CASH 2017 Proxy Statement

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION Compensation Discussion and Analysis for Fiscal Year 2017 Overview The Compensation Committee of the Board has designed the Company’s executive compensation program to incentivize continued growth in shareholder value while providing appropriate incentives to retain key talent in the extremely competitive markets in which the Company does business. The discussion and tables that follow detail the compensation programs that the Company has instituted for fiscal year 2017 for its named executive officers and highlights the Compensation Committee’s decision making regarding how these compensation programs incentivize these officers to continue to grow shareholder value and retain our talented team. Executive Compensation Philosophy The Company adopted the following Executive Compensation Philosophy in August 2016: The Company has developed the following executive compensation philosophy to guide it in addressing its compensation practices to recruit, retain, and reward highly qualified executive talent. The philosophy is intended to encourage and reward executive officers for achieving and maintaining superior levels of performance that contribute to long-term shareholder value while also complying with the Federal rules and regulations governing financial institutions. This is a philosophical document that guides but does not require precise compliance, and actual practice may vary according to business conditions, individual background and performance, and other factors. Competitive Positioning : “Direct compensation” consists of salary, annual incentives, and long-term incentives but excludes benefits and perquisites. “Total Compensation” refers to the combined total of all elements of pay, including salary, annual incentives, long-term incentives, benefits and perquisites. The Company prefers to place more weight on pay-for-performance incentives than benefits. By targeting a higher percentage for Direct Compensation, the Company expects to be approximately at its targeted positioning for Total Compensation. The Company generally intends to position compensation for its executive officers as follows: Percentile Rank to Compensation Peer Group Expected Performance Superior Performance Salary 40 th –75 th 40 th –75 th Salary : The Company will try to hire the best candidate possible (i.e., pay more to get the best people) and will generally target executive salaries at the 40 th –75 th percentile of the competitive market. The actual salaries compared to market will vary for individual officers and may be above or below the 40 th –75 th percentile as necessary to recruit and retain high-quality talent. Individual salary determinations will be made based upon the qualifications and experience of each executive, the value of the position to the organization, and the performance of the individual. Incentive Compensation: The Company believes that its executive officers should have a significant portion of their total compensation package driven by performance. Most importantly, executive officers should be rewarded for increasing the shareholder value of the enterprise and, secondly, for business unit and/or individual goal achievement. In addition, the Board acknowledges that special circumstances may arise that merit the discretionary adjustments of awards either up or down, for example if the performance of a single department disproportionately impacts the results of other executive officers. The specific rationale for any discretionary adjustments will be documented by the Compensation Committee and shared with the affected executive. Meta Financial Group, Inc. | 2017 Proxy Statement 21