Attached files
file | filename |
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10-K - FORM 10-K - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012e10vk.htm |
EX-21 - EX-21 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv21.htm |
EX-23 - EX-23 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv23.htm |
EX-32 - EX-32 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv32.htm |
EX-13 - EXHIBIT 13 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv13.htm |
EX-4.1 - EX-4.1 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv4w1.htm |
EX-31.2 - EX-31.2 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv31w2.htm |
EX-10.5 - EX-10.5 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv10w5.htm |
EX-31.1 - EX-31.1 - CROGHAN BANCSHARES INC | l42012exv31w1.htm |
Exhibit 14
CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
October 13, 2009
October 13, 2009
The business of Croghan Bancshares, Inc. and its subsidiary, The Croghan
Colonial Bank (collectively, the Company), is based upon trust. Without trust in
our integrity, customers would not deposit their money in The Croghan Colonial Bank
(the Bank) or count on us to properly administer their loans, and investors would
not purchase our stock. Our continued success depends on every director, officer and
employee performing his or her job in an ethical, honest, professional and competent
manner.
Today, more than ever, the ethics of corporations are under scrutiny by the
government and the public. This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (this Code of
Ethics) has been adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company to demonstrate to
customers, investors and the public the importance that management of the Company
places on ethical conduct. The Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide for
ethical business practices of the Companys officers, directors and employees, to
promote advance disclosure and review of conflicts of interest and similar matters,
to promote fair, accurate, complete, objective, relevant and timely financial
reporting and public reports and disclosures by the Company, to encourage the
reporting of questionable behavior, and to appropriately discipline those who engage
in improper conduct.
All directors, officers and employees of the Company are encouraged to read
this Code of Ethics carefully. Directors and officers of the Company will be asked
to re-read this Code of Ethics on an annual basis and provide a written
acknowledgment of such review. New employees will be asked to read the Code of
Ethics and sign a written acknowledgment form during their orientation. All
directors, officers and employees will be asked to re-read the Code of Ethics and
sign new acknowledgment forms after any amendments are adopted by the Board of
Directors.
It is the Companys expectation that each and every director, officer and
employee shall comply with the following principles.
I. Compliance with Laws and Regulations
It is the Companys policy to comply with all applicable laws and
regulations. Each director, officer and employee of the Company is expected to
understand and comply with all applicable laws and regulations that apply to the
performance of his or her position with the Company. If an employee does not
understand a particular law or how it applies, the employee should seek appropriate
guidance from the Companys Chief Executive Officer. If a director or officer is
uncertain with respect to a law or regulation, the director or officer should
consult with legal counsel for the Company.
The Company has a specific securities trading policy applicable to all directors, officers and
employees. The Company expects that every director, officer and employee will fully comply with
that policy.
II. Reporting and Disclosure Obligations
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requires the Company to issue financial
statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to make public
disclosures regarding certain aspects of its business. The Company expects all directors, officers
and employees to keep accurate and complete books, records and accounts that enable the Company to
meet its accounting and reporting requirements and to provide prompt, accurate answers to inquiries
related to the Companys public disclosure requirements. Furthermore, the Chief Executive Officer
and the Chief Financial Officer shall prepare or oversee the preparation of full, fair, accurate,
timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or
submits to, the SEC and in the Companys other public communications.
All persons involved in the Companys disclosure process are required to maintain familiarity
with the disclosure requirements applicable to the Company and are prohibited from knowingly
misrepresenting, omitting or causing others to misrepresent or omit material facts about the
Company to others, whether within or outside the Company, including the Companys independent
auditors. Anyone who believes that the Companys accounting method is inappropriate or not in
compliance with generally accepted accounting principles or who believes that public disclosures
made or about to be made are inaccurate should report this belief directly to the Companys Chief
Financial Officer and, if unsatisfied with the response, directly to the Audit Committee of the
Board of Directors. Any officer or employee who becomes aware of a material event or fact involving
the Company that has not been previously disclosed publicly by the Company should immediately
report such material event or fact to the Companys Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial
Officer. In addition, no officer or employee shall alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal any
document relevant to any audit of the Company or which is or may be relevant to any investigation
by a governmental agency or in a matter pending before any court.
III. Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest arise when decisions or judgments in the course of fulfilling ones
responsibility to the Company may be influenced by personal interests not shared by the Company. An
example of such a conflict is when an employees family member has an interest in a transaction to
which the Company is a party, or when an individual competes with the Company with respect to a
particular business opportunity.
When an actual or apparent conflict of interest is identified, an employee is expected to
bring the matter to the attention of the Chief Executive Officer, who will evaluate the matter. Any
conflict of interest involving a director or executive officer must
be brought to the attention of the Audit Committee. If the Chief Executive Officer or
the Audit Committee determines that a conflict does exist or may exist, how the matter
shall be treated will be decided by the disinterested directors of the Company, and the
affected individual is expected to abide by the decision of the disinterested directors.
It is considered a conflict of interest if an employee makes a loan, processes a
transaction (e.g., withdrawals, deposits, check cashing, etc.), or waives a fee or
service charge for his or her own personal loans and accounts or those of immediate
family members or affiliates. It is the responsibility of each employee to exercise
prudence and good judgment when making loans or processing transactions to or for anyone
whose personal relationship with such employee may influence his or her judgment.
Directors, officers and employees of the Company should never place themselves
under actual or apparent obligation to a third party which deals or proposes to deal
with the Company by accepting (or permitting a relative to accept) from the third party
such things as gifts, benefit, gratuities or unusual hospitality for the purpose of, or
which might have the effect of, improperly influencing their judgment in the performance
of Company duties and responsibilities. This policy does not include the receipt of
insignificant gifts or other benefits, or the value of reasonable and reciprocal
entertainment, which is consistent with local and social business custom. If there is
any question as to whether a gift or other benefit is prohibited by this policy, an
officer or director should contact the Audit Committee, and an employee should contact
the Chief Executive Officer.
IV. Confidentiality
In the course of conducting the Companys business, directors, officers and
employees often learn confidential or proprietary information about the Company, the
Companys customers, prospective customers or other third parties. Directors, officers
and employees must maintain the confidentiality of all such information, except when
disclosure is authorized by management of the Company in accordance with the Companys
privacy and disclosure policies or when disclosure is legally required. Confidential or
proprietary information includes, among other things, any non-public information
concerning the Company, including its businesses, financial performance, results or
prospects, and any non-public information provided by a third party with the expectation
that the information will be kept confidential and used solely for the business purpose
for which it was conveyed.
Banks receive and maintain considerable information which, though not necessarily
confidential, must nonetheless be treated confidentially if the right of privacy of
customers is to be safeguarded. Therefore, confidential information with respect to the
Companys customers acquired by an employee through his or her employment is considered
to be privileged and must be held in the strictest confidence. This confidential
information is to be used solely for corporate purposes and not as a basis for personal
gain or for any other purpose. In no case shall such information be transmitted to
persons outside the Company, including family or other acquaintances, or
even to other employees of the Company who do not need to know such information in
discharging their duties.
V. Fairness of Dealings with Customers, Suppliers, Vendors and Employees
No officer, director or associate of the Company should take unfair advantage
of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information,
misrepresentation of material facts or any other unfair dealing practice. The Companys
intention is to compete fairly and honestly and to seek competitive advantage through
performing better than the competition, not through unethical or illegal business
practices. The Company does not permit offering or making payments of any kind, whether
of money, services or property, to any domestic or foreign public official or of
providing personal benefits that are not clearly reasonable and business related to any
employee, agent or representative of any organization seeking to or doing business with
the Company. If there is any question as to whether any such personal benefit is clearly
reasonable and business related, an officer or director should seek pre-approval from
the Audit Committee, and an employee should seek pre-approval from the Chief Executive
Officer.
The Company has established comprehensive programs for compliance with labor and
employment laws, including equal employment opportunity policies and procedures,
policies respecting sexual harassment in the workplace, safety programs, and wage and
hour procedures. For further information about such compliance policies, see the
Companys Human Resources Manager.
VI. Protection and Proper Use of Assets
Theft, carelessness and waste of Company property directly affect the
Companys profitability and will not be tolerated. All directors, officers and employees
are expected to protect the Companys assets, to use them efficiently and to use them
only for legitimate business purposes.
VII. Political Activities
The Company respects your right to participate or not participate in the
political process as you see fit. No director, officer or employee may use his or her
position with the Company to make any other director, officer or employee feel compelled
or pressured to work for or on behalf of any legislation, candidate, political party or
committee, to make contributions for any political cause or candidate or to cast his or
her vote in any particular way.
VIII. Duty to Report and Consequences
The Company expects full compliance with this Code of Ethics. Employees are
encouraged to report any violation or suspected violation of this Code of Ethics to his
or her supervisor, the Chief Executive Officer or the Audit Committee. Officers and
directors must report any violation or suspected violation to the Audit Committee. The
Company will not permit any retaliation against a director, officer or employee who, in
good faith, appropriately reports a matter that he or she believes, in good faith, to be
a violation of this Code of Ethics. Any employee who is found by the Audit Committee to
have violated this Code of Ethics may be subject to discipline, including termination of
employment.
The Audit Committee shall investigate any alleged violation of this Code of Ethics.
In the event that the Audit Committee determines that a violation has occurred, the
Audit Committee shall be authorized to take any action it deems appropriate. In the
event that the Audit Committee recognizes a violation by a director or executive officer
but elects to take no action against the offending director or executive officer, the
Company shall disclose the facts and circumstances of its waiver of the violation by any
means required by applicable law.
IX. Scope of Code of Ethics
THERE ARE MANY OTHER POLICIES THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE COMPANY AND ITS
OPERATIONS. NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS CODE OF ETHICS SHALL RELIEVE ANY OFFICER, DIRECTOR
OR EMPLOYEE FROM COMPLYING WITH ANY OTHER APPLICABLE COMPANY POLICY.
Nothing in this Code of Ethics changes the general policy that employment is at
will and may be terminated by the Company at any time and for any or no reason.