Methodology The 2011 ABA Compensation & Benefits Survey was designed to meet the needs of banks across the nation. The survey was administered by enetrix, A Division of Gallup, Inc., and an invitation was emailed to 5,549 banks throughout the nation that are both members and nonmembers of the American Bankers Association. The survey was made available on April 18, 2010 and response submissions were accepted through July 25, 2010. Respondents were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire relating to compensation practices, employee benefits, and total compensation. In addition, respondents were asked to provide information about their bank. Respondents Three hundred eighty-six (386) banks responded to the survey and provided information that allowed for meaningful comparisons to their peers. The survey response rate was approximately 7% of all banks that were actively contacted. In addition, multiple email notifications and reminders were sent where email accounts were valid. The responses were reviewed and, where questions arose, the bank was contacted for additional information or clarification. Survey Process The survey instrument consisted of survey questions administered online with instructions, a listing of all jobs and job descriptions, and a template for a Microsoft Excel worksheet for the Compensation Survey section. The survey consisted of several sections: Section 1 Classification Data Section 2 Compensation Survey/Salary Data/5 Highest Paid Positions Section 3 Compensation Policy Section 4 Benefits Survey Section 5 Directors Compensation Section 6 Fringe Rates A paper questionnaire was provided as a reference to the web-based data collection tool that was used as the primary method of collecting the survey data. All sections could be submitted online. In addition, the paper questionnaire could be filled out and emailed or faxed to enetrix, A Division of Gallup, Inc. to submit online. A Microsoft Excel template could be filled out for Section 2 and uploaded online or emailed to the survey provider for data entry. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association Section II - 1
2011 Compensation & Benefits Survey Section II - 2 Survey Data Classification Data Banks were asked to provide classification data along the following parameters: 1. Ownership Type 2. Charter Type 3. Asset Size 4. Headquarters Zip Code 5. Number of Employees Valid types of ownership include: Mutual Mutual Holding Company Stock-owned Bank or BHC/Financial Services Holding Company Other Valid charter types include: Commercial Bank Savings Bank/Institution A bank s asset size was collected, because it is the best parameter when analyzing and reporting information. The headquarters zip code was collected to assign each bank to a particular regional and state grouping. Finally, the number of employees was collected in order to prepare for future analyses and provide additional peer groups. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association
Policies and Practices Banks were asked to report on a number of compensation policies, employment practices and employee benefits. These include: Compensation Policy General Compensation Policies Pay Increase Budgets Variable Pay and Bonuses Profit Sharing Plans Retirement Plans Benefits and Perquisites Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans Prescription Drug Plans Life Insurance Disability Insurance Plans Leave Benefits Work/Life Benefits Work Environment Travel and Transportation Benefits Health and Wellness Practices Financial/Other Compensation Benefits Director Compensation General Policies and Practices Board Chair Compensation Outside Director Compensation Emeritus/Advisory Director Compensation Inside Director Compensation Fringe Rates Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association Section II - 3
2011 Compensation & Benefits Survey Section II - 4 Salary Data For each job, respondents were asked to provide information at the job level in the aggregate. Information collected for each job includes: Number of incumbents/employees in this position The organization s title for the equivalent job The organization s ID for the equivalent job Whether their matched job has higher, lower, or approximately the same functions, complexity, and responsibility as the survey job, Whether the job is classified as exempt or non-exempt, and if exempt, whether overtime is paid. Minimum, midpoint, and maximum of formal pay ranges, if available Average yearly salary for this position Lowest actual salary amount paid for this position Highest actual salary amount paid for this position 2010 commission 2010 bonus/profit sharing Participants were asked to annualize all information that they reported on behalf of part-time employees, and to annualize data that was reported for hourly (or non-exempt) employees. Interpreting the Results When interpreting the survey results for staff compensation, data for all pertinent variables should be considered simultaneously especially where the sample size of a subgroup is small. Some respondents may have reported incomes considerably higher or lower than those of the remaining banks in a subgroup. This would unduly influence the mean for some small subgroups. Therefore, wherever the sample is small and there is a considerable difference between the average and median in a line of data, greater weight should be given to the median than to the average. Sometimes, the information reported in a line of data may appear to be inconsistent with that of related data lines. In such cases, the relative sample size of each line of data should be considered. Usually, more confidence should be placed in the line of data having the larger sample size. However, the rule of reason should govern. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association
Data Analysis Data on each of the topics listed above were collected and analyzed according to a number of the classification parameters. All topics are reported in the aggregate, across all banks. In addition, all topics are reported by one or more additional parameters. Breakouts by ownership type and charter type were provided. In addition, breakouts by region and asset size were provided as follows, respectively: Asset Size: Less than $50 Million $50 Million to $99 Million $100 Million to $299 Million $300 Million to $499 Million $500 Million to $699 Million $700 Million to $999 Million $1 Billion to $2.9 Billion Over $3 Billion Regional Groupings (includes banks whose headquarters was listed in one of the following states): Northwest: Southwest: Mountain: Plains: South: Great Lakes: Lower Southeast: Middle Southeast: Mid-Atlantic: New England: Alaska, Washington, Oregon California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, US Virgin Islands West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association Section II - 5
2011 Compensation & Benefits Survey Section II - 6 Policies and Practices Compensation policies, employee practices, and employee benefits are reported in the aggregate and by one or more groupings. The determination was made based on the likelihood that there will be observable differences in the statistics reported for each group. In future survey editions, these groupings may be combined or expanded to ensure that readers have access to sufficient and meaningful statistics. Each grouping was applied to the practice or policy family. Policy or Practice Section Compensation Policy Benefits and Perquisites Work/Life Benefits Directors Compensation Fringe Rates Reported By (in addition to aggregate) Asset Size Ownership Type Region Charter Type Questions in the Policies and Practices section provide two kinds of statistics: a) number and percent responding, and b) average and median values. The first is used to report on questions that asked whether the bank followed a certain policy or offered a certain benefit. These were either Yes/No questions, or questions that required a selection of one or more options from a list (e.g. which of the following types of health plans do you offer? ). In these cases, statistics are provided on the number of banks that selected each response and the percentage of the whole that the number represents. When only one answer was allowed, the percentage is calculated from the subset of respondents that answered that particular question. When multiple answers were allowed, the percentage is calculated from the number of respondents to that entire section. The second kind of statistic is used to report data where the respondents were asked to provide a specific value (e.g. How many hours of annual leave does each employee earn per year? ). The average and median values are reported for the aggregate and for each breakdown category. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association
Salary Data Salary data is reported by each of the breakdowns and is reported on two pages for each job. The first page contains the aggregate statistics, as well as breakdowns by asset size and ownership type. The second page contains breakdowns by region and charter type. The following statistics are reported for each of the job titles: 1. Base Salary This is the annual base salary (excluding bonuses, commissions, profit sharing, or other variable pay) that each employee earned in 2010. 75 th Percentile: The 75 th percentile of the base pay for this job. Twenty-five percent of respondents indicated that their salary is above this level. Median The 50 th percentile of the base pay for this job. Fifty percent of respondents indicated that their salary is above this level. 25 th Percentile: The 25 th percentile of the base pay for this job. Seventy-five percent of respondents indicated that their salary is above this level. Average: The arithmetic average of base pay salaries reported for this job. # of Employees: The total number of incumbents that were matched to that job. # of Banks: The number of banks that matched this job and provided base pay data on at least one incumbent. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association Section II - 7
2011 Compensation & Benefits Survey Section II - 8 2. 2010 Bonus/Profit Sharing This is the bonus that was reported for each employee, earned during the 2010 calendar year (may have been paid out in 2011). Bonuses may be individual or group, and are paid out as a lump sum on top of base salary. Profit sharing funds may be distributed in cash, or deferred to act as a qualified retirement program, or a combination. Median: The 50 th percentile of the bonuses reported for this job. Average: The arithmetic average of bonuses reported for this job. Number of Employees: The total number of incumbents that earned a bonus. Number of Banks: The number of banks that matched this job and provided bonus data on at least one incumbent. 3. 2010 Commission This is the commission that was reported for each employee, earned during the 2010calendar year (may have been paid out in 2011). Median: Average: The 50 th percentile of the commissions reported for this job. The arithmetic average of commissions reported for this job. # of Employees: The total number of incumbents that earned a commission # of Banks: The number of banks that matched this job and provided commission data on at least one incumbent. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association
4. Total Compensation This is the sum of all wages reported for each employee, earned during the 2010 calendar year. This was calculated by summing Base Salary, Bonus/Profit Sharing, and Commission for 2010. 75 th Percentile: The 75 th percentile of total compensation calculated for this job. Twenty-five percent of respondents have a total compensation package higher than this level. Median: The 50 th percentile of the total compensation calculated for this job. 25 th Percentile: The 25 th percentile of the total compensation calculated for this job. Seventy-five percent of respondents have a total compensation package higher than this level. Average: The arithmetic average of the total compensation calculated for this job. Number of Employees: The total number of incumbents reported for this position. Number of Banks: The number of banks that matched this job and provided data for at least one incumbent. 5. Pay Range Some banks indicated that they have formal pay ranges for certain jobs. These pay ranges were aggregated and the medians were reported. Banks Reporting: Minimum: Midpoint: Maximum: The number of employers that matched this job and provided a pay range. The median of the minimum pay ranges, where minimums were reported. The median of the midpoints of the pay ranges, where midpoints were reported. The median of the maximum pay ranges, where maximums were reported. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association Section II - 9
2011 Compensation & Benefits Survey Section II - 10 6. FLSA Status Respondents reported on whether the job is exempt or non-exempt under FLSA regulations. If the job is exempt, this also indicates whether employees are paid overtime. Exempt: The percent of employers that indicated this job is exempt and NOT paid overtime. Exempt, paid OT: The percent of employers that indicated this job is exempt and paid overtime. Non-Exempt: The percent of employers that indicated this job is non-exempt. Unknown/Not Reported: The percent of employers that did not report this information. Outliers Data was eliminated from the survey reports if the respondent s data was insufficient or obviously erroneous (as compared to other submissions). If the responding bank was contacted and they verified that their submitted response was valid, but it still fell outside of what was considered normal, it was not included in the report. In this survey, many jobs were reported that showed a wide range of possible acceptable values. This was particularly evident in some executive-level jobs, but also in jobs whose total compensation is highly dependent on commissions or bonuses. In these cases, many banks reported extremely low base pay data, while each incumbent made up the difference on commission. Even where the job was listed as commissioned (e.g., 107 Loan Officer, Commissioned vs. 108 Loan Officer, Salaried), some discrepancies occurred. If the submitted data was within the range of submissions for other banks, it was included in the report. Confidentiality To ensure confidentiality of respondents, no statistics are reported when less than five banks responded to a question. A report may indicate that less than five banks responded to a question, but no statistics will be provided on the answer. This approach is consistent with the safe harbor guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association
Formatting Conventions Policies and Practices Although 386 banks responded to the entire survey, not all banks provided data on each policy and practice section. Each question contains a row labeled Total Respondents that indicates how many banks, in aggregate and in each category breakdown, responded to that question. In the Policies and Practices sections, dashes ( - ) are used to indicate that there were less than five responses to a question, or to indicate that values may exist for a reported statistic but those values are not displayed to ensure confidentiality of respondents. Salary Data In the salary report, an asterisk ( * ) is used to indicate that there were less than five responses to that question in any given breakdown. Copyright 2011 American Bankers Association Section II - 11