Ronald G. Tascarella
About Ronald G. Tascarella
Ronald G. Tascarella is Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at PBHC’s Pathfinder Bank. He is age 40, employed since 2016, and now oversees commercial lending, business banking, and residential lending; prior roles included Lending Sales Manager and Commercial Team Leader, and earlier Vice President and Relationship Manager at M&T Bank. He serves on the board of Operation Oswego County, Inc. and is Treasurer of Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY . Company pay-versus-performance disclosure shows TSR of $129.41 on a $100 base and net income of $9,293K in 2023 (context for incentive alignment); $172.78 TSR and $12,932K net income in 2022; $152.28 TSR and $12,407K net income in 2021 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathfinder Bank | Lending Sales Manager | Not disclosed | Led lending sales; promoted to Commercial Team Leader |
| Pathfinder Bank | Commercial Team Leader | Not disclosed | Managed commercial lending activities prior to CLO role |
| M&T Bank | Vice President & Relationship Manager | Pre-2016 | Corporate/commercial relationship management foundation for CLO responsibilities |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Operation Oswego County, Inc. | Board Member | Not disclosed |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY | Treasurer | Not disclosed |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric ($) | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | 226,000 | 235,000 |
| Bonus Paid | 61,346 | 43,218 |
| Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings | 3,801 | 2,433 |
| All Other Compensation | 67,723 | 71,481 |
| Total Compensation | 358,870 | 352,132 |
All Other Compensation detail (2023):
| Component | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Employee Savings Plan Company Contribution | 20,189 |
| Life Insurance Premium | 1,851 |
| ESOP Allocation (valued at $14.01/sh) | 13,858 |
| Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) | 35,583 |
| Total (ties to All Other Compensation above) | 71,481 |
Notes:
- 2023 performance-based bonuses were paid in March 2024; 2024 bonuses were paid in March 2025 .
- Executive cash bonuses are subject to a clawback policy tied to restatements affecting performance metrics .
Performance Compensation
- Annual cash bonuses are linked to both company-wide and individual objectives; company-wide measures include earnings, profitability, capital strength, asset quality, and ROE; individually-based factors include execution of the strategic plan, management oversight, communications quality, and customer/community standing. The program includes clawbacks for restatements; perquisites are limited; no tax gross-ups; and change-in-control protection is double-trigger .
- Market benchmarking: a 2023 study by Blanchard showed base salaries for NEOs were below market; Mr. Tascarella’s base salary was 24% below the market median while total compensation averaged ~15% below peer medians, aligning pay levels near the 50th percentile for target cash (salary+bonus) .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial ownership and insider alignment:
| Metric | As-of 2024 Proxy Record Date | As-of 2025 Proxy Record Date |
|---|---|---|
| Shares Owned | 28,472 | 28,872 |
| Options Exercisable within 60 days | 6,609 | 6,609 |
| Ownership % of Voting Common | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Shares Pledged as Collateral | None | None |
Holdings composition (2025):
| Component | Shares |
|---|---|
| 401(k) Plan | 15,352 |
| ESOP | 4,384 |
Options context:
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| 2016 Option Grant Terms (NEO table) | Grant date 05/06/2016; strike $11.35; vests ratably over 7 years; expires 05/06/2026; NEO “Ronald Tascarella” held 15,816 options exercisable as of 12/31/2023 |
| Ronald G. Tascarella Exercisable Options | 6,609 options included in beneficial ownership within 60 days of record dates; none pledged |
ESOP vesting:
- ESOP benefits vest at 20% per year and fully vest after five years; full vest on retirement, death, disability, or change in control. ESOP benefits are generally paid in stock or cash, at participant election .
Stock ownership guidelines:
- Not disclosed.
Hedging/pledging:
- No pledging by executive officers/directors as disclosed; hedging not specified .
Employment Terms
Change-of-control agreement (for James A. Dowd, Ronald Tascarella, Walter F. Rusnak—company states the agreement covers Mr. Tascarella):
- Double-trigger: payment only upon termination or job diminishment in connection with a change in control .
- Severance economics: lump sum equal to two times most recent annual base salary plus bonuses and other cash compensation in the latest 12-month period; continued life/medical/dental coverage for 24 months; full vesting in stock options, deferred comp, and restricted stock plans upon qualifying dismissal .
- Clawback: cash bonuses subject to clawback on restatement .
- Tax gross-ups: none included .
- Executive Deferred Compensation Plan: Mr. Tascarella participates (one of two NEOs noted) .
Related party transactions:
- The bank operates an employee mortgage program at 0.25% below market rates (0.50% below until 2021). The program is available to executives/directors and subject to standard insider lending rules; executives listed as loan program participants include Ronald G. Tascarella and Ronald Tascarella among others; loans are made on non-preferential terms and do not involve more than normal risk .
Performance & Track Record
Company pay-versus-performance (context for incentives):
| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value of $100 Investment (TSR) ($) | 152.28 | 172.78 | 129.41 |
| Net Income ($ thousands) | 12,407 | 12,932 | 9,293 |
Notes:
- TSR and net income trends frame bonus pool sensitivity to profitability and capital contribution, as referenced in compensation philosophy .
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Year-over-year mix: Mr. Tascarella’s salary rose ~4% (to $235k), while bonus fell ~29% (to $43k), pulling cash compensation down slightly in 2023; there were no stock awards disclosed for 2022–2023, indicating limited long-term equity refresh in those years .
- Market benchmarking: 2023 base salary was 24% below peer median for his role, suggesting potential retention risk if below-market pay persists; however, target cash (salary+bonus) is near the peer 50th percentile, indicating competitive variable pay linkage .
- Governance safeguards: double-trigger CIC, clawbacks, absence of gross-ups, and limited perquisites align with shareholder-friendly practices .
Equity Ownership & Alignment – Additional Details
- Ownership guidelines: not disclosed by the company for executives; compliance status cannot be assessed.
- Options in-the-money value: not disclosed; valuation depends on current share price versus $11.35 strike for 2016 awards .
- Vested vs unvested breakdown: only exercisable counts within 60 days disclosed (6,609 for Ronald G. Tascarella); broader unvested detail not disclosed for him .
Employment Terms – Additional Provisions
- Non-compete/non-solicit/garden leave: not disclosed for Mr. Tascarella specifically in the proxy.
- Auto-renewal: not disclosed for Mr. Tascarella; the CEO’s separate employment agreement includes evergreen renewal mechanics (context only) .
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback
- Say-on-pay approval percentages for the company were not provided in these proxy excerpts; the committee engages Blanchard triennially around say-on-pay cycles .
Compensation Peer Group
- The committee used a peer set of regional banks (e.g., CHMG, GCBC, OBT, CVLY, EVBN, NWFL, PWOD, PBFS, ESSA, ENBP, FNCB, FRAF, EMYB, CBFV, ASRV, RBKB, FKYS, LNKB, JUVF, QNTO, TRBK) to benchmark base, short-term, and long-term compensation; survey data supplemented public disclosures .
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- Pledging/hedging: none pledged; hedging not disclosed .
- Tax gross-ups: none in CIC agreements (shareholder friendly) .
- Option repricing/modification: not disclosed.
- Related party transactions: employee mortgage program participation disclosed; program designed to avoid preferential treatment and abnormal risk .
- Section 16 timeliness: late filings noted for other executives/directors (Ayoub, McManus, Serbun); no late filings noted for Mr. Tascarella in these excerpts .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Direct and retirement-plan-based share ownership (0.6%) plus exercisable options suggest moderate skin-in-the-game; no pledging reduces governance risk .
- Incentive design: Bonuses are tied to profitability, ROE, capital strength, and strategic execution with clawbacks, and CIC protection is double-trigger with accelerated vesting—supporting performance linkage and limiting entrenchment .
- Retention: Base pay set below market median (−24%) could elevate retention risk unless offset by bonus opportunities and deferred/SERP benefits; participation in deferred comp and SERP strengthens retention incentives .
- Trading signals: 2016 options expire May 2026; the existence of 6,609 exercisable options and approaching expiry may influence timing of exercises or sales depending on price vs $11.35 strike; absence of pledging and no gross-ups are positive governance signals .