Filed by Public
Service Enterprise Group Incorporated
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and Deemed Filed Pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company:
Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated
(Commission File No. 001-09120)
A
series of
Q&As concerning the proposed merger
February 15, 2005
PLEASE PRINT AND POST
FOR EMPLOYEES WITHOUT ACCESS TO E-MAIL
Corporate communications and human
resources continue to work together to gather employees questions concerning the
planned merger between PSEG and Exelon. We will attempt to respond in a timely
fashion. We recognize that information helps ease uncertainties about change.
However, please realize that some questions may not have answers until later in the
transition period.
Meanwhile, if you have a question,
you can submit it by e-mail to mergerquestions@pseg.com.
Todays Merger
Q&A relates to last weeks proxy filing:
Q. |
What severance
payments will PSEG senior officers receive related to the merger? |
A. |
Covered officers who are not offered a comparable job in the new company, or who
are terminated without cause within two years after the closing, are generally
entitled to severance under either an employment agreement or the executive
severance plan. And, right now, we do not know which officers will not have
positions in the new company. So, we simply dont know how much in
severance will be paid
and to whom. Under SEC rules, we are required to
disclose the total of all possible severance payments to executive officers,
even though we expect many of the current officers will remain as employees of
the new company. For example, its already been announced that Ralph Izzo
will continue as president and chief operating officer of PSE&G. |
|
Executive
officers are covered by employment contracts or a severance plan under which they are
eligible for severance payments equal to two or three times their base salary and
incentive bonus. Other officers are eligible for severance benefits equal to two times
their base salary and incentive bonus. Again, these benefits only will be paid in cases
where these individuals will not have comparable jobs in the new company. |
Q. |
What if the officer is offered a job in Philadelphia or Chicago? Does the
executive severance apply? |
A. |
If an officer turns down a comparable job with the new company, executive
severance is not applicable, even if the job requires relocation. In such a
|
|
case, the officer might be entitled to severance benefits under the general
severance plan. |
Q. |
How much would be paid in severance if all senior executives and other
officers were to lose their jobs and did you include this in
estimating the costs required to implement the merger? |
A. |
The amount of possible severance would total about $35 million if all covered
officers were not offered comparable jobs in the new company. However, as noted,
that will not happen. Severance will be paid only to those individuals who
dont continue with the new company. We expect that many PSEG executives
will have positions with Exelon Electric & Gas. It should be noted also
that, prior to the execution of the merger agreement, PSEG Chairman and CEO Jim
Ferland agreed to an amendment of his employment contract under which he
surrendered rights that he would have had in order to claim severance payments
of approximately $6.5 million because of the loss of his position as chief
executive officer of the merged company. |
|
We
based our estimates of the costs required to implement the merger and achieve the
long-term savings of $400 million-to-$500 million per year based on experience with other
mergers and estimating what the workforce of the new company will look like. |
Q. |
Why did Mr. Ferland decide to waive his right to receive this severance
payment? |
A. |
Mr. Ferland decided to forego the severance payment to eliminate it as a
consideration in his recommending the merger transaction to the PSEG board of
directors and because the merger agreement provides that his service will
continue with the merged company through his planned retirement date. As has
been reported, he will serve as non-executive chairman of the board of directors
of the new company until his retirement in March 2007. |
Q. |
What about all those stock options and stock grants that are listed in the
Proxy? |
A. |
During their years of service, senior executives have been awarded stock
options, restricted stock, and other equity-based compensation as part of
established, long-term incentive compensation programs that have been approved
by PSEG shareholders. They are not related to the merger and are not part of
executive severance benefits. However, some rights to these awards will vest on
an accelerated basis as a result of the merger. |
Q. |
Do severance payments to executives represent what are commonly referred to
as golden parachutes?" |
A. |
Severance
benefits for executives are common components in executive compensation
programs and are a competitive fact of life in U.S. industry. In a situation
such as a merger, its important to provide some financial protection
for executives so that they can continue their focus on their responsibilities
at the company. An overall competitive compensation |
|
package is important
in attracting and retaining high quality executive talent. The companys
executive compensation program is targeted at the median of large energy
companies. The board of directors reviewed the severance benefits with an
expert compensation consultant (Hewitt) to make sure they were competitive
with the market. |
Q. |
According to the Proxy, the PSEG Board of Directors Compensation
Committee met on Dec. 19, 2004 the day before the merger was
announced to make changes in the executive severance program. What were
these changes? |
A. |
The Boards Compensation Committee reviewed a proposed severance plan and a
retention plan, discussed the proposed plans with Hewitt, and decided to
recommend the plans to the full board. The board of directors adopted the plans
based on the recommendation by the Compensation Committee and an assessment by
Hewitt that the plans are competitive with current market practices. This is a
common and necessary practice to ensure that the company can continue to operate
its business and keep the key management team in place during the transition. |
Safe Harbor
Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This filing contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the
benefits of the business combination transaction involving Public Service Enterprise
Group Incorporated and Exelon Corporation, including future financial and operating
results, the combined companys plans, objectives, expectations and intentions
and other statements that are not historical or current facts. Such statements
are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Public Service Enterprise
Group Incorporateds and Exelon Corporations management, are subject
to significant risks and uncertainties and may differ materially from actual
future experience involving any one or more of such matters. Actual results
may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The following
factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth
in the forward-looking statements: the timing of the contemplated merger and
the impact of any conditions imposed by regulators in connection with their
approval thereof; the failure of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated
and Exelon Corporation stockholders to make the requisite approvals for the
transaction; the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully;
failure to quickly realize cost-savings from the transaction as a result of
technical, logistical, competitive and other factors; the effects of weather;
the performance of generating units and transmission systems; the availability
and prices for oil, gas, coal, nuclear fuel, capacity and electricity; changes
in the markets for electricity and other energy-related commodities; changes
in the number of participants and the risk profile of such participants in the
energy marketing and trading business; the effectiveness of our risk management
and internal controls systems; the effects of regulatory decisions and changes
in law; changes in competition in the markets we serve; the ability to recover
regulatory assets and other potential stranded costs; the outcomes of litigation
and regulatory proceedings or inquiries; the timing and success of efforts to
develop domestic and international power projects; conditions of the capital
markets and equity markets; advances in technology; changes in accounting standards;
changes in interest rates and in financial and foreign currency markets generally;
the economic and political climate and growth in the areas in which we conduct
our activities; and changes in corporate strategies. While we believe that our
forecasts and assumptions are reasonable, we caution that actual results may
differ materially. We intend the forward-looking statements to speak only as
of the time first made and we do not undertake to update or revise them as more
information becomes available. Additional factors that could cause Public Service
Enterprise Group Incorporateds and Exelon Corporations results to
differ materially from
those described in the forward-looking
statements can be found in the 2003 Annual Reports on Form 10-K, and Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2004, of Public
Service Enterprise Group Incorporated and Exelon Corporation, as such reports
may have been amended, each filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
and available at the Securities and Exchange Commissions website, www.sec.gov.
Additional Information
This communication is not a
solicitation of a proxy from any security holder of Public Service Enterprise Group
Incorporated or Exelon Corporation. Exelon Corporation has filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission a registration statement (File No. 333-122704) that includes a
preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus. A definitive joint proxy
statement/prospectus and other relevant documents are expected to be mailed by Public
Service Enterprise Group Incorporated and Exelon Corporation to their respective security
holders in connection with the proposed merger of Public Service Enterprise Group
Incorporated and Exelon Corporation. WE URGE INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS TO READ THE
DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY
BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLIC SERVICE
ENTERPRISE GROUP INCORPORATED, EXELON CORPORATION AND THE PROPOSED MERGER. Investors
and security holders will be able to obtain these materials (when they are available) and
other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission free of charge at the
Securities and Exchange Commissions website, www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the
definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus (when it becomes available) may be obtained
free of charge from Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated, Investor Relations, 80
Park Plaza, P.O. Box 1171, Newark, New Jersey 07101-1171, or from Exelon Corporation,
Investor Relations, 10 South Dearborn Street, P.O. Box 805398, Chicago, Illinois
60680-5398.
Participants in
Solicitation
Public Service Enterprise
Group Incorporated, Exelon Corporation, their respective directors and executive
officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation
of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding Public
Service Enterprise Group Incorporateds directors and executive officers
is available in its proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
by Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated on March 10, 2004, and information
regarding Exelon Corporations directors and executive officers is available
in its proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by
Exelon Corporation on March 12, 2004. OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE PARTICIPANTS
IN THE PROXY SOLICITATION AND A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR DIRECT AND INDIRECT INTERESTS,
BY SECURITY HOLDINGS OR OTHERWISE, WILL BE CONTAINED IN THE DEFINITIVE JOINT
PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS TO BE FILED WITH THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.