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Mark M. Harrison

About Mark M. Harrison

Independent director of Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana (HFBL); age 66; serves on the board since 2007. Owner of House of Carpets and Lighting, a floor coverings and lighting fixtures business in Shreveport, Louisiana, since September 2007; described as bringing substantial business and entrepreneurial experience and community ties (including service as a director of the Home Builders Association of Northwest Louisiana) . The Board has determined Mr. Harrison is independent under Nasdaq rules .

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
House of Carpets and Lighting (Shreveport, LA)OwnerSince Sep 2007Local business leadership; community ties cited in board biography
HFBL Board of DirectorsDirectorSince 2007Provides entrepreneurial perspective; long-tenured board member

External Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
Home Builders Association of Northwest LouisianaDirectorNot disclosedLocal industry association; enhances community/market insight

Board Governance

  • Independence: The Board determined Messrs. Harrison, Lawrence, Wilhite and Dr. Trawick are independent; Mr. Barlow (CEO/Chair) is not independent .
  • Board leadership: CEO James R. Barlow also serves as Chairman, with the Board citing unity of vision and regulated operations as mitigants to potential conflicts .
  • Meetings: Board met 10 times in FY ended June 30, 2025; except for Dr. Trawick (73.0%), all directors attended ≥75% of board and committee meetings during their service period .
  • Annual meeting attendance: All directors attended the November 20, 2024 annual meeting (in person or by telephone) .
CommitteeMembershipChairFY2025 MeetingsNotes
Audit CommitteeMark M. Harrison; Timothy W. Wilhite; Scott D. LawrenceScott D. Lawrence6Board determined no SEC-defined “financial expert” on Audit Committee; members meet Nasdaq financial background standards
Compensation CommitteeMark M. Harrison; Thomas S. Trawick, Jr.; Timothy W. WilhiteMark M. Harrison6Sets CEO/CFO and senior management compensation; administers stock/incentive plans
Nominating & Corporate GovernanceScott D. Lawrence; Thomas S. Trawick, Jr.; Timothy W. WilhiteTimothy W. Wilhite1Reviews qualifications and recommends director nominees

Fixed Compensation

ComponentFY2025 Amount/TermsSource
Fees earned or paid in cash$26,100 (Harrison)
Meeting fees – Board$2,400 per regular meeting; increased to $2,900 per meeting starting July 2025
Committee meeting fees$150 per meeting (Audit, Compensation, ALCO, Executive)
Special meeting feesNot paid

Performance Compensation

ComponentFY2025 Amount/StatusVesting/TermsSource
Option awards (grant-date value)$16,250 (Harrison)Plan-based; options outstanding detailed below
Stock awards (grant-date value)$0 (Harrison)Stock awards outstanding detailed below
Outstanding stock awards800 shares (Harrison)Unvested awards under legacy plans; all unvested plan share awards vest on Nov 11, 2025
Outstanding option awards32,000 options (Harrison, total outstanding)Options under 2014/2019 plans; 28,000 exercisable within 60 days of record date

Performance metrics linkage:

  • HFBL’s 2025 Stock Incentive Plan permits performance share awards for employees and directors, with potential goals including net income/EPS, ROA/ROE/TSR, net interest metrics, expense/efficiency ratio, loans/deposits growth, market share, asset quality, share price, regulatory capital, and other financial objectives; awards can be set in absolute or relative terms versus peers/indices .
  • Proxy discloses no performance-conditioned equity awards granted/used for FY2025 director compensation; legacy stock and option awards vest at no faster than 20% per year, with acceleration upon death, disability, or change-in-control .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Company/OrganizationPublic Company?RoleCommitteesPotential Interlock/Conflict
Home Builders Association of Northwest LouisianaNoDirectorNot disclosedTrade association role; no interlocks with HFBL competitors/suppliers disclosed

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Substantial business/entrepreneurial experience as owner of a local carpet and lighting business; community involvement via the Home Builders Association .
  • Independent director, Compensation Committee chair, Audit Committee member; brings oversight over executive pay and financial reporting .
  • Board notes local market knowledge and business management skills as core credentials in director bios .

Equity Ownership

HolderShares Beneficially Owned% of Common StockBreakdown/Notes
Mark M. Harrison76,0602.5%Includes 1,822 shares held by spouse and 5,466 shares in IRA
Stock awards (vesting within 60 days of record date)800Included in beneficial ownership per footnote methodology
Stock options (exercisable within 60 days)28,000Exercisable options counted in beneficial ownership percentage
Stock options (total outstanding)32,0004,000 not yet exercisable within 60 days
Shares pledged as collateralNone disclosed for HarrisonNo pledge noted in Harrison’s footnote; pledge noted only for Mr. Barlow

Insider Trades and Section 16 Compliance

ItemDetailSource
Late Section 16 filingMr. Harrison was late filing one Form 4 for one transaction in FY ended June 30, 2024

Governance Assessment

  • Committee leadership and engagement: Harrison chairs the Compensation Committee (6 meetings in FY2025) and serves on Audit (6 meetings), indicating meaningful involvement in pay oversight and financial reporting .
  • Independence and attendance: Board classifies Harrison as independent; except for one director at 73.0%, all directors met ≥75% attendance thresholds; annual meeting attendance was universal in 2024 .
  • Ownership alignment: Harrison beneficially owns 76,060 shares (2.5% of outstanding), plus 28,000 options currently exercisable; no pledged shares disclosed for him, supporting alignment without leverage risk .
  • Director pay structure: Cash fees ($26,100) and option awards ($16,250) for FY2025; board raised per-meeting fees from $2,400 to $2,900 starting July 2025; committee fees remain modest at $150 per meeting .
  • RED FLAGS:
    • CEO also serves as Chairman, elevating potential conflicts; Board cites unity of vision as rationale, but investors often prefer a separate or lead independent role .
    • Audit Committee lacks an SEC-defined “financial expert,” although members meet Nasdaq financial/accounting background standards .
    • One late Form 4 for Mr. Harrison indicates a minor compliance lapse, though isolated .
    • Legacy director equity awards vest on time-based schedules with change-in-control acceleration; limited explicit performance linkage in FY2025 director awards (plan permits performance units but none disclosed for directors) .

Notes on Related-Party Exposure and Policies

  • HFBL extends credit to directors, officers, employees, and immediate family members in the ordinary course on market-comparable terms; Audit Committee reviews and approves related party transactions under its charter; no unfavorable features reported .
  • Insider Trading Policy restricts trading around earnings blackouts and requires pre-clearance; hedging transactions by directors are prohibited unless pre-cleared by the Board upon written request .

Compensation Structure Context (Plans/Acceleration)

  • Stock incentive plans (2014, 2019): vest no faster than 20% per year; accelerated vesting upon death, disability, or change-in-control; outstanding non-employee director awards summarized above .
  • New 2025 Stock Incentive Plan: authorizes 125,000 shares (max 25% as share awards) and up to 15,000 shares per individual; includes performance share awards with defined financial/operational metrics; acceleration provisions on change-in-control .