Excise Tax. The Ceding Company and the Reinsurer acknowledge and agree that, as of the date hereof, premiums payable pursuant to this Agreement are subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4371 of the Code (the “Premium Excise Tax”). The Ceding Company shall be responsible for reporting and remitting the Premium Excise Tax as indicated on the Monthly Accounting Report. The Premium Excise Tax shall be borne by the Reinsurer through inclusion on the Monthly Accounting Report.

Excise Tax Limitation. In the event that any amounts payable to the Executive under this Agreement or otherwise would # constitute “parachute payments” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and # but for this Paragraph 12(b), be subject to the excise tax imposed by Code Section 4999, then such payments shall be reduced in a manner determined by the Company (by the minimum possible amounts) that is consistent with the requirements of Section 409A until no amount payable to the Executive will be subject to the excise tax under Code Section 4999.

Mitigation of Excise Tax. Except to the extent otherwise provided in a written agreement between the Company and the Participant, the Restricted Stock issued hereunder is subject to reduction by the Committee for the reasons specified in [Section 13.01] of the Plan.

Change of Control – Excise Tax. If the Company’s legal counsel, tax advisors or accountants, as selected by the Company prior to the Change of Control, determine that any payment, benefit or transfer by the Company under this Agreement or any other plan, agreement, or arrangement to or for the benefit of the Employee (in the aggregate, the “Total Payments”) to be subject to the tax (“Excise Tax”) imposed by Code Section 4999 but for this Section 5, then, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Total Payments shall be delivered either # in full or # in an amount such that the value of the aggregate Total Payments that the Employee is entitled to receive shall be One Dollar ($1.00) less than the maximum amount that the Employee may receive without being subject to the Excise Tax, whichever of (a) or (b) results in the receipt by the Participant of the greatest benefit on an after-tax basis (taking into account applicable federal, state and local income taxes and the Excise Tax). In the event that # results in a greater after-tax benefit to the Employee, payments or benefits included in the Total Payments shall be reduced or eliminated by applying the following principles, in order: # the payment or benefit with the higher ratio of the parachute payment value to present economic value (determined using reasonable actuarial assumptions) shall be reduced or eliminated before a payment or benefit with a lower ratio; # the payment or benefit with the later possible payment date shall be reduced or eliminated before a payment or benefit with an earlier payment date; and # cash payments shall be reduced prior to non-cash benefits; provided that if the foregoing order of reduction or elimination would violate Section 409A of the Code, then the reduction shall be made pro rata among the payments or benefits included in the Total Payments (on the basis of the relative present value of the parachute payments). The Employee shall be entitled to receive a copy of the Company’s legal counsel, tax advisor’s or accountant’s calculations performed for purposes of this Section 5 upon request.

For purposes of determining whether any of the Total Change in Control Payments will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax:

The excise tax imposed on the Officer under Code Section 4999 on excess parachute payments, from whatever source, would result in a lesser net aggregate present value of payments and distributions to the Officer (after subtraction of the excise tax) than if payments and distributions to the Officer were reduced to the maximum amount that could be made without incurring the excise tax.

“ETA” means the Excise Tax Act (Canada).

For the purposes of this Section 5(c), “Threshold Amount” shall mean three times the Executive’s “base amount” within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(3) of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder less one dollar ($1.00); and “Excise Tax” shall mean the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, and any interest or penalties incurred by the Executive with respect to such excise tax.

If payment of the lump sum value of the Deferred Amounts pursuant to Section 7.06 (“Accelerated Payment”) causes the Accelerated Payment and any other payments made in connection with a Change of Control (together with the Accelerated Payment, the “Total Payments”) to be subject to the tax (“Excise Tax”) imposed by Code Section 4999, the Company shall pay to the Participant an additional amount (“Gross-Up Payment”) such that the net amount retained by the Participant, after deduction of any Excise Tax paid or payable (and not grossed-up under a similar provision of another plan or program sponsored by the Company) on the lump sum and such other Total Payments and any federal, state, and local income tax and Excise Tax upon the payment provided for by this Article, shall be equal to the Accelerated Payment and such other Total Payments. If any of such other Total Payments are subject to the Excise Tax without regard to the Accelerated Payment, a Gross-Up Payment shall be made, but shall be limited to the increase in the Excise Tax (plus any federal, state, and local income tax and Excise Tax on such Gross-Up Payment) arising solely as a result of the Accelerated Payment.

If any payment or benefit Executive would receive under this Agreement, when combined with any other payment or benefit Executive receives pursuant to a Change of Control (for purposes of this section, a “Payment”) would: # constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of [Section 280G] the Code; and # but for this sentence, be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (the “Excise Tax”), then such Payment shall be either: # the full amount of such Payment; or # such lesser amount (with cash payments being reduced before stock option compensation) as would result in no portion of the Payment being subject to the Excise Tax, whichever of the foregoing amounts, taking into account the applicable federal, state and local employments taxes, income taxes, and the Excise Tax, results in Executive’s receipt, on an after-tax basis, of the greater amount of the Payment notwithstanding that all or some portion of the Payment may be subject to the Excise Tax.