Peter Nutz

About Peter Nutz

Peter Nutz is EVP and Chief Credit Officer of California Bank of Commerce, N.A., age 61, serving since March 2022 with 30+ years in credit risk across U.S. and international banking, agribusiness finance, and restructuring . He holds a Master’s in Probability Theory & Combinatorics (University of Minnesota) and a master’s in Mathematics & Economics (Universität Ulm) . As operating context, BCAL returned to profitability in 2025: Q3 net income was $15.684 million and YTD nine months net income was $46.636 million versus losses in 2024, with diluted EPS of $0.48 (Q3) and $1.42 (nine months) . Executive incentive metrics at BCAL include pre-tax, pre-provision revenue and asset quality, plus strategic and risk management objectives, aligning pay with sustainable performance .

Past Roles

External Roles

Fixed Compensation

Not specifically disclosed for Mr. Nutz (not a Named Executive Officer in 2024). BCAL’s executive pay program components are: base salary set relative to market ranges, annual bonus under a Management Incentive Plan tied to company performance, long-term equity (discretionary grants under the Omnibus Plan), and standard benefits . Stock-based compensation expense company-wide was $1.5 million in Q3 2025 and $4.5 million YTD 2025, indicating active equity-based pay broadly across executives and staff .

Performance Compensation

Notes:

• BCAL’s CNG Committee assesses executives using both financial (e.g., pre-tax, pre-provision revenue and asset quality) and non-financial measures (strategic and risk management) to align incentives with sustainable performance .
• Restricted stock units generally vest 1–5 years; the Omnibus Plan provides for accelerated vesting if there is a change of control .

Equity Ownership & Alignment

• Individual beneficial ownership for Mr. Nutz is not listed in the 2025 proxy table; executives as a group (21 persons) beneficially owned 4,814,881 shares, or 14.84% of the class (includes 25,000 options and 8,348 RSUs vesting within 60 days) .
• Stock ownership guidelines: Executive Chair/CEO must hold ≥3x base salary; other executive officers ≥1x base salary; compliance expected within 3 years for new executives .
• Anti-hedging prohibits hedges/short sales; pledging requires Chief Legal Officer approval; as of the proxy date, no outstanding pledges by directors or executive officers .
• 2019 Omnibus Equity Plan: up to 3.4 million shares authorized; options expire ≤10 years; accelerated vesting upon certain change-in-control events; RSUs typically vest over 1–5 years .

Insider Trading and Vesting Activity (Form 4 filings)

Third-party aggregator indicates an “A – Award” transaction of 944 shares and direct holdings of 34,768 shares in one record (use with caution; rely on official EDGAR for definitive counts) .

Employment Terms

• Change-in-control agreements: On March 26, 2025, BCAL entered into change-in-control agreements with executive officers providing lump-sum severance (1–2x sum of base salary, average bonus, and average equity awards over prior three years), pro-rated current-year bonus at maximum metrics, and full vesting of equity awards (performance awards vest at target); explicitly cited examples include CFO and President at 2x and a 24-month protection period . The proxy does not specifically enumerate Mr. Nutz’s agreement; terms apply to executive officers broadly as described .
• Clawback policy: Company will recoup incentive compensation paid on financials later restated; applies for three years preceding the restatement and can recover gains on equity award vesting/exercise/sale .

Investment Implications

• Pay-for-performance alignment is supported by clear incentive metrics (asset quality, pre-provision revenue) and a robust clawback regime, reducing moral hazard risk .
• Ownership alignment is positive: executive ownership guidelines and anti-hedging with tightly controlled pledging; no pledges outstanding limit alignment red flags .
• Retention risk appears mitigated at the firm level through change-in-control agreements and multi-year RSU vesting schedules; however, Mr. Nutz’s individual severance terms are not explicitly disclosed, constraining precision on his personal retention economics .
• Insider activity shows multiple Form 4s in 2024–2025 consistent with RSU grants/vests and administrative updates; absence of disclosed open-market sales in available summaries suggests limited near-term selling pressure, though exact share counts require EDGAR parsing per filing .

Key gaps: Base salary, bonus targets/actuals, and individual ownership detail for Mr. Nutz are not disclosed in the proxy; rely on ongoing Form 4 filings for precise tracking.

Citations: Executive officer roster and biography; age and background.
EPS and net income reconciliation; repurchase details.
Executive compensation structure and incentive metrics.
Stock-based compensation plan narrative and expense; RSU vesting convention and change-of-control acceleration.
2019 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan details and change-in-control provisions.
Beneficial ownership table (group holdings).
Stock ownership guidelines and clawback policy.
Anti-hedging and pledging policy; no pledges outstanding.
2024 proxy biography with historical roles.
Form 4 links:
Aggregator reference: