As filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on April 16, 2019

 

Registration No. 333-_______

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

FIFTH THIRD BANCORP

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

     
Ohio   31-0854434

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

38 Fountain Square Plaza

Cincinnati, Ohio 45263

(Address, including zip code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

 

Fifth Third Bancorp 2019 Incentive Compensation Plan

(Full title of the plan)

 

Saema Somalya, Esq.

Fifth Third Bancorp

38 Fountain Square Plaza

MD 10909F

Cincinnati, Ohio 45263

(513) 534-4300

(Name, address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

With a copy to:

 

Christopher England, Esq.

Fifth Third Bancorp

38 Fountain Square Plaza

MD 10909F

Cincinnati, Ohio 45263

(513) 534-4300

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

             
Large accelerated filer     Accelerated filer  
       
Non-accelerated file     Smaller reporting company  
       
Emerging growth company          

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

 

 

Calculation of Registration Fee

 

                 
 

Title of securities

to be registered

 

Amount 

to be
registered(1)

  Proposed
maximum
offering price
per share (2)
 

Proposed
maximum
aggregate

offering price(2)

 

Amount of

registration fee

Common Stock, no par value per share   40,000,000 shares   $27.41   $1,096,400,000.00   $132,883.68
 
 

  

(1) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), this registration statement covers such additional shares as may be issued by reason of stock splits, stock dividends, or other similar transaction effected without the receipt of consideration that results in an increase in the number of outstanding shares of Fifth Third Common Stock.
(2) Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and 457(h)(1), based upon the average of the $27.76 (high) and $27.06 (low) sale prices of Fifth Third Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on April 15, 2019, which date is within five business days prior to filing this Registration Statement.

 
 
 

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) is filed by Fifth Third Bancorp (the “Company” or the “Registrant”), to cover shares of common stock, with no par value per share (“Common Stock”), of the Registrant authorized for issuance under the Fifth Third Bancorp 2019 Incentive Compensation Plan.

 

PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

ITEMS 1 AND 2. Plan Information; Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

 

The documents containing the information specified in Parts I and II of Form S-8 have been or will be sent or given to participants in the Plan as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act. Such documents need not be filed with the Commission either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424. These documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this Form, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act. See Rule 428(a)(1).

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

ITEM 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

The following documents, as filed with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof:

 

  (1) the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018;
     
  (2) the Registrant’s current reports on Form 8-K filed after the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018;
     
  (3) the Registrant’s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on March 6, 2019; and
     
  (4) the description of the Registrant’s Common Stock contained in the Registrant’s registration statement filed under the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.
     

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the date hereof and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing such documents, except for information furnished in any such filings, which information is not deemed filed and is not incorporated by reference herein.

 

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

ITEM 4. Description of Securities.

 

Not Applicable.

 

 

 

 

ITEM 5.

Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
     

Section 1701.13(E) of the Ohio Revised Code provides that a corporation may indemnify or agree to indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative, other than an action by or in the right of the corporation, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability company, or a partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit, or proceeding, if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if he had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit, or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, that he had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.

 

Section 1701.13(E)(2) further specifies that a corporation may indemnify or agree to indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending, or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability company, or a partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorney’s fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any of the following: (a) any claim, issue, or matter as to which such person is adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the corporation unless, and only to the extent, that the court of common pleas or the court in which such action or suit was brought determines, upon application, that, despite the adjudication of liability, but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court of common pleas or such other court shall deem proper; and (b) any action or suit in which the only liability asserted against a director is pursuant to Section 1701.95 of the Ohio Revised Code concerning unlawful loans, dividends and distribution of assets.

 

In addition, Section 1701.13(E)(5)(a) requires a corporation to pay any expenses, including attorney’s fees, of a director in defending an action, suit, or proceeding referred to above as they are incurred, in advance of the final disposition of the action, suit, or proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director in which he agrees to both (i) repay such amount if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence in a court of competent jurisdiction that his action or failure to act involved an act or omission undertaken with deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or undertaken with reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation and (ii) reasonably cooperate with the corporation concerning the action, suit, or proceeding.

 

The indemnification provided by Section 1701.13(E) shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under the articles of incorporation or code of regulations of the Registrant.

 

The code of regulations of the Registrant provides that the Registrant shall indemnify each director and each officer of the Registrant, and each person employed by the Registrant who serves at the written request of the President of the Registrant as a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, to the full extent permitted by Ohio law, subject to the limits of applicable federal law and regulation. The Registrant may indemnify assistant officers, employees and others by action of the Board of Directors to the extent permitted by Ohio law, subject to the limits of applicable federal law and regulation.

 

The Registrant carries directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage which insures its directors and officers and the directors and officers of its subsidiaries in certain circumstances.

 

ITEM 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.  

 

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 8. Exhibits.

 

The list of exhibits is set forth under “Exhibit Index” immediately preceding the signature pages hereto and is incorporated by reference herein.

 

ITEM 9. Undertakings.

 

(a) Rule 415 Offering

 

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

(i)To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

 

(ii)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of a prospectus filed with Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and

 

(iii)To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

 

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this Item do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

 

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

 

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(b) Filings Incorporating Subsequent Exchange Act Documents By Reference

 

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c) Indemnification

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions referred to in Item 6, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy

 

 

 

as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

     

Exhibit
No. 

 

Description 

   
4.1   The Second Amended Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant, filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Ohio on July 3, 1989 and as subsequently amended on June 3, 2014 and effective June 3, 2014 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K (Commission File No. 001-33653) filed with the Commission on June 5, 2014).
     
4.2   Code of Regulations of the Registrant, as amended as of September 14, 2014 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 001-33653) filed with the Commission on September 17, 2014).
     
4.3   Fifth Third Bancorp 2019 Incentive Compensation Plan (filed herewith).
   
5.1   Opinion of Thompson Hine LLP (filed herewith).
   
23.1   Consent of Thompson Hine LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1 and filed herewith).
   
23.2   Consent of Independent Registered Accounting Firm (filed herewith).
   
24.1   Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement).

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form S-8 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Cincinnati, State of Ohio on April 16, 2019.

 

     
    FIFTH THIRD BANCORP
     
  By:

/s/ Greg D. Carmichael

    Greg D. Carmichael
    Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints GREG D. CARMICHAEL, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all annexes and exhibits thereto and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done and hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorney-in-fact, or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 16th day of April, 2019.

 

         
Name       Title
     

/s/ Greg D. Carmichael

Greg D. Carmichael

 

     

Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

     

/s/ Tayfun Tuzun

Tayfun Tuzun

 

      Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
     

/s/ Mark D. Hazel

Mark D. Hazel

 

     

Senior Vice President and Controller

(Principal Accounting Officer)

     

/s/ Nicholas K. Akins

Nicholas K. Akins

 

      Director
     

 

B. Evan Bayh III

 

      Director
     

/s/ Jorge L. Benitez

Jorge L. Benitez

 

      Director

 

 

         

/s/ Katherine B. Blackburn

      Director
Katherine B. Blackburn        
     

/s/ Emerson L. Brumback

Emerson L. Brumback

      Director
     

/s/ Jerry W. Burris

Jerry W. Burris

      Director
     

/s/ C. Bryan Daniels

C. Bryan Daniels

 

      Director

/s/ Thomas H. Harvey

Thomas H. Harvey

     

Director

     

/s/ Gary R. Heminger

Gary R. Heminger

      Director
     

/s/ Jewell D. Hoover

Jewell D. Hoover

      Director
     

/s/ Eileen A. Mallesch

Eileen A. Mallesch

      Director
     
 

Michael B. McCallister

      Director
     

/s/ Marsha C. Williams

Marsha C. Williams

 

      Director