EX-10.9 5 key-123125xexx109.htm EX-10.9
STOCK OPTION AWARD AGREEMENT
KeyCorp grants to the Participant named below, in accordance with the terms, and subject to the conditions, of the KeyCorp Amended and Restated 2019 Equity Compensation Plan (the “Plan”), this Stock Option Award Agreement (the “Award Agreement”) and the attached Acceptance Agreement, an option to purchase the number of Common Shares set forth below (rounded down to the nearest whole Common Share) (“Options” or “Award”) at the exercise price per share set forth below (the “Exercise Price”). Each Option shall be a Nonqualified Option and shall not be treated as an Incentive Stock Option.

Name of Participant: | [Participant Name]
Number of Common Shares: | [Shares Granted]
Date of Grant: | [Grant Date]
Exercise Price: | [Exercise Price Per Common Share]
Vesting: | The Options shall vest and become exercisable in accordance with the “vesting schedule” reflected in the records of the Plan administrator and viewable on the Participant’s homescreen (the date that the Options become vested and exercisable being the “Vesting Date” if only one such date, or if more than one such date, each a “Vesting Date”), provided that the Participant shall have remained in the continuous employ of KeyCorp and its affiliates (“Key”) through the applicable Vesting Date, except as otherwise provided herein.
Expiration Date: | [Tenth Anniversary of Date of Grant]

The Participant must accept the Award online within one year from the date of grant and in accordance with the procedures established by KeyCorp and the Award administrator or this Award Agreement may be cancelled by KeyCorp, in its sole discretion. By accepting the Award in accordance with these procedures, the Participant acknowledges that:
•This Award is subject to the KeyCorp Incentive Compensation Program and Policy and the KeyCorp Compensation Recovery Policy, each as amended from time to time. The Participant understands and agrees that the Award is subject to risk adjustment and/or clawback in accordance with the procedures set forth therein. These procedures permit Key, in its sole discretion, to decrease, forfeit, delay vesting or distribution for a reasonable period of time, or initiate a clawback of all or any part of the Award or the Common Shares underlying any portion of the Award that becomes vested and/or is exercised and distributed under certain circumstances, including, without limitation, in the event that the Participant receives a "Does Not Meet" risk rating as part of the Participant’s annual performance review, and/or in the event of a significant credit, market or operational loss or significant risk event (e.g., high criticality findings, significant failures in the control environment, etc.) (collectively referred to as “risk
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events”). If a risk event occurs, whether at the individual or business level, a root cause analysis may be conducted, which may result in a risk adjustment of the Award.
•The Participant understands that as a condition to receiving the Award, the Participant must agree to be bound by and comply with the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Award Agreement and related Acceptance Agreement. As soon as the Participant accepts the Award, the terms and conditions of the Award Agreement and Acceptance Agreement will constitute a legal contract that will bind both the Participant and KeyCorp.
Additional Terms
1.Effect of Termination.
(a) In General. To the extent unvested, the Options shall be forfeited automatically without further action or notice if the Participant ceases to be continuously employed by Key prior to any Vesting Date, except as otherwise provided in this Section 1. To the extent vested, the Options shall be exercisable until the earlier of (x) the Expiration Date set forth above, (y) such other date that the Options expire in accordance with Section 1(b) or 1(c) of this Award Agreement, or (z) the date that is 6 months after the Participant’s termination of employment with Key for any reason other than Termination for Cause or a termination described in Section 1(b) or 1(c). Notwithstanding any other provision of this Award Agreement to the contrary, the Options, whether vested or unvested, shall be forfeited automatically without further action or notice upon the Participant’s Termination for Cause. For purposes of this Section 1, the continuous employment of the Participant shall not be deemed to have been interrupted, and the Participant shall not be deemed to have ceased to be an employee of Key, by reason of the transfer of employment among KeyCorp and its affiliates.
(b) Certain Terminations. Notwithstanding Section 1(a), if, prior to the Vesting Date:
(i) the Participant’s continuous employment is terminated as a result of the Participant’s death, the unvested Options shall immediately vest and become exercisable, and the Participant’s estate shall have up to 4 years following the Participant’s date of death to exercise the vested Options (but in no event later than the Expiration Date).
(ii) the Participant’s continuous employment is terminated as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Options shall immediately vest and become exercisable, and the Participant shall have up to 5 years following the Participant’s termination of employment to exercise the vested Options (but in no event later than the Expiration Date).
(iii) the Participant’s continuous employment is terminated as a result of Retirement, the Participant shall continue to vest in such Options which shall become exercisable on the scheduled Vesting Date(s). The Participant shall have up to 5 years following his or her effective termination date to exercise the vested Options (but in no event later than the Expiration Date).
(iv) the Participant’s continuous employment is terminated as a result of the Participant’s Voluntary Resignation on or after attaining the age of 55 and completion of
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at least 5 years of service, a pro rata portion of the unvested Options shall immediately vest and become exercisable, and the Participant shall have up to 5 years following his or her effective termination date to exercise the vested Options (but in no event later than the Expiration Date).
(v) the Participant’s continuous employment is terminated as a result of the Participant’s Termination Under Limited Circumstances, the unvested Options shall vest and become exercisable on the scheduled Vesting Date(s), and the Participant shall have up to 5 years following Participant’s termination of employment with Key to exercise the vested Options (but in no event later than the Expiration Date); provided, however, that should Key determine, in its sole discretion, that full vesting of any unvested Options would result in the unjust enrichment of the Participant, or would be contrary to any Key policy, or otherwise could be detrimental to the interests of Key or its shareholders, KeyCorp may choose to vest only a pro-rata portion of the unvested Options instead.
The pro rata vesting provided for under this Award Agreement shall be determined by multiplying the number of Common Shares subject to the unvested Options as of the date of the Participant’s termination by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of full months of Participant’s continuous employment from the Date of Grant through the date of termination and the denominator of which shall be number of full months between the Date of Grant and latest Vesting Date.
(c) Certain Terminations Within Two Years After a Change of Control. If the Participant’s continuous employment is terminated within two years following the date of a Change of Control for any reason other than a Voluntary Resignation (excluding a Voluntary Resignation described in Section 1(b)(iv), above) or a Termination for Cause, the Options shall vest in full and the Participant shall have up to the later of 2 years or such other period provided pursuant to this Section 1(b) to exercise the vested Options (but in no event later than the Expiration Date).
2. Harmful Activity. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Award Agreement to the contrary, if the Participant engages in any Harmful Activity prior to or within twelve months after the Participant’s termination of employment with Key, then the Options shall be immediately forfeited without further action or notice, and any Common Shares delivered upon exercise of the Options within one year prior to the Participant’s termination of employment, and any Profits realized by the Participant from the exercise of the Options, shall become immediately due and payable to KeyCorp on KeyCorp’s demand. This Section 2 shall not apply in the event that Participant’s employment with Key terminates within two years after a Change of Control if any of the following have occurred: (a) a relocation of Participant’s principal place of employment more than 35 miles from Participant’s principal place of employment immediately prior to the Change of Control, (b) a reduction in Participant’s base salary after a Change of Control, or (c) Participant’s termination of employment as a result of a Termination Under Limited Circumstances. This Section 2 shall survive the termination of Participant’s employment.
3. KeyCorp’s Reservation of Rights. As a condition of receiving this Award, the Participant acknowledges and agrees that Key intends to comply with the requirements of (a) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (including clawback provisions), as the same may be amended from time to time; (b) the banking regulatory
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agencies’ Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies; and (c) KeyCorp’s Compensation Recovery Policy, Incentive Compensation Program and Policy, and other risk requirements and policies. As a condition of receiving this Award, the Participant understands and agrees that KeyCorp may, in its sole discretion, (x) delay vesting or distribution of, decrease or cause the forfeiture of all or any part of this Award, (y) initiate a clawback of all or any part of this Award, and/or (z) demand the Participant’s repayment to KeyCorp of any Profits realized from the exercise of the Option, if KeyCorp determines that such action is necessary or desirable.
4. Relation to Other Benefits. Any economic or other benefit to the Participant under this Award Agreement shall not be taken into account in determining any benefits to which the Participant may be entitled under any profit-sharing, retirement or other benefit or compensation plan maintained by Key and shall not affect the amount of any life insurance coverage available to any beneficiary under any life insurance plan covering employees of Key.
5. KeyCorp Stock Ownership Guidelines. If the Participant is subject to and has not met the KeyCorp Stock Ownership Guidelines, the Participant may not sell or otherwise transfer the Common Shares provided upon exercise of the Options (if any) until and unless the Participant meets the Stock Ownership Guidelines or terminates employment with Key; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Participant may sell the number of Common Shares necessary to satisfy any withholding tax obligation that may arise in connection with the exercise of the Options even if the Participant has not met the Stock Ownership Guidelines.
6. Taxes and Withholding. To the extent that Key is required to withhold any federal, state, local or other taxes in connection with the exercise of the Option, then Key shall retain a number of Common Shares otherwise deliverable hereunder with a value equal to the required withholding (based on the Fair Market Value of the Common Shares on the date of delivery). To the extent that Key is required to withhold any federal, state, local or other taxes at any time other than upon delivery of Common Shares under this Award Agreement, then Key shall have the right in its sole discretion to (a) require the Participant to pay or provide for payment of the required tax withholding, (b) retain a number of Common Shares that otherwise would remain subject to this Award with a value equal to the required withholding amount (determined based on the Fair Market Value of the Common Shares on the date the applicable taxes are required to be withheld) and make a corresponding reduction in the number of Common Shares subject to this Award, or (c) deduct the required tax withholding from any other compensation payable in cash to the Participant. To the extent that withholding taxes are satisfied by the retention of Common Shares, the value of the Common Shares so retained shall not exceed the amount of taxes required to be withheld based on the maximum statutory tax rates in the applicable taxing jurisdictions. Further, to the extent that this Award constitutes a deferral of compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code, any retention of Common Shares pursuant to clause (b) of the immediately preceding sentence to satisfy tax withholding requirements at any time other than at the time of delivery of Common Shares shall be effected only as permitted pursuant to Treasury Regulations Sections 1.409A-3(j)(4)(vi) and 1.409A-3(j)(4)(xi), as applicable.
7. Non-Transferability. Except as otherwise provided in this Award Agreement or the Plan, the Award may not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any manner, or be subject to execution, attachment or similar process, by operation of law or otherwise, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any purported transfer or encumbrance in violation of the provisions of this Section 7 shall be void, and the other party to any such purported transaction shall not obtain any rights to or interest in the Award.
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8. No Employment Contract. Nothing contained in this Award Agreement shall confer upon the Participant any right with respect to continuance of employment by Key, nor limit or affect in any manner the right of Key to terminate the employment or adjust the compensation of the Participant.
9. Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Award Agreement, along with the Plan and the related Acceptance Agreement, contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter contained therein, and supersedes all prior written or oral communications, representations and negotiations in respect thereto. KeyCorp may modify or amend this Award Agreement at any time upon written notice to the Participant, provided that KeyCorp may not amend this Award Agreement in a manner adverse to the interests of the Participant without the Participant’s consent. Except where the Plan provides that the Award Agreement and/or related Acceptance Agreement may provide for different or additional terms or conditions to those provided in the Plan (in which case those terms or conditions contained in the Award Agreement and/or Acceptance Agreement will govern), in the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Award Agreement or the related Acceptance Agreement, on the one hand, and the Plan, on the other, the Plan shall govern.
10. Administration. KeyCorp shall have the right, in accordance with the Plan, to determine any questions which arise in connection with the Award. All such determinations and decisions shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including Key, the Participant and the Participant’s estate and beneficiaries.
11. Successors and Assigns. Without limiting Section 7, the provisions of this Award Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, administrators, heirs, legal representatives and assigns of the Participant, and the successors and assigns of KeyCorp.
12. Compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. It is intended that this Award be exempt from the provisions of Section 409A of the Code (“Section 409A”). The Award shall accordingly be administered in a manner consistent with this intent, and any provision that would cause the Award to fail to satisfy Section 409A shall have no force and effect until amended to comply with Section 409A.
13. Definitions. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Plan, as in effect on the Date of Grant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following capitalized terms, for purposes of this Award Agreement, are defined below:
(a) “Retirement” shall mean the Participant’s Voluntary Resignation (i) on or after attaining age 60 and completion of at least 5 years of service and (ii) where the sum of (A) the Participant’s age and (B) the Participant’s years of service, equals or exceeds 70.
(b) “Termination Under Limited Circumstances” shall mean the Participant’s termination of employment with Key wherein all of the following events occur: (1) the Participant’s employment with Key terminates under circumstances in which the Participant becomes entitled to receive either: (i) a severance payment under the KeyCorp Separation Pay Plan as in effect at the time of the Participant’s Employment Termination Date, or (ii) salary continuation benefits under the terms and conditions of an employment separation or letter agreement with Key, including, without limitation, a Change of Control Agreement; (2) Participant executes and delivers to Key, within 50 calendar days after the termination of Participant’s employment, a release of claims in a
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form provided by Key; and (3) such release of claims becomes effective and irrevocable in accordance with its terms.
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ACCEPTANCE AGREEMENT
I acknowledge receipt of the attached Award and in consideration thereof, I accept such Award subject to the terms and conditions of the KeyCorp Amended and Restated 2019 Equity Compensation Plan (the “Plan”), the related Award Agreement, and the restrictions that are set forth in this Acceptance Agreement.
I also understand and agree that the restrictions set forth in this Acceptance Agreement are (i) in addition to, and do not in any way limit or vary the restrictions that are contained in any other agreement, plan, policy, or practice that are applicable to me as an employee of Key, and (ii) binding upon me regardless of whether I vest, sell, transfer, pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise dispose of the Award or any of the Common Shares to be paid to me upon exercise of the Award.
I also understand that this Acceptance Agreement contains restrictive covenants and that Key hereby advises me to consult with an attorney.
1. I recognize the importance of preserving the confidentiality of Non-Public Information of Key, and I acknowledge and agree that: (a) during my employment with Key, I will acquire, reproduce, and use such Non-Public Information only to the extent reasonably necessary for the proper performance of my duties; (b) both during and after my employment with Key, I will not use, publish, sell, trade or otherwise disclose such Non-Public Information; and (c) upon the termination of my employment with Key, I will immediately return to Key all documents, data, information and equipment in my possession or to which I have access that may contain such Non-Public Information. I also agree to enter into and to execute nondisclosure agreements in favor of Key and others doing business with Key with whom Key has a confidential relationship. “Non-Public Information” shall mean, but is not limited to, trade secrets, confidential processes, programs, software, formulas, methods, business information or plans, financial information, and listings of names (e.g., employees, customers, and suppliers) that are developed, owned, utilized, or maintained by an employer such as Key, and that of its customers or suppliers, and that are not generally known by the public.
I acknowledge that Key has informed me that I will not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of Non-Public Information that: (1) is made (a) in confidence to a Federal, state or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, and (b) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (2) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. Disclosure of Non-Public Information to attorneys, made under seal, or pursuant to court order is also protected in certain circumstances under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act. This provision does not limit my right to respond accurately and fully to any question, inquiry or request for information when required by legal process or from initiating communications directly with, or responding to any inquiry from, or providing testimony before, any self-regulatory organization or state or federal regulatory authority, regarding Key, my employment, or this provision. Furthermore, I am not required to contact Key regarding the subject matter of any such communications before engaging in such communications. I understand that my rights as set forth in this paragraph apply to this Acceptance Agreement, as well as any similar agreement that I have entered into, or may enter into, with Key regarding non-disclosure of information.
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2. I acknowledge and agree that the duties of my position at Key may include the development of Intellectual Property, and that any Intellectual Property which I create with any of Key’s resources or assistance, in whole or in part, and which pertains to the business of Key is the property of Key. I hereby agree and I hereby assign to Key all right, title, and interest in and absolute title to such Intellectual Property, including, without limitation, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, and patents in or to (or associated with) such Intellectual Property and I agree that I will execute all patent applications and assignments thereof on Key’s behalf without additional compensation. “Intellectual Property” shall mean any invention, idea, product, method of doing business, market or business plan, process, program, software, formula, method, work of authorship, or other information, or thing.
3. Except in the proper performance of my duties for Key, I acknowledge and agree that from the date hereof through a period of one (1) year after the termination of my employment with Key for any reason, I will not, directly or indirectly, for myself or on behalf of any other person or entity, hire or solicit or entice for employment any Key Employee, without the written consent of Key (which consent Key may grant or withhold in its discretion). “Key Employees” shall include (i) all current Key employees, and (ii) all persons who were employed by Key at any time during the six (6) month period prior to my termination from Key. I understand that, if I work for Key in a state that limits the enforceability of employee non-solicitation covenants to employees that qualify as managers, officers, directors, or executives of Key, then the obligations of this paragraph shall only apply to such Key employees.
4. (a) During the course of my employment at Key, I may become aware of Key's customers and prospects through access to trade secrets, as defined by the Defend Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1836, et seq., and the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, as adopted in applicable states, including Ohio [Ohio Rev. Code § 1333.61, et seq.] (“Trade Secrets”), or other confidential or proprietary information. Except in the performance of my duties for Key, I acknowledge and agree that, from my employment date through a period of one (1) year following my termination of employment with Key for any reason, I will not, directly or indirectly, for myself or on behalf of any other person or entity:
(1) solicit any Key customer or potential Key customer for the purposes of directly or indirectly furnishing any financial or banking products or services that compete with or are a substitute for the products and/or services offered by Key, provided that such restriction shall only apply to: (a) any Key customers (i) with whom I directly interacted regarding Key’s products or services, (ii) for whom I provided products or services, or (iii) about whom I was provided access to Trade Secrets or other confidential and proprietary information as an employee of Key; and (b) any Key prospects with whom I directly interacted regarding Key’s products or services in the 12 months immediately preceding the termination of your employment with Key and about whom I was provided access to Trade Secrets or other confidential and proprietary information as an employee of Key; and
(2) conduct business with any such Key customers and prospects, provided that such restriction only would apply to financial and banking products and services that compete with or are a substitute for the products and/or services offered by Key and as such restrictions may be limited by FINRA Rule 2140.
If anything contained in this non-solicitation provision or the non-solicitation provision in paragraph 3 above should be determined by any court to be illegal, invalid, unenforceable, or otherwise contrary to public policy, the validity and enforceability of the remaining parts, terms,
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or provisions shall not be affected thereby and said illegal or invalid part, term, or provision shall be amended to make it enforceable.
(b) [Reserved]
5. The aforementioned restrictions in paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4(a) of this Acceptance Agreement shall not apply in the event that, within the 2-year period commencing on a Change of Control: (i) my employment with Key is terminated as a result of a Termination Under Limited Circumstances, or (ii) I terminate employment with Key after either (x) a relocation of my principal place of employment more than 35 miles from my principal place of employment immediately prior to the Change of Control, or (y) a reduction in my base salary after a Change of Control.
6. I agree that the Plan, the Award Agreement and this Acceptance Agreement will be governed by Ohio law without regard to the conflicts of laws principles, and that if any term, condition, clause or provision of the Plan, the Award Agreement or this Acceptance Agreement is determined by a Court of competent jurisdiction to be void or invalid at law, then only that term, condition, clause or provision determined to be void or invalid shall be stricken, and the remainder of the Plan, the Award Agreement and this Acceptance Agreement shall remain in full force and effect in all other aspects.
I also understand and agree that if I engage in any activity that is in violation of the Plan, the Award Agreement or this Acceptance Agreement, such conduct may cause serious damage and irreparable injury to Key, and Key at its election may terminate my employment (if I am still employed), seek monetary damages and attorney fees, and injunctive relief without the necessity of posting bond, as well as any and all other equitable relief to which it may be entitled under the law, the Plan, the Award Agreement and this Acceptance Agreement.
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