Remuneration report
Structure of the remuneration system for the Board of Management
In conformity with the German Corporate Governance Code, we here explain the principles of the remuneration system for Munich Re’s Board of Management and the structuring of the individual remuneration components.
In accordance with item 4 of the German Corporate Governance Code, the remuneration system for the Board of Management was determined by the full Supervisory Board. The necessary preparations for the resolution were made by the Personnel Committee of the Supervisory Board, comprising the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, one shareholder representative and one employee representative.
The remuneration system for the Board of Management was revised with effect from 1 January 2010 on the basis of the remuneration-related amendments to the German Act on the Appropriateness of Management Board Remuneration (VorstAG ) and the German Corporate Governance Code, with particular attention being paid to comprehensibility and transparency.
The new structure comprises only two remuneration components: basic and variable remuneration. The variable remuneration component contains both annual and threeyear objectives, thus replacing the annual bonus and Mid-Term Incentive Plan. The Long-Term Incentive Plan has been done away with. The obligation to invest in Munich Re shares that must be held for at least a two- or four-year period means there continues to be an element geared to the development of Munich Reinsurance Company’s share price. Overall, the new remuneration system focuses more strongly than before on long-term targets and thus creates an even greater incentive for sustainable corporate development.
| Structure of the remuneration system for the Board of Management |
| Component |
|
Share1 |
Assessment basis/ parameters |
Corridor |
Precondition for payment |
Payment |
| Basic remuneration plus remuneration in kind/fringe benefits (company car, healthcare, security measures, insurance) |
|
30% |
Function Responsibility Length of service on the Board |
Fixed |
Contractual stipulations |
Monthly |
| Variable remuneration |
|
70% |
Corporate performance Result contribution of organisational unit(s) Personal performance |
|
|
|
| 30% annual performance (for 100% achievement of
objectives) |
|
|
Group objective Company objective Divisional objectives Individual objectives |
0–200% (fully achieved = 100%) |
Achievement of annual objectives |
In the second year, on condition that 50% of the net amount paid out is invested by the Board member in Munich Re shares that must be held for at least a fouryear period |
| 70% multi-year performance (for 100% achievement of objectives) |
|
|
Objectives for the business fields
- reinsurance
- primary insurance
- Munich Health
Individual objectives |
0–200% (fully achieved = 100%) |
Achievement of three-year objectives |
In the fourth year, on condition that 25 % of the net amount paid out is invested by the Board member in shares that must be held for at least a two-year period |
| Pension |
|
|
- Retirement
- Insured event
- Premature termination or non-extension of employment contract under certain circumstances
|
|
|
a) Defined benefits plan (Board members appointed before 2009 who had reached the age of 55 in 2008)
|
|
– |
Pensionable basic remuneration (= 25% of target overall direct remuneration) Number of years on the Board |
Fixed |
– |
|
b) Defined contribution plan (Board members appointed before 2009 who had not reached the age of 55 in 2008 and Board members appointed since 2009)
|
|
– |
Target overall direct remuneration |
Pension contribution |
– |
1 For the variable remuneration, the share shown presupposes 100% achievement of the objectives.
Fixed components
Basic remuneration
The fixed annual basic remuneration is paid in the form of a monthly salary.
Remuneration in kind/fringe benefits
Remuneration in kind and fringe benefits are granted according to function, and are commensurate with market conditions (DAX 30 companies). Income tax on the benefits in question is paid individually for each member of the Board of Management, with the Company bearing the amount due. Remuneration in kind and fringe benefits are valued on the basis of expenditure for disclosure in the annual report.
Variable remuneration
The variable remuneration component is geared to the overall performance of the Group and defined organisational units and to the personal performance of the individual members of the Board of Management. Its amount depends on the degree to which annually set objectives for annual and multi-year performance are met. Achievement of objectives is measured at the end of the performance terms, there being no adjustment of the targets during these periods. Payouts are made at the end of the one- and threeyear periods under consideration. With a view to promoting a management approach that takes due account of the Company’s long-term interests, the members of the Board of Management are obliged to invest 50% and 25% of the paid-out variable remuneration in Munich Reinsurance Company shares.
Variable remuneration based on annual performance
Annual performance targets for the variable remuneration component geared to annual performance are set on the basis of divisional results and individual objectives as well as the Company result (property-casualty) and Munich Re (Group) result. 30% of the target amount for variable remuneration can be earned in the event of full achievement(= 100%) of the objectives. The targets and scaling for Group, Company and divisional objectives are geared to particular indicators, while individual objectives form the basis for the achievement of personal targets. The key indicator used for the Group result is RORAC (return on risk-adjusted capital), which is derived from key figures in external accounting and from other important portfolio and performance data. Information on the definition of RORAC is provided on page 58. The performance measures embodied in value-based management are used for the Company result and the divisional results. The objectives are weighted individually according to the responsibilities of the individual members of the Board of Management.
The variable remuneration for annual performance is reviewed and decided on by the full Supervisory Board and then paid out in the year after the one-year period under consideration. Payment is effected on condition that 50% of the net payout amount is invested in Munich Reinsurance Company shares that must be held for at least a fouryear period.
Variable remuneration based on multi-year performance
For the multi-year performance remuneration component, three-year targets based on the performance of the reinsurance, Munich Health and primary insurance segments and on individual objectives are fixed every year. 70% of the target amount for variable remuneration can be earned in the event of full achievement (= 100%) of the objectives. The targets and scaling for the business field targets are geared to VBM performance indicators, and the individual targets are based on individual objectives. The objectives are weighted individually according to the responsibilities of the individual members of the Board of Management.
The variable remuneration for the multi-year performance is reviewed and decided on by the full Supervisory Board and then paid out in the year after the three-year period under consideration. Payment is effected on condition that 25% of the net payout amount is invested in Munich Reinsurance Company shares that must be held for at least a two-year period.
Full and pro-rata calculation of the variable remuneration for annual and multi-year performance
The basis for the full and pro-rata calculation of the variable remuneration is the first year. Only the full “eligible” months in this year are taken into account (pro rata temporis). In the case of retirement, occupational disability, death or premature departure from the company for other reasons, the rules for the full and pro-rata calculation apply.
Share-based remuneration agreements in force during the reporting period
Mid-Term Incentive Plan 2009–2011
This plan is based on performance over a three-year period. It promotes the medium- and long-term increase in Munich Re’s value in terms of internal value creation (valuebased success factors) and improvement in the total shareholder return (TSR) of Munich Re shares. The plan provides for the granting of performance share units, free of charge, to members of the Board of Management for the first and last time for 2009. Plan participants have the opportunity to share in the development of Munich Re’s value if they achieve their performance targets and increase the TSR.
For the value-based performance objectives, three-year average targets are set for each of the business fields reinsurance, primary insurance and Munich Health. Achievement of objectives is measured at the end of the plan’s term, there being no adjustment of the targets during the course of the plan.
The TSR represents the total return on shares, comprising both the rise in the share price and the dividends paid over a period of three years. Further information on the Mid-Term Incentive Plan can be found in the notes to the financial statements under (45) Mid-Term Incentive Plan.
Long-Term Incentive Plan
This remuneration component, with a long-term perspective, is linked to the sustained appreciation of Munich Re’s share price. The Long-Term Incentive Plan, launched every year since 1999, was set up for the members of the Board of Management for the last time in 2009. The participants were granted a certain number of stock appreciation rights. These can only be exercised if, after a two-year vesting period, Munich Re’s share price has risen by at least 20% since inception of the plan and the shares have outperformed the EURO STOXX 50 index at least twice over a three-month period during the term of the plan.
Whether the stock appreciation rights can be exercised and, if so, when, is not certain. The exercising and proceeds depend on the development of the share price and on fulfilment of the exercise conditions. The amount of income is limited. Up to now, it has only been possible to exercise stock appreciation rights under the plans set up in 1999 and 2003 to 2005. Further information on the Long-Term Incentive Plan can be found in the notes to the financial statements under (44) Long-Term Incentive Plan.
Weighting of remuneration components
In the case of 100% achievement of objectives (annual performance and multi-year performance), the weightings of the individual components in terms of total remuneration for 2010 were as follows: basic remuneration around 30% and variable remuneration around 70%, of which 30% was based on annual performance and 70% on multi-year performance. Annual objectives, multi-year objectives and investment in shares together form a well-balanced and economic, i.e. strongly risk-based, incentive system, designed to ensure that the targets set for the members of the Board of Management do not have undesirable effects. No guaranteed variable salary components are granted.
All in all, the remuneration system for members of the Board of Management was in conformity with the recommendations of the German Corporate Governance Code for 2010. In particular, it also complies with the German regulation of 6 October 2010 on the supervisory law requirements for remuneration schemes in the insurance sector (VersVergV), which in its material points largely corresponds to the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority’s Circular 23/2009 of 21 December 2009. In the circular in question, which was superseded by the VersVergV, the Supervisory Authority had specified in more detail for the German insurance industry the Financial Stability Board principles whose implementation the G20 states had agreed on at their summit meeting in Pittsburgh in September 2009.
Beyond the actual remuneration system, the level of total remuneration has been set and regularly monitored by the full Supervisory Board since 2010, acting on recommendations from the Supervisory Board’s Personnel Committee. The consideration of what is appropriate remuneration takes into account data from peer-group companies and the relation to remuneration of other Munich Re employees. Criteria also include the respective Board member’s duties, the Board member’s personal performance, the performance of the Board as a whole and the financial situation, performance and future prospects of Munich Re. New Board members are generally placed at a level which allows sufficient potential for development in the first three years.
Continued payment of remuneration in the case of incapacity to work
In the case of temporary incapacity to work due to illness or for other cause beyond the Board member’s control, the remuneration is paid until the end of the contract of employment. The Company may terminate the contract prematurely if the Board member is incapacitated for a period of longer than 12 months and it is probable that he will be permanently unable to fully perform the duties conferred on him (permanent incapacity to work). In this event, the Board member will receive a disability pension.
Other remuneration
In the case of seats held on other boards, remuneration for board memberships must be paid over to the Company or is deducted in the course of regular remuneration computation. Exempted from this is remuneration for memberships explicitly recognised by the Company as private.
The members of the Board of Management have no contractual entitlement to severance payments. If the Board member’s activities on the Board are terminated prematurely without good cause within the meaning of Section 626 of the German Civil Code, payments due may not surpass the equivalent of two years’ total remuneration (three years’ total remuneration in the event of acquisition of a controlling interest or change of control within the meaning of Section 29 para. 2 of the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act) and may not cover more than the remaining period of the employment contract. The calculation is to be based on the overall remuneration for the past financial year and, if necessary, on the probable overall remuneration for the current financial year.
In the event of a change of control, only the conditions of the Long-Term Incentive Plan (under which stock appreciation rights were granted to members of the Board of Management for the last time in 2009) provide for special exercise options. Details of this are available in the notes to the financial statements under (44) Long-Term Incentive Plan.
Pensions
Up to and including 2008, the members of the Board of Management were members of a defined benefit plan, providing for payment of a fixed pension amount depending on their basic remuneration and years of service on the Board. The pension level started at 30% and could reach a maximum of 60% of annual basic remuneration.
Beginning in 2009, pension plans for Board members were changed to a defined contribution system. The main aim of this change was the fullest possible outsourcing of all pension-specific risks from the Company’s balance sheet. This major risk transfer was achieved by financing increases in entitlements exclusively by paying premiums into insurance policies concluded to cover these benefit obligations. This means the Company is no longer liable for the pension benefits, as these are covered by the aforementioned insurance policies. The longevity risk, the biometric risks of premature occurrence of a pensionable event (e.g. disability or death of a member of the Board during active service), and the capital market risk were thus transferred to the insurer and the individual Board members.
As of 2009, newly appointed members of the Board thus become members of a defined contribution plan. For this plan, the Company provides the Board members with a pension contribution, which in 2009 was related to basic remuneration, for each calendar year (contribution year) during the term of their contract. The pension contribution is paid over to an external pension insurer. This insurer’s guaranteed interest rate is 2.25%. The insurance benefits that result from the contribution payments to the external insurer constitute the Company’s pension commitment to the Board member. For Board members newly appointed as from 1 January 2009, a uniform pension contribution rate has been set; the annual basic remuneration is multiplied by this rate to arrive at the pension contribution payable.
Board members who had not reached the age of 55 by the end of 2008 maintained as a vested pension their pension entitlement under the previous defined benefit plan (fixed amount in euros) existing at the point of transition on 31 December 2008. As of 1 January 2009, these Board members receive an incremental pension benefit generally based on the defined contribution plan for new Board members. Since the conversion of the pension system took place while Board members’ contracts were in force, the pension contributions were calculated in such a way that the total of vested pension, pensionfund pension and incremental pension benefit results in an expected pension at age 60 equivalent to that of the previous pension benefit based on realistic estimates.
Board members who had already reached the age of 55 at the conversion date were not transferred to the defined contribution system and remain members of the previous system’s defined benefit plan.
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