SCHEDULE 14A
INFORMATION
Proxy Statement
Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. ____)
Filed by the Registrant [ ]
Filed by
a Party other than the Registrant [X]
Check the appropriate box:
[ ] |
Preliminary
Proxy Statement |
[ ] |
Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
[ ] |
Definitive
Proxy Statement |
[ ] |
Definitive
Additional Materials |
[X] |
Soliciting
Material under Rule 14a-12 |
MSB FINANCIAL CORP.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Financial Edge Fund,
L.P.
PL Capital, LLC
Goodbody/PL Capital, LLC
Financial Edge-Strategic Fund, L.P.
Goodbody/PL Capital, L.P.
PL Capital Advisors, LLC
PL Capital, LLC Defined Benefit
Plan
Richard J. Lashley
Beth Lashley
Dr. Robin Lashley
John W. Palmer
(Name of Person(s)
Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the
appropriate box):
[ ] |
Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
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1. |
Title
of each class of securities to which transaction applies: |
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2. |
Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies: |
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3. |
Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was determined): |
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4. |
Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction: |
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Fee
paid previously with preliminary materials. |
[ ] |
Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or
the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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1. |
Amount
Previously Paid: |
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2. |
Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
Filed by PL Capital
Group
On
January 9, 2008, PL Capital Group filed a letter to the stockholders of MSB Financial
Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant Rule 14a-12 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. A copy of the letter follows as part of this filing.
DO NOT VOTE FOR THE
MSB FINANCIAL CORP. STOCK BENEFIT PLANS
January 9, 2008
Dear Fellow MSB Financial
Corp. Stockholder:
You may have already received, or in
the next few days or so you should receive, a proxy statement from MSB Financial Corp.
(MSB Financial), in connection with their Annual Meeting scheduled for February 11, 2008.
In that proxy, we anticipate that MSB Financial will solicit your vote to approve certain
stock benefit plans that would allow MSB Financial to issue lucrative grants of stock
and options to the management, board and employees of MSB Financial (the Plans). If MSB
Financial puts the Plans up for stockholder approval at the Annual Meeting, as we
anticipate, then you will receive a proxy statement from the PL Capital Group opposing
approval of the Plans. It is important that you do not cast a vote on any proposal to
approve the Plans until you have an opportunity to read both PL Capitals and MSB
Financials proxy. PL Capital plans to vote AGAINST any proposal to approve the Plans
and urges you to also vote AGAINST any proposal to
approve the Plans.
Who is the PL Capital Group and why
do we oppose any proposal to approve the Plans? The PL Capital Group consists of various
investment entities which focus exclusively on investments in banks and thrifts such as
MSB Financial. The PL Capital Group beneficially owns an aggregate of 422,973 shares of
MSB Financials total outstanding common stock. PL Capital is MSB Financials
largest stockholder, excluding shares held by MSB Financial, MHC (the MHC). PL Capital
owns approximately 7.5% of MSB Financials total outstanding common stock and 16.7%
of the common stock held by the public (namely, the common stock held by stockholders
other than the MHC).
We oppose any proposal to approve the
Plans because we believe that the type of benefits that could be granted pursuant to the
Plans should be earned, not granted simply because MSB Financial is
now publicly traded. In our opinion, MSB Financial has not yet demonstrated sufficient
financial performance to justify authorizing the company to issue lucrative grants of
stock and options to its management, board and employees.
Please note that we are not
permanently opposed to approval of such Plans. We met with MSB Financials management
on several occasions in 2007 and in a recent meeting we gave them a template of actions
they should take to enhance stockholder value before we would support approval of any such
Plans. The suggested actions include:
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Earning
a Return on Equity of at least 5%; |
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Repurchasing
up to one-third of the outstanding common stock (held by the public) over the next few
years, with most of that frontloaded into the next 12-18 months while the stock price is
attractive; |
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Increasing
the cash dividend annually until such time that the payout ratio is 100%; and |
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Paying
those cash dividends to the public stockholders (with the MHC waiving the right to the
dividends, as allowed by MSB Financials regulators). |
Based upon projections prepared by
the PL Capital Group (the achievement of which cannot be assured), which were provided to
MSB Financial, we project that if MSB Financial follows the template set forth in our
projections, then the company should be able to pay a cash dividend to stockholders of
$0.36 in 2008, $0.56 in 2009, $0.88 in 2010, $1.09 in 2011 and $1.21 in 2012. We believe
that these types of actions are necessary to significantly increase long term stockholder
value and urge stockholders to vote against any proposal to approve the Plans until such
time as the company implements these actions. If MSB Financial implements these actions
aggressively in 2008, we are likely to vote for any such Plans at the next annual meeting
in 2009, but for now, we cannot support the approval of any such Plans. We hope you agree
and urge you to vote AGAINST any proposal to approve the Plans.
Any proposal to approve the Plans
would require, assuming a quorum is present, an affirmative vote of a majority of the
common stockholders who vote (other than the MHC), SO YOUR VOTE
COUNTS. The proxy materials will contain information on how to vote and
other important information. Please feel free to contact us at the number noted below with
questions or comments.
Sincerely,
/s/ Richard Lashley Richard Lashley |
/s/ John W. Palmer John W. Palmer |
Principal, PL Capital LLC |
Principal, PL Capital LLC |
466 Southern Blvd. |
20 East Jefferson Avenue |
Adams Bldg. |
Suite 22 |
Chatham, NJ 07928 |
Naperville, IL 60540 |
973-360-1666 |
630-848-1340 |
973-360-1720 (fax) |
630-848-1342 |
bankfund@aol.com |
palmersail@aol.com |
Important Information
PL Capital Group intends to file a
definitive proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
SEC) in connection with soliciting stockholders to vote against certain stock
benefit plans that PL Capital Group anticipates MSB Financial Corp. will put to a vote of
stockholders at its 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Shareholders are urged to read
the definitive proxy statement and the accompanying WHITE proxy card when they become
available, because they will contain important information about PL Capital Group, MSB
Financial Corp., the stock benefit plans being put to stockholders for approval and
related matters. Stockholders may obtain a free copy of the definitive proxy statement
(when available) and other documents filed by PL Capital Group with the SEC at the
SECs web site at www.sec.gov. The definitive proxy statement (when available) and
other related SEC documents filed by PL Capital Group with the SEC may also be obtained
free of charge from PL Capital Group.
PL Capital Group consists of the
following persons who will be participants in the solicitation from MSB Financial
Corp.s stockholders of proxies against certain stock benefit plans that PL Capital
Group anticipates MSB Financial Corp. will put to a vote of stockholders at its 2008
Annual Meeting: PL Capital, LLC; Goodbody/PL Capital, LLC; Financial Edge Fund, L.P.;
Financial Edge-Strategic Fund, L.P.; Goodbody/PL Capital, L.P.; PL Capital Advisors, LLC;
the PL Capital, LLC Defined Benefit Plan; Richard J. Lashley; Beth Lashley; Dr. Robin
Lashley; and John W. Palmer. Such participants may have interests in the solicitation,
including as a result of holding shares of MSB Financial Corp. common stock.
Information regarding the participants and their interests will be contained in the
definitive proxy statement to be filed by PL Capital Group with the SEC in connection with
MSB Financial Corp.s 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.