Compliance Leader CCH Eases Stock Plan Administration

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., June 22, 2001) – Human resource professionals in publicly-traded businesses realize that stock options and stock purchase plans are essential elements in their companies’ compensation systems, but they also know, all too well, that keeping track of the many bits of plan-related information needed by their own organizations, regulators and participants can be a heavy administrative burden.

To help those who administer option and stock purchase plans do their jobs more quickly and accurately, CCH INCORPORATED (CCH), a leading provider of human resources information and compliance tools, has developed powerful new software – SEC Compliance Desktop: Stock Options and SEC Compliance Desktop: Employee Stock Purchase Plans – that helps assure accurate plan administration with a minimum of effort.

Powerful Capabilities

The Stock Options module makes it easy for administrators to create multiple plans with multiple grant types, multiple vesting schedules, exercise types and dispositions. Several valuation models are built into the module. Tax rates can be entered for each participant, and taxes are automatically calculated.

Similarly, with the Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPP) module, administrators can easily create and administer multiple plans of differing offering types.

The system recognizes the $100,000 ISO limitation when adding new grants or editing existing ones. It also tracks the $25,000 limit in ESPPs, even when a participant is concurrently enrolled in multiple plans.

To satisfy a variety of internal and external clients, the modules can produce over 100 distinct reports, including information for participants, internal reports for treasury and human resources, broker and transfer agent correspondence, tax, proxy, FAS 123 and valuation reports.

A module security feature allows the administrator to control levels of user access to individual modules. This gives the organization the ability to spread the different functions of the administration across different users or even across different departments.

In addition, the Stock Option and ESPP modules:

Provide an intuitive data entry process that is easy to learn and use.
Limit access to authorized users through built-in security features.
Automatically flow required Section 16 information to Forms 3, 4 and 5 (if separate Section 16 module is purchased.)
Accommodate all types of exercises, including cash, same-day sales, stock swaps and SARs.
Accommodate the creation and calculation of virtually any type of vesting schedule, including vesting for restricted stock.
Provide global automatic grant repricing – with an "undo" feature to permit easy error correction.
Automatically perform all transactions relating to termination, including reversal of termination transactions if needed.
Allow designation of a captive broker.
Store subsidiary information as well as eight additional classification fields and permit filtering by them.
Store actual and forecasted dividend amounts.
Report dividends due on restricted stock.
Protect against "effective repricings."
Permit creation of hypothetical, "what if" transactions, including multiple valuation calculations.
Track restricted stock issued from exercise of unvested options and project release from escrow.

Features Save Time, Ensure Accuracy

The software becomes "smarter" the more it is used—once a piece of information is entered, it doesn’t have to be entered again when a new plan or transaction has to be recorded. Instead, the data already in the system is called up instantly and entered on new reporting forms. There are also picklists designed into the system wherever possible to speed data entry whenever possible, and provide extensive error-checking to minimize the possibility of an incorrect entry.

The modules also are designed to accommodate a maximum of flexibility in administering plans, while at the same time eliminating unnecessary, duplicative effort. The system, which is extremely adaptable and powerful, minimizes drudgery but ensures accurate administration that complies with legal requirements and makes it easy to provide useful information about plans to many interested parties inside and outside of the company.

The new modules are the most recent addition to CCH’s SEC Compliance Desktop. The SEC Desktop modules readily import spreadsheet or payroll data. A spreadsheet-style display facilitates data manipulation during the import process.

System Requirements

The SEC Compliance Desktop runs under Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or NT on a Pentium 166 or better microprocessor and 32-bit technology for optimal performance.

The program requires 28 MB of free disk space exclusive of data files, a CD-ROM compatible with MSCDEX and SVGA monitor or better.

Availability and Pricing

Modules are priced individually to allow maximum flexibility and discounts apply when multiple modules are purchased. In addition to an online tutorial and extensive, context-sensitive help, the subscription price includes on-site or telephone training, all customer service calls and all updates. For complete pricing information, contact your CCH Sales Representative at 888 CCH REPS (1-888-224-7377) or visit http://business.cch.com.

About CCH INCORPORATED

CCH INCORPORATED, founded in 1913, has served four generations of business professionals and their clients. The company produces approximately 700 print and electronic products for securities, tax, legal, banking, securities, human resources, health care and small business markets. CCH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer North America. The CCH web site can be accessed at www.cch.com. The CCH Health and Human Resources group web site can be accessed at http://hr.cch.com.

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