent Directors will continue to serve the remainder of
their respective terms; and |
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(b) beginning with the 2008 Annual Meeting, Directors will
be elected annually, so that by the 2010 Annual Meeting all
Directors will be elected annually. |
In addition, if this proposal is approved by stockholders, the
Board will undertake to amend KB Homes Bylaws to eliminate
the Board classification provisions contained therein, which
follow those currently contained in our Amended Certificate of
Incorporation.
Vote Required
Approval of the proposed amendment to our Amended Certificate of
Incorporation requires the affirmative vote of at least 80% of
the outstanding shares of our Common Stock.
Your Board recommends a vote FOR the approval of the
proposed amendment to our Amended Certificate of
Incorporation.
21
Proposal 3:
Approval of an
Amendment to the Amended Certificate of Incorporation of
KB Home to Eliminate its Fair Price Provision
and
Related Supermajority
Vote Requirements
The Board of Directors has recently taken a number of actions to
strengthen our corporate governance. These initiatives are
discussed on page 5 above. As part of these initiatives, to
enhance KB Homes corporate governance, the Board of
Directors proposes to amend our Amended Certificate of
Incorporation to eliminate its fair price provision.
If stockholders approve this proposal and the above proposal to
amend our Amended Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the
Board and provide for the annual election of directors, our
Amended Certificate of Incorporation would no longer contain any
provisions that require a supermajority vote of stockholders
(i.e., 80% of all outstanding capital stock) to undertake
corporate actions or transactions.
The Board believes approval of the proposed amendment, as
described below, will bring KB Home in line with many
U.S. public companies, where actions requiring stockholder
approval can be made by holders of a majority of our outstanding
stock.
The Fair Price Provision
Article Eighth of our Amended Certificate of Incorporation,
which is sometimes referred to as a fair price
provision, requires the affirmative vote of the holders of not
less than 80% of our outstanding capital stock to approve
certain transactions involving any person or group that
beneficially owns an aggregate of 20% or more of our outstanding
capital stock (a Related Person).
The current 80% supermajority approval requirement of
Article Eighth applies to the following transactions
between a Related Person and KB Home:
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any merger or consolidation of KB Home or a KB Home
subsidiary; |
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any sale, lease, exchange, transfer or other disposition,
including without limitation a mortgage or any other security
device, of all or any substantial part of the assets either of
KB Home (including without limitation any voting securities
of a subsidiary) or a KB Home subsidiary; |
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a voluntary liquidation or dissolution of KB Home; |
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any sale, lease, exchange, transfer or other disposition,
including without limitation by way of a mortgage or other
security device, of all or any substantial part of the assets of
a Related Person; |
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certain issuances of any securities of KB Home or a
KB Home subsidiary other than the issuance on a pro rata
basis to all holders of stock of the same class pursuant to a
stock split or stock dividend; and |
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any transaction that would have the effect directly or
indirectly of increasing the voting power of a Related Person. |
The 80% supermajority approval requirement does not apply to
transactions (a) approved by two-thirds of the Continuing
Directors (directors who were directors prior to the time the
Related Person became a Related Person), or (b) in which
the cash or fair market value of the property,
22
securities or other consideration to be received by stockholders
(as determined by two-thirds of the Continuing Directors) is not
less than the highest price per share paid at any time by the
Related Person (as determined by two-thirds of the Continuing
Directors) in acquiring any of its holdings of KB Home
capital stock, inclusive of brokerage commissions, transfer
taxes, fees and other costs paid in connection with such
purchases.
Effect of Eliminating the Fair Price Provision
The repeal of Article Eighth will have two primary effects
on stockholder voting. First, those transactions covered by
Article Eighth that would otherwise require a stockholder
vote under the Delaware General Corporation Law would require
the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our
outstanding stock present or represented at a stockholder
meeting, rather than an 80% supermajority vote.
Second, since the 80% supermajority vote requirement would no
longer apply, the Board of Directors would be able to effect,
without obtaining stockholder approval, those transactions
covered by Article Eighth that do not otherwise require
stockholder approval under Delaware law.
KB Home will continue to be subject to Section 203 of
the Delaware General Corporation Law without regard to whether
the proposed amendments are approved. Section 203 provides,
in general, that a transaction constituting a business
combination within the meaning of Section 203
involving a person owning 15% or more of our voting stock
(referred to as an interested stockholder), cannot
be completed for a period of three years after the date the
person became an interested stockholder unless (a) the
Board approved either the business combination or the
transaction that resulted in the person becoming an interested
stockholder prior to such business combination or transaction,
(b) upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in
the person becoming an interested stockholder, that person owned
at least 85% of our outstanding voting stock (excluding shares
owned by persons who are directors and also officers of
KB Home and shares owned by certain KB Home employee
benefit plans), or (c) the business combination was
approved by the Board and by the affirmative vote of at least
662/3%
of our outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested
stockholder.
Proposed Amendment
To implement this proposal, the Board has adopted resolutions
approving and declaring the advisability of amending our Amended
Certificate of Incorporation, subject to stockholder approval,
as follows:
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RESOLVED, that the Amended Certificate of Incorporation of
KB Home be amended to eliminate its fair price provision
and related supermajority voting requirements, and for this
purpose Article Eighth thereof shall be struck out in its
entirety and the remaining Articles of the Amended Certificate
of Incorporation will be renumbered sequentially as appropriate. |
Vote Required
Approval of the proposed amendment to our Amended Certificate of
Incorporation will require the affirmative vote of at least 80%
of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock.
Your Board recommends a vote FOR the approval of the proposed
amendment to our Amended Certificate of Incorporation.
23
Proposal 4:
Ratification of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Audit and Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors has
appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent
registered public accounting firm to audit our consolidated
financial statements for the fiscal year ending
November 30, 2007. During our 2006 fiscal year,
Ernst & Young LLP served as our independent registered
public accounting firm and also provided certain other audit
related services. See Independent Auditor Fees and
Services on page 52 below. Representatives of
Ernst & Young LLP are expected to attend the Annual
Meeting, be available to respond to appropriate questions and,
if they desire, to make a statement.
Although not required by our charter or Bylaws, we are seeking
stockholder ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as our
independent registered public accounting firm. We are doing so,
as we have done in prior years, because we believe it is a
matter of good corporate governance. If the stockholders do not
ratify the appointment, the Audit and Compliance Committee will
reconsider whether to retain Ernst & Young LLP, but
still may retain them. Even if the appointment is ratified, the
Audit and Compliance Committee, in its discretion, may change
the appointment at any time during the year if it determines
that such a change would be in our and our stockholders
best interests.
Vote Required
Approval of the ratification of the appointment of
Ernst & Young LLP as our independent public accounting
firm for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2007 requires
the affirmative vote of the majority of shares of Common Stock
present or represented, and entitled to vote thereon, at the
Annual Meeting.
Your Board recommends a vote FOR the ratification of the
appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
November 30, 2007.
24
Proposal 5:
Stockholder
Proposal
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Pension
Benefit Fund, 900 Seventh Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20001, the beneficial owner of
1,758 shares of our Common Stock, has notified us that it
intends to present a proposal at the Annual Meeting. The
proposal is set forth below, along with the recommendation of
our Board of Directors that you vote AGAINST the proposal. We
accept no responsibility for the accuracy of the proposal or the
proponents supporting statement.
Stockholder Proposal
RESOLVED: The shareholders of KB Home urge the Board of
Directors to adopt a policy under which senior executives and
directors commit to hold throughout their tenure at least
75 percent of all KB Home shares that they obtain by
exercising stock options or receiving other equity-based
compensation. The board shall implement this policy in a manner
that does not violate any existing employment agreement or
equity compensation plan. In adopting such a policy, it is
requested that the Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors shall report to stockholders regarding the adoption of
such a policy and other information relevant to the proposal,
before the KB Home 2008 annual meeting.
Proponents Supporting Statement
The role of equity-based executive compensation has come under
close scrutiny in recent years, inasmuch as stock options can
provide incentives to senior executives that differ from the
interests of stockholders. Option grants promise executives all
of the gain of share price increases with none of the risk of
share price declines. Thus, option grants can encourage actions
to boost short-term performance.
This resolution proposes to align the interest of directors and
senior executives more closely with the interest of shareholders
by asking KB Home to adopt a policy that its directors and
senior executives will hold throughout their tenure at least
75 percent of the KB Home shares that they obtain by
exercising options or receiving other equity-based compensation.
This policy, which is similar to one adopted at Cooper
Industries, thus seeks to decouple equity compensation for
senior executives and directors from short-term price movements,
to encourage an emphasis on longer-term gains, and to give
directors and executives some flexibility with respect to their
holdings.
We view this reform as necessary, particularly in light of the
recent events such as KB Homes October 10, 2006
disclosure that it improperly accounted for stock option grants
awarded to corporate officers (including CEO Bruce Karatz) and
may need to restate previous earnings as a result. This follows
the Companys confirmation in August that it was the
subject of an SEC investigation regarding stock-option grants.
Even if these past stock-option grants and transactions were
entirely lawful, these practices raise serious governance
concerns and suggest that senior executives may be operating on
a short-term horizon.
We believe that it is reasonable for KB Home to ask its
senior executives and directors to ensure and to demonstrate
their confidence in the Companys future, and increased
accountability, by requiring them to hold on to 75% of their
equity-based compensation for the duration of their tenure at
KB Home.
We urge you to vote FOR this resolution.
25
Recommendation of the Board of Directors AGAINST the
Proposal
Your Board of Directors recommends a vote AGAINST this
proposal.
The Board, which oversees non-employee Director and executive
compensation, shares the proponents view that equity
compensation and mandatory equity ownership for executives and
non-employee Directors promotes accountability and encourages
them to enhance stockholder value. For this reason, KB Home
already requires its executives and Directors to own significant
amounts of its Common Stock, and has done so for years.
Executive Stock Ownership Requirements. Executives must
own stock with a value equal to a certain multiple of their base
salary. This multiple increases with seniority. Currently, the
ownership target for most senior executives is 5 times their
base salary. The current President and Chief Executive Officer
must own 10 times his base salary. Executives who are subject to
a stock ownership requirement may not sell or otherwise dispose
of any shares of stock they obtain through the exercise of stock
options or awards of restricted stock until they have met their
respective ownership targets, except to cover stock option
exercise costs and tax withholding obligations. Most executives
who are subject to a stock ownership requirement hold stock well
above their respective ownership targets. As of
February 14, 2007, the Named Executive Officers (as
described on page 33 below) exceeded their respective
ownership targets by an average of over 300%, and the President
and Chief Executive Officer held stock with a value of
approximately 15 times his base salary.
Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership Requirements. Each
non-employee Director must own at least 5,000 shares of
stock or stock equivalents within 3 years of joining the
Board. As described under Director Compensation on
pages 11-12 above, non-employee Directors cannot receive
payment for any Stock Option awards they obtain under the
Director Plan until they reach and maintain their ownership
target or leave the Board of Directors. In addition, except for
a change of control of KB Home, non-employee Directors may
not receive payment for any Stock Unit awards they obtain under
the Director Plan until they leave the Board.
Over the years, these stock ownership requirements have
contributed to an ownership culture at KB Home with a close
alignment of stockholder and management interests focused on
creating long-term stockholder value.
At the same time, however, KB Homes stock ownership
requirements were carefully designed to strike the right balance
between management ownership and management compensation. No
stock ownership policy should hinder KB Homes ability
to attract, motivate and retain high-quality management talent
at a reasonable cost. KB Homes continued ability to
do so is critical to its and its stockholders long-term
success.
The proposed stock retention requirement does not strike the
right balance. Perversely, while this proposal supposedly seeks
to promote equity ownership, it would actually make equity
compensation less attractive for both our executives and
Directors and for KB Home. The proposal reduces the
benefits of equity compensation to our executives and Directors
by:
|
|
|
|
|
Severely limiting our executives ability to diversify
their personal assets, which are already heavily weighted in
KB Home stock. |
|
|
|
Requiring our executives and Directors to spend significantly
more of their own funds to pay exercise prices and associated
taxes |
26
|
|
|
|
|
incurred on the exercise or
vesting of equity compensation.
|
|
|
|
Making it more difficult for our
executives to make estate planning and charitable giving
arrangements.
|
This proposal similarly reduces the benefits of equity
compensation to KB Home by:
|
|
|
|
|
Mandating a one size fits all approach that prevents
us from requiring a range of target ownership levels based on
position, seniority, salary level and other relevant factors. |
|
|
|
Undermining the retention value of our equity compensation
programs by making it more attractive for executives exercising
vested options to do so after leaving KB Home, when they would
no longer be subject to the proposed stock retention requirement. |
This proposal would make it more difficult and costly to
attract, motivate and retain management talent. Of the eleven
companies we consider to be our most direct operational peers,
only one reports maintaining a share retention requirement, and
that retention requirement applies only with respect to net
shares obtained from stock option exercises and only until
covered executives reach their respective stock ownership
targets. The rest report no retention requirement at all. In
order to compete with these companies for management talent, KB
Home would likely need to pay additional compensation to offset
the burdens this proposal would impose on the ability of its
executives and Directors to realize value from equity
compensation. The Board believes the loss of talent and/or
higher compensation costs likely triggered by this proposal
would hurt KB Homes ability to create long-term
stockholder value. Accordingly, your Board recommends that
you vote AGAINST this proposal.
Vote Required
Approval of this stockholder proposal requires the affirmative
vote of the majority of shares of Common Stock present or
represented, and entitled to vote thereon, at the Annual
Meeting. However, the proposal is a request to the Board of
Directors to consider a matter. If the proposal passes, the
Board may consider, in its business judgment, whether to take
the requested action or not, but it is not legally obligated to
do so.
27
Proposal 6:
Stockholder
Proposal
The AFL-CIO Reserve Fund, 815 Sixteenth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20006, the beneficial owner of
400 shares of our Common Stock, has notified us that it
intends to present a proposal at the Annual Meeting. The
proposal is set forth below, along with the recommendation of
our Board of Directors that you vote AGAINST the proposal.
We accept no responsibility for the accuracy of the proposal or
the proponents supporting statement.
Stockholder Proposal
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of KB Home (the
Company) urge the Board of Directors to adopt a
policy that a significant portion of future equity compensation
grants to senior executives shall be shares of stock that
require the achievement of performance goals as a prerequisite
to vesting (performance-vesting shares).
This policy shall apply to existing employment agreements and
equity compensation plans only if the use of performance-vesting
shares can be legally implemented by the Company, and will
otherwise apply to the design of all future plans and agreements.
Proponents Supporting Statement
We believe that our Companys compensation policies should
encourage the ownership of stock by senior executives in order
to align their interests with those of shareholders. To achieve
this goal, we favor granting senior executives actual shares of
stock that vest only after meeting specified performance goals.
In our opinion, performance-vesting shares are a better form of
equity compensation than fixed-price stock options or
time-vesting restricted stock.
Fixed-price stock option grants provide senior executives with
incentives that may not be in the best interests of long-term
shareholders. In our view, stock option grants promise
executives all the benefit of share price increases with none of
the risk of share price declines. This asymmetrical incentive
structure can reward executives for share price volatility, a
measure of investment risk. Stock options can also reward
short-term decision-making because many executives options
can be exercised just one year after the grant date.
Furthermore, we believe that stock options can create a strong
incentive to manipulate a companys stock price through
questionable or even fraudulent accounting.
Leading investors and regulators have questioned the use of
stock options. Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet has
characterized fixed-price stock options as really a
royalty on the passage of time. Former Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan blamed poorly-structured options for the
infectious greed of the 1990s because they
failed to properly align the long-term interests of shareholders
and managers. In August our Company announced an informal
SEC inquiry into KB Homes stock option grants.
Similarly, we oppose granting executives time-vesting restricted
stock that does not include any performance requirements. In our
view, time-vesting restricted stock rewards tenure, not
performance. Instead, we believe vesting requirements should be
tailored to measure each individual executives performance
through disclosed benchmarks, in addition to the Companys
share price. To align their incentives with those of long-term
sharehold-
28
ers, we also believe that senior executives should be required
to hold a significant portion of these performance-vesting
shares for as long as they remain executives of the Company.
Executive compensation consultant Pearl Meyer has said if
a company is going to issue restricted stock grants as a way of
making sure executives are owners rather than optionees, the
grant should be earned on a performance basis it
shouldnt be just a giveaway. Former SEC Chairman
Richard Breeden has stated that there is not a strong
reason for granting restricted stock rather than simply paying
cash unless there are performance hurdles to vesting.
Recommendation of the Board of Directors AGAINST the
Proposal
Your Board of Directors believes this proposal does not serve
the best interests of KB Home or its stockholders and
recommends a vote AGAINST it.
Executive compensation at KB Home is overseen by the Board
of Directors through the Management Development and Compensation
Committee (Compensation Committee). The Compensation
Committee consists exclusively of independent Directors who,
with the assistance of independent compensation consultants and
other advisors, make decisions they believe are in the best
interests of KB Home and our stockholders. We have long
supported the concept of performance-based incentive
arrangements for senior executives. In particular, we believe
that the incentive programs for our senior executives should be
determined within a framework based on the achievement of
designated financial and other targets. Furthermore, we believe
that executive compensation should be designed to attract,
motivate and retain talented executives responsible for our
success.
We believe that we have already implemented a flexible
compensation program for senior executives that links
compensation to performance. We believe that adopting a policy
that requires a significant portion of future equity
compensation grants to senior executives to automatically be
performance-vesting restricted stock would put us at a
competitive disadvantage by severely restricting the
Compensation Committees discretion to select from among
those compensation vehicles that best compensate our senior
executives while advancing our long-term success and enhancing
stockholder value.
We also believe that time-vesting stock options are inherently
performance-based compensation vehicles, since their eventual
value to the recipient is directly linked to the price of our
stock, which is largely driven by company performance.
Performance-vesting awards have become more popular and the
Compensation Committee may consider this trend among the various
alternatives for long-term equity incentive compensation.
However, we believe that it is in the best interests of our
stockholders to allow the Compensation Committee the flexibility
and discretion to use and introduce all available compensation
and equity incentive tools as appropriate, based on the
circumstances and information available at the time and after
consultation with its independent advisors. This proposal would
unduly limit the Compensation Committees flexibility and
undercut its compensation philosophy by requiring that a
significant portion of equity compensation be in one particular
form.
Given these concerns about performance-vesting shares, the Board
believes this proposal would not be in the best interests of
KB Home or its stockholders. Accordingly, your Board
recommends a vote AGAINST this proposal.
29
Vote Required
Approval of this stockholder proposal requires the affirmative
vote of the majority of shares of Common Stock present or
represented, and entitled to vote thereon, at the Annual
Meeting. However, the proposal is a request to the Board of
Directors to consider a matter. If the proposal passes, the
Board may consider, in its business judgment, whether to take
the requested action or not, but it is not legally obligated to
do so.
30
Proposal 7:
Stockholder
Proposal
The Trowel Trades S&P 500 Index Fund, 1776 Eye Street,
N.W., 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006, the
beneficial owner of 2,377 shares of our Common Stock, has
notified us that it intends to present a proposal at the Annual
Meeting. The proposal is set forth below, along with the
recommendation of our Board of Directors that you
vote AGAINST the proposal. We accept no responsibility for
the accuracy of the proposal or the proponents supporting
statement.
Stockholder Proposal
RESOLVED: that the shareholders of KB Home (the
Company) urge the Board of Directors to seek
shareholder approval of future severance agreements with senior
executives that provide benefits in an amount exceeding 2.99
times the sum of the executives base salary plus bonus.
Future severance agreements include employment
agreements containing severance provisions, special retirement
provisions and agreements renewing, modifying or extending
existing such agreements. Benefits include lump-sum
cash payments (including payments in lieu of medical and other
benefits); the payment of any gross up tax
liability; the estimated present value of special retirement
provisions; any stock or option awards that are awarded under
any severance agreement; any prior stock or option awards as to
which the executives access is accelerated under the
severance agreement; fringe benefits; and consulting fees
(including reimbursable expenses) to be paid by the executive.
Proponents Supporting Statement
In our opinion, severance agreements as described in this
resolution, commonly known as golden parachutes, are
excessive in light of the high levels of compensation enjoyed by
senior executives at the Company and U.S. corporations in
general.
We believe requiring shareholder approval of such agreements may
have the beneficial effect of insulating the Board of Directors
from manipulation in the event a senior executives
employment must be terminated by the Company. Because it is not
always practical to obtain prior shareholder approval, the
Company would have the option if this proposal were implemented
of seeking shareholder approval after the material terms of the
agreement were agreed upon.
For those reasons, we urge shareholders to vote for this
proposal.
Recommendation of the Board of Directors AGAINST the
Proposal
Your Board recommends a vote AGAINST this proposal because
it would impair KB Homes ability to attract and
retain high-caliber executive talent, and, as a result, could
inhibit KB Homes ability to create long-term
stockholder value.
The Board, through its Management Development and Compensation
Committee, takes seriously its duty to provide independent
oversight of KB Homes compensation practices to
ensure that they enhance long-term stockholder value. To achieve
this goal, KB Home strives to design compensation programs
and packages that will attract, motivate and retain quality
executives whose skills and abilities will enable KB Home
to outperform its competitors in the homebuilding industry.
31
Severance agreements are a common and appropriate component of
the compensation programs and packages that KB Home offers
from time to time to certain executives to remain competitive in
the market for executive talent against peer homebuilding
companies and other similar-sized public companies. Severance
agreements also serve an important role in motivating executives
to focus on maximizing KB Homes performance and
stockholder value when significant strategic transactions are
being considered.
When offered, KB Home tailors severance agreements to a
specific individuals unique skills and abilities or to the
responsibilities and duties associated with a particular
executive position, or both, taking into account
competitors severance offerings. As a result, the
severance agreements KB Home offers may provide different
levels and types of benefits, and may use a variety of measures
to calculate benefits, in order to meet the demands of a
particular individual and the market.
This proposal runs counter to the dynamics associated with
severance agreements and would make it impractical and costly
for KB Home to offer or to implement them. The wide scope
of the proposals definition of benefits and
the indeterminate nature of some of those
benefits such as potential gross
up tax liability and estimated present values of
special retirement provisions would
likely create uncertainty about whether a particular severance
agreement would require stockholder approval. As such,
KB Home would likely need to call special stockholders
meetings for each severance agreement it proposes to offer or
has offered to a current or a potential executive to ensure
compliance with this proposal.
This would cause KB Home to incur significant and
unnecessary additional expense to reach agreements on
compensation with existing or potential future executives. It
would also inject delay and uncertainty into the process that
would likely distract existing executives and dissuade potential
future executives from joining KB Home if they can reach
these agreements on compensation with competitors without having
to first seek stockholder approval. The alternative, to not
offer severance agreements to existing and potential future
executives, would make KB Home a less attractive employer
for such individuals relative to its peers and other public
companies.
For the reasons discussed above, this proposal would likely
place KB Home at a competitive disadvantage in attracting,
motivating and retaining talented executives who are critical to
KB Homes and its stockholders future success.
Accordingly, your Board recommends that you vote AGAINST this
proposal.
Vote Required
Approval of this stockholder proposal requires the affirmative
vote of the majority of shares of Common Stock present or
represented, and entitled to vote thereon, at the Annual
Meeting. However, the proposal is a request to the Board of
Directors to consider a matter. If the proposal passes, the
Board may consider, in its business judgment, whether to take
the requested action or not, but it is not legally obligated to
do so.
32
Ownership of
KB Home Securities
Ownership of Directors and Management
The following table lists, as of February 14, 2007,
(i) the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock by each
Director, each Director nominee and each of the executive
officers named in the Summary Compensation Table (the
Named Executive Officers) individually, and by all
current Directors and executive officers as a group; and
(ii) the holdings of each of our non-employee Directors of
Stock-Based Awards (including Stock Option and Stock Unit
awards), as granted to them under the Director Plan, as
described on pages 11-12 above. Based on each
Directors election, the non-employee Directors will
receive cash payouts for the outstanding Stock-Based Awards
granted to them under the Director Plan.
Except as stated in footnote (c) below, beneficial
ownership is direct and the person indicated has sole voting and
investment power over his or her shares. No current Director,
Director nominee or executive officer owns more than 1.0% of our
Common Stock, other than Mr. Mezger, who owns approximately
2.0%. Bruce Karatz, who served as our Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer through November 12, 2006, may
beneficially own as much as 5.1% of our Common Stock. However,
the nature and extent of his rights to certain outstanding stock
options and shares of restricted Common Stock granted to him
during his tenure is subject to both a court order preventing
Mr. Karatz from exercising his stock options and a Tolling
Agreement between us and Mr. Karatz, and has not been
determined, as further described in the footnotes below. As a
group, all of our Directors, Director nominees and current
executive officers own in the aggregate approximately 3.0% of
our Common Stock.
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amount and Nature of |
|
Holdings of Stock-Based |
Non-Employee Directors |
|
Beneficial Ownership (a c) |
|
Awards under Director Plan (d) |
|
Ronald W. Burkle
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
174,935 |
|
Timothy W. Finchem
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,129 |
|
Dr. Ray R. Irani
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
96,801 |
|
Kenneth M. Jastrow, II
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31,191 |
|
James A. Johnson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
192,501 |
|
J. Terrence Lanni
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,379 |
|
Melissa Lora
|
|
|
2,027 |
|
|
|
17,415 |
|
Michael G. McCaffery
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
55,270 |
|
Leslie Moonves
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17,415 |
|
Luis G. Nogales
|
|
|
7,400 |
|
|
|
52,513 |
|
33
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amount and Nature of |
|
Holdings of Stock-Based |
Named Executive Officers |
|
Beneficial Ownership (a c) |
|
Awards under Director Plan (d) |
|
Jeffrey T. Mezger
|
|
|
1,821,465 |
|
|
N/A |
Domenico Cecere
|
|
|
259,883 |
|
|
N/A |
Robert Freed
|
|
|
145,503 |
|
|
N/A |
William R. Hollinger
|
|
|
250,262 |
|
|
N/A |
Kelly Masuda
|
|
|
42,029 |
|
|
N/A |
Bruce Karatz
|
|
|
4,528,183 |
|
|
N/A |
All Directors, Director nominees and current executive officers
as a group (16 people)
|
|
|
2,591,743 |
|
|
664,549 |
|
|
|
|
(a) |
|
Included are shares of Common Stock subject to acquisition
within 60 days of February 14, 2007 through the
exercise of stock options granted under our employee benefit
plans in the following amounts: Mr. Mezger 1,428,940;
Mr. Cecere 240,134; Mr. Freed 55,066;
Mr. Hollinger 164,058; Mr. Masuda 35,001; and all
current executive officers as a group 1,967,867. As of
February 14, 2007, the Company and Mr. Karatz have not
agreed on the nature and extent of Mr. Karatzs rights
in the outstanding stock options granted to him. Immediately
prior to Mr. Karatzs departure as our Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, 2,658,120 shares of our Common
Stock were subject to acquisition within 60 days through
the exercise of stock options granted to him. |
|
(b) |
|
Included are awards of shares of restricted Common Stock in the
following amounts: Mr. Mezger 175,493; Mr. Cecere
12,665; Mr. Freed 43,904; Mr. Hollinger 4,900;
Mr. Masuda 3,000; and all current executive officers as a
group 246,962. As of February 14, 2007, the Company and
Mr. Karatz have not agreed on the nature and extent of
Mr. Karatzs rights in the shares of restricted Common
Stock granted to him. Immediately prior to
Mr. Karatzs departure as our Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, he held 1,613,282 shares of restricted
Common Stock. |
|
(c) |
|
Included are beneficially owned shares of Common Stock held in
certain trusts as follows: Immediately prior to
Mr. Karatzs departure as our Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, he held the Common Stock he beneficially
owned in a trust of which he was the sole trustee and sole
beneficiary and over which he exercised sole voting and
investment power; and Ms. Lora holds 2,027 shares of
our Common Stock in a trust in which she and her spouse are
trustees and sole beneficiaries and over which they jointly
exercise voting and investment power. |
|
(d) |
|
Included are Stock Option awards and Stock Unit awards granted
under the Director Plan in the following amounts:
Mr. Burkle 141,615, 33,320; Mr. Finchem 0, 7,129;
Dr. Irani 37,628, 59,173; Mr. Jastrow 0, 31,191;
Mr. Johnson 143,957, 48,544; Mr. Lanni 0, 19,379;
Ms. Lora 0, 17,415; Mr. McCaffery 46,069, 9,201;
Mr. Moonves 0, 17,415; and Mr. Nogales 2,130, 50,383.
Our executive officers are not eligible to receive Stock-Based
Awards under our Director Plan. |
34
Beneficial Owners of More Than Five Percent of our Common
Stock
Except as stated above or in the footnotes, the information
below shows each person or entity known to us as of
February 14, 2007 to be the beneficial owner of more than
five percent of our Common Stock:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amount and Nature |
|
Percent |
|
|
of Beneficial |
|
of |
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner |
|
Ownership |
|
Class |
|
|
|
|
|
KB Home Grantor Stock Ownership Trust,
Wachovia Bank, N.A., as Trustee,
Institutional Trust and Retirement Services
101 North Main Street
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27150 |
|
|
12,337,882 |
(a) |
|
|
13.8% |
|
|
Marsico Capital Management, LLC
1200 17th Street, Suite 1600
Denver, Colorado 80202 |
|
|
8,250,187 |
(b) |
|
|
9.2% |
|
|
FMR Corp. and Edward C. Johnson 3d
82 Devonshire Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109 |
|
|
6,967,654 |
(c) |
|
|
7.8% |
|
|
Jeffrey L. Gendell
55 Railroad Avenue
Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 |
|
|
6,036,188 |
(d) |
|
|
6.8% |
|
|
|
|
(a) |
|
The KB Home Grantor Stock Ownership Trust, Wachovia Bank,
N.A., as Trustee (the GSOT) holds all of the shares
reported above pursuant to a trust agreement in connection with
the prefunding of certain of our obligations to employees under
our employee benefit plans. Both the GSOT and the Trustee
disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares reported. The
Trustee has no discretion over the manner in which the shares
held by the GSOT are voted. The trust agreement for the GSOT
provides that, as of any given record date, employees who hold
unexercised options under our employee equity compensation plans
will determine the manner in which shares of our Common Stock
held in the GSOT are voted. |
|
|
|
The Trustee will vote the shares of our Common Stock held in the
GSOT in the manner directed by those eligible employees who
submit voting instructions for the shares. The number of shares
as to which any one employee can direct the vote will depend
upon how many employees submit voting instructions to the
Trustee. Employees who are also Directors are excluded from
voting; accordingly, Mr. Mezger may not direct the vote of
any shares in the GSOT. If all eligible employees submit voting
instructions to the Trustee, the other Named Executive Officers
who are employed by the Company at the date of the Annual
Meeting will have the right to vote the following share amounts
(which, for each eligible Named Executive Officer, include both
the stock options reported above in the Beneficial
Ownership of Directors and Management table and stock
options granted to them under our employee benefit plans that do
not vest within 60 days of February 14, 2007):
Mr. Cecere 1,288,711; |
35
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Mr. Freed 353,171; Mr. Hollinger 904,656;
Mr. Masuda 231,227; and all current executive officers as a
group (excluding Mr. Mezger) 3,055,244. The trust agreement
further provides that all voting instructions received by the
Trustee will be held in confidence and will not be disclosed to
any person, including to us. |
|
(b) |
|
The stock holding information reported in the table above and in
this footnote is based solely on an amendment to
Schedule 13G dated February 13, 2007 that Marsico
Capital Management, LLC, an investment advisor, filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission to report beneficial
ownership as of December 31, 2006. Of the amount reported
as beneficially owned, Marsico Capital Management, LLC exercises
sole voting power as to 6,913,306 shares and sole dispositive
power as to 8,250,187 shares. Marsico Capital Management, LLC
does not share voting power as to any of the shares reported. |
|
(c) |
|
The stock holding information reported in the table above and in
this footnote is based solely on an amendment to
Schedule 13G dated February 14, 2007 that FMR Corp.
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to report
beneficial ownership of FMR Corp. and Mr. Edward C. Johnson
3d, FMR Corp.s Chairman, as of December 31, 2006. The
shares are beneficially owned by the following direct or
indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of FMR Corp.:
(i) Fidelity Management & Research Company (6,551,769
shares), (ii) Fidelity Management Trust Company
(13,000 shares), (iii) Pyramis Global Advisors LLC (16,700
shares), (iv) Pyramis Global Advisors Trust Company
(116,785 shares); and by Fidelity International Limited (269,400
shares), an entity of which Edward C. Johnson 3d is Chairman and
in which his family owns an indirect interest. FMR Corp. and
Mr. Edward C. Johnson 3d have sole dispositive power as to
all of the shares reported, and FMR Corp. has sole voting power
as to 378,554 shares. |
|
(d) |
|
The stock holding information reported in the table above and in
this footnote is based solely on an amendment to
Schedule 13G dated February 13, 2007 that
Mr. Gendell, individually, and as managing member of
Tontine Management, L.L.C., general partner of Tontine Partners,
L.P., and Tontine Overseas Associates, L.L.C., filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission to report beneficial
ownership as of December 31, 2006. Mr. Gendell, in his
capacity as managing member, directs the operations of each of
Tontine Management, L.L.C. and Tontine Overseas Associates,
L.L.C. Tontine Management, L.L.C., as general partner, has the
power to direct the affairs of Tontine Partners, L.P. Of the
amount reported as beneficially owned, Mr. Gendell
exercises sole voting and dispositive power with respect to
350,000 shares, and shares voting and dispositive power as to
5,686,188 shares. Of those 5,686,188 shares, (i) Tontine
Management, L.L.C. shares voting and dispositive power as to
3,402,409 shares, which shares are directly owned by Tontine
Partners, L.P., and (ii) Tontine Overseas Associates,
L.L.C. shares voting and dispositive power as to 2,283,779
shares. |
36
Management Development
and Compensation
Committee Report on
Executive Compensation
Executive Compensation Philosophy and Principles
The Management Development and Compensation Committee of the
Companys Board of Directors oversees the Companys
executive compensation programs. The Company designs its
executive compensation programs around five key principles,
which together constitute the Companys executive
compensation philosophy:
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closely link executive compensation to the creation of
stockholder value; |
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promote stock ownership by executives to directly align their
interests with stockholder interests; |
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reward contributions that enhance the Companys business by
linking individual performance goals and compensation measures
to the achievement of specific business objectives; |
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balance compensation elements to encourage the achievement of
both short-term business plans and long-term strategic
objectives; and |
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attract, retain and motivate individuals of the highest quality. |
The Company and the Committee continually analyze the
Companys executive compensation programs to ensure they
adhere to the above philosophy and are competitive with peer
companies.
Compensation of Executive Officers in 2006
In the 2006 fiscal year, each executive officer of the Company
received an annual base salary and annual and long-term
incentive compensation, as further described below. Most of the
compensation paid to the executive officers was in the form of
incentive compensation linked to the achievement of specific
short-term and long-term performance objectives by each
executive officer, the Company and/or a relevant operational
area. Please see the tables under Executive
Compensation on pages 46-49 below for a detailed
presentation of the compensation earned by the Named Executive
Officers in the 2006 fiscal year.
Annual Base Salaries. Annual base salaries are
compensation for an executive officers ongoing
contribution to the performance of the operational area(s) for
which he or she is responsible. In keeping with the
Companys compensation philosophy to attract and retain
individuals of the highest quality, executive officer base
salaries are targeted to be competitive with average base
salaries paid to executive officers with comparable
responsibilities at peer companies. The Committee reviews
analyses by the Companys Human Resources Department and by
outside consultants to ensure that base salaries remain
competitive.
In addition to adjustments made for competitive reasons, the
Committee adjusts executive officer base salaries based on its
assessment of each executives performance and the
Companys overall budgetary guidelines for base salary
increases. In the 2006 fiscal year, individual base salary
increases averaged 3.5% Company-wide. The base salaries for each
of the Named Executive Officers were increased consistent with
the foregoing. Some of the Named Executive Officers received
additional base salary increases in connection with promotions
or to maintain competitiveness with base salaries paid by the
Companys peer homebuilders.
37
Annual Incentive Awards. Annual incentive awards are
intended to reward executive officers for the achievement of
personal performance goals and performance goals as to their
respective operational areas and/or the Companys overall
business results. Applicable performance criteria for the 2006
fiscal year were established for each executive officer at the
beginning of the year and included pretax profit, unit
deliveries, community count, customer satisfaction metrics,
debt-to-capital ratios,
expense control and other performance hurdles specific to an
executive officers responsibilities and relevant Company
business goals.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation. Long-term incentive
compensation consists of stock option grants, awards of shares
of restricted stock and awards of performance units under the
Companys Unit Performance Program (the UPP).
Ordinarily, the Company makes annual grants of stock options,
shares of restricted Common Stock and performance units to
executive officers. However, due to a review of the
Companys stock option grant practices by a subcommittee of
the Audit and Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors,
the Company did not make any annual grants of long-term
incentive compensation to executive officers in the 2006 fiscal
year. As part of the new corporate governance initiatives
discussed on page 5 above, the Committee is reviewing the
Companys executive compensation programs and, as part of
its review, may approve grants of long-term incentive
compensation to executive officers in the Companys 2007
fiscal year in recognition of contributions made in the 2006
fiscal year.
Stock Option Grants. Stock options are granted to
executive officers based on a subjective evaluation by the
Committee of a recipients contribution to the
Companys and/or his or her respective operational
areas performance, as well as peer company practices.
Stock options may be granted occasionally to new hires or in
connection with promotions. Typically, the Company grants
fixed-price stock options that vest in installments of 33% on
each anniversary of the date of grant, and, therefore, do not
fully vest until 3 years after they are granted. Because
the value of stock option awards increase only if the price of
the Companys Common Stock increases after grant, this
vesting schedule is intended to motivate executive officers to
enhance Company performance and stockholder value over a
long-term period. Stock option grants are also intended to
promote executive stock ownership.
Awards of Restricted Stock. Awards of shares of
restricted Common Stock are granted to executive officers
annually based on similar criteria as annual stock option
grants. Typically, the Company grants shares of restricted
Common Stock that do not vest until 3 years after they are
granted. This vesting schedule is intended to motivate executive
officers to enhance Company performance and stockholder value
over a long-term period and also serves as a retention tool.
Performance Units. In October 2005, the Committee awarded
performance units for the fiscal 2006-2008 performance period to
all executive officers and certain other members of senior
management under the UPP, which was first implemented in 1996.
Each performance unit provides a payout to a recipient only if
specific goals set by the Committee are achieved at the end of a
three-year period with respect to the following two performance
metrics: (a) the cumulative diluted earnings per share of
the Company and (b) the average pretax return on investment
of the operations for which the recipient is responsible.
If applicable performance goals are achieved, the value of a
performance unit at the end of the three-year performance cycle
depends on the degree to which the performance goals are
exceeded and the Committees weighting of the two
performance
38
metrics at the time the performance unit is awarded. For all
performance units awarded to the executive officers for the
fiscal 2006-2008 performance period, earnings per share will
determine 75% of the value of the award and pretax return on
investment will determine the remaining 25%. If a payout is
earned, a performance unit may be paid in cash, stock or stock
equivalents. Please see Long-Term Incentive
Plans Awards in Last Fiscal Year on
page 49 below for the performance units awarded to each
Named Executive Officer for the fiscal 2006-2008 performance
period.
At the end of the 2006 fiscal year, executive officers earned a
cash payout on performance units awarded to them in 2003. The
Named Executive Officers received payouts on such performance
units as follows: Mr. Mezger $746,250, Mr. Cecere
$525,000, Mr. Freed $375,000, Mr. Hollinger $375,000
and Mr. Masuda $37,500.
Cash Compensation Caps. Beginning in 2003, to promote
executive stock ownership and to further motivate executives to
improve the Companys performance on a longer term basis,
the Company introduced caps on the amount of annual cash
incentive compensation paid to certain executives, and incentive
amounts earned in excess of the caps are paid in shares of
restricted Common Stock. For the 2006 fiscal year, maximum cash
incentive compensation was set at $5,000,000 for Mr. Karatz
(pursuant to his Employment Agreement), $2,500,000 for
Mr. Mezger, $2,000,000 for Mr. Freed, and $750,000 for
Mr. Cecere and Mr. Hollinger. Grants of restricted
Common Stock to the Named Executive Officers are set forth in
the table entitled Summary Compensation Table on
pages 46-47 below.
Stock Ownership Guidelines. In 1998, the Committee
adopted an executive stock ownership policy designed to further
align the interests of management and stockholders. The policy
requires the Named Executive Officers, as well as other senior
corporate and divisional managers, to achieve specified
ownership levels of the Companys Common Stock. The policy
has been updated from time to time since its adoption. The
current target for all executive officers is ownership of Common
Stock with a value equal to five times base salary except
Mr. Mezger. The target for Mr. Mezger in the 2006
fiscal year was 10 times his base salary. The amount of Common
Stock beneficially owned by each of the Named Executive
Officers, including Mr. Mezger, far exceeds their
respective ownership guidelines.
Compensation of Chief Executive Officer in 2006. While he
served as the Chief Executive Officer in the 2006 fiscal year,
Mr. Karatz received $1,185,417 in salary. This amount was
in line with the $1,250,000 base salary the Board of Directors
approved for Mr. Karatz for the 2006 fiscal year pursuant
to his Employment Agreement. Pursuant to a November 2006 Tolling
Agreement between the Company and Mr. Karatz, the Company
agreed to pay Mr. Karatz the dollar value of all accrued
and unpaid vacation benefits based on Mr. Karatzs
base salary and unreimbursed business expenses through the date
of his departure. Under the Tolling Agreement, the Company
retained and suspended the payment of any other compensation and
benefits to Mr. Karatz that may be payable under his
Employment Agreement or the Companys compensation
programs, as further described under Certain Agreements
with Mr. Karatz on page 42 below.
Mr. Mezger became the Companys President and Chief
Executive Officer in November 2006, replacing Mr. Karatz.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Mezger served as the
Companys Chief Operat-
39
ing Officer. In the 2006 fiscal year, Mr. Mezger received
$568,750 in base salary. Mr. Mezger also received incentive
compensation of $4,500,000. Because of the Companys cash
incentive compensation limits, $2,000,000 of
Mr. Mezgers total incentive compensation will be paid
to him in the form of shares of restricted Common Stock, as
described in footnote (a) to the table on page 46
below. Mr. Mezger did not receive any additional
compensation in the 2006 fiscal year for serving as President
and Chief Executive Officer.
In December 2006, the Board of Directors approved an increase in
Mr. Mezgers annual base salary to $1 million.
Mr. Mezger participates in the KB Home Retirement Plan
and the KB Home Death Benefit Only Plan.
Policy on Deductibility of Compensation
The Company intends to comply with the requirements of
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to
maintaining federal tax deductibility for all executive
compensation, except in circumstances when the Management
Development and Compensation Committee believes that such
compliance would not be in the best interests of the Company or
its stockholders.
This report is respectfully submitted by the members of the
Committee:
Dr. Ray R. Irani, Chairman
Mr. James A. Johnson
Mr. J. Terrence Lanni
Mr. Leslie Moonves
Mr. Luis G. Nogales
40
KB Home
Common Stock Price
Performance
The graph below compares the cumulative total return of KB Home
Common Stock, the S&P Homebuilding Index, the Dow Jones Home
Construction Index, and the S&P 500 Index for the last five
fiscal year-end periods.
Last Five Fiscal Years
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KB Home
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100 |
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134 |
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207 |
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268 |
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431 |
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326 |
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S&P 500 Homebuilding Index
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100 |
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120 |
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237 |
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274 |
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398 |
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321 |
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Dow Jones Home Construction Index
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100 |
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118 |
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230 |
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262 |
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354 |
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S&P 500 Index
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The above graph is based upon the Common Stock and index prices
calculated as of the last trading day before December 1st
of the fiscal year-end periods presented. Our November 30,
2006 closing Common Stock price on the New York Stock Exchange
was $51.69 per share. On February 14, 2007, our Common
Stock closed at $54.13 per share. The performance of our Common
Stock depicted in the graphs above represents past performance
only and is not indicative of future performance. Total return
assumes $100 invested at market close on November 30, 2001
in KB Home, the S&P 500 Index, the
S&P 500 Homebuilding Index, and the Dow Jones Home
Construction Index including reinvestment of dividends.
41
Employment Agreements,
Change in Control Arrangements,
Retirement and Death
Benefit Plans
Certain Agreements with Mr. Karatz
On November 12, 2006, we entered into a Tolling Agreement
with Mr. Karatz in connection with the termination of his
service as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under the
Tolling Agreement, we and Mr. Karatz reserve all rights
under his Employment Agreement and under any stock option,
restricted stock, retirement and other benefit plans in which he
was a participant. The Tolling Agreement remains in effect and
no resolution has been reached as to the matters reserved under
its terms. We have made no severance or other payments to
Mr. Karatz with respect to the matters reserved. We have
agreed to provide Mr. Karatz with medical and dental
benefits at least equal to those he would have received if still
employed by us until these reserved matters are resolved.
Mr. Karatz was employed under an Employment Agreement that
provided him with a salary (set at $1,250,000 for fiscal 2006)
and annual incentive compensation ranging from 1% to 2% of our
pretax, pre-incentive income depending on our return on equity
for a particular fiscal year. His incentive compensation was
paid 75% in cash and 25% in shares of restricted stock, although
any cash compensation in excess of $5 million was also paid
in shares of restricted Common Stock.
Mr. Karatzs Employment Agreement also provided for
him to receive a nonqualified retirement benefit equal to 100%
of his average base salary during the final three years of his
employment, payable for 25 years. In addition, if he was
involuntarily terminated without cause or if he voluntarily
terminated his employment for good reason, he was entitled to a
severance equal to three times the sum of his average annual
base salary and incentive compensation for the three fiscal
years prior to the date of the termination of his employment.
If Mr. Karatz retired with the Boards consent,
Mr. Karatz and his family would be entitled to receive
medical and dental benefits for Mr. Karatzs lifetime
at least equal to those which would have been provided under our
plans, unless he became re-employed and was eligible to receive
comparable benefits from another employer. We would also be
obligated to provide Mr. Karatz with, or reimburse
Mr. Karatz the expenses for, an appropriate office and
administrative support commensurate with his former status as
our Chief Executive Officer.
In the event Mr. Karatzs termination of service was
by us for cause, or if it was by him without good reason, all of
his unearned rights under the Employment Agreement terminate.
The Tolling Agreement mentioned above provides that neither
party has made an admission as to the characterization of
Mr. Karatzs termination of service, including whether
such termination constituted a retirement or other
form of termination.
Mr. Karatzs termination of service does not affect
any advancement of fees or indemnification to which he is
otherwise entitled under applicable state law, our Certificate
of Incorporation and Bylaws, and any agreement with us.
Mr. Karatz is a named insured under our D&O insurance
policies and we agreed in the Tolling Agreement to use our best
efforts to ensure that he would be covered under any renewals or
replacements of those policies.
42
Change in Control Arrangements
We have a Change in Control Plan in which 13 senior executives
currently participate, including Messrs. Mezger, Cecere,
and Hollinger. The plan is designed to encourage the retention
of senior executives in the event of a change in control. The
plan provides that if there is a change in control, as defined
in the plan, and a participating executive is terminated within
a specified period after such change, other than for cause or
disability, or if the executive voluntarily terminates his or
her employment for good reason, the terminated executive will be
entitled to receive an amount equal to one or two years
average salary and cash incentive bonus, depending on the
executive.
Under the KB Home 1988 Employee Stock Plan, the
KB Home Performance-Based Incentive Plan for Senior
Management, the KB Home 1998 Stock Incentive Plan, the
KB Home 2001 Stock Incentive Plan and the Amended and
Restated KB Home 1999 Incentive Plan, all outstanding stock
options will become fully exercisable and all restrictions on
outstanding shares of restricted Common Stock or other awards
shall lapse upon a change of ownership. A
change of ownership will be deemed to occur if:
(1) current members of the Board of Directors or other
directors elected by three-quarters of the current members or
their respective replacements (excluding certain individuals who
took office in connection with an acquisition of 20% or more of
our voting securities or in connection with an election contest)
cease to represent a majority of the Board; or (2) the
Board determines that a change of ownership has occurred.
The KB Home Unit Performance Program, which is administered
under our employee equity compensation plans, provides that upon
a change of ownership, as defined in the program documents, each
outstanding Performance Unit will be paid in cash at the target
level.
The KB Home Non-Employee Directors Stock Plan provides that
upon a change in control, as defined in the plan, all Stock
Units will be paid in cash or shares of Common Stock, in
accordance with the prior election made by each participating
Director. The KB Home Directors Legacy Program
provides that upon a change of ownership, as defined in the
program documents, all participating Directors shall become
immediately vested under the program, and we shall create an
irrevocable trust into which we shall transfer sufficient assets
(including the Directors life insurance policies) to make
the designated charitable contributions for the participating
Directors.
We also maintain a non-qualified Executive Deferred Compensation
Plan. From 1985 to 1992, pursuant to the plan, certain
executives deferred receipt of a certain amount of pretax
income, plus a Company matching contribution, until retirement,
termination or certain other events, including a change in
control. No new contributions to the Executive Deferred
Compensation Plan may be made, but we continue to pay interest
on prior contributions still held in the plan.
Under the KB Home Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan,
implemented in 2001, in the event of a change of control, as
defined in the plan, participating executives, including
Messrs. Mezger, Freed and Hollinger, become immediately
vested in matching and other contributions we may make to their
respective accounts under the plan unless we determine that
payment of any part of such vested amounts would not be
deductible under federal income tax rules. During his service as
our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Karatz
participated in the plan.
Under the KB Home Retirement Plan, which is described in
more detail below under the heading
43
Retirement Plan, participants become fully vested in
their Retirement Plan benefits, and may elect a lump sum
distribution of Retirement Plan benefits, in the event of a
change in control, as defined in the plan.
We also maintain the KB Home Death Benefit Only Plan (the
DBO Plan), which is described in more detail below
under the heading Death Benefit Only Plan.
Participants become fully vested in their DBO Plan benefits and,
as described more fully below, will receive a distribution of
the insurance policy on their life in cash in the event of a
change in control, as defined in the plan.
Retirement Plan
We adopted the KB Home Retirement Plan in 2002. The
Retirement Plan provides certain supplemental retirement
benefits to selected executives. Currently, 27 executives,
including Messrs. Mezger, Cecere, Freed and Hollinger,
participate in the Retirement Plan. During his service as our
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Karatz
participated in the plan. We establish an annual benefit
amount for each participant in the Retirement Plan. A
participant becomes entitled to benefits under the Retirement
Plan only if the participant releases us from any and all claims
that he or she may then have against us and only if the
participants termination of employment with us occurs
either (1) on or after the fifth anniversary of the date
the participant commenced participation in the Retirement Plan,
or (2) before that date, due to the participants
death or disability. A participant is eligible for a reduced
level of benefits if we terminate the participants
employment without cause after the fourth, but before the fifth,
anniversary of the date the participant commenced participation
in the Retirement Plan.
If a participant becomes entitled to Retirement Plan benefits,
we will pay the participant a series of installment payments
over a period of 20 years commencing following the later of
(1) the participants attainment of age 55,
(2) the tenth anniversary of the date the participant
commenced participation in the Retirement Plan or (3) the
termination of the participants employment with us. The
annual benefit to be paid to a participant who is entitled to
Retirement Plan benefits (to be paid each year over the
twenty-year payment period) equals the annual benefit
amount we determine for that participant. In February
2006, the Management Development and Compensation Committee of
the Board of Directors approved the incorporation of a
cost-of-living
adjustment (COLA) to the base benefit amounts. The
2006 COLA was 3%. The rate of COLA adjustment will be reviewed
by the Management Development and Compensation Committee
annually. Messrs. Mezger, Freed, Cecere and Hollinger commenced
participation in the Retirement Plan as of July 11, 2002
and their annual benefit amounts upon retirement are $463,000,
$103,000, $103,000 and $103,000, respectively. We may elect to
pay a participant the actuarial equivalent of his or her
benefits in a lump sum payment as opposed to installments over
twenty years. At the time of Mr. Karatzs termination
of service, his annual benefit amount under the Retirement Plan
was $824,000. However, Mr. Karatzs rights to this
amount are reserved under the Tolling Agreement described on
page 42 above. Mr. Karatzs participation in the
Retirement Plan commenced as of July 11, 2002.
Death Benefit Only Plan
In 2001, we implemented the DBO Plan. The Plan currently covers
52 executives. The beneficiary of a DBO Plan participant is
entitled to benefits if the participant either (1) dies
while actively employed by us or an affiliate or (2) dies
after completing 10 years of service with us or an
affiliate, including at least 5 consecutive years of
44
service while a DBO Plan participant. Each participant is
provided a net after-tax benefit from $500,000 to
$1 million. The net after-tax death benefit of each of
Messrs. Karatz, Mezger, Freed, Cecere and Hollinger is
$1 million.
We have purchased life insurance policies on the lives of the
participants in the DBO Plan. In the event of a change in
control, we will pay to the insurance company, on behalf of each
participant, an amount large enough so that, after the payment,
the policy is fully paid up. For this purpose, the
term fully paid up means that, after the payment
described in the preceding sentence is paid as a premium to the
insurer, the value of the policy is such that the policy is
projected (based on assumptions set forth in the DBO Plan) to be
able to pay at least the basic benefit applicable to the
participant if the participant dies at any time after the change
in control and prior to age 100. The policy will then be
transferred to the participant along with a cash payment large
enough to pay any federal, state or local income or payroll
taxes (including excise taxes, such as the excise tax under
Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, if applicable)
attributable to the distribution of the policy and the cash
payment.
As of October 2004, new eligible executives are provided with a
$750,000 death benefit under our group term life insurance
policy instead of participating in the DBO Plan. Mr. Masuda
has been provided with this $750,000 death benefit.
45
Executive
Compensation
Summary Compensation Table
The following Summary Compensation Table sets forth the total
compensation earned by each of the Named Executive Officers for
the fiscal years ended November 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004.
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Long-Term Compensation |
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Annual Compensation |
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Jeffrey T. Mezger
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President and Chief |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
$ |
568,750 |
|
|
$ |
2,500,000 |
|
|
$ |
80,357 |
|
|
$ |
2,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
746,250 |
|
|
$ |
15,700 |
|
|
Executive Officer |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
498,333 |
|
|
|
2,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,212,531 |
|
|
|
75,000 |
|
|
|
2,519,442 |
|
|
|
29,900 |
|
|
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
478,333 |
|
|
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,524,962 |
|
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
2,761,071 |
|
|
|
28,800 |
|
|
Robert Freed
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Vice President, |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
389,167 |
|
|
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
|
50,716 |
|
|
|
1,233,359 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
375,000 |
|
|
|
10,850 |
|
|
Investment Strategy |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
266,667 |
|
|
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,772,264 |
|
|
|
8,000 |
|
|
|
1,007,808 |
|
|
|
16,175 |
|
|
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
229,167 |
|
|
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,107,985 |
|
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
1,380,426 |
|
|
|
13,800 |
|
|
Domenico Cecere
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Executive Vice |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
548,333 |
|
|
|
750,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
570,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
525,000 |
|
|
|
13,200 |
|
|
President and Chief |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
529,167 |
|
|
|
750,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
576,731 |
|
|
|
6,000 |
|
|
|
1,763,585 |
|
|
|
12,600 |
|
|
Financial Officer |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
518,333 |
|
|
|
750,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
236,500 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
1,932,728 |
|
|
|
11,700 |
|
|
William R. Hollinger
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Vice President |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
312,633 |
|
|
|
750,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
37,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
375,000 |
|
|
|
18,571 |
|
|
and Chief Accounting |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
285,683 |
|
|
|
716,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
160,700 |
|
|
|
6,000 |
|
|
|
1,007,808 |
|
|
|
16,844 |
|
|
Officer |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
274,717 |
|
|
|
750,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
91,800 |
|
|
|
24,000 |
|
|
|
1,104,494 |
|
|
|
16,536 |
|
|
Kelly Masuda
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Vice President |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
287,604 |
|
|
|
625,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
37,500 |
|
|
|
9,384 |
|
|
and Treasurer |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
273,646 |
|
|
|
412,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
128,560 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
688 |
|
|
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
258,021 |
|
|
|
258,750 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
38,250 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,409 |
|
|
Bruce Karatz
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Former Chairman |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
1,185,417 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
629,089 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
103,975 |
|
|
and Chief |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
1,091,667 |
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
|
296,077 |
|
|
|
27,913,496 |
|
|
|
250,000 |
|
|
|
3,527,250 |
|
|
|
102,401 |
|
|
Executive Officer |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
|
165,263 |
|
|
|
14,045,340 |
|
|
|
560,000 |
|
|
|
3,865,455 |
|
|
|
101,528 |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
|
The Bonus reported as annual compensation for each of
Messrs. Mezger, Freed, Cecere, Hollinger and Masuda in the
2006 fiscal year is the cash portion of their respective annual
incentive bonuses. The Restricted Stock Award dollar amounts
reported for each of Messrs. Mezger, Freed, Cecere and
Hollinger in the 2006 fiscal year reflect the amount of their
annual incentive awards over the cash limits established for
them. The number of shares of restricted stock has not yet been
determined due to the review of our stock option grant practices
in the 2006 fiscal year. When granted, the number of shares of
restricted stock will be determined by reference to the closing
price of our Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on the
date of grant. |
46
|
|
|
(b) |
|
The Named Executive Officers receive certain personal benefits,
including financial planning and tax preparation services, an
automobile and gasoline allowance and automobile insurance
reimbursement. However, in accordance with Securities and
Exchange Commission rules, personal benefits for each Named
Executive Officer in the 2006 fiscal year totaling less than
$50,000 in aggregate incremental cost to us have been omitted,
except as discussed in this footnote. The amount reported for
Mr. Mezger for our 2006 fiscal year includes financial
planning and tax preparation services and an automobile and
gasoline allowance. It also includes $62,255, representing an
allocated portion of overall flight costs attributable to his
spouses joining him on business trips he took using
Company-owned aircraft. We encouraged his spouse to join him on
the trips, these trips were not personal, and we did not incur
any incremental cost to have Mr. Mezgers spouse join
him on such trips. The amount reported for Mr. Freed
includes an automobile allowance and $38,716 related to his
spouses joining him on business trips Mr. Freed took
on Company-owned aircraft. The amount reported for
Mr. Karatz for the 2006 fiscal year includes financial
planning and tax preparation services, an automobile and
gasoline allowance, tickets to sporting events, personal gifts,
personal meal and lodging expenses and club membership fees. It
also includes $558,009 related to his personal use of
Company-owned aircraft. |
|
(c) |
|
Payouts for our 2006 and 2005 fiscal years to all participants
under our long-term incentive program, the Unit Performance
Program, were paid in cash. |
|
(d) |
|
These amounts represent our aggregate contributions to our
401(k) Savings Plan, Supplemental Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation Plan and the amount of interest earned on the
Executive Deferred Compensation Plan at a rate in excess of 120%
of the applicable federal rate. In the 2006 fiscal year, the
Named Executive Officers accrued the following respective
amounts under such plans: Mr. Mezger $13,200, $2,500 and
$0; Mr. Freed $9,500, $1,350 and $0; Mr. Cecere
$13,200, $0 and $0; Mr. Hollinger $13,200, $5,371 and
$0; Mr. Masuda $9,384, $0 and $0; and Mr. Karatz
$13,200, $57,925 and $32,850. |
Option/SAR Grants in Last Fiscal Year
There were no grants of stock options or stock appreciation
rights made to any of our Named Executive Officers during our
2006 fiscal year.
47
Aggregated Option/SAR Exercises in Last Fiscal Year and
Fiscal Year End Option/SAR Value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Unexercised |
|
Value of Unexercised |
|
|
Options Held at Fiscal |
|
In-the-Money Options at |
|
|
Shares |
|
|
|
Year End(#) |
|
Fiscal Year End($)(a) |
|
|
Acquired on |
|
Value |
|
|
|
|
Name |
|
Exercise(#) |
|
Realized($)(a) |
|
Exercisable |
|
Unexercisable |
|
Exercisable |
|
Unexercisable |
|
Jeffrey T. Mezger
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
1,428,940 |
|
|
|
116,666 |
|
|
$ |
41,255,895 |
|
|
$ |
895,991 |
|
Robert Freed
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
55,066 |
|
|
|
13,666 |
|
|
|
1,039,756 |
|
|
|
111,996 |
|
Domenico Cecere
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
240,134 |
|
|
|
10,666 |
|
|
|
6,072,893 |
|
|
|
89,591 |
|
William R. Hollinger
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
164,058 |
|
|
|
12,000 |
|
|
|
4,017,253 |
|
|
|
107,520 |
|
Kelly Masuda
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
35,001 |
|
|
|
9,999 |
|
|
|
593,609 |
|
|
|
89,591 |
|
Bruce Karatz(b)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,658,120 |
|
|
|
353,332 |
|
|
|
73,174,491 |
|
|
|
2,508,791 |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
|
Represents the difference between the $51.69 closing price of
our Common Stock on November 30, 2006 on the New York Stock
Exchange and the exercise price of the options. |
|
(b) |
|
Pursuant to a Tolling Agreement between us and Mr. Karatz,
as described on page 42 above, both parties have reserved
all rights under Mr. Karatzs Employment Agreement and
under our stock option, restricted stock, retirement or other
benefit plans to which Mr. Karatz was a party or was
subject. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, the Tolling
Agreement remains in effect and no resolution has been reached
as to the matters reserved under its terms. Accordingly, no
agreement or determination has been made on the nature and
extent of Mr. Karatzs rights in the outstanding stock
options granted to him. We have made no severance or other
payments to Mr. Karatz with respect to the matters
reserved. In addition, pursuant to a Stipulation and Order
Preserving the Status Quo entered in January 2007 in a
shareholder derivative litigation matter pending in California
state court, Mr. Karatz may not exercise any of his stock
options, vested or unvested, at any price, until March 31,
2007. However, the expiration or earlier termination of the
Stipulation and Order will not entitle Mr. Karatz to
exercise any of his stock options, as any such exercise will
remain subject to resolution of the matters reserved under the
Tolling Agreement. |
48
Long-Term Incentive Plans Awards in Last Fiscal
Year
The following table provides information on long-term incentive
awards granted in the 2006 fiscal year to the Named Executive
Officers under the Unit Performance Program. Please also see the
Management Development and Compensation Committee Report
on Executive Compensation on
pages 37-40 above
for more information on the Unit Performance Program. Pursuant
to a Tolling Agreement between us and Mr. Karatz, as
described on page 42 above, Mr. Karatzs
eligibility for any payout on performance units granted to him
during his service as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
is reserved and no determination or agreement regarding such
eligibility has been reached.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated Future Payout |
|
|
in Shares of Common Stock |
|
|
Number of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Performance |
|
Performance |
|
Threshold |
|
Target |
|
Maximum |
Name |
|
Units(#)(a) |
|
Period |
|
($)(b) |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
Jeffrey T. Mezger
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
12/1/05 11/30/08 |
|
|
$ |
500,000 |
|
|
$ |
1,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
2,000,000 |
|
Robert Freed
|
|
|
325 |
|
|
|
12/1/05 11/30/08 |
|
|
|
162,500 |
|
|
|
325,000 |
|
|
|
650,000 |
|
Domenico Cecere
|
|
|
300 |
|
|
|
12/1/05 11/30/08 |
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
William R. Hollinger
|
|
|
300 |
|
|
|
12/1/05 11/30/08 |
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
Kelly Masuda
|
|
|
100 |
|
|
|
12/1/05 11/30/08 |
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
|
At the beginning of our 2006 fiscal year, we awarded Performance
Units under the Unit Performance Program for the fiscal
2006-2008 performance period. Each Performance Unit represents
the opportunity to receive an award payable in cash or in shares
of our Common Stock. The dollar value or actual number of shares
awarded at the end of the performance period will depend upon
our cumulative earnings per share, or EPS, and average pretax
return on investment, or PROI, during the performance period.
The target dollar value or number of shares will be awarded if a
specified, targeted cumulative EPS and average PROI are achieved
for the period. The threshold dollar value or number of shares,
equal to 50% of the target number, will be awarded if a
specified minimum cumulative EPS and average PROI are achieved
for the period. Achievement of either the specified minimum
cumulative EPS or average PROI, but not both, would result in a
smaller payout than the threshold dollar value or number of
shares. The maximum dollar value or number of shares, equal to
200% of the target number, will be awarded if the specified
maximum cumulative EPS and average PROI for the period are
achieved or exceeded. If paid out in shares, the number of
shares awarded at the end of the performance period will depend
on the market value of our Common Stock at that time. |
|
(b) |
|
No award will be made upon the vesting of a Performance Unit if
neither the specified minimum cumulative EPS nor the specified
minimum average PROI is achieved for the 2006-2008 performance
period. |
49
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides information as of November 30,
2006 with respect to shares of our Common Stock that may be
issued under our existing compensation plans:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Common |
|
|
Number of |
|
|
|
Shares Remaining |
|
|
Common Shares |
|
|
|
Available for Future |
|
|
to be Issued |
|
|
|
Issuance Under Equity |
|
|
Upon Exercise of |
|
Weighted-average |
|
Compensation Plans |
|
|
Outstanding |
|
Exercise Price of |
|
(excluding common |
|
|
Options, Warrants |
|
Outstanding Options, |
|
shares reflected in |
|
|
and Rights |
|
Warrants and Rights |
|
column (a)) |
|
|
(a) |
|
(b) |
|
(c) |
|
Equity compensation plans approved by stockholders
|
|
|
7,982,877 |
|
|
$ |
28.45 |
|
|
|
3,906,459 |
|
Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders(1)
|
|
|
371,399 |
|
|
|
34.23 |
|
|
|
566,061 |
|
|
Total
|
|
|
8,354,276 |
|
|
$ |
28.71 |
|
|
|
4,472,520 |
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Represents the Non-Employee Directors Stock Plan. The
Non-Employee Directors Stock Plan is described above under the
heading Director Compensation on pages 11-12. |
50
Audit and Compliance
Committee Report
The Audit and Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors
acts under a written Audit and Compliance Committee Charter. The
Charter was first adopted in 1999, and was amended and restated
in October 2005.
The Audit and Compliance Committee assists the Board of
Directors in fulfilling the Boards responsibility for
oversight of the Companys financial reporting process and
practices, and its internal control over financial reporting.
Management is primarily responsible for the Companys
financial statements, the reporting process and assurance for
the adequacy of the internal control over financial reporting.
The Companys independent registered public accounting
firm, Ernst & Young LLP, is responsible for performing
an independent audit of the Companys financial statements
and the Companys internal control over financial
reporting, and for expressing an opinion on the conformity of
the Companys audited financial statements to generally
accepted accounting principles used in the United States and the
adequacy of the Companys internal control over financial
reporting.
In this context, the Audit and Compliance Committee has reviewed
and discussed with management and Ernst & Young LLP the
Companys audited financial statements. The Audit and
Compliance Committee has discussed with Ernst & Young
LLP the matters required to be discussed by Statement on
Auditing Standards No. 61 (Communication with Audit
Committees), as amended. In addition, the Audit and Compliance
Committee has received from Ernst & Young LLP the
written disclosures required by Independence Standards Board
Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit
Committees) and discussed with Ernst & Young LLP its
independence from the Company and the Companys management.
The Audit and Compliance Committee has also reviewed
managements fiscal year 2006 documentation, testing and
evaluation of the adequacy of the Companys internal
control over financial reporting, as required by
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related
rules and regulations, and has been apprised by both management
and Ernst & Young LLP on managements processes
and activities in this regard. Following the conclusion of
fiscal year 2006, management reviewed with the Audit and
Compliance Committee its report on the effectiveness of the
Companys internal control over financial reporting. The
Audit and Compliance Committee also received a report from
Ernst & Young LLP on managements assessment of
the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over
financial reporting.
In reliance on the reviews, reports and discussions referred to
above, the Audit and Compliance Committee recommended to the
Board, and the Board approved, that the audited financial
statements be included in the Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended November 30, 2006, for filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
This report is respectfully submitted by the members of the
Audit and Compliance Committee:
Mr. Michael G. McCaffery, Chairman
Mr. Ronald W. Burkle
Mr. Timothy W. Finchem
Ms. Melissa Lora
Mr. Luis G. Nogales
51
Independent Auditor
Fees and Services
Auditor Fees in 2006 and 2005
The firm of Ernst & Young LLP served as our principal
independent registered public accounting firm for our 2006 and
2005 fiscal years. We paid Ernst & Young LLP the
following fees in our 2006 and 2005 fiscal years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiscal Year Ended |
|
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
2006 |
|
2005 |
|
Audit Fees
|
|
|
$1,523 |
|
|
|
$1,644 |
|
Audit-related Fees
|
|
|
674 |
|
|
|
34 |
|
Tax Fees
|
|
|
50 |
|
|
|
43 |
|
All Other Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Fees
|
|
$ |
2,247 |
|
|
$ |
1,721 |
|
|
|
|
Audit fees include statutory
audits of our French subsidiary, Kaufman & Broad S.A.,
which is publicly traded on Euronext Paris, audits of our
mortgage banking subsidiary and audit services performed in
connection with our compliance with Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Audit fees for the
Kaufman & Broad S.A. statutory audits totaled $620,000
in fiscal 2006 and $689,000 in fiscal 2005.
Audit-related services include
fees for 401(k) or employee benefit plan audits and accounting
consultations. In fiscal 2006, audit-related fees included fees
related to the internal review of our past stock option grant
practices by a Subcommittee of the Audit and Compliance
Committee of the Board of Directors in conjunction with
independent legal counsel, as noted on page 9 above and
further described in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended November 30, 2006. Fiscal 2006
audit-related fees also included fees related to our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended 2006 to adjust certain non-cash compensation
expense charges.
Tax fees include fees for review
of our federal income tax return, as well as several state
income tax returns.
Auditor Fees Pre-approval Policy
In 2003, the Audit and Compliance Committee approved a policy
concerning the pre-approval of audit and permitted non-audit
services to be provided by the principal independent registered
public accounting firm. The policy requires that the Audit and
Compliance Committee pre-approve all services Ernst &
Young LLP provides to us, including audit services,
audit-related services, tax services and other services. In some
cases, pre-approval is provided by the full Audit and Compliance
Committee for up to a year, and relates to a particular category
or group of services and is subject to a specific budget. In
other cases, the Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee has
the delegated authority from the Audit and Compliance Committee
to pre-approve additional services, and such pre-approvals are
then communicated to the full Committee.
The Audit and Compliance Committee
approved all audit and permitted non-audit services provided by
Ernst & Young LLP during our 2006 fiscal year.
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Other Matters
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions
Matthew Karatz, a director of land acquisition and planning for
our Greater Los Angeles division, is the son of Bruce Karatz,
our former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In our 2006
fiscal year, Matthew Karatz earned $184,535, comprised of
salary, bonus and an automobile and gas allowance. Robert
Karatz, who manages real estate broker relations for our Inland
Valley division, is the brother of Bruce Karatz. In our 2006
fiscal year, Robert Karatz earned $110,982, comprised of
professional services fees, incentive pay and an automobile and
gas allowance. Both Matthew Karatz and Robert Karatz have been
employed by us since 2002. Lance Freed, the son of Robert Freed,
Senior Vice President, served as a Land Acquisition Analyst for
the first half of our 2006 fiscal year and as a Land Associate
for the second half of our 2006 fiscal year for our Central
Valley Division. In our 2006 fiscal year, Lance Freed earned
$61,597, comprised of salary, bonus and an automobile allowance.
Lance Freed resigned in January 2007.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting
Compliance
Based upon our review of Forms 3, 4 and 5 and any
amendments thereto furnished to us in compliance with
Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, all such Forms were filed on a timely basis by our
reporting persons during fiscal year 2006.
Financial Statements
Our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto,
including selected financial information and managements
discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of
operations for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2006, are
included on pages 25 through 88 of our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for that
period. The
Form 10-K was
mailed to stockholders on March 5, 2007. The financial
statements, the report of the independent auditors thereon,
selected financial information, and managements discussion
and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in
the Form 10-K are
incorporated by reference herein. Additional copies of the
Form 10-K are
available without charge upon request to the Corporate Secretary
at KB Home, 10990 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA
90024. Exhibits to the
Form 10-K will be
provided upon request and payment of copying charges. You may
also view and download copies of the 2006 Annual Report on
Form 10-K from our
website at: http://www.kbhome.com/ investor.
Other Business
The Board of Directors knows of no business other than that
described in this Proxy Statement that will be presented for
consideration at the Annual Meeting. If other business shall
properly come before the Annual Meeting, shares represented by
valid proxies will be voted on such matters in accordance with
the best judgment of the persons named as proxies on the Proxy
Cards for the Annual Meeting, or their duly authorized designees.
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Stockholder Proposals for 2008 Annual Meeting
For inclusion in the Proxy Statement and form of proxy for our
2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we must receive no later
than November 5, 2007 any proposal of a stockholder
intended to be presented at that meeting. Further, management
proxies for our 2008 Annual Meeting will use their discretionary
voting authority with respect to any proposal presented at the
meeting by a stockholder who does not provide us with written
notice of the proposal on or prior to January 19, 2008.
By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ William A. Richelieu
William A. Richelieu
Assistant Corporate Secretary
Los Angeles, California
March 5, 2007
54