SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

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		o  Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12

Synovus Financial Corp.

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(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

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(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)

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Richard E. Anthony

Chairman of the Board and

Chief Executive Officer

 

March 23, 2007

 

Dear Shareholder:

 

You are cordially invited to attend our Annual Meeting of Shareholders at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, 900 Broadway, Columbus, Georgia 31901. Enclosed with this Proxy Statement are your proxy card and the 2006 Annual Report.

 

We hope that you will be able to be with us and let us give you a review of 2006. If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can listen to it live and view the slide presentation over the Internet. You can access the meeting by going to our website at www.synovus.com. Additionally, we will maintain copies of the slides and audio of the presentation to the 2007 Annual Meeting on the website for reference after the meeting.

 

Whether you own a few or many shares of stock and whether or not you plan to attend in person, it is important that your shares be voted on matters that come before the meeting. To make sure your shares are represented, we urge you to vote promptly.

 

Thank you for helping us make 2006 a good year. We look forward to your continued support in 2007 and another good year.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

Richard E. Anthony

 

SYNOVUS^®

 

NOTICE OF THE 2007 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

 

 

 

 

G. Sanders Griffith, III

Secretary

 

Columbus, Georgia

March 23, 2007

 

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, PLEASE VOTE YOUR SHARES PROMPTLY.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

PROXY STATEMENT
VOTING INFORMATION

 

Purpose

 

This Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy card are being mailed to Synovus shareholders beginning on or about March 23, 2007. The Synovus Board of Directors is soliciting proxies to be used at the 2007 Annual Meeting of Synovus Shareholders which will be held on April 25, 2007, at 10:00 a.m., at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, 900 Broadway, Columbus, Georgia. Proxies are solicited to give all shareholders of record an opportunity to vote on matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting. In the following pages of this Proxy Statement, you will find information on matters to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment of that meeting.

 

Who Can Vote

 

You are entitled to vote if you were a shareholder of record of Synovus stock as of the close of business on February 20, 2007. Your shares can be voted at the meeting only if you are present or represented by a valid proxy.

 

Quorum and Shares Outstanding

 

A majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of the outstanding shares of Synovus stock must be present, either in person or represented by proxy, in order to conduct the Annual Meeting of Synovus Shareholders. On February 20, 2007, 326,607,166 shares of Synovus stock were outstanding.

 

Proxy Card

 

The Board has designated two individuals to serve as proxies to vote the shares represented by proxies at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. If you properly submit a proxy but do not specify how you want your shares to be voted, your shares will be voted by the designated proxies in accordance with the Board’s recommendations as follows:

 

“FOR:”

 

 

and “AGAINST:”

 

 

The designated proxies will vote in their discretion on any other matter that may properly come before the meeting. At the date the Proxy Statement went to press, we did not anticipate that any other matters would be raised at the Annual Meeting.

 

Voting of Shares

 

Holders of Synovus stock are entitled to ten votes on each matter submitted to a vote of shareholders for each share of Synovus stock owned on February 20, 2007 which: (i) has had the same owner since February 20, 2003; (ii) was acquired by reason of participation in a dividend reinvestment plan offered by Synovus and is held by the same owner who acquired it under such plan; (iii) is held by the same owner to whom it was issued as a result of an acquisition of a company or business by Synovus where the resolutions adopted by Synovus’ Board of Directors approving the acquisition specifically grant ten votes per share; (iv) was acquired under any employee, officer and/or director benefit plan maintained for one or more employees, officers

and/or directors of Synovus and/or its subsidiaries, and is held by the same owner for whom it was acquired under any such plan; (v) is held by the same owner to whom it was issued by Synovus, or to whom it was transferred by Synovus from treasury shares, and the resolutions adopted by Synovus’ Board of Directors approving such issuance and/or transfer specifically grant ten votes per share; (vi) was acquired as a direct result of a stock split, stock dividend or other type of share distribution if the share as to which it was distributed was acquired prior to, and has been held by the same owner since, February 20, 2003; (vii) has been owned continuously by the same shareholder for a period of 48 consecutive months prior to the record date of any meeting of shareholders at which the share is eligible to be voted; or (viii) is owned by a holder who, in addition to shares which are owned under the provisions of (i)-(vii) above, is the owner of less than 1,139,063 shares of Synovus stock (which amount has been appropriately adjusted to reflect stock splits and with such amount to be appropriately adjusted to properly reflect any other change in Synovus stock by means of a stock split, a stock dividend, a recapitalization or otherwise). Shareholders of shares of Synovus stock not described above are entitled to one vote per share for each share. The actual voting power of each holder of shares of Synovus stock will be based on information possessed by Synovus at the time of the Annual Meeting.

 

As Synovus stock is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, Synovus stock is subject to the provisions of an NYSE rule which, in general, prohibits a company’s common stock and equity securities from being authorized or remaining authorized for trading on the NYSE if the company issues securities or takes other corporate action that would have the effect of nullifying, restricting or disparately reducing the voting rights of existing shareholders of the company. However, the rule contains a “grandfather” provision, under which Synovus’ ten vote provision falls, which, in general, permits grandfathered disparate voting rights plans to continue to operate as adopted. The number of votes that each shareholder will be entitled to exercise at the Annual Meeting will depend upon whether each share held by the shareholder meets the requirements which entitle one share of Synovus stock to ten votes on each matter submitted to a vote of shareholders. Shareholders of Synovus stock must complete the Certification on the proxy in order for any of the shares represented by the proxy to be entitled to ten votes per share. All shares entitled to vote and represented in person or by properly completed proxies received before the polls are closed at the Annual Meeting, and not revoked or superseded, will be voted in accordance with instructions indicated on those proxies.

 

SHAREHOLDERS WHO DO NOT CERTIFY ON THEIR PROXIES SUBMITTED BY MAIL, INTERNET OR PHONE THAT THEY ARE ENTITLED TO TEN VOTES PER SHARE WILL BE ENTITLED TO ONLY ONE VOTE PER SHARE.

 

Synovus Dividend Reinvestment and Direct Stock Purchase Plan:  If you participate in this Plan, your proxy card represents shares held in the Plan, as well as shares you hold directly in certificate form registered in the same name.

 

Required Votes

 

Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast, which means the 18 nominees who receive the largest number of properly executed votes will be elected as directors. Cumulative voting is not permitted. Shares that are represented by proxies which are marked “withhold authority” for the election of one or more director nominees will not be counted in determining the number of votes cast for those persons.

 

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast is needed to approve the Synovus Financial Corp. 2007 Omnibus Plan, ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as Synovus’ independent auditor for 2007 and approve the shareholder proposal regarding director election by majority vote.

 

Tabulation of Votes

 

Under certain circumstances, brokers are prohibited from exercising discretionary authority for beneficial owners who have not returned proxies to the brokers (a “broker non-vote”). In these cases, and in cases where the shareholder abstains from voting on a matter, those shares will be counted for the purpose of determining if a quorum is present, but will not be included as votes cast with respect to those matters and, therefore, will have no effect on the vote with respect to any proposal.

 

How You Can Vote

 

You may vote by proxy or in person at the meeting. To vote by proxy, you may select one of the following options:

 

Vote By Telephone:

 

You can vote your shares by telephone by calling the toll-free telephone number (at no cost to you) shown on your proxy card. Telephone voting is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Easy-to-follow voice prompts allow you to vote your shares and confirm that your instructions have been properly recorded. Our telephone voting procedures are designed to authenticate the shareholder by using individual control numbers. If you vote by telephone, you do NOT need to return your proxy card.

 

Vote By Internet:

 

You can also choose to vote on the Internet. The website for Internet voting is shown on your proxy card. Internet voting is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will be given the opportunity to confirm that your instructions have been properly recorded, and you can consent to view future proxy statements and annual reports on the Internet instead of receiving them in the mail. If you vote on the Internet, you do NOT need to return your proxy card.

 

Vote By Mail:

 

If you choose to vote by mail, simply mark your proxy card, date and sign it, sign the Certification and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided.

 

Revocation of Proxy

 

If you vote by proxy, you may revoke that proxy at any time before it is voted at the meeting. You may do this by (a) signing another proxy card with a later date and returning it to us prior to the meeting, (b) voting again by telephone or on the Internet prior to the meeting, or (c) attending the meeting in person and casting a ballot.

 

CB&T and Total System Services, Inc.

 

Synovus is the owner of all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Columbus Bank and Trust Company^® (“CB&T”). CB&T owns individually 81.1% of the outstanding shares of Total System Services, Inc.^® (“TSYS^®”), an electronic payment processing company.

 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BOARD MATTERS

 

Corporate Governance Philosophy

 

The business affairs of Synovus are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors in accordance with the Georgia Business Corporation Code, as implemented by Synovus’ Articles of Incorporation and bylaws. The role of the Board of Directors is to effectively govern the affairs of Synovus for the benefit of its shareholders and other constituencies. The Board strives to ensure the success and continuity of business through the election of qualified management. It is also responsible for ensuring that Synovus’ activities are conducted in a responsible and ethical manner. Synovus is committed to having sound corporate governance principles.

 

Independence

 

The listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange provide that a director does not qualify as independent unless the Board of Directors affirmatively determines that the director has no material relationship with Synovus. The Board has established categorical standards of independence to assist it in determining director independence which conform to the independence requirements in the NYSE listing standards. The categorical standards of independence are incorporated within our Corporate Governance Guidelines, are attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A and are also available in the Corporate Governance Section of our website at www.synovus.com/governance.

 

The Board has determined that a majority of its members are independent as defined by the listing standards of the NYSE and meet the categorical standards of independence set by the Board. Synovus’ Board has determined that the following directors are independent: Daniel P. Amos, Richard Y. Bradley, Frank W. Brumley, Elizabeth W. Camp, C. Edward Floyd (who retired as a director in 2006), T. Michael Goodrich, V. Nathaniel Hansford, John P. Illges, III (who retired as a director in 2006), Mason H. Lampton, Elizabeth C. Ogie, H. Lynn Page, J. Neal Purcell, Melvin T. Stith and William B. Turner, Jr. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” on page 46 which includes information with respect to immaterial relationships between Synovus and its independent directors. This information was considered by the Board in determining a director’s independence from Synovus under Synovus’ categorical standards of independence and the NYSE listing standards.

 

Attendance at Meetings

 

The Board of Directors held four meetings in 2006. All directors attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings held during their tenure during 2006 except James H. Blanchard. Mr. Blanchard attended all four meetings of the Board of Directors but was absent from three of the five Executive Committee meetings. The average attendance by directors at the aggregate number of Board and committee meetings they were scheduled to attend was 94%. Although Synovus has no formal policy with respect to Board members’ attendance at its annual meetings, it is customary for all Board members to attend as there is a Board meeting immediately preceding the annual meeting. All of Synovus’ directors who were serving at the time attended the 2006 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

 

Committees of the Board

 

Synovus’ Board of Directors has four principal standing committees — an Executive Committee, an Audit Committee, a Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and a Compensation Committee. Each committee has a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors that complies with the listing standards of the NYSE pertaining to corporate governance. Copies of the committee charters are available in the Corporate Governance section of our website at www.synovus.com/governance. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit, Corporate Governance and Nominating and Compensation Committees is an

independent director as defined by the listing standards of the NYSE and our Corporate Governance Guidelines. The following table shows the membership of the various committees.

 

 

Executive Committee.  Synovus’ Executive Committee held five meetings in 2006. During the intervals between meetings of Synovus’ Board of Directors, Synovus’ Executive Committee possesses and may exercise any and all of the powers of Synovus’ Board of Directors in the management and direction of the business and affairs of Synovus with respect to which specific direction has not been previously given by Synovus’ Board of Directors unless Board action is required by Synovus’ governing documents, law or rule.

 

Audit Committee.  Synovus’ Audit Committee held 11 meetings in 2006. Its Report is on page 27. The Board has determined that all four members of the Committee are independent and financially literate under the rules of the NYSE and that at least one member, J. Neal Purcell, is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The primary functions of Synovus’ Audit Committee include:

 

 

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.  Synovus’ Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee held three meetings in 2006. The primary functions of Synovus’ Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee include:

 

 

Compensation Committee.  Synovus’ Compensation Committee held six meetings in 2006. Its Report is on page 38. The primary functions of Synovus’ Compensation Committee include:

 

 

The Compensation Committee’s charter reflects these responsibilities and allows the Committee to delegate any matters within its authority to individuals or subcommittees it deems appropriate. In addition, the Committee has the authority under its charter to retain outside advisors to assist the Committee in the performance of its duties. In July 2005, the Committee retained the services of Hewitt Associates for 2005 and 2006 to:

 

 

Hewitt was engaged directly by the Committee, although the Committee also directed that Hewitt continue to work with Synovus’ management. Synovus’ Director of Human Resources and his staff develop executive compensation recommendations for the Committee’s consideration in conjunction with Synovus’ Chief Executive Officer and Chief People Officer and with the advice of Hewitt Associates.

 

Synovus’ Director of Human Resources works with the Chairman of the Committee to establish the agenda for Committee meetings. Management also prepares background information for each Committee meeting. Synovus’ Chief People Officer and Director of Human Resources attend all Committee meetings, while Synovus’ Chief Executive Officer attends some Committee meetings, such as the Committee meeting in which his performance is reviewed with the Committee or other meetings upon the request of the Committee. The Chief Executive Officer, Chief People Officer and the Director of Human Resources do not have authority to vote on Committee matters. A compensation consultant with Hewitt Associates also attends some Committee meetings upon the request of the Committee.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation.  Messrs. Hansford, Goodrich and Lampton served on the Compensation Committee during 2006. None of these individuals is or has been an officer or employee of Synovus.

 

Consideration of Director Candidates

 

Shareholder Candidates.  The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider candidates for nomination as a director submitted by shareholders. Although the Committee does not have a separate policy that addresses the consideration of director candidates recommended by shareholders, the Board does not believe that such a separate policy is necessary as Synovus’ bylaws permit shareholders to nominate candidates and as one of the duties set forth in the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee charter is to review and consider director candidates submitted by shareholders. The Committee will evaluate individuals recommended by shareholders for nomination as directors according to the criteria discussed below and in accordance with Synovus’ bylaws and the procedures described under “Shareholder Proposals and Nominations” on page 53.

 

Director Qualifications.  Synovus’ Corporate Governance Guidelines contain Board membership criteria considered by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee in recommending nominees for a position on Synovus’ Board. The Committee believes that, at a minimum, a director candidate must possess personal and professional integrity, sound judgment and forthrightness. A director candidate must also have sufficient time and energy to devote to the affairs of Synovus, be free from conflicts of interest with Synovus, must not have reached the retirement age for Synovus directors and be willing to make, and financially capable of making, the required investment in Synovus’ stock pursuant to Synovus’ Director Stock Ownership

Guidelines. The Committee also considers the following criteria when reviewing a director candidate:

 

 

Identifying and Evaluating Nominees

 

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has two primary methods for identifying director candidates (other than those proposed by Synovus’ shareholders, as discussed above). First, on a periodic basis, the Committee solicits ideas for possible candidates from a number of sources including members of the Board, Synovus executives and individuals personally known to the members of the Board. Second, the Committee is authorized to use its authority under its charter to retain at Synovus’ expense one or more search firms to identify candidates (and to approve such firms’ fees and other retention terms).

 

The Committee will consider all director candidates identified through the processes described above, and will evaluate each of them, including incumbents, based on the same criteria. The director candidates are evaluated at regular or special meetings of the Committee and may be considered at any point during the year. If based on the Committee’s initial evaluation a director candidate continues to be of interest to the Committee, the Chair of the Committee will interview the candidate and communicate his evaluation to the other Committee members and executive management. Additional interviews are conducted, if necessary, and ultimately the Committee will meet to finalize its list of recommended candidates for the Board’s consideration. One nominee for election as a director, Frederick L. Green, III, has not previously been elected by the shareholders of Synovus. Mr. Green was recommended to the Committee for consideration as a director nominee by the chief executive officer of Synovus.

 

Meetings of Non-Management and Independent Directors

 

The non-management directors of Synovus meet separately at least four times a year after each regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors. Synovus’ independent directors meet at least once a year. V. Nathaniel Hansford, Synovus’ Lead Director, presides at the meetings of non-management and independent directors.

 

Communicating with the Board

 

Synovus’ Board provides a process for shareholders and other interested parties to communicate with one or more members of the Board, including the Lead Director, or the non-management or independent directors as a group. Shareholders and other interested parties may communicate with the Board by writing the Board of Directors, Synovus Financial Corp., c/o General Counsel’s Office, 1111 Bay Avenue, Suite 500, Columbus, Georgia 31901 or by calling (800)240-1242. These procedures are also available in the Corporate Governance section of our website at www.synovus.com/governance. Synovus’ process for handling shareholder and other communications to the Board has been approved by Synovus’ independent directors.

 

Additional Information about Corporate Governance

 

Synovus has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines which are regularly reviewed by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. We have also adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics which is applicable to all directors, officers and employees. In addition, we maintain procedures for the confidential, anonymous submission of any complaints or concerns about Synovus, including complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters. Shareholders may access Synovus’ Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, each committee’s current charter, procedures for shareholders and other interested parties to communicate with the Lead Director or with the non-management or independent directors individually or as a group and procedures for reporting complaints and concerns about Synovus, including complaints concerning accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters in the Corporate Governance section of our website at www.synovus.com/governance. Copies of these documents are also available in print upon written request to the Corporate Secretary, Synovus Financial Corp., 1111 Bay Avenue, Suite 500, Columbus, Georgia 31901.

 

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

 

Director Compensation Table

 

The following table summarizes the compensation paid by Synovus to directors for the year ended December 31, 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

Director Compensation Program

 

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of Synovus is responsible for the oversight and administration of the Synovus director compensation program. The Committee’s charter reflects these responsibilities and does not allow the Committee to delegate its authority to any person other than the members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Under its charter, the Committee has authority to retain outside advisors to assist the Committee in performance of its duties. In November 2004, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee retained Mercer Human Resource Consulting to review the competitiveness of the Synovus director compensation program. Mercer was directed to develop peer groups of 15 to 20 companies against which to benchmark director compensation at Synovus and to review and compare director pay practices at Synovus to industry peer companies and to those of general industry companies, analyzing cash compensation, long-term incentive compensation and total compensation. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee also asked Mercer to overview recent director pay trends, including shifts in pay mix, equity compensation trends and changes related to increased responsibilities and liability. Mercer’s recommendations for director compensation were then presented to the Committee. In January 2005, Mercer recommended certain changes to the director compensation program at Synovus; the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee discussed and considered these recommendations and recommended to the Board that it approve the current compensation structure. The decisions made by the Committee are the responsibility of the Committee and may reflect factors and considerations other than the information and recommendations provided by Mercer. The Committee has decided to review and evaluate director compensation every two years.

 

Cash Compensation of Directors.  As reflected in the “Fees Earned or Paid in Cash” column of the Director Compensation Table above, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, directors of Synovus received an annual cash retainer of $35,000, with Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee members receiving an additional cash retainer of $5,000 and Audit Committee and Executive Committee members receiving an additional cash retainer of $10,000. In addition, the Chairpersons of the Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee received a $5,000 cash retainer, the Chairperson of the Audit Committee received a $10,000 cash retainer and the Lead Director received a $5,000 cash retainer.

 

By paying each director an annual retainer, Synovus compensates each director for his or her role and judgment as an advisor to Synovus, rather than for his or her attendance or effort at individual meetings. In so doing, directors with added responsibility are recognized with higher cash compensation. For example, members of the Audit Committee receive a higher cash retainer based upon the enhanced duties, time commitment and responsibilities of service on that committee. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee believes that this additional cash compensation is appropriate.

 

In determining the specific amounts of cash compensation, including fees for service on committees and as chairpersons of those committees, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, with the assistance of Mercer, studied cash compensation at a peer group of 23 companies in the banking industry and at 350 large industrial, financial and service organizations and set the cash compensation levels at or around the 50th percentile for such peer companies.

 

Directors may elect to defer all or a portion of their cash compensation under the Synovus Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan. The Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan does not provide directors with an “above market” rate of return. Instead, the deferred amounts are deposited into one or more investment funds at the election of the director. In so doing, the plan is designed to allow directors to defer the income taxation of a portion of their compensation and to receive an investment return on those deferred amounts. All deferred fees are payable only in cash. Each of Messrs. Amos, Floyd, Goodrich, Jones and Purcell and Ms. Camp deferred all of their cash compensation under this plan during 2006.

 

Equity Compensation of Directors.  During 2006, non-management directors also received an annual award of 500 shares of restricted Synovus stock in the form of a grant from the Synovus 2002 Long-Term Incentive Plan, 100% of which vests after three years. The Board granted these restricted stock awards to directors on February 1, 2006, the first day of the month following the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee meeting to approve director compensation for the fiscal year. These restricted stock awards are designed to create equity ownership and to focus directors on the long-term performance of Synovus.

 

Before restricted stock awards were first granted to directors in 2005, Synovus’ directors were not compensated with equity ownership in the company, other than contributions under the Director Stock Purchase Plan. With the assistance of Mercer’s market analysis, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee determined in 2005 that a competitive director compensation program needed to include a more appropriate level of equity compensation in order to align Synovus with best practices and to remain competitive with the compensation programs at peer companies. First, the Committee determined that restricted stock awards were more appropriate than the use of stock options based upon the market shift in equity pay mix at other similarly situated companies. Second, the Committee determined that a grant of 500 shares of restricted Synovus stock was appropriate by analyzing the market on equity compensation and then determining the right mix based upon a market value approach to the number of shares awarded. In so doing, the grants of restricted stock provide Synovus directors with a more balanced pay mix between cash and equity, consistent with the market trend toward equal weighting of cash and equity.

 

Synovus’ Director Stock Purchase Plan is a non-qualified, contributory stock purchase plan pursuant to which qualifying Synovus directors can purchase, with the assistance of contributions from Synovus, presently issued and outstanding shares of Synovus stock. Under the terms of the Director Stock Purchase Plan, qualifying directors can elect to contribute up to $5,000 per calendar quarter to make purchases of Synovus stock, and Synovus contributes an additional amount equal to 50% of the directors’ cash contributions. Participants in the Director Stock Purchase Plan are fully vested in, and may request the issuance to them of, all shares of Synovus stock purchased for their benefit under the Plan. Synovus’ contributions under this Plan are included in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Director Compensation Table above.

 

Synovus’ contributions under the Director Stock Purchase Plan further provide directors the opportunity to buy and maintain an equity interest in Synovus and to share in the capital appreciation of Synovus. Together, the restricted stock awards and Synovus’ contributions under the Director Stock Purchase Plan provide an appropriate, competitive amount of compensation to directors in the form of equity, putting the equity component of compensation, as well as total compensation, at or near the median for peer group companies at the time the compensation structure was approved in 2005.

 

The restricted stock awards to directors and Synovus’ contributions under the Director Stock Purchase Plan also assist and facilitate directors’ fulfillment of their stock ownership requirements. Synovus’ Corporate Governance Guidelines require all directors to accumulate over time shares of Synovus stock equal in value to at least three times the value of their annual retainer. Directors have five years to attain this level of total stock ownership but must attain a share ownership threshold of one times the amount of the director’s annual retainer within three years. These stock ownership guidelines are designed to align the interests of Synovus’ directors to that of Synovus’ shareholders and the long-term performance of Synovus.

 

Consulting Agreement.  For a discussion of James H. Blanchard’s Consulting Agreement with Synovus, see “Consulting Agreement” on page 45.

 

PROPOSALS TO BE VOTED ON

 

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” ALL NOMINEES.

 

Number

 

At the date of this Proxy Statement, the Board of Directors of Synovus consists of 18 members. As 20 board seats have been authorized by Synovus’ shareholders, Synovus has two directorships which remain vacant. These vacant directorships could be filled in the future at the discretion of Synovus’ Board of Directors. This discretionary power gives Synovus’ Board of Directors the flexibility of appointing new directors in the periods between Synovus’ Annual Meetings should suitable candidates come to its attention. Proxies cannot be voted at the 2007 Annual Meeting for a greater number of persons than the number of nominees named.

 

Nominees for Election as Director

 

The Board has nominated each of the following 18 individuals to be elected as directors at the Annual Meeting upon the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. All nominees are currently directors of Synovus and have previously been elected by the shareholders. Each director elected will serve until the next Annual Meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier retirement, resignation or removal. The Board believes that each director nominee will be able to stand for election. If any nominee becomes unable to stand for election, proxies in favor of that nominee will be voted in favor of the remaining nominees and in favor of any substitute nominee named by the Board upon the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. If you do not wish your shares voted for one or more of the nominees, you may so indicate on the proxy.

 

Following is the principal occupation, age and certain other information for each director nominee.

 

 

 

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” APPROVAL OF THE SYNOVUS FINANCIAL CORP. 2007 OMNIBUS PLAN.

 

Upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, on February 15, 2007 the Board of Directors adopted the Synovus Financial Corp. 2007 Omnibus Plan (“2007 Plan”), subject to shareholder approval. The purpose of the 2007 Plan is to advance the interests of Synovus and its shareholders through awards that give employees and directors a personal stake in Synovus’ growth, development and financial success. Awards under the 2007 Plan are designed to motivate employees and directors to devote their best interests to the business of Synovus. Awards will also help Synovus attract and retain the services of employees and directors who are in a position to make significant contributions to Synovus’ future success. Subject to approval by Synovus’ shareholders, compensation paid pursuant to the 2007 Plan is intended, to the extent reasonable, to qualify for tax deductibility under Section 162(m) (“Section 162(m)”) and Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations promulgated thereunder, as may be amended from time to time. After approval of the 2007 Plan, no further awards will be made under the Synovus 2002 and 2000 Long-Term Incentive Plans.

 

Eligibility and Participation.  Any employee of Synovus and its subsidiaries and any non-employee director of Synovus, approximately 12,625 persons, is eligible to participate in the 2007 Plan. Incentive stock options, however, may be granted only to employees. The Committee has discretion to select participants from year to year.

 

Shares Subject to the Plan.  The aggregate number of shares of Synovus stock which may be granted to participants pursuant to awards granted under the 2007 Plan may not exceed eighteen million (18,000,000) shares. Shares awarded under the 2007 Plan or the Synovus Financial Corp. 2002 and 2000 Long-Term Incentive Plans that are subsequently forfeited may also be awarded under the 2007 Plan. The maximum number of full-value awards (awards settled in stock other than stock options and stock appreciation rights) under the 2007 Plan shall be 9,000,000. As of December 31, 2006, 4,220,937 shares remain available for grant under Synovus’ 2002 and 2000 Long-Term Incentive Plans. Synovus does not anticipate granting new awards under such plans between fiscal year-end and the effective date of the 2007 Plan, except for grants of 222,879 stock options with an exercise price of $31.13 and a 10-year term and 50,909 shares of restricted stock.

 

Awards Under the 2007 Plan.  Pursuant to the 2007 Plan, Synovus may grant the following types of awards subject to the following conditions:

 

Nonqualified and Incentive Stock Options.  All stock options must have a maximum life of no more than ten years from the date of grant. At the time of grant, the Committee will determine the exercise price for any stock options. In no event, however, may the exercise price be less than 100% of the fair market value of Synovus’ common stock at the time of grant. At the time of exercise, payment in full of the exercise price will be paid in cash, shares of common stock valued at their fair market value on the date of exercise, a combination thereof, or by such other method as the Committee may determine.

 

Stock Appreciation Rights.  Stock appreciation rights offer participants the right to receive payment for the difference (spread) between the exercise price of the stock appreciation right and the market value of Synovus’ common stock at the time of redemption. The Committee may authorize payment of the spread for a stock appreciation right in the form of cash, common stock to be valued at its fair market value on the date of exercise, a combination thereof, or by such other method as the Committee may determine.

 

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units.  The Committee may award common stock to a participant as a portion of the participant’s remuneration. In doing so, the Committee, in its discretion, may impose conditions or restrictions on the award of common stock. The Committee

may also award restricted stock units which are similar to restricted stock except that no shares are actually awarded on the date of grant.

 

Performance Units or Performance Shares.  Section 162(m) generally limits to $1,000,000 the amount that a publicly held corporation may deduct for the compensation paid to its Chief Executive Officer and its four most highly compensated officers other than the Chief Executive Officer. “Qualified performance-based compensation,” however, is not subject to the $1,000,000 deduction limit. Accordingly, the 2007 Plan permits the Committee to establish performance goals consistent with Section 162(m) and authorizes the granting of cash, stock options, stock appreciation rights, common stock, other property, or any combination thereof to employees upon achievement of such established performance goals. In setting the performance goals, the Committee may use such measures as net earnings or net income (before or after taxes); earnings per share; net sales or revenue growth; net operating profit; return measures (including, but not limited to, return on assets, capital, invested capital, equity, sales, or revenue); cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow, free cash flow, cash generation, cash flow return on equity, and cash flow return on investment); earnings before or after taxes, interest, depreciation, and/or amortization; gross or operating margins; productivity ratios; share price (including, but not limited to, growth measures and total shareholder return); expense targets; margins; operating efficiency; market share; customer satisfaction; unit volume; working capital targets and change in working capital; economic value added (net operating profit after tax minus the sum of capital multiplied by the cost of capital); asset growth; non-interest expense as a percentage of total expense; loan charge-offs as a percentage of total loans; number of cardholder, merchant or other customer accounts processed or converted; and successful negotiation or renewal of contracts with new or existing customers. The performance goals may relate to the individual participant, to Synovus as a whole, or to a subsidiary, division, department, region, function or business unit of Synovus in which the participant is employed. Performance awards may be granted either alone or in addition to other grants made under the 2007 Plan.

 

Cash-Based Awards.  The Committee may grant cash-based awards to participants as determined by the Committee. Payment of the cash-based awards may be made in either cash or common stock.

 

Other Stock-Based Awards.  The Committee may grant other types of equity-based or equity-related awards. These awards may be paid in either common stock or cash.

 

Maximum Amount Payable to Any Participant.  The annual award limits of the 2007 Plan include the following:

 

Options.  The maximum aggregate number of shares subject to options granted in any one plan year to any one participant is 4,000,000 shares.

 

Stock Appreciation Rights.  The maximum number of shares subject to stock appreciation rights granted in any one plan year to any one participant is 4,000,000 shares.

 

Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units.  The maximum aggregate grant with respect to awards of restricted stock or restricted stock units in any one plan year to any one participant is 2,000,000 shares.

 

Performance Units or Performance Shares.  The maximum aggregate award of performance units or performance shares that a participant may receive in any one plan year is 2,000,000 shares if the award is payable in shares, or equal to the value of 100,000 shares if the award is payable in cash or property other than shares, determined as of the earlier of the vesting or the payout date, as applicable.

 

Cash-Based Awards.  The maximum aggregate amount awarded or credited with respect to cash-based awards to any one participant in any one plan year may not exceed $2,000,000.

 

Other Stock-Based Awards.  The maximum aggregate grant with respect to other stock-based awards in any one plan year to any one participant is 2,000,000 shares.

 

Adjustments in Connection with Certain Events.  The Committee, in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of a participant’s rights under the 2007 Plan, shall substitute or adjust the number and kind of shares that may be issued under the 2007 Plan or under particular forms of awards, the number and kind of shares subject to outstanding awards, the option price or grant price applicable to outstanding awards, the annual award limits, and other value determinations applicable to outstanding awards in the event of any corporate event or transaction such as a merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, separation, partial or complete liquidation, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split up, spin-off, or other distribution of stock or property of Synovus, combination of shares, exchange of shares, dividend in-kind, or other like change in capital structure, number of outstanding shares or distribution (other than normal cash dividends) to shareholders of Synovus, or any similar corporate event or transaction.

 

Duration of the 2007 Plan.  The 2007 Plan will become effective upon approval by Synovus’ shareholders. The 2007 Plan will terminate after 10 years or, if sooner, when all shares reserved under the 2007 Plan have been issued. At any time, the Board of Directors may terminate the 2007 Plan. The termination of the 2007 Plan will not affect outstanding awards in any way.

 

Administration.  The 2007 Plan will be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Members of the Committee are appointed by the Board of Directors from among its members and may be removed by the Board of Directors in its discretion.

 

The Committee has broad discretion to construe, interpret and administer the 2007 Plan, to select the individuals to be granted Plan awards, to determine the number of shares to be subject to each Plan award, and to determine the terms, conditions and duration of each award. The Committee’s decisions will be conclusive, final and binding upon all parties. No member of the Committee will be liable for any action or determination made with respect to the 2007 Plan or any award granted under the 2007 Plan. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Synovus will indemnify the members of the Committee against reasonable expenses incurred in connection with any action taken against them with respect to the 2007 Plan or any award granted under the Plan.

 

Amendment of the 2007 Plan.  The Committee may amend, modify, suspend or terminate the 2007 Plan at any time except that no amendment, modification, suspension or termination may adversely affect an existing award under the 2007 Plan without the affected participant’s consent. In addition, no amendment, modification, suspension or termination shall be made which would reprice, replace or regrant through cancellation, or which would lower the option price of a previously granted option or the grant price of a previously granted stock appreciation right without the approval of shareholders. Moreover, under NYSE listing standards the 2007 Plan cannot be materially amended without the approval of shareholders.

 

Change in Control.  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at grant, in the event of a change in control of Synovus, as defined in the 2007 Plan, the vesting of any outstanding awards granted under the 2007 Plan will be accelerated and all such awards will be fully exercisable.

 

Federal Tax Consequences of the 2007 Plan.  The following discussion of the federal income tax consequences of awards granted under the 2007 Plan is intended only as a summary of the present federal income tax treatment of awards. These laws are highly technical and are subject to change at any time. This summary does not discuss the tax consequences of a participant’s death, or the provisions of the income tax laws of any municipality, state or foreign country in which a participant may reside.

 

Nonqualified Stock Options.  Nonqualified stock options granted under the 2007 Plan will not be taxable to a participant at grant but generally will result in taxation at exercise, at which time the participant will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the difference between the option’s exercise price and the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date. Synovus

will be entitled to deduct a corresponding amount as a business expense in the year the participant recognizes this income.

 

Incentive Stock Options.  An employee will generally not recognize ordinary income on receipt or exercise of an incentive stock option so long as he or she has been an employee of Synovus or its subsidiaries from the date the incentive stock option was granted until three months before the date of exercise; however, the amount by which the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date exceeds the exercise price is an adjustment in computing the employee’s alternative minimum tax in the year of exercise. If the employee holds the shares of common stock received on exercise of the incentive stock option for one year after the date of exercise (and for two years from the date of grant of the incentive stock option), any difference between the amount realized upon the disposition of the shares and the amount paid for the shares will be treated as long-term capital gain (or loss, if applicable) to the employee. If the employee exercises an incentive stock option and satisfies these holding period requirements, Synovus may not deduct any amount in connection with the incentive stock option. If an employee exercises an incentive stock option but engages in a “disqualifying disposition” by selling the shares acquired on exercise before the expiration of the one and two-year holding periods described above, the employee generally will recognize ordinary income (for regular income tax purposes only) in the year of the disqualifying disposition equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise over the exercise price; and any excess of the amount realized on the disposition over the fair market value on the date of exercise will be taxed as long- or short-term capital gain (as applicable). If, however, the fair market value of the shares on the date of disqualifying disposition is less than on the date of exercise, the employee will recognize ordinary income equal only to the difference between the amount realized on the disqualifying disposition and the exercise price. In either event, Synovus will be entitled to deduct an amount equal to the amount constituting ordinary income to the employee in the year of the disqualifying disposition.

 

Stock Appreciation Rights.  To the extent that the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 are met, there are no immediate tax consequences to a participant when a stock appreciation right is granted. When a participant exercises the right to the appreciation in fair market value of shares represented by a stock appreciation right, payments made in common stock are normally includable in the participant’s gross income for regular income tax purposes. Synovus will be entitled to deduct the same amount as a business expense in the same year. The includable amount and corresponding deduction each equal the fair market value of the common stock payable on the date of exercise.

 

Restricted Stock.  The recognition of income from an award of restricted stock for federal income tax purposes depends on the restrictions imposed on the shares. Generally, taxation will be deferred until the first taxable year the shares are no longer subject to substantial risk of forfeiture. At the time the restrictions lapse, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the then fair market value of the stock. The participant may, however, make an election to include the value of the shares in gross income in the year of award despite such restrictions. Generally, Synovus will be entitled to deduct the fair market value of the shares transferred to the participant as a business expense in the year the participant includes the compensation in income.

 

Restricted Stock Units.  Generally, a participant will not recognize ordinary income until common stock, cash, or other property become payable under the restricted stock unit, even if the award vests in an earlier year. Synovus will generally be entitled to deduct the amount the participant includes in income as a business expense in the year of payment.

 

Performance Units/ Performance Shares.  As stated above, the performance units and performance shares awarded under the 2007 Plan are intended to be “qualified performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) and, therefore, deductible by Synovus when the employee recognizes ordinary income. Employees under the 2007 Plan incur no income tax

liability upon the initial grant of performance units or performance shares. At the end of the performance or measurement period, however, employees realize ordinary income on any amounts received in cash or common stock. Any subsequent appreciation on the common stock is treated as a capital gain.

 

Cash-Based Awards/Other Stock-Based Awards.  Any cash payments or the fair market value of any common stock or other property a participant receives in connection with cash-based awards or other stock-based awards are includable in income in the year received or made available to the participant without substantial limitations or restrictions. Generally, Synovus will be entitled to deduct the amount the participant includes in income as a business expense in the year of payment.

 

Deferred Compensation.  All awards under the 2007 Plan must satisfy the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to avoid adverse tax consequences to participants.

 

Additional Information.  In the event the 2007 Plan is terminated, participants under the 2007 Plan will retain all rights to their awards in accordance with the terms of the awards.

 

In the event of a termination of service by a participant, the Committee will determine the length of time that the participant has to exercise a stock option or stock appreciation right and the extent to which the participant can retain the rights to restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance units, performance shares, cash-based awards, and other stock-based awards.

 

The Committee may provide for the payment of dividends on shares of common stock granted in connection with awards or dividend equivalents with respect to any shares of common stock subject to an award that have not actually been issued under the award.

 

New Plan Benefits.  The following table shows grants of restricted stock and stock options in Synovus stock that would have been made under the 2007 Plan for fiscal year 2006 had the 2007 Plan been in effect:

 

NUMBER OF SHARES SUBJECT
TO AWARDS GRANTED

 

 

 

 

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

The table below provides information as of December 31, 2006 concerning the shares of Synovus stock that may be issued under existing equity compensation plans of Synovus.

 

 

 

 

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP AS THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR.

 

The Audit Committee has appointed the firm of KPMG LLP as the independent auditor to audit the consolidated financial statements of Synovus and its subsidiaries for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007 and Synovus’ internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007. Representatives of KPMG will be present at the Annual Meeting with the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from shareholders present at the meeting. Although shareholder ratification of the appointment of Synovus’ independent auditor is not required by our bylaws or otherwise, we are submitting the selection of KPMG to our shareholders for ratification to permit shareholders to participate in this important corporate decision. If not ratified, the Audit Committee will reconsider the selection, although the Audit Committee will not be required to select a different independent auditor for Synovus.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “AGAINST” THE SHAREHOLDER’S PROPOSAL.

 

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters Pension Fund (“Fund”), which is the beneficial owner of approximately 5,000 shares of Synovus stock, has made a timely request that the following proposal, which the Fund intends to present for consideration at the 2007 Annual Meeting, be included in this Proxy Statement. The Fund has advised Synovus that a representative of the Fund intends to be present at the Annual Meeting to present this proposal for consideration. The proposal and related supporting statement are set forth below exactly as received by Synovus. The Fund’s request was submitted by Douglas J. McCarron, Fund Chairman, 101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

 

Shareholder Resolution:

 

“Resolved: That the shareholders of Synovus Financial Corp. (“Company”) hereby request that the Board of Directors initiate the appropriate process to amend the Company’s articles of incorporation to provide that director nominees shall be elected by the affirmative vote of the majority of votes cast at an annual meeting of shareholders, with a plurality vote standard retained for contested director elections, that is, when the number of director nominees exceeds the number of board seats.”

 

Shareholder Supporting Statement:

 

“In order to provide shareholders a meaningful role in director elections, our company’s director election vote standard should be changed to a majority vote standard. A majority vote standard would require that a nominee receive a majority of the votes cast in order to be elected. The standard is particularly well-suited for the vast majority of director elections in which only board nominated candidates are on the ballot. We believe that a majority vote standard in board elections would establish a challenging vote standard for board nominees and improve the performance of individual directors and entire boards. Our Company presently uses a plurality vote standard in all director elections. Under the plurality vote standard, a nominee for the board can be elected with as little as a single affirmative vote, even if a substantial majority of votes cast are “withheld” from the nominee.

 

In response to strong shareholder support for a majority vote standard in director elections, an increasing number of companies, including Intel, Dell, Motorola, Texas Instruments, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Home Depot, Gannett, Marathon Oil and Supervalu, have adopted a majority vote standard in company bylaws. Additionally, these companies have adopted bylaws or policies to address post-election issues related to the status of director nominees that fail to win election. Our Company has not established a majority vote standard in Company bylaws, opting only to establish a post-election director resignation governance policy. The Company’s director resignation policy simply addresses post-election issues, establishing a requirement for directors to tender their resignations for board consideration should they receive more “withhold” votes than “for” votes. We believe that these director resignation policies, coupled with the continued use of a plurality vote standard, are a wholly inadequate response to the call for the adoption of a majority vote standard.

 

We believe the establishment of a meaningful majority vote policy requires the adoption of a majority vote standard in the Company’s governance documents, not the retention of the plurality vote standard. A majority vote standard combined with the Company’s current post-election director resignation policy would provide the board a framework to address the status of a director nominee who fails to be elected. The combination of a majority vote standard with a post-election policy establishes a meaningful right for shareholders to elect directors, while

reserving for the board an important post-election role in determining the continued status of an unelected director.

 

We urge the board to adopt a majority vote standard.”

 

Board of Directors’ Statement in Opposition:

 

Synovus believes that adherence to sound corporate governance policies and practices is important to ensuring that Synovus is governed and managed with the highest standards of responsibility, ethics and integrity and in the best interests of its shareholders. Synovus currently elects its directors by a plurality standard, meaning that the nominees who receive the most affirmative votes are elected to the Board. This method of voting, which is permissible under Georgia law and is the predominant method currently in use among U.S. public companies, has served Synovus well for many years. In fact, in no instance can it be found that plurality voting prevented Synovus shareholders from either electing the directors they wanted to elect or otherwise expressing their dissatisfaction with any particular director or the Board as a whole.

 

Synovus believes it would not be in the best interests of its shareholders to change the method by which directors are elected for the following reasons:

 

The Fund’s proposal is unnecessary to achieve sound corporate governance at Synovus. Synovus has demonstrated its commitment to implementing best corporate governance practices and its openness to shareholder input regarding potential directors and governance. For example, in the area of director elections, the Board amended Synovus’ Corporate Governance Guidelines in January 2006 to provide that in an uncontested election, any nominee for director who receives a greater number of votes “withheld” from his or her election than votes “for” such election must promptly tender his or her resignation. This guideline further provides for a process by which such director’s resignation is either accepted or rejected by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board. (See Appendix B of this Proxy Statement for the full text of this provision of the Corporate Governance Guidelines). Many public companies have adopted similar resignation policies to address the issue with the belief that a resignation policy best maximizes shareholder access and sound corporate governance.

 

In addition, Synovus amended its Articles of Incorporation and bylaws in 2006 to declassify the Board so that each director is subject to shareholder approval on an annual basis. Furthermore, Synovus maintains a director nomination and election process that is designed to give due regard to shareholder nominees. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has a process for consideration of shareholder nominees, and the Board maintains a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. The Board believes that these mechanisms, not the process requested by the Fund’s proposal, provide the best foundation for a strong and effective Board and excellence in corporate governance.

 

Given the current state of applicable corporate law and practice, the Fund’s proposal for majority voting for directors may have unintended negative consequences. The Board believes that while conceptually the Fund’s proposal seems simple, implementation of the proposal would establish a potentially disruptive vote requirement that the Board does not believe is reasonable or in the best interests of Synovus’ shareholders. For example, the Fund’s proposal does not address what would happen if one or more incumbent directors fail to receive a majority of the votes cast. Georgia law provides that despite the expiration of a director’s term, such director continues to serve until a successor is elected and qualified or until there is a decrease in the number of directors. Therefore, under the Fund’s proposal, an incumbent director who does not receive a majority of the votes cast would nonetheless remain in office until such person’s successor was elected and qualified, absent resignation or removal from the Board. We believe that this “failed election” situation would not reflect the views of shareholders who have chosen to exercise their right to vote for the directors of their choice at the annual meeting.

 

In addition, the plurality voting standard is the methodology known to and understood by shareholders and used by corporations that have been identified as leaders in corporate governance reforms. While majority voting has recently been adopted by a minority of companies, it continues to be a relatively uncertain, untested voting standard. Because of this uncertainty, combined with the negative consequences of failed elections, the American Bar Association recently reaffirmed that plurality voting is and should be the default standard for director elections. After careful consideration and thoughtful study, the American Bar Association found that the potential detriments that could be caused by changing plurality voting as the voting standard outweigh any potential advantages of adopting majority voting.

 

Moreover, it is possible that the unpredictability described above could deter the most qualified individuals from agreeing to serve as director candidates, whether nominated by the Board or a shareholder. This may then deprive Synovus of continued service by valued members of our Board, including directors with excellent qualifications and performance.

 

A further consequence of the Fund’s proposal may be to unnecessarily increase the cost of soliciting shareholder votes. If the Fund’s proposal is approved, the Board may need to employ proactive telephone solicitations, subsequent mailings or other vote-procuring strategies to obtain shareholder approval in future elections. The Board believes this would not be a good expenditure of Synovus’ funds in connection with director elections.

 

The Board believes that Synovus’ existing voting standard is fair, democratic and impartial and serves the best interests of its shareholders. The outcome of Synovus’ election process would not have been different in any given year if the proposed majority voting standard had been used. Furthermore, the Board believes that the quality of its directors has a far greater impact on Synovus’ governance than the voting standard used to elect them.

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

The following table sets forth the name, age and position with Synovus of each executive officer of Synovus.

 

 

 

 

 

STOCK OWNERSHIP OF DIRECTORS

AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

The following table sets forth ownership of shares of Synovus stock by each director, each executive officer named in the Summary Compensation Table and all directors and executive officers as a group as of December 31, 2006.

 

 

 

 

In addition, the other executive officers of Synovus had rights to acquire an aggregate of 170,192 shares of Synovus stock within 60 days through the exercise of stock options, and had an aggregate of 27,927 shares of Synovus stock that were pledged, including shares held in margin accounts.

 

 

For a detailed discussion of the beneficial ownership of TSYS stock by Synovus’ named executive officers and directors and by all directors and executive officers of Synovus as a group, see “TSYS Stock Ownership of Directors and Management” on page 51.

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

 

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is comprised of four directors, each of whom the Board has determined to be an independent director as defined by the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. The duties of the Audit Committee are summarized in this Proxy Statement under “Committees of the Board” on page 4 and are more fully described in the Audit Committee charter adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

One of the Audit Committee’s primary responsibilities is to assist the Board in its oversight responsibility regarding the integrity of Synovus’ financial statements and systems of internal controls. Management is responsible for Synovus’ accounting and financial reporting processes, the establishment and effectiveness of internal controls and the preparation and integrity of Synovus’ consolidated financial statements. KPMG LLP, Synovus’ independent auditor, is responsible for performing an independent audit of Synovus’ consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and issuing opinions on whether those financial statements are presented fairly in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, on management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and on the effectiveness of Synovus’ internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the compensation, appointment and oversight of KPMG LLP. The function of the Audit Committee is not to duplicate the activities of management or the independent auditor, but to monitor and oversee Synovus’ financial reporting process.

 

In discharging its responsibilities regarding the financial reporting process, the Audit Committee:

 

 

Based upon the review and discussions referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements referred to above be included in Synovus’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

The Audit Committee
J. Neal Purcell, Chair
Elizabeth W. Camp
H. Lynn Page
Melvin T. Stith

 

KPMG LLP Fees and Services

 

The following table presents fees for professional audit services rendered by KPMG LLP for the audit of Synovus’ annual consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005 and fees billed for other services rendered by KPMG during those periods. All amounts include fees for services provided to TSYS by KPMG.

 

 

 

 

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval

 

The Audit Committee has the responsibility for appointing, setting the compensation for and overseeing the work of Synovus’ independent auditor. In recognition of this responsibility, the Audit Committee has established a policy to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent auditor in order to assure that the provision of these services does not impair the independent auditor’s independence. Synovus’ Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy addresses services included within the four categories of audit and permissible non-audit services, which include Audit Services, Audit Related Services, Tax Services and All Other Services.

 

The annual audit services engagement terms and fees are subject to the specific pre-approval of the Audit Committee. In addition, the Audit Committee must specifically approve permissible non-audit services classified as All Other Services.

 

Prior to engagement, management submits to the Committee for approval a detailed list of the Audit Services, Audit Related Services and Tax Services that it recommends the Committee engage the independent auditor to provide for the fiscal year. Each specified service is allocated to the appropriate category and accompanied by a budget estimating the cost of that service. The Committee will, if appropriate, approve both the list of Audit Services, Audit Related Services and Tax Services and the budget for such services.

 

The Committee is informed at each Committee meeting as to the services actually provided by the independent auditor pursuant to the Pre-Approval Policy. Any proposed service that is not separately listed in the Pre-Approval Policy or any service exceeding the pre-approved fee levels must be specifically pre-approved by the Committee. The Audit Committee has delegated pre-approval authority to the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Chairman must report any pre-approval decisions made by him to the Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

 

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

 

Introduction

 

The following Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) describes our compensation program for the executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table on page 39 (“named executive officers”). Specifically, the CD&A addresses:

 

 

For information about the Compensation Committee and its charter, its processes and procedures for administering executive compensation, the role of compensation consultants and other governance information, please see “Committees of the Board” on page 4.

 

Compensation Philosophy and Overview

 

Synovus has established a compensation program for our executives that is competitive, performance-oriented and designed to support our strategic goals. The goals and objectives of our compensation program are described below.

 

Synovus’ executive compensation program is designed to compete in the markets in which we seek executive talent. We believe that we must maintain a competitive compensation program that allows us to recruit top level executive talent and that will prevent our executives from being recruited from us. Our compensation program is also designed to be performance-oriented. A guiding principle in developing our compensation program has been “average pay for average performance — above-average pay for above-average performance.” As a result, a significant portion of the total compensation of each executive is at risk based on short and long-term performance. Because of our emphasis on performance, we also believe that compensation generally should be earned by executives while they are actively employed and can contribute to Synovus’ performance.

 

Synovus’ compensation program is also designed to support corporate strategic goals, including growth in earnings and growth in shareholder value. As described in more detail below, earnings growth is the primary driver of our short-term incentive program and growth in shareholder value is the primary driver of our long-term incentive program. Synovus believes that the high degree of performance orientation and the use of goals based upon growth in earnings and growth in shareholder value in our incentive plans aligns the interests of our executives with the interests of our shareholders. In addition, Synovus has adopted stock ownership guidelines and a “hold until retirement” provision in connection with our equity compensation programs, which further align our executives’ interests with the interests of our shareholders.

 

Primary Elements of Compensation

 

There are three primary elements of compensation in Synovus’ executive compensation program: base pay, short-term incentive compensation and long-term incentive compensation. Short-term and long-term incentive compensation are tied directly to performance. Short-term incentive compensation is based upon Synovus’ fundamental operating performance measured over a one-year period, while long-term incentive compensation is based upon Synovus’ total shareholder return measured over a three-year period. Synovus has not established a specific targeted “mix” of compensation between base pay and short-term and long-term incentives. However, both short-term and long-term incentives are based upon percentages or multiples of base pay. If both short-term and long-term incentives are paid at target, long-term incentives are the largest portion of an executive’s total compensation package. For example, if short-term and long-term incentives are paid at target, long-term incentives would constitute almost fifty percent of an executive’s total compensation package, thereby illustrating our emphasis on performance and growth in shareholder value.

 

Base Pay.  Base pay is seen as the amount paid to an executive for performing his or her job on a daily basis. To ensure that base salaries are competitive, Synovus targets base pay at the median (e.g., the 50th percentile) of the market for similarly situated positions, based upon each executive’s position and job responsibilities. The market used by Synovus for benchmarking base pay is banks with similar asset size as Synovus. From a list of competitor banks, Synovus selects the 12 banks with higher asset size and the 12 banks with lower asset size as the appropriate companies against which to benchmark base pay (the “Peer Companies”). For 2006, the Peer Companies were: AmSouth Bancorporation, Associated Banc-Corp., Bok Financial Group, City National Corp., Colonial Bancgroup, Inc., Comerica Inc., Commerce Bancorp, Inc., Commerce Bancshares, Inc., Compass Bancshares, Inc., First Citizens BancShares, Inc., First Horizon National Corp., Fulton Financial Corp., Huntington Bancshares, Inc., Marshall & Ilsley Corp., Mellon Financial Corp., Mercantile Bankshares Corp., Popular, Inc., Sky Financial Group, Inc., The South Financial Group, Inc., TCF Financial Corp., TD Banknorth Inc., Unionbancal Corp., Valley National Bancorp. and Zions Bancorporation.

 

When establishing base salaries, the Committee compares each executive’s current base pay to the market median for that position using proxy information from the Peer Companies. For certain positions for which there is no clear market match in the benchmarking data, Synovus uses a blend of two or more positions from the benchmarking data. The Committee also reviews changes in the benchmarking data from the previous year. The Committee then uses this data to establish a competitive base salary for each executive. For example, an executive whose base salary is below the benchmarking target for his or her position may receive a larger percentage increase than an executive whose base salary exceeds the benchmarking target for his or her position.

 

In addition to market comparisons of similar positions at the Peer Companies, individual performance may affect base pay. For example, an executive whose performance is not meeting expectations may receive no increase in base pay or a smaller base pay increase in a given year. On the other hand, an executive with outstanding performance may receive a larger base pay increase or more frequent base pay increases.

 

Base pay is not directly related to Synovus’ performance, except over the long term since asset size is used in benchmarking base pay against the Peer Companies. Comparison of an executive’s base salary to the base salaries of other Synovus executives may also be a factor in establishing base salaries, especially with respect to positions for which there is no clear market match in the base pay benchmarking data. For 2006, all of the base pay increases for the named executive officers were calculated taking into account the market data described above as well as existing base salaries, the 2006 merit budget, internal pay equity, individual performance, experience, time in position and retention needs.

 

Because of the process we use to establish base pay, large increases in base pay generally occur only when an executive is promoted into a new position. For example, as the result of Mr. Green’s promotion to President and Chief Operating Officer during 2006, Mr. Green’s base pay was increased from $390,000 to $500,000 using the process and factors described above.

 

Short-Term Incentives.  In addition to base salary, our executive compensation program includes short-term incentive compensation. We have elected to pay short-term incentive compensation in order to (1) provide an incentive for executives to meet our short-term earnings growth goals, and (2) ensure a competitive compensation program given the marketplace prevalence of short-term incentive compensation.

 

Our short-term incentive program is tied directly to our fundamental operating performance measured over a one-year period. Each year, the Committee establishes a target for earnings per share (“EPS”) growth. The target is generally set at the EPS growth guidance that has been publicly disclosed by Synovus. A target goal of 100% equates to a “market” award, which is a typical short-term incentive award for similar positions at the Peer Companies, expressed as a percentage of base salary. Actual short-term incentive targets for 2006 were set taking into account median market data at the Peer Companies, as well as existing incentive targets, internal pay equity, individual performance and retention needs. The target short-term incentive percentage for Mr. Anthony is 100% of base salary, the target short-term incentive percentage for Mr. Green is 85% of base salary and the target short-term incentive percentage for Synovus’ other named executive officers is 70% of base salary.

 

The amount of a short-term incentive award can range from zero to 200% of a target grant in accordance with a schedule approved by the Committee each year. For 2006, the Committee approved the following schedule:

 

 

Although the target EPS growth goal set by the Committee is generally based upon the initial EPS guidance which has been publicly disclosed by Synovus calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), from time to time the target percentages are based on non-GAAP EPS growth percentages for purposes of determining short-term incentive compensation because of unusual events that could occur during the year. These events include changes in accounting and regulatory standards, changes in tax rates and laws, charges for corporate or workforce restructurings, acquisitions and divestitures and expenses or income associated with the conversion or deconversion of a major TSYS customer. In 2006, the target EPS growth goal under the short-term incentive payout schedule was made more difficult by the amount of the net financial impact of the deconversion of Bank of America’s consumer credit card portfolio from TSYS.

 

As is common practice in the market, short-term incentives are paid in a lump-sum cash payment as soon as practicable in the year following the performance year, usually no later than

January 31. Under the short-term incentive plan, the Committee has the right to exercise downward discretion and reduce the amount that would otherwise be awarded under the above schedule. For example, the short-term incentive awards can be reduced to reflect individual or business unit performance, to exclude unanticipated, non-recurring gains, or for affordability (reduced in order to fund another expense, such as other incentive compensation or retirement plans).

 

The short-term incentive awards for 2006 are set forth in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table. The 2006 short-term incentive awards would have been paid at 200% of target based upon the bonus payout schedule approved by the Committee (Synovus had a 16% increase in EPS for 2006). Based upon affordability, however, the Committee approved bonus awards at 175% of target.

 

Long-Term Incentives.  Our executive compensation program also includes long-term incentive compensation, which is paid in equity in Synovus. We have elected to pay long-term incentive compensation in order to: (1) provide an incentive for our executives to provide exceptional shareholder return to Synovus’ shareholders by tying a significant portion of their compensation opportunity to growth in shareholder value, (2) align the interests of executives with shareholders by awarding executives equity in Synovus, and (3) ensure a competitive compensation program given the market prevalence of long-term incentive compensation.

 

Synovus’ long-term incentive plan awards equity to executives based upon Synovus’ performance, as measured by total shareholder return (“TSR”), over a three-year period. We use a three-year period to measure performance for purposes of our long-term incentive awards in order to reduce the impact of unusual events that may occur in a given year.

 

Under Synovus’ long-term incentive program, TSR is measured in two ways: (1) absolute TSR, and (2) TSR compared to Synovus’ competitors. TSR for each measurement period is calculated by dividing Synovus’ stock price appreciation and dividends paid by the beginning stock price. We use both measures of shareholder return because we believe shareholders are interested both in how Synovus’ shareholder return compares to its competitors, as well as their actual return on their investment. The competitors, for purposes of long-term incentives, are the banks in the Keefe, Bruyette and Woods 50 Index (“KBW 50”). Synovus selected the KBW 50, which is a published banking index, for awarding long-term incentives to ensure that the companies are chosen by an independent third party and to provide consistency from year to year in the assessment of long-term performance for incentive purposes.

 

The amount of long-term incentives awarded to executives each year is based upon a performance grid approved by the Committee. The performance grid has been in place substantially in its current form for over a decade. This grid is reproduced below showing the absolute TSR over the three preceding calendar years as the horizontal measurement and the percentile performance of Synovus against the KBW 50 over the three preceding calendar years as the vertical measurement.

 

Payout as a Percent of Target

 

 

 

 

The award percentages in the performance grid are multiplied by the amount of a target long-term incentive award, which is expressed as a percentage of base salary at the time the award is made. Actual long-term incentive targets are established taking into account market median data at the Peer Companies, as well as existing incentive targets, internal pay equity, individual performance and retention needs. The target long-term incentive percentage for Mr. Anthony is 200% of base salary, the target long-term incentive percentage for Mr. Green is 175% of base salary and the target long-term incentive percentage for Synovus’ other named executive officers is 150% of base salary.

 

Synovus believes that there are advantages and disadvantages to every form of equity award. As a result, awards payable under the performance grid are generally paid 50% in restricted stock and 50% in stock options, but the Committee has the discretion to vary the form of the award as needed for accounting, tax or other reasons. The 50%/50% “split” in equity awarded is based upon the estimated overall value of the award as of the date of grant (a stock option is estimated to be equal to one-third the value of a restricted stock award).

 

In the event that Synovus’ TSR falls within the bottom left-hand corner of the payout grid (i.e., Synovus’ annualized TSR is less than 4% and is also less than the 30th percentile compared to the KBW 50) for a particular year, executives will be awarded 50% of a target long-term incentive award, awarded solely in Synovus stock options, issued at fair market value (i.e., closing price) on the date of the award. The Committee believes that executives should receive a stock option grant even if Synovus’ TSR falls within this category because competitor companies would make such a grant and the stock price must appreciate from that point in order for the executive to benefit from the grant.

 

Because the Committee may take action to approve equity awards on or near the date that Synovus’ annual earnings are released, the Committee has established the last business day of the month in which earnings are released as the grant date for equity awards to ensure that the annual earnings release has time to be absorbed by the market before equity awards are granted and stock option exercise prices are established. Synovus released its annual earnings on January 18, 2006. The Committee met on January 18, 2006 to approve stock option and restricted stock awards to the named executive officers effective January 31, 2006. As a result, the grant date for long-term incentive awards (stock options and restricted stock awards) was January 31, 2006. The closing price of Synovus stock on January 31, 2006 was used as the exercise price for stock options and to determine the FAS 123(R) accounting expense and was also used for disclosure in the compensation tables in this Proxy Statement.

 

In 2006, long-term incentive equity awards were granted to Synovus’ named executive officers pursuant to the above grid based upon the 2003-2005 performance period. For this performance period, Synovus’ annualized TSR was 14.73% and Synovus’ TSR was in the 49th percentile of the KBW 50. Under the grid, this resulted in a long-term incentive award equal to 140% of target. The equity awards made to Synovus’ named executive officers in 2006 are set forth in the “All Other Stock Awards” and “All Other Option Awards” columns in the Grant of Plan-Based Awards Table. The Committee granted all of the named executive officers 50% stock options and 50% restricted stock awards, except for Mr. Blanchard. Mr. Blanchard was awarded 100% stock options because he had announced his retirement during 2006 and, as a result of his retirement, he would not vest in restricted stock awards.

 

In addition to the annual long-term incentive awards awarded pursuant to the performance grid described above, the Committee has granted other long-term incentive awards in certain circumstances. For example, the Committee made restricted stock awards grants to Messrs. Anthony and Green in 2005 to reflect their promotions and to serve as a vehicle for retaining their services in their new roles. The award to Mr. Green vests 20% a year for five years based upon continued service. Although the grant to Mr. Anthony was awarded primarily for retention,

the Committee approved a performance-based grant to link his award to a threshold level of performance. The award to Mr. Anthony vests over a five to seven year period. The Committee establishes performance measures each year during the seven year vesting period and, if the performance measure is attained for a particular year, 20% of the award vests. The performance measure established for 2006 was 75% of the EPS target established under Synovus’ short-term incentive plan.

 

The Committee also awarded “challenge grant” stock options to Mr. Blanchard in 1999 and 2000, and to Messrs. Anthony, Prescott and Griffith and Ms. James in 2000. The challenge grants were significant in size, with Mr. Blanchard receiving a combined grant of 1,500,000 stock options and the other named executive officers each receiving a grant of 400,000 stock options. The challenge grants were designed to provide these executives with an incentive for exceptional growth in shareholder return, as well as to retain the services of the executives who received the grants for a significant period of time. The challenge grants vest in equal installments if the fair market value of Synovus stock exceeds $40, $45 and $50 per share. The challenge grants vested on September 12, 2006 for Mr. Blanchard because of his length of service. In addition, the challenge grants will vest on June 29, 2007 for the other executives if the stock price targets are not attained prior to such date, provided the executives remain in the continuous employment of Synovus through such date.

 

Benchmarking

 

As described above, Synovus benchmarks base salaries and “market” short-term and long-term incentive target awards with the Peer Companies. Synovus also benchmarks total compensation (base salary, short-term incentives and long-term incentives) of its executives. Synovus uses the Peer Companies for benchmarking total compensation, as well as external market surveys. Synovus uses a three-year look back of the total compensation benchmark data to reduce the impact of short-term fluctuations in the data which may occur from year to year. When reviewing the total compensation benchmarking data, Synovus focuses on total compensation opportunities, not necessarily the amount of compensation actually paid, which varies depending upon Synovus’ performance results due to the program’s performance orientation. For example, over the past five years, Synovus’ long-term incentive awards have been below target for three of the five years, at target for one year and above-target for one year. Although these awards result in compensation amounts for Synovus’ executives that could be considered below market in total, the Committee believes the amount of compensation paid to its executives is appropriate given Synovus’ shareholder return during this five-year period.

 

Perquisites

 

Perquisites are a very small part of our executive compensation program. Perquisites are not tied to performance of Synovus. Perquisites are offered to align our compensation program with competitive practices because similar positions at Synovus’ competitors offer similar perquisites. The perquisites offered by Synovus are set forth in footnotes (5), (6) and (7) of the Summary Compensation Table. Considered both individually and in the aggregate, we believe that the perquisites we offer to our named executive officers are reasonable and appropriate.

 

Employment Agreements

 

Synovus does not generally use employment agreements with respect to its executives, except in unusual circumstances. For example, Synovus entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Blanchard in 1999 in order to ensure his continued service for a seven-year period. Under the agreement, which expired on September 13, 2006, we provided Mr. Blanchard with $468,000 in deferred compensation, payable to him over a 15 year period following his retirement. The deferred compensation paid to Mr. Blanchard during 2006 is reflected in the “All Other Compensation” column in the Summary Compensation Table. No other named executive officers have employment agreements.

 

Retirement Plans

 

Our compensation program also includes retirement plans designed to provide income following an executive’s retirement. We have chosen to use defined contribution retirement plans because we believe that defined benefit plans are difficult to understand, difficult to communicate, and contributions to defined benefit plans often depend upon factors that are beyond Synovus’ control, such as the earnings performance of the assets in such plans compared to actuarial assumptions inherent in such plans. Synovus offers three qualified defined contribution retirement plans to its employees: a money purchase pension plan, a profit sharing plan and a 401(k) savings plan.

 

The money purchase pension plan has a fixed 7% of compensation employer contribution every year. The profit sharing plan and any employer contribution to the 401(k) savings plan are tied directly to Synovus’ performance. There are opportunities under both the profit sharing plan and the 401(k) savings plan for employer contributions of up to 7% of compensation based upon the achievement of EPS growth goals. For 2006, Synovus’ named executive officers received a contribution of 7% of compensation under the profit sharing plan and 2% of compensation under the 401(k) savings plan based upon Synovus’ performance. The retirement plan contributions for 2006 are included in the “All Other Compensation” column in the Summary Compensation Table.

 

In addition to these plans, the Synovus/TSYS Deferred Compensation Plan (“Deferred Plan”) replaces benefits lost under the qualified plans due to legal limits imposed by the IRS. The Deferred Plan does not provide “above market” interest. Instead, participants in the Deferred Plan can choose to invest their accounts among mutual funds that are generally the same as the mutual funds that are offered in the 401(k) savings plan. The executives’ Deferred Plan accounts are held in a rabbi trust, which is subject to claims by Synovus’ creditors. The employer contribution to the Deferred Plan for 2006 for named executive officers is set forth in the “All Other Compensation” column in the Summary Compensation Table and the earnings on the Deferred Plan accounts during 2006 for named executive officers is set forth in the “Aggregate Earnings in Last FY” column in the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table and in the “All Other Compensation” column in the Summary Compensation Table.

 

Post-Termination Compensation Philosophy

 

Synovus’ compensation program is designed to reflect Synovus’ philosophy that compensation generally should be earned while actively employed. Although retirement benefits are paid following an executive’s retirement, the benefits are earned while employed and are substantially related to performance as described above. Synovus has entered into limited post-termination arrangements when appropriate, such as the consulting agreement for Mr. Blanchard or the change of control agreements, both of which are described in the “Potential Payouts Upon Termination or Change of Control” section.

 

Synovus decided to enter into a Consulting Agreement with Mr. Blanchard to provide for a smooth and orderly transition upon Mr. Blanchard’s retirement, and to avail itself of Mr. Blanchard’s knowledge and experience obtained during his 35 years of employment with Synovus.

 

Synovus chose to enter into change of control arrangements with its executives: (1) to ensure the retention of executives and an orderly transition during a change of control, (2) to ensure that executives would be financially protected in the event of a change of control so they continue to act in the best interests of Synovus while continuing to manage Synovus during a change of control, and (3) to ensure a competitive compensation package because such arrangements are common in the market and it was determined that such agreements were important in recruiting executive talent. During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, the Committee reviewed the change of control arrangements and determined that certain provisions were not in line with the Committee’s philosophy or market practice. As a result, the change of control agreements for the named executive officers were amended at the beginning of 2005 to: (1) toughen the definition of

a “change of control” from a merger in which the former shareholders of Synovus own less than two-thirds (2/3) of the surviving company to a merger in which less than sixty percent (60%) of the surviving company is owned by the former shareholders, (2) implement a “double trigger” (as described below) in order for benefits to be paid under the agreements, thereby eliminating the ability of an executive to trigger benefits by voluntarily resigning during the 13^th month following a change of control, (3) extend the time during which an executive can receive benefits under the agreement upon an involuntary termination without cause or a voluntary termination for good reason from one year to two years, and (4) provide that a gross-up for excise taxes only occurs if the total change of control payments exceed 110% of the applicable IRS cap. A “double trigger” means that two events must occur in order for benefits to be paid: (1) a change of control, and (2) a termination of employment (actual or constructive) within two years following the change of control. The Committee specifically chose a “double trigger” form of agreement because the Committee believed that “double trigger” agreements provided executives with sufficient financial protection in the event of a change of control and because “double trigger” agreements were the prevalent market practice.

 

Stock Ownership/Retention Guidelines

 

To align the interests of its executives with shareholders, Synovus has implemented stock ownership guidelines for its executives. Under the guidelines, executives are required to maintain either five, four or three times the amount of their base salary in Synovus stock. Synovus’ Chief Executive Officer is required to maintain five times his base salary, the President four times his base salary and the other executive officers three times their base salaries. The guidelines are recalculated at the beginning of each calendar year. The guideline was initially adopted January 1, 2004 and executives had a five-year grace period to fully achieve the guideline with an interim three-year goal. Until the guideline is achieved, executives are required to retain all net shares received upon the exercise of stock options, excluding shares used to pay the option’s exercise price and any taxes due upon exercise. In the event of a severe financial hardship, the guidelines permit the development of an alternative ownership plan by the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Compensation Committee. All executives are currently in compliance with the guideline.

 

Synovus has also adopted a “hold until retirement” provision. Under this provision, executives that have attained the stock ownership guidelines described above are also required to retain ownership of 50% of all stock acquired through Synovus’ equity compensation plans (after taxes and transaction costs) until their retirement or other termination of employment. The “hold until retirement” provision applies to all unexercised stock options and unvested restricted stock awards. Synovus believes that the “hold until retirement” requirement further aligns the interests of its executives with shareholders.

 

Tally Sheets

 

The Committee has reviewed tally sheets for each of Synovus’ named executive officers. The tally sheets add up all forms of compensation for each officer and also provide estimates of the amounts payable to each executive upon the occurrence of potential future events, such as a change of control, retirement, voluntary or involuntary termination, death and disability. The tally sheets are used to provide the Committee with total compensation amounts for each executive so that the Committee can determine whether the amounts are reasonable or excessive. Although the tally sheets are not used to benchmark total compensation with specific companies, the Committee considers total compensation paid to executives at other companies in considering the reasonableness of our executives’ total compensation. After reviewing the tally sheets, the Committee determined that the total compensation amounts are fair, reasonable and competitive.

 

Other Policies

 

Restatements.  Synovus does not have a formal policy regarding the recovery of awards or payouts in the event the financial statements upon which Synovus’ performance measurements are based are restated or otherwise adjusted in a manner that could reduce the size of an award. Synovus believes that the decision of whether a recovery is appropriate would depend upon the facts and circumstances surrounding the restatement or adjustment.

 

Tax Considerations.  We have structured most forms of compensation paid to our executives to be tax deductible. For example, Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m) limits the deductibility of compensation paid by a publicly-traded corporation to its Chief Executive Officer and four other highest paid executives for amounts in excess of $1 million, unless certain conditions are met. The base salaries of all of our named executive officers are tax-deductible because they are less than $1 million. In addition, the short-term and long-term incentive plans have been approved by shareholders and awards under these plans are designed to qualify as “performance-based” compensation to ensure deductibility under Code Section 162(m). We reserve the right to provide compensation which is not tax-deductible, however, if we believe the benefits of doing so outweigh the loss of a tax deduction. The only form of executive compensation not currently tax-deductible by Synovus is the personal use of corporate aircraft. We believe that a small amount of personal use each year is an appropriate perquisite for our executives, despite the loss of a tax deduction.

 

In general, Synovus does not “gross-up” its officers for taxes that are due with respect to their compensation. An example of an exception to this rule is for excise taxes that may be due with respect to the change of control agreements, as described above.

 

Accounting Considerations.  We account for all compensation paid in accordance with GAAP. The accounting treatment has generally not affected the form of compensation paid to named executive officers.

 

Board Fees.  Our executives who serve on the Boards of Directors of Synovus and its subsidiaries are paid the same cash director fees as those paid to non-executive directors and are also entitled to participate in Synovus’ Director Stock Purchase Plan, which is described under “Equity Compensation of Directors.” However, directors who are also executives do not receive the equity compensation that is granted to non-executive directors of Synovus and TSYS. Although paying cash director fees to “inside” executives who serve on Boards of Directors is not the prevalent market practice, it has been the historical practice at Synovus for many years and constitutes a small portion of affected executive’s total compensation amount. These amounts are included in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table.

 

Conclusion

 

For the reasons described above, we believe that each element of compensation offered in our executive compensation program, and the total compensation delivered to each named executive officer, is fair, reasonable and competitive.

 

Significant Events After December 31, 2006

 

The Committee granted stock options and restricted stock awards to Synovus’ named executive officers effective January 31, 2007 in accordance with the performance grid discussed under “Long-Term Incentives” above. The awards, which were made based upon Synovus’ TSR for the 2004-2006 performance period, were made at 50% of target. Messrs. Anthony, Prescott, Green and Griffith and Ms. James were each granted stock option awards of 38,475, 12,825, 14,876, 14,551 and 13,230 shares, respectively, at an exercise price of $31.93, the closing price of Synovus stock on January 31, 2007. In addition, Messrs. Anthony, Prescott, Green and Griffith and Ms. James were each granted restricted stock awards of 12,825, 4,275, 4,959, 4,850 and 4,410 shares, respectively, effective January 31, 2007. The stock options and restricted stock awards vest over a three year period, in equal annual installments of one-third each, on

January 31, 2008, January 31, 2009 and January 31, 2010. The awards will be described in detail in next year’s Proxy Statement.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

 

Synovus’ Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management and, based on such review and discussions, has recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

 

The Compensation Committee

V. Nathaniel Hansford, Chair

T. Michael Goodrich

Mason H. Lampton

SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

 

The table below summarizes the compensation for each of the named executive officers for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.

 

The named executive officers were not entitled to receive payments which would be characterized as “Bonus” payments for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006. The short-term incentive amounts paid to the named executives are set forth in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column. Synovus’ methodology and rationale for short-term incentive compensation are described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis above.

 

The named executive officers did not receive any compensation that is reportable under the “Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings” column because, as described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, Synovus has no defined benefit pension plans and does not pay above-market interest on deferred compensation. The 2006 retirement plan contributions and earnings for the named executive officers are set forth in the “All Other Compensation” column.

 

 

 

GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
for the Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

The table below sets forth the short-term incentive compensation (payable in cash) and long-term incentive compensation (payable in the form of restricted stock awards and stock options) awarded to the named executive officers for 2006.