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Radford Underwater Exchange Portal

Your comprehensive resources for guidance on
underwater employee stock options


Company Lists and Research Summary


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Research Results of Underwater Exchanges

In order to provide our clients with accurate market practices data, Radford maintains a comprehensive database of underwater exchanges executed since 2005. Our researchers use multiple sources of information to populate the database including tender offers and annual statements filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission as well as news stories and press releases. High-level findings from this research are provided complimentary on Radford's Underwater Option Portal. For more information or to discuss exchange programs in greater detail, please contact us. The market practices outlined here, and their implications for program design, are addressed in our white paper Addressing Underwater Options: Measured Responses to a Contentious Problem.


Contents of Radford Research:

This information was last updated on July 15, 2009. Note, some figures may not sum to 100% due to rounding.


1. Company Profile

General information on researched company industry: revenue, employee size and historic total shareholder return (TSR).

Company profile statistics

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2. Prevalence of Underwater Exchange Approaches

Percent of companies studied using each of the three primary exchange types.


Prevalence of Underwater Exchange Approaches

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3. Option Holder Eligibility

Categories of option holders allowed to participate in the tender offer to exchange underwater options.


Option Holder Eligibility

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4. Price Floor for Grant Eligibility

Predominant practice is to establish an exercise price floor above which outstanding option awards are eligible to be exchanged. Here we summarize where that floor is established relative to the trading price of the company's stock on the day the offer to exchange commences.

Price Floor for Grant Eligibility

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5. Exchange Ratios

The first chart illustrates the prevalence of one-for-one exchanges vs. offers with ratios greater than one-for-one (i.e., return fewer new shares than the number of underwater options tendered). For plans greater than one-for-one, ratio size statistics are also provided.


Exchange Ratios

The second chart illustrates the number of ratio buckets according to the type of exchange approach used (options-for-options or options-for-stock).


Exchange Ratios

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6. Vesting of New Awards

Summary of vesting requirements attached to the new awards (option-for-option and option-for-stock programs)

Mapped Vesting — transfers the vested position of the underwater award to the new award

Full Vesting Reset — introduces a fresh vesting schedule to the new award based on typical practices (e.g., four years)

Partial Vesting Reset — new award is reset to zero vested at grant, but uses a shorter schedule than is typically used for equity awards (e.g., two years instead of the normal four year requirement).


Vesting of New Awards

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7. Program Participation Rates

Participation rates are measured as a percent of total eligible underwater option shares tendered (or turned in for exchange) in the program.

The first chart illustrates participation rates by type of underwater exchange offered.

Program Participation Rates

The second chart illustrates participation rates by a subjective assessment by Radford of the "Employee Friendliness" of a plan from the option holder's perspective. In general, our subjective assessments were made as follows:

"Employee Friendly" — reasonable number of exchange rate tiers, seemingly fair ratios, and new award vesting that recognizes some of the vesting already earned on tendered award (usually mapping or partial reset vesting).

"Non-Employee Friendly" — complex exchange rates (large number of tiers or a unique exchange rate offered for each individual outstanding award), relatively high exchange ratios, onerous vesting restrictions on new awards.

Program Participation Rates

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8. Shareholder Friendliness Tests

The following charts illustrate the pass rates for what Radford defines as "Shareholder Friendly Tests" broken down by the type of exchange offer used. As would be expected, those that have been shareholder approved have more shareholder friendly terms.

Shareholder Friendliness Tests

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9. List of Companies Studied

Companies Included in Radford's Underwater Option Exchange Database
2005 Programs 2006 Programs
Actel Corporation
Agile Software Corp.
Ariba, Inc.
Cogentech/Anesiva
Gartner
LIN TV
Magma Design Automation
Marsh & McLennan
Monolithic System Technology
Synopsys
Tenet Healthcare
Watchguard Technology
Accelrys, Inc.
Advanced Analogic Technologies Inc.
Check Point Software Technologies LTD.
Critical Path, Inc.
Electronic Arts
Entercom
iCAD, Inc.
Internap
Kintera
Maxim Integrated Products
Mercury Computer Systems
Micro Linear
Microvision
Neurocrine
Pixelworks
Strayer Education
Tegal Corporation
Threshold Pharma
Zoran
2007 Programs 2008 Programs
Applied Micro Circuits Corp.
Bluefly, Inc.
Boston Scientific Corp.
Bronco Drilling Company
Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc.
Intraware
LogicVision
Meritage Homes Corporation
Natural Health Trends Corp.
PAR Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc
Photon Dynamics
Rackable Systems
Rockville Financial
Sanmina-Sci Corporation
Smart Video Technologies
Sycamore Networks, Inc.
Sypris Solutions
Advanced Analogic Technologies Inc.
Alsius Corp.
Atari, Inc.
AXS-One Inc.
Bioform Medical Inc.
Builders Firstsource, Inc.
Credence Systems Corporation
Cumulus Media Inc.
Echelon Corporation
Endwave
EnerNOC, Inc.
Exar Corporation
GlobalOptions Group, Inc.
Healthways Inc.
Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc.
Ixia
Kopin Corporation
Lattice Semiconductor
Leapfrog Enterprises Inc.
Limelight Networks, Inc.
Magma Design Automation
MannKind Corp.
Marvell Technology Group Ltd.
Maxim Integrated Products
MDC Holdings
Metabasis Threapeutics Inc.
MGM Mirage
On Assignment, Inc.
PDF Solutions
Pharmacopeia, Inc.
Power Integrations Inc.
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies
Radvision Ltd.
R.H. Donnelley Corp.
Retractable Technologies
Riverbed
Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
Sirona Dental Systems
Sonic Solutions
Spark Networks, Inc.
Symyx Technologies Inc.
Sypris Solutions
Toll Brothers Inc.
Ubid.Com Holdings
United Therapeutics Corp.
UTStarcom, Inc.
ValueClick, Inc.
Virage Logic Corporation
Vmware, Inc.
Zhone Technologies Inc.
2009 Programs 2009 Programs (Continued)
Advanced Micro Devices
American Reprographics Co.
Antigenics, Inc.
Applied Energetics, Inc.
Aruba Networks, Inc.
Aspect Medical Systems, Inc.
Avid Technology, Inc.
BTU International, Inc.
Cardinal Health
Cascade Microtech, Inc.
CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc.
Cray Inc.
Crocs, Inc.
Crosstex Energy, LP
Cutera, Inc.
Delek US Holdings, Inc.
Digirad Corporation
Domino's Pizza, Inc.
Emulex Corporation
Entercom
Entropic Communications
Exelixis, Inc.
Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc.
GLU Mobile Inc.
Google Inc.
Hastings Entertainment, Inc.
Hologic, Inc.
Hughes Communications, Inc.
i2 Telecom International Inc.
Ikanos Communications, Inc.
Image Sensing Systems Inc.
Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc.
Intellon Corporation
iRobot Corporation
Isilon Systems, Inc.
Lamar Advertising
Liberty Global, Inc.
Liberty Media Corporation
Lime Energy Co.
LIN TV
Luxottica Group SpA
Mellanox Technologies
Mercury Computer Systems
Mindspeed Technologies, Inc.
Motorola, Inc.
NetApp, Inc.
NetSuite, Inc.
NetSuite, Inc.
New York & Company, Inc.
Nice Systems
NightHawk Radiology Holdings Inc.
NVIDIA Corporation
Omniture, Inc.
PLX Technology, Inc.
QAD, Inc.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.
Savvis
Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc.
Sirona Dental Systems
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Starbucks Corporation
Tessera Technologies, Inc.
thinkorswim Group, Inc.
Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Unica Corporation
Williams Sonoma Inc.
ZipRealty, Inc.
Zumiez

Companies Opening Offers
in the Near Future
Adolor Corporation
Airspan Networks Inc.
Atmel Corporation
Beazer Homes USA Inc.
Calamos Asset Management, Inc.
Ebay
Flextronics International Ltd
Genworth Financial, Inc
Intel Corporation
Odyssey Healthcare, Inc.
Paramount Gold and Silver Corp.
Softbrands, Inc.
TRW Automotive Holdings Corp
Univest Corp of PA
Xeta Technologies Inc.

Companies Awaiting Shareholder Approval Annual Meeting Date
Igene Biotechnology Inc11/3/20081
Broadvision4/30/20091
MKS Instruments, Inc.5/4/20091
US Auto Parts5/5/20091
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.5/5/20091
Delphi Financial Group, Inc.5/5/20091
Dish Network Corp5/11/20091
Active Power, Inc.5/14/20091
Double-Take Software5/14/20091
Silicon Image, Inc.5/20/20091
Aware, Inc.5/20/20091
Intersections Inc.5/20/20091
Caribou Coffee Company5/21/20091
Micrel, Inc5/21/20091
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation5/22/20091
Altigen Communications, Inc.5/26/20091
Omni Energy Services Corp5/27/20091
Geokinetics Inc.5/27/20091
iParty Corporation5/27/20091
Ion Geophysical Corporation5/27/20091
Polycom, Inc.5/27/20091
Nanometrics Incorporated5/27/20091
VirtualScopics5/28/20091
Rockford Corporation5/28/20091
EnergySolutions, Inc.5/29/20091
RCN Corporation6/2/20091
Orbitz Worldwide, Inc.6/2/20091
Cherokee, Inc.6/3/20091
Radnet, Inc.6/5/20091
Stereotaxis, Inc.6/10/20091
Power Medical Interventions, Inc.6/10/20091
Infinera Corporation6/11/20091
DealerTrack Holdings, Inc.6/17/20091
Iridex Corporation6/17/20091
Sonus Networks6/19/20091
TLC Vision Corporation6/19/20091
Electronics for Imaging, Inc.6/19/20092
Electronics for Imaging, Inc.6/19/20093
VeriFone Holdings, Inc.6/23/20091
New Motion, Inc.6/25/20091
General Communication, Inc.6/29/20091
CytRx Corporation7/1/2009
Consumer Portfolio Services7/17/20092
Analog Devices, Inc. 7/20/2009
RF Micro Devices, Inc. 7/29/20093
Electronic Arts7/29/2009
Sigma Designs, Inc.7/30/2009
Lakes Entertainment, Inc. 8/6/2009
Network Equipment Technologies, Inc. 8/11/2009
MF Global Ltd. 8/13/2009
Radisys Corporation8/18/2009
Datatrak International8/26/2009
Leapfrog Enterprises8/26/2009
RealNetworks, Inc.Rescheduled to Later in Year
Knight TransportationUndisclosed
1 Voting results from the annual meeting have not be publicly filed yet
2 Exchange program for employees only
3 Exchange program for officers only

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