Expenditure Policies

As a participant in the Community Development Capital Initiative Program (the “CDCI”) being administered by the United States Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”), Hope Federal Credit Union (“HOPE”) is adopting this Excessive Expenditure Policy (this “Policy”) pursuant to the requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Once this Policy has been adopted, a copy of this Policy will be provided to Treasury and the text of this Policy will be posted on the HOPE Web site. Moreover, HOPE will maintain this Policy during the remainder of its CDCI participation, and, in the event the Board of Directors adopts any material amendment to this Policy, within 90 days of such amendment, HOPE will provide the amended policy to Treasury and will post the amended policy on the HOPE Web site.

I. INTRODUCTION

It is the policy of HOPE to prohibit excessive expenditures on any of the following, to the extent such expenditures are not reasonable expenditures for staff development, reasonable performance incentives, or other similar reasonable measures conducted in the normal course of the business operations of HOPE:

• Entertainment or events;
• Office and facility renovations;
• Aviation or other transportation services; and
• Other similar items, activities, or events for which HOPE may reasonably anticipate incurring expenses, or reimbursing an employee for incurring expenses.

This Policy is not intended to apply to bona fide business development or marketing expenditures, provided that the expenditure in question does not involve the conferring of a significant benefit on any HOPE employee or group of employees.

The following policies and procedures shall govern excessive expenditures generally.

II. PROHIBITED EXPENDITURES

Expenditures for entertainment, events or sponsorship of events, office or facility renovations, aviation services or other transportation services, or other similar expenditures will be prohibited where HOPE has not documented its determination that such expenditure either (i) benefits current or prospective members or other sources of new business or serves some other legitimate business development purpose, (ii) serves a bona fide staff development purpose or (iii) serves some other bona fide business purpose.

III. EXPENDITURES REQUIRING PRIOR APPROVAL

The following types or categories of expenditures require prior approval:

• Entertainment, where the expenditure amount exceeds $ 50,000 per item, activity, or event;
• Events or sponsorship of events, where the expenditure amount exceeds $ 50,000 per item, activity, or event;
• Office or facility renovations, where the expenditure amount exceeds $ 50,000 per item, activity, or event;
• Aviation services, where the expenditure amount exceeds $ 50,000 per item, activity, or event;
• Other transportation services, where the expenditure amount exceeds $ 50,000 per item, activity, or event; and
• Other similar items, where the expenditure amount exceeds $ 50,000 per item, activity, or event.

IV. APPROVAL PROCEDURES

For expenditures requiring prior approval under Part III above, such prior approval may be obtained by submitting a written request to the Compensation Committee. Such a request may take the form of an email or facsimile communication and must be directed to each of the Committee members. Any such request must be approved by a majority of the members of the Compensation Committee. Committee members must affirmatively express their approval in writing, which approval may take the form of an email or facsimile communication and may, but is not required to, be given on a preprinted form designed for that purpose. Committee members may, but are not required to, meet together to deliberate before approving any particular expenditure request.

V. CEO AND CFO CERTIFICATION OF CERTAIN APPROVALS

With respect to each expenditure requiring the prior approval of the Compensation Committee, the CEO and the CFO will both certify in writing that the approval of such expenditure was properly obtained.

VI. PROMPT REPORTING OF, AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR, VIOLATIONS

If any employee of HOPE becomes aware of a violation of this Policy, he or she must promptly report the violation to the Internal Auditor (“Auditor”). Upon receiving such a report, the Auditor must then conduct a discreet investigation, preliminary in nature, of the facts and circumstances giving rise to the allegation. If, after an appropriate investigation, the Auditor concludes there is a substantial likelihood that a violation has occurred, then the Auditor must submit to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors a written report describing (i) the alleged violation, (ii) the Auditor’s preliminary investigation into the allegation, and (iii) the reasons for the Auditor’s conclusion that there is a substantial likelihood that a violation of this Policy has occurred. Upon receiving this written report, the Audit Committee will conduct a full inquiry into the facts and circumstances giving rise to the allegation.

If, after conducting a full inquiry into the facts and circumstances giving rise to the allegation, the Audit Committee determines that a violation of this Policy has occurred, the offending employee must be appropriately held accountable for the violation, in accordance with existing disciplinary policy.

II. Excessive or Luxury Expenditures Policy

• A. Purpose
  The purpose of this policy is to establish parameters and internal controls governing the expenditures of Hope Federal Credit Union (together with its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates, referred to hereafter as the Organization). Expenditures of the Organization should be customary, prudent, consistent with applicable laws and regulations, and reasonably related to the Organization’s business objectives and needs. This policy identifies expenditures that are excessive or luxury expenditures, creates processes that are reasonably designed to eliminate such expenditures, and establishes accountability for compliance. Routine operating expenses, capital expenditures, and other reasonable expenses are not prohibited by this policy.

• B. Authority
  The Organization has authority to provide compensation and benefits that are reasonable. This policy establishes a prohibition on expenditures that are excessive or luxury expenditures as required by the Department of the Treasury’s Emergency Capital Investment Program regulations (31 CFR part 35), and as may be required by other statutes and regulations.

• C. Responsibility
  This policy is the responsibility of the Organization’s board of directors (board). The board has approved this policy and will review compliance with this policy no less frequently than annually, and summary data on excessive or luxury expenditures will be reported to the board as part of the compliance review.

• D. Scope
  This policy applies to all employees, officers, and directors of the Organization with regard to any expenditure of the Organization. In making any expenditure on behalf of the Organization, employees, officers, and directors should consider whether the expenditure is an excessive or luxury expenditure that is prohibited under this policy.

• E. Excessive or Luxury Expenditures
  “Excessive or luxury expenditures” means excessive expenditures on any of the following to the extent not reasonable or appropriate expenditures for business development, staff development, reasonable performance incentives, or other similar reasonable measures conducted in the normal course of the Organization’s business operations:

  • (1) Entertainment or events. This category includes fees, dues, tickets costs related to social, athletic, artistic and dining clubs, activities, celebrations or other events, and similar expenditures. Expenditures for charitable contributions and charitable events are not prohibited under this policy. Entertainment or events expenditures in an amount less than $50,000 per instance are exempt from this policy.
  • (2) Office and facility renovations. This category includes costs and allowances for office renovation, including expenditures related to furniture, art, office personalization, interior finishing, design and decoration, and similar expenditures. Office and facility renovations expenditures in an amount less than $50,000 per instance are exempt from this policy.
  • (3) Aviation or other transportation services.
  • • (i) This category includes charter fees, tickets, slip or docking fees, vehicle installment payments, reservation and travel agent expenses, and similar expenditures associated with transportation services (e.g., airline, train, rental cars, or vans). Mileage reimbursable according to current Internal Revenue Service mileage rates is exempt from this policy. Transportation services in an amount less than $50,000 per instance are exempt from this policy.
      • (ii) The principal executive officer may establish or delegate to an appropriate executive officer the authority to establish processes for reimbursement of reasonable travel expenditures, which processes must be reviewed by executive management no less frequently than annually.
    • (4) Tax gross-ups. This category includes any reimbursement of taxes owed with respect to any compensation. This category does not apply to tax equalization agreements for employees subject to tax from a non-U.S. jurisdiction.
    • 
      (5) Other similar items, activities, or events for which the Organization may reasonably anticipate incurring expenses or reimbursing an employee for incurring expenses.
      • (i) Expenditures related to other items not listed in the preceding categories are exempt from this policy in an amount less than $50,000 per instance.
      • (ii) For the avoidance of doubt, reasonable capital investments in technology, equipment, and similar items that expand the long-term capability of an ECIP recipient to provide products and services to its customers and community are not excessive or luxury expenditures.
      • (iii) The principal executive officer may establish or delegate to an appropriate executive officer the authority to establish processes for the evaluation and approval of expenditures in the preceding categories that are not luxury or excessive expenditures and that are not otherwise exempt from this policy. These processes must be reviewed by executive management no less frequently than annually, as well as any additional threshold expenditure amounts per item, activity, or event, or a threshold expenditure amount per employee receiving the item or participating in the activity or event under this policy. Such approvals must be reported to the board of directors (which may be in an appropriate summary form) no less frequently than annually.
  F. Exceptions or Violations
  • 
    (1) Any exception or violation of this policy must be promptly reported to the Organization’s (i) principal executive officer, (ii) officer with primary responsibility for the Organization’s compliance function, or (iii) officer designated with primary responsibility for overseeing the administration, monitoring, and compliance with this policy. Exceptions and violations must be reported to the board of directors no less frequently than annually, or more frequently as the nature and severity of violation may warrant. All employees, officers, and directors of the Organization must adhere to this policy and will be held accountable for compliance. Any employee or officer who violates this policy may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
    
    (2) Any employee or officer that is aware of any circumstance that may indicate a violation of this policy is required to report such circumstance to their supervisor or the Organization’s principal compliance officer or compliance group. The Organization prohibits retaliation against any employee or officer for making a good faith report of actual or suspected violations of the Organization’s code of conduct, laws, regulations, or other Organization policies, including this policy. A finding of retaliation against any such employee or officer may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. Failure to promptly report known violations by others may also be deemed a violation of the Organization’s code of conduct.
    
    (3) Employees and officers may ask questions, raise concerns, or report instances of non-compliance with this policy and/or any of the existing underlying relevant policies by contacting the following:
    
    • 
      Hope Supervisory Committee
      P.O. Box 5353
      Jackson, MS 39286
  G. Certification
  On an annual basis, the ECIP recipient will deliver to the Department of the Treasury a certification, executed by two senior executive officers (one of which must be either the ECIP recipient’s principal executive officer or principal financial officer) certifying that (i) the Organization is in compliance with this policy and (ii) the approval of any expenditure requiring the prior approval of any senior executive officer, any executive officer of a substantially similar level of responsibility, or the board of directors (or a committee of such board), was properly obtained with respect to each such expenditure.