UNITED STATES

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

 

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 23, 2018 (February 21, 2018)

CIT GROUP INC.

 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware 001-31369 65-1051192
(State or other (Commission (IRS Employer
jurisdiction of File Number) Identification No.)
incorporation)    

 

11 West 42nd Street

 

New York, New York 10036

 

(Address of registrant's principal executive office)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (212) 461-5200

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
[ ] Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
[ ] If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

 

Section 5 – Corporate Governance and Management

Item  5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

On February 21, 2018, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of CIT Group Inc. (“CIT” or the “Company) approved an amendment to the CIT Employee Severance Plan (the “Severance Plan”) to change the calculation of the severance benefit payable to Ellen Alemany, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, if she experiences a Change of Control Termination (as defined in the Severance Plan) (the “Amendment”). Under the Severance Plan, which covers all of our U.S. employees, each of the members of the Executive Management Committee, including Ms. Alemany, was eligible to receive a cash severance amount, in the event of a qualifying Change of Control Termination, equal to two times the sum of base salary plus severance bonus (based on prior short-term incentive compensation), plus a prorated severance bonus. Pursuant to the Amendment, the cash severance benefit payable to Ms. Alemany in the event of a qualifying Change of Control Termination is increased to three times the sum of base salary plus severance bonus, plus a prorated severance bonus. The severance benefit payable to other members of the Executive Management Committee in the event of a qualifying Change of Control Termination remains unchanged.

 

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable federal securities laws that are based upon our current expectations and assumptions concerning future events, which are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The words “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “initiative,” “objective,” “plan,” “goal,” “project,” “outlook,” “priorities,” “target,” “intend,” “evaluate,” “pursue,” “commence,” “seek,” “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” or the negative of any of those words or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this Form 8-K, other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, statements about our plans, strategies, prospects and expectations regarding future events and our financial performance, are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties. While these statements represent our current judgment on what the future may hold, and we believe these judgments are reasonable, these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially. Important factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations include, among others, the risk that (i) CIT is unsuccessful in implementing its strategy and business plan, (ii) CIT is unable to react to and address key business and regulatory issues, (iii) CIT is unable to achieve the projected revenue growth from its new business initiatives or the projected expense reductions from efficiency improvements, (iv) CIT becomes subject to liquidity constraints and higher funding costs, or (v) the parties to a transaction do not receive or satisfy regulatory or other approvals or conditions on a timely basis or approvals are subject to conditions that are not anticipated. We describe these and other risks that could affect our results in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 8-K. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. CIT undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except where expressly required by law.

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

  CIT GROUP INC.
  (Registrant)
     
     
     
  By:    /s/ John Fawcett
    John Fawcett
    Executive Vice President &
    Chief Financial Officer

 

Dated: February 23, 2018