FUNDING. Benefits payable under this Plan to a Participant or to a beneficiary will be paid by the Company from its general assets. The Company is not required to segregate on its books or otherwise establish any funding procedure for any amount to be used for the payment of benefits under this Plan. The Company may, however, in its sole discretion, set funds aside in investments to meet its anticipated obligations under this Plan. Any such action or set-aside may not be deemed to create a trust of any kind between the Company and any Participant or beneficiary or to constitute the funding of any Plan benefits. Consequently, any person entitled to a payment under this Plan will have no rights greater than the rights of any other unsecured creditor of the Company.

Section # Funding. Benefits payable under this Plan to any person shall be paid by the Company from its general assets. Shares to be distributed hereunder shall be issued directly by the Company from its authorized but unissued Shares or acquired by the Company on the open market, or a combination thereof. Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates shall be required to segregate on their books or otherwise establish any funding procedure for any amount to be used for the payment of benefits under this Plan. The Company or any of its Affiliates may, however, in their sole discretion, set funds aside in investments to meet any anticipated obligations under this Plan. Any such action or set-aside shall not be deemed to create a trust of any kind between the Company or any of its Affiliates and any Participant or other person entitled to benefits under the Plan or to constitute the funding of any Plan benefits. Consequently, any person entitled to a payment under the Plan will have no rights greater than the rights of any other unsecured general creditor of the Company or its Affiliates.

Unfunded Plan Status. All payments pursuant to the Plan shall be made from the general funds of the Company and no special or separate fund shall be established or other segregation of assets made to assure payment. No Participant or other person shall have under any circumstances any interest in any particular property or assets of the Company as a result of participating in the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may (but shall not be obligated to) create one (1) or more grantor trusts, the assets of which are subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, to assist it in accumulating funds to pay its obligations under the Plan.

This Plan is intended to be an unfunded plan. All payments pursuant to the Plan shall be made from the general funds of the Company and no special or separate fund shall be established or other segregation of assets made to assure payment. No Participant or other person shall have under any circumstances any interest in any particular property or assets of the Company as a result of participating in the Plan.

Benefits provided under this Plan are unfunded and unsecured obligations of the Company payable from its general assets. Nothing contained in this Plan shall require the Company to segregate any monies from its general funds, to create any trust or other funding vehicle, to make any special deposits, or to purchase any policies of insurance with respect to such obligations. If the Company elects to take any such action, such assets, investments and the proceeds therefrom shall at all times remain the sole property of the Company and subject to its creditors. No other individual shall have any economic interest or similar rights under the Plan or any ownership rights in such assets, investments or proceeds, whether by reason of being a named insured or otherwise.

All payments to be made hereunder shall be paid from the general assets of the Company, and no special or separate fund shall be established and no segregation of assets shall be made to assure payment of such amounts. No Participant shall have any right, title, or interest whatsoever in or to any amounts under the Plan prior to receipt. Nothing contained in the Plan, and no actions taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust or fund of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any other person. The rights of any Participant or beneficiary to any amounts hereunder shall be no greater than those of an unsecured general creditor of the Company.

The Plan shall be unfunded and all costs of the Plan shall be paid from the Company’s general assets. Neither the Company nor the Board shall be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by benefits under the Plan. Neither the Company nor the Board shall be deemed to be a trustee of any amounts to be paid under the Plan. Any liability of the Company to any Participant with respect to any benefit shall be based solely upon any contractual obligations created by the Plan and the Participation Agreement; no such obligation shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge or any encumbrance on any property of the Company.

No trust fund, escrow account or other segregation of assets need be established or made by the Company to guarantee, secure or assure the payment of any amount payable hereunder. The Company’s obligation to make payments pursuant to this Plan shall constitute only a general contractual liability of the Company to individuals entitled to benefits hereunder and other actual or possible payees hereunder in accordance with the terms hereof. Payments hereunder shall be made only from such funds of the Company as it shall determine, and no individual entitled to benefits hereunder shall have any interest in any particular asset of the Company by reason of the existence of this Plan. No provision of the Plan shall be interpreted so as to give any individual any right in any assets of the Company greater than the rights of a general unsecured creditor of the Company. It is expressly understood as a condition for receipt of any benefits under this Plan that the Company is not obligated to create a trust fund or escrow account or to segregate any asset of the Company in any fashion.