Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Section 6 of Article II of our by-laws contains the following provisions with respect to indemnification of directors and officers:
Each person serving as a director or an officer of TXNM Energy, Inc., or, at our request, as a director or an officer of any other company in which we have a financial interest and regardless of whether or not the person is then in office, and the heirs, executors, administrators and personal representatives of the person, shall be indemnified by us to the full extent of the authority to so indemnify as authorized by New Mexico law.
Section 53-11-4.1 of the Business Corporation Act of the State of New Mexico provides that a corporation shall have power to indemnify any person made (or threatened to be made) a party to any proceeding (whether threatened, pending or completed) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director (or, while a director, is or was serving in any of certain other capacities) if: (1) the person acted in good faith; (2) the person reasonably believed: (a) in the case of conduct in the person’s official capacity with the corporation, that the person’s conduct was in its best interests; and (b) in all other cases, that the person’s conduct was at least not opposed to its best interests; and (3) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the person had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. Indemnification may be made against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by the person in connection with the proceeding, but may be limited or unavailable with respect to certain proceedings. In some instances, indemnification of a director may be mandatory or, upon the application of a director, may be ordered by a court. Reasonable expenses incurred by a director may, under certain circumstances, be paid or reimbursed in advance of a final disposition of a proceeding. Unless limited by its articles of incorporation, a corporation may (or, as the case may be, shall) indemnify and advance expenses to an officer of the corporation to the same extent as to a director under Section 53-11-4.1. Also, unless limited by its articles of incorporation, a corporation has: (1) the power to indemnify and to advance expenses to an employee or agent of the corporation to the same extent that it may indemnify and advance expenses to directors under the statute; and (2) additional power to indemnify and to advance reasonable expenses to an officer, employee or agent who is not a director to such further extent, consistent with law, as may be provided by its articles of incorporation, by-laws, general or specific action of its Board of Directors, or contract.
Section 53-11-4.1 was amended in 1987 to provide that the indemnification authorized thereunder shall not be deemed exclusive of any rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under the articles of incorporation, the by-laws, an agreement, a resolution of shareholders or directors or otherwise. We have entered into agreements with each director and officer which provide for indemnification of directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law including advancement of litigation expenses where appropriate. The agreements provide for the appointment of a reviewing party by the Board of Directors to make a determination whether claimed indemnification is permitted under applicable law.
Insurance is maintained on a regular basis (and not specifically in connection with this offering) against liabilities arising on the part of directors and officers out of their performance in such capacities or arising on the part of TXNM Energy out of the foregoing indemnification provisions, subject to certain exclusions and to the policy limits.
