Paul J. Blanchet, III
Director at HBCP
Board
About Paul J. Blanchet, III
Home Bancorp independent director; Age 70; director since 2002. A certified public accountant and retired partner of Broussard Poche’ LLP (retired August 2018; continues as an associate for special projects). Serves as Audit Committee Chair and is designated the Board’s Audit Committee Financial Expert. Tenure spans over two decades on HBCP’s board.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broussard Poche’ LLP | Partner (retired Aug 2018); associate thereafter (special projects) | 40+ years accounting/finance experience; retired 2018 | Audited banks/businesses; expertise cited as rationale for audit committee financial expert designation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed in HBCP’s 2025 Proxy |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Mr. Blanchet is independent under Nasdaq listing standards.
- Committee assignments and leadership:
- Audit Committee: Chair; designated Audit Committee Financial Expert. Audit met 16 times in 2024.
- Compensation Committee: Member. Committee met 1 time in 2024.
- Nominating Committee: Not listed as a member.
- Board activity and attendance:
- Board met 7 times in 2024; no director attended fewer than 75% of aggregate board/committee meetings.
Fixed Compensation
Director fees are paid by Home Bank (not separately by Home Bancorp). Annual retainer $22,000; $800 per Board meeting; $550 per Committee meeting; Chairs receive +$100/meeting; $400 Christmas gift in 2024.
| Component (Director pay – 2024) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | $44,200 |
| Stock Awards (grant-date fair value) | $22,494 |
| All Other Compensation (Christmas gift) | $400 |
| Total | $67,094 |
Performance Compensation
- Directors receive equity grants but the proxy does not disclose performance-based metrics for director compensation; equity is reported as grant-date fair value of stock awards.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed |
| Compensation Committee interlocks in 2024 | None; no member was a current/former officer; no interlocks reported |
| Related-person transactions | None requiring disclosure beyond ordinary-course director/officer loans; all performing per policy (see Related Party section below) |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Certified Public Accountant; retired audit partner with extensive bank audit experience.
- Audit Committee Financial Expert designation by the Board.
- Independence under Nasdaq standards.
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Detail | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (as of Mar 24, 2025) | 72,715 shares (includes securities exercisable/RSUs vesting within 60 days) |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | <1% (“*” per proxy) |
| Jointly held with spouse | 12,000 shares |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | — (none indicated for director) |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days (included above) | 470 |
| RSUs outstanding (unvested) at 12/31/2024 | 1,760 |
| Shares pledged as collateral | None indicated; proxy states “unless otherwise indicated, … none of the shares are pledged.” |
| Director stock ownership guidelines | Non-employee directors expected to own ≥$150,000 of stock (or ≥6,000 shares if price ≤$25); Company states directors currently satisfy guidelines |
Potential Conflicts & Related-Party Exposure
- Ordinary-course loans: The Bank extends credit to directors in the ordinary course on market terms; as of 12/31/2024, no loans to directors/executives/family were non-accrual, past due, restructured, or problem loans.
- Review protocol: OCC rules require disclosure/recusal on matters where a director has an interest; approval requires a majority of non-interested directors.
- Plan trust voting discretion: Trustees (including Blanchet) vote certain plan trust shares (2009 Recognition and Retention Plan Trust) in their discretion; not included in personal beneficial totals.
- Insider trading/hedging: Directors must pre-clear trades; hedging generally prohibited unless pre-cleared by the Board per Insider Trading Policy.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Long-tenured independent director with deep audit/accounting expertise; serves as Audit Chair and designated financial expert; strong board/committee engagement (board met 7 times; Audit met 16 times; no attendance shortfalls reported); meaningful personal ownership and compliance with stock ownership guidelines.
- Watch items: Very long tenure (director since 2002) can raise independence/perception questions for some investors; trustees’ discretionary voting over plan trust shares centralizes some voting influence among a subset of directors (including Blanchet), though such trust holdings are not counted in personal beneficial ownership.