As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 19, 2006Registration No. 333-48402

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

__________________

LAKELAND FINANCIAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Indiana

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

35-1559596                   

(I.R.S. Employer                

Identification No.)                

__________________

202 East Center Street, P.O. Box 1387

Warsaw, Indiana 46581-1387

(Address of principal executive offices)

__________________

LAKELAND FINANCIAL CORPORATION 401(k) PLAN

(Full title of the plan)

__________________

Michael L. Kubacki

President and Chief Executive Officer

Lakeland Financial Corporation

202 East Center Street, P.O. Box 1387

Warsaw, Indiana 46581-1387

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

(574) 267-6144

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

 

Title of Securities

to be Registered

 

 

 

Amount to be

Registered(1)(2)

 

Proposed Maximum

Offering Price

per Share(3)

 

Proposed Maximum

Aggregate

Offering Price(2)(3)

 

 

Amount of Registration

Fee(3)

Common Stock, No Par Value

300,000 shares

$22.80

$6,840,000

$732.00

 

(1)

Pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the Lakeland Financial Corporation 401(k) Plan

 

 

(2)

Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act, this Registration Statement also registers such indeterminate number of additional shares as may be issuable under the Plan in connection with share splits, share dividends or similar transactions. Preferred stock purchase rights will be distributed without charge with respect to each share of the Registrant’s Common Stock registered hereby.

 

 

(3)

Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act, solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, based on the average of the high and low prices for the Registrant’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 18, 2006.

 

 

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

Lakeland Financial Corporation (the “Company”) previously filed a Registration Statement on Form S-8 registering shares of its common stock, no par value (“Common Stock”), and related participation interests to be issued pursuant to the Lakeland Financial Corporation 401(k) Plan (the “Plan”). This Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-8 is filed by the Company for the purpose of increasing the number of shares of Common Stock for which a Registration Statement on Form S-8 of the Company relating to the Plan is effective. This Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 relates to 300,000 shares of Common Stock, issuable pursuant to the Plan.

 

Pursuant to General Instruction E of Form S-8, the Company hereby incorporates by reference the Registration Statement on Form S-8, including exhibits, previously filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 23, 2000 (File No. 333-48402), in connection with the Plan.

 

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 3.

Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.

The following documents previously or concurrently filed by Lakeland Financial Corporation (the “Company”) with the Commission are hereby incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

(a)  

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005;

(b)    All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), since the end of the last fiscal year;

(c)  

The Plan’s Annual Report on Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005; and

(d)    The description of the Company’s common stock, no par value, contained in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-14 and all amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents subsequently filed by the Company or the Plan with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part thereof from the date of the filing of such documents. Any statement contained in the documents incorporated, or deemed to be incorporated, by reference herein or therein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement and the prospectus which is a part hereof (the “Prospectus”) to the extent that a statement contained herein or therein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is, or is deemed to be, incorporated by reference herein or therein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

Item 4.

Description of Securities.

 

 

Not Applicable.

 

Item 5.

Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

 

 

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Item 6.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

In accordance with the Indiana Business Corporation Law (Indiana Code 23-1-37-1 et seq.), Section 9 of the Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation provide as follows:

SECTION 9. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES. Every person who is or was a director, officer or employee of this Corporation or of any other corporation for which he is or was serving in any capacity at the request of this Corporation shall be indemnified by this Corporation against any and all liability and expense that may be incurred by him in connection with or resulting from or arising out of any claim, action, suit or proceeding, provided that such person is wholly successful with respect thereto or acted in good faith in what he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of this Corporation or such other corporation, as the case may be, and, in addition, in any criminal action or proceeding in which he had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. As used herein, “claim, action, suit or proceeding” shall include any claim, action, suit or proceeding (whether brought by or in the right of this Corporation or such other corporation or otherwise), civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, whether actual or threatened or in connection with an appeal relating thereto, in which a director, officer or employee of this Corporation may become involved, as a party or otherwise, (i) by reason of his being or having been a director, officer or employee of this Corporation or such other corporation or arising out of his status as such or (ii) by reason of any past or future action taken or not taken by him in any such capacity, whether or not he continues to be such at the time such liability or expense is incurred.

The terms “liability” and “expense” shall include, but shall not be limited to, attorneys’ fees and disbursements, amounts of judgments, fines or penalties, and amounts paid in settlement by or on behalf of a director, officer or employee, but shall not in any event include any liability or expenses on account of profits realized by him in the purchase or sale of securities of the Corporation in violation of the law. The termination of any claim, action, suit or proceeding, by judgment, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction or upon a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that a director, officer or employee did not meet the standards of conduct as forth in this paragraph.

Any such director, officer or employee who has been wholly successful with respect to any such claim, action, suit or proceeding shall be entitled to indemnification as a matter of right. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, any indemnification hereunder shall be made only if (i) the Board of Directors acting by a quorum consisting of Directors who are not parties to or who have been wholly successful with respect to such claim, action, suit or proceeding shall find that the director, officer or employee has met the standards of conduct set forth in the preceding paragraph; or (ii) independent legal counsel shall deliver to the Corporation their written opinion that such director, officer or employee has met such standards of conduct.

If several claims, issues or matters of action are involved, any such person may be entitled to indemnification as to some matters even though he is not entitled as to other matters.

The Corporation may advance expenses to or, where appropriate, may at its expense undertake the defense of any such director, officer or employee upon receipt of an undertaking, in form and substance satisfactory to the Board of Directors, by or on behalf of such person to repay such expenses if it should ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to indemnification hereunder.

The provisions of this Section shall be applicable to claims, actions, suits or proceedings made or commenced after the adoption hereof, whether arising from acts or omissions to act during, before or after the adoption hereof.

The rights of indemnification provided hereunder shall be in addition to any rights to which any person concerned may otherwise be entitled by contract or as a matter of law and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of any such person.

 

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The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any capacity or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Section or otherwise.

Further, Article VII of the Company’s Restated Bylaws states the following:

INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES. Every person who is or was a director, officer or employee of this Corporation or of any other corporation for which he is or was serving in any capacity at the request of this Corporation shall be indemnified by this Corporation against any and all liability and expense that may be incurred by him in connection with or resulting from or arising out of any claim, action, suit or proceeding, provided that such person is wholly successful with respect thereto or acted in good faith in what he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of this Corporation or such other corporation, as the case may be, and, in addition, in any criminal action or proceeding in which he had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. As used herein, “claim, action, suit or proceeding” shall include any claim, action, suit or proceeding (whether brought by or in the right of this Corporation or such other corporation or otherwise), civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, whether actual or threatened or in connection with an appeal relating thereto, in which a director, officer or employee of this Corporation may become involved, as a party or otherwise, (i) by reason of his being or having been a director, officer or employee of this Corporation or such other corporation or arising out of his status as such or (ii) by reason of any past or future action taken or not taken by him in any such capacity, whether or not he continues to be such at the time such liability or expense is incurred.

The terms “liability” and “expense” shall include, but shall not be limited to, attorneys’ fees and disbursements, amounts of judgments, fines or penalties, and amounts paid in settlement by or on behalf of a director, officer or employee, but shall not in any event include any liability or expenses on account of profits realized by him in the purchase or sale of securities of the Corporation in violation of the law. The termination of any claim, action, suit or proceeding, by judgment, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction or upon a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that a director, officer or employee did not meet the standards of conduct set forth in this paragraph.

Any such director, officer or employee who has been wholly successful with respect to any such claim, action, suit or proceeding shall be entitled to indemnification as a matter of right. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, any indemnification hereunder shall be made only if (i) the Board of Directors acting by a quorum consisting of Directors who are not parties to or who have been wholly successful with respect to such claim, action, suit or proceeding shall find that the director, officer or employee has met the standards of conduct set forth in the preceding paragraph; or (ii) independent legal counsel shall deliver to the Corporation their written opinion that such director, officer or employee has met such standards of conduct.

If several claims, issues or matters of action are involved, any such person may be entitled to indemnification as to some matters even though he is not entitled as to other matters.

The Corporation may advance expenses to or, where appropriate, may at its expense undertake the defense of any such director, officer or employee upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such person to repay such expenses if it should ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to indemnification hereunder.

The provisions of this Section shall be applicable to claims, actions, suits or proceedings made or commenced after the adoption hereof, whether arising from acts or omissions to act during, before or after the adoption hereof.

 

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The rights of indemnification provided hereunder shall be in addition to any rights to which any person concerned may otherwise be entitled by contract or as a matter of law and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of any such person.

The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any capacity or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Section or otherwise.

Item 7.

Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not Applicable.

 

Item 8.

Exhibits.

 

See the Exhibit Index following the signature page in this Registration Statement, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.

The Company has received a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service that the Plan is qualified pursuant to Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Item 9.

Undertakings.

 

(a)

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

(i)  

To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

 

(ii)       To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and

 

(iii)      To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

 

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

 

(2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(b)            The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange

 

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Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(h)            Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, executive officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

 

II-6

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrants certify that they have reasonable grounds to believe that they meet all of the requirements of filing on Form S-8 and have duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on their behalf by the undersigned, thereunder duly authorized, in the City of Warsaw, State of Indiana, on July 19, 2006.

 

LAKELAND FINANCIAL CORPORATION

 

By:_/s/Michael L. Kubacki

Michael L. Kubacki

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

By:/s/David M. Findlay

David M. Findlay

Executive Vice President and Chief

Financial Officer

 

LAKELAND FINANCIAL CORPORATION 401(K)

PLAN

 

By: LAKELAND FINANCIAL CORPORATION,

AS TRUSTEE OF THE PLAN

 

By:/s/Jill A. DeBatty

 

 

 

 

 

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POWER OF ATTORNEY

Know all men by these presents, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Michael L. Kubacki and David M. Findlay, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, each with full power of substitution and re-substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or any of them, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement was signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on July 19, 2006.

 

 

Signature

Title

 

 

 

 

/s/Michael L. Kubacki

Michael L. Kubacki

President, Principal Executive Officer and Director

 

/s/Robert E. Bartels, Jr.

Robert E. Bartels, Jr.

Director

 

/s/L. Craig Fulmer

L. Craig Fulmer

Director

 

/s/George B. Huber

George B. Huber

Director

 

/s/Allan J. Ludwig

Allan J. Ludwig

Director

 

/s/Charles E. Niemier

Charles E. Niemier

Director

 

/s/Emily E. Pichon

Emily E. Pichon

Director

 

/s/Richard L. Pletcher

Richard L. Pletcher

Director

 

/s/Steven D. Ross

Steven D. Ross

Director

 

/s/Donald B. Steininger

Donald B. Steininger

Director

 

/s/Terry L. Tucker

Terry L. Tucker

Director

 

/s/M. Scott Welch

M. Scott Welch

Director

 

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LAKELAND FINANCIAL CORPORATION

EXHIBIT INDEX

TO

POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO

FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

 

 

Exhibit No.

 

 

Description

Incorporated

Herein by

Reference to

 

Filed

Herewith

4.1

Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Lakeland Financial Corporation

Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Form S-8 filed with the Commission on April 15, 1998

 

4.2

Bylaws of Lakeland Financial Corporation

Exhibit 3(ii) to the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 1996

 

5.1

Opinion of Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum Perlman & Nagelberg LLP

 

X

10.1

Lakeland Financial Corporation 401(k) Plan

Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Form S-8 filed on October 23, 2000

 

23.1

Consent of Crowe Chizek and Company LLC

 

X

23.2

Consent of Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum Perlman & Nagelberg LLP

 

Included in Exhibit 5.1

24.1

Power of Attorney

 

Included on the Signature Page to this Registration Statement

 

 

 

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BARACK FERRAZZANO KIRSCHBAUM PERLMAN & NAGELBERG LLP

333 WEST WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 2700

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606

Telephone (312) 984-3100

Facsimile (312) 984-3150

 

Exhibit 5.1

July 19, 2006

 

Lakeland Financial Corporation

202 East Center Street

P.O. Box 1387

Warsaw, Indiana 46581-1387

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as special counsel to Lakeland Financial Corporation, an Indiana corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the registration of an additional 300,000 shares of its common stock, no par value (the “Shares”), pursuant to the Lakeland Financial Corporation 401(k) Plan (the “Plan”) as set forth in the Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-8 Registration Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on or about July 19, 2006 (the “Registration Statement”). In so acting, we have examined and relied upon the originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such records, documents and other instruments as in our judgment are necessary or appropriate to enable us to render the opinion expressed below. Capitalized terms used, but not defined, herein shall have the meanings given such terms in the Registration Statement.

 

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized and, when the Registration Statement becomes effective and the Shares have been issued in accordance with the Plan, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. With respect to the opinions expressed above, we are qualified to practice law in the State of Illinois and express no opinion concerning any law other than the laws of the State of Illinois, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the laws of the United States of America.

 

This opinion is being furnished to you solely for your benefit in connection with the transactions set forth above. It may not be relied upon by, nor a copy of it delivered to any other party, without our prior written consent. This opinion is based upon our knowledge of the law and facts as of the date hereof, and we assume no duty to communicate with you with respect to any matter that comes to our attention hereafter.

 

We consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving the foregoing consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

/s/ Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum

Perlman & Nagelberg LLP

 

BARACK FERRAZZANO KIRSCHBAUM

PERLMAN & NAGELBERG LLP

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of Lakeland Financial Corporation of our reports dated February 9, 2006 with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Lakeland Financial Corporation and Lakeland Financial Corporation management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which reports appear in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Lakeland Financial Corporation for the year ended December 31, 2005.

 

/s/Crowe Chizek and Company LLC

Crowe Chizek and Company LLC

 

South Bend, Indiana

July 18, 2006