Luis Gonzalez Jr.
About Luis Gonzalez Jr.
Luis Gerardo Gonzalez Jr., age 42, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Ponce Financial Group, Inc. and Ponce Bank, appointed effective April 1, 2022. He previously served at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) as Team Leader/Supervisory National Bank Examiner and Acting Assistant Deputy Comptroller, receiving his commission as a National Bank Examiner in 2012; he is a graduate of The University of Texas at El Paso . Company performance during his tenure shows improving total shareholder return (TSR) and profitability, with TSR rising from 123.77 (fixed $100 basis) in 2022 to 172.64 in 2024 and net income moving from a $30.0M loss in 2022 to $10.3M profit in 2024 .
Company performance metrics (oldest → newest):
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSR – Value of Fixed $100 Investment | 123.77 | 129.61 | 172.64 |
| Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders ($) | (30,000,618) | 3,352,370 | 10,334,227 |
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) | Team Leader / Supervisory National Bank Examiner; Acting Assistant Deputy Comptroller; Commissioned National Bank Examiner in 2012 | 15+ years (commissioned 2012) | Led bank supervisory exams and teams; deep regulatory oversight experience that informs risk management and operations |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed | — | — | — |
Fixed Compensation
- Luis Gonzalez is not listed among Named Executive Officers (NEOs) in PDLB’s proxies, and his base salary, target bonus %, and actual bonus are not disclosed. The NEOs disclosed are the Executive Chairman, President & CEO, and CFO .
Performance Compensation
- Equity awards under the 2023 Long-Term Incentive Plan granted to executive officers in 2023 are time-vested over five years; specific grant amounts for Gonzalez are not broken out in the proxy .
- Plan-level vesting and award mechanics that would govern any COO grants:
- Minimum five-year graded vesting (20% annually) for options and most time-based awards .
- Premium option tranches have rising exercise prices (e.g., base price plus 10%, 12%, 14%, 16%, 18% by vesting year) to strengthen performance linkage .
- RSUs can be granted and generally vest time-based unless designated as performance awards; 2023 executive grants were time-based .
| Incentive Type | Metric Linkage | Weighting / Structure | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time-based RSUs (2023 grants to executive officers) | None in 2023 cycle (time-based) | Grants intended as five-year compensation | 20% annually over 5 years | Individual COO allocation not disclosed |
| Premium Stock Options | Price premium by tranche (10–18% over base) | Performance-sensitive via exercise premiums | 20% annually over 5 years | Intended to align reward with stock performance |
| Performance Awards (RSUs/PSUs) | Plan permits use of financial/TSR metrics (e.g., net income, ROE, TSR) | As set by Compensation Committee | ≥12-month performance cycles | Not used in 2023 executive awards |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial ownership, vested vs unvested shares, and options for Gonzalez are not disclosed in principal holder tables or NEO equity tables .
- Company policies:
- Hedging of company stock by officers is prohibited (e.g., collars, swaps, exchange funds) .
- Clawback policy adopted Oct 2, 2023 requires recovery of excess incentive compensation upon a material accounting restatement (applies to current/former executive officers) .
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | Not disclosed |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | Not disclosed |
| Vested vs unvested shares | Not disclosed |
| Options (exercisable vs unexercisable) | Not disclosed |
| Shares pledged | Not disclosed; hedging prohibited |
| Stock ownership guidelines & compliance | Not disclosed |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start date and role | Appointed EVP & COO effective April 1, 2022 |
| Employment agreement | Not disclosed for Gonzalez (agreements disclosed for Executive Chairman and CEO; CIC agreement disclosed for CFO) |
| Severance (salary+bonus multiple) | Not disclosed for Gonzalez |
| Change-of-control (COC) | 2023 LTIP provides award acceleration upon COC with termination without cause or resignation for good reason (employees); directors/consultants accelerate upon COC without termination requirement |
| Non-compete/non-solicit | Not disclosed for Gonzalez (non-compete described for Executive Chairman and CEO) |
| Clawback | Company-wide clawback for restatements (see above) |
Investment Implications
- Transparency gap: Gonzalez’s individual pay mix, grant sizes, and ownership are not disclosed, limiting direct pay-for-performance assessment and skin-in-the-game analysis for the COO .
- Vesting and selling pressure: Executive RSUs issued under 2023 LTIP vest 20% annually over five years, creating a predictable cadence of potential share delivery/selling pressure unless net-settled; premium option tranches further align exercise timing with performance .
- Alignment and governance: Hedging is prohibited and a clawback policy is in place, supporting alignment; however, pledging policy is not specified, and COC acceleration of awards (double-trigger for employees) can introduce deal-related dilution/overhang considerations .
- Company performance context: TSR and net income improved materially during Gonzalez’s tenure (TSR 123.77→172.64; net income −$30.0M→$10.3M from 2022 to 2024), and compensation actually paid fell for NEOs in 2024 vs. 2023, indicating tightening pay outcomes despite stronger performance; while not specific to Gonzalez, this suggests increasing discipline that could extend to non-NEO executives .