43 Staff expenses

Staff Expenses

  Insurance operations Banking operations Total
  2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005
Salaries 2,050 2,012 2,038 3,646 3,480 3,286 5,696 5,492 5,324
Pension and other staff-related benefit costs 48 79 143 159 206 256 207 285 399
Social security costs 201 196 214 466 444 444 667 640 658
Share-based compensation arrangements 54 54 36 73 58 33 127 112 69
Other staff costs 484 457 470 1,080 932 726 1,564 1,389 1,196
  2,837 2,798 2,901 5,424 5,120 4,745 8,261 7,918 7,646

Share-based compensation arrangements includes an amount of EUR 110 million (2006: EUR 109 million; 2005: EUR 63 million) relating to equity-settled share-based payment arrangements and EUR 17 million (2006: EUR 4 million; 2005: EUR 6 million) relating to cash-settled share-based payment arrangements.

Pension and other staff-related benefits costs

  Pension benefits Post-employment benefits other than pensions Other Total
  2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005
Current service cost 408 417 477 11 13 42 –13 23 32 406 453 551
Past service cost –86 18 192   –1   –1 1 5 –87 18 197
Interest cost 739 703 643 13 11 40 9 7 35 761 721 718
Expected return on assets –869 –820 –710           –22 –869 –820 –732
Amortisation of unrecognised past service cost       –5 –5         –5 –5  
Amortisation of unrecognised actuarial (gains)/losses 29 22         4     33 22  
Effect of curtailment or settlement –32 –6 –12   –147 –396   4 –3 –32 –149 –411
Other –62     –7     1     –68    
Defined benefit plans 127 334 590 12 –129 –314   35 47 139 240 323
                         
Defined contribution plans                   68 45 76
                    207 285 399

Remuneration of Senior Management, Executive Board and Supervisory Board

The information on share based payment plans and remuneration of the members of the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board is included in the remuneration report in the annual report. This information is considered to be an integral part of the audited annual accounts.

Stock option and share plans

ING Group has granted option rights on ING Group shares and conditional rights on depository receipts (share awards) for ING shares to a number of senior executives (members of the Executive Board, general managers and other officers nominated by the Executive Board), to all ING Group staff in the Netherlands and to a considerable number of employees outside the Netherlands. The purpose of the option and share schemes, apart from promoting a lasting growth of ING Group, is to attract, retain and motivate senior executives and staff.

ING Group holds its own shares in order to fulfil the obligations with regard to the existing stock option plan and to hedge the position risk of the options concerned (so-called delta hedge). As at 31 December 2007, 36,028,881 own shares (2006: 52,722,755; 2005: 38,722,934) were held in connection with the option plan compared to 76,888,553 options outstanding (2006: 74,175,909; 2005: 85,128,950). As a result the granted option rights were (delta) hedged, taking into account the following parameters: strike price, opening price, zero coupon interest rate, dividend yield, expected volatility and employee behaviour. The hedge is rebalanced regularly at predetermined points in time.

In March 2008 shares will be issued in relation to the vesting of share plans. The actual number of shares to be issued is dependent on ING’s TSR ranking. Reference is made to the remuneration report in the annual report.

Exposure arising out of the share plan is not hedged. The obligations with regard to these plans will be funded by issuing own shares. On 15 March 2007 5.2 million own shares were issued in relation to the vesting of share plans.

The option rights are valid for a period of 5 or 10 years. Option rights that are not exercised within this period lapse. Option rights granted will remain valid until expiry date, even if the option scheme is discontinued. The option rights are subject to certain conditions, including a certain continuous period of service. The exercise prices of the options are the same as the quoted prices of ING Group shares at the date on which the options are granted.

The entitlement to the share awards is granted conditionally. If the participant remains in employment for an uninterrupted period of three years from the grant date, the entitlement becomes unconditional. In 2007 139,113 shares (2006: 52,100; 2005: 73,500) have been granted to the members of the Executive Board and 2,415,649 shares (2006: 2,432,686; 2005: 2,907,101) have been granted to senior management and other employees remaining in the service of ING Group.

Every year, the ING Group Executive Board will take a decision as to whether the option and share schemes are to be continued and, if so, to what extent.

Changes in option rights outstanding

  Options outstanding Weighted average exercise price
  2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005
Opening balance 74,175,909 85,128,950 81,010,410 25.99 24.42 24.97
Granted 12,139,472 13,872,880 15,734,031 32.13 32.78 23.28
Exercised –7,163,332 –17,213,518 –2,820,253 19.73 20.64 21.15
Forfeited –2,263,496 –1,338,877 –298,315 27.68 25.78 23.60
Expired   –6,273,526 –8,496,923   25.99 30.26
Closing balance 76,888,553 74,175,909 85,128,950 26.66 25.99 24.42

The weighted average share price at the date of exercise for options exercised during 2007 is EUR 32.48.

Changes in option rights non-vested

  Options non-vested Weighted average grant date fair value
  2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005
Opening balance 38,551,921 41,407,132 48,317,040 4.57 3.65 4.85
Granted 12,139,472 13,872,880 15,734,031 6.52 6.49 3.49
Vested –10,112,348 –15,390,327 –22,394,188 6.14 4.65 6.11
Forfeited –2,173,887 –1,337,764 –249,751 5.46 3.85 3.54
Closing balance 38,405,158 38,551,921 41,407,132 5.83 4.57 3.65

Summary of stock options outstanding and exercisable

2007 Options outstanding as at 31 December 2007 Weighted average remaining contractual life Weighted average exercise price Options exercisable as at 31 December 2007 Weighted average remaining contractual life Weighted average execise price
Range of exercise price in euros
  0.00 – 15.00 6,236,710 5.19 12.02 6,236,710 5.19 12.02
15.00 – 20.00 9,773,356 5.55 18.47 9,773,356 5.55 18.47
20.00 – 25.00 15,180,545 6.84 23.10 1,556,832 3.21 21.83
25.00 – 30.00 15,338,397 3.46 28.72 15,206,363 3.42 28.74
30.00 – 35.00 24,726,711 8.69 32.47 77,300 3.59 33.08
35.00 – 40.00 5,632,834 3.14 35.51 5,632,834 3.14 35.51
  76,888,553   38,483,395  

Summary of stock options outstanding and exercisable

2006 Options outstanding as at 31 December 2006 Weighted average remaining contractual life Weighted average exercise price Options exercisable as at 31 December 2006 Weighted average remaining contractual life Weighted average execise price
Range of exercise price in euros
  0.00 – 15.00 7,953,108 6.18 12.72 7,953,108 6.19 12.72
15.00 – 20.00 10,162,164 7.20 18.69 121,471 6.66 18.49
20.00 – 25.00 14,820,967 8.24 23.25 44,875 5.65 23.12
25.00 – 30.00 19,937,148 4.44 28.73 19,796,024 4.43 28.74
30.00 – 35.00 13,696,046 9.20 32.78 102,034 4.59 32.93
35.00 – 40.00 7,606,476 4.09 35.58 7,606,476 4.16 35.58
  74,175,909   35,623,988  

Summary of stock options outstanding and exercisable

2005 Options outstanding as at 31 December 2005 Weighted average remaining contractual life Weighted average exercise price Options exercisable as at 31 December 2005 Weighted average remaining contractual life Weighted average execise price
Range of exercise price in euros
  0.00 – 15.00 16,872,752 7.18 12.71 2,423,643 7.20 12.89
15.00 – 20.00 10,797,877 8.20 18.69 301,461 7.97 18.70
20.00 – 25.00 15,423,891 9.23 23.25 172,095 8.11 23.21
25.00 – 30.00 27,110,926 5.28 28.59 25,901,115 5.21 28.57
30.00 – 35.00 361,530 2.86 33.15 361,530 2.86 33.15
35.00 – 40.00 14,561,974 3.48 35.47 14,561,974 3.48 35.47
  85,128,950     43,721,818    

 

The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding and exercisable at 31 December 2007 was EUR 230 million and EUR 183 million, respectively.

As of 31 December 2007 there was EUR 69 million of total unrecognised compensation costs related to stock options (2006: EUR 90 million; 2005: EUR 50 million). These costs are expected to be recognised over a weighted average period of 1.7 years (2006: 1.9 years; 2005: 2.0 years). Cash received from stock option exercises for the year ended 31 December 2007 was EUR 131 million (2006: EUR 355 million; 2005: nil).

The fair value of options granted is recorded as an expense under staff expenses and is allocated over the vesting period of the options. The fair values of the option awards have been determined by using a Monte Carlo simulation. This model takes the risk free interest rate into account (4.04% to 4.51%), as well as the expected life of the options granted (1 year to 7 years), the exercise price, the current share price (EUR 30.02 – EUR 33.10), the expected volatility of the certificates of ING Group shares (25% – 27%) and the expected dividends yield (3.98% to 4.63%).

Due to timing differences in granting option rights and buying shares to hedge them, an equity difference can occur if shares are purchased at a different price than the exercise price of the options. However, ING Group does not intentionally create a position and occurring positions are closed as soon as possible. If option rights expire, the results on the (sale of) shares which were bought to hedge these option rights are recorded in Shareholders’ equity.

Changes in share awards

  Share awards Weighted average grant date fair value
  2007 2006 2005 2007 2006 2005
Opening balance 8,373,146 6,499,469 3,715,896 24.90 22.92 19.38
Granted 2,554,762 2,484,786 2,980,601 19.74 29.62 27.50
Performance effect 2,463,058   19.35  
Vested –5,569,061 –155,522 –152,006 19.35 22.48 20.26
Forfeited –688,191 –455,587 –45,022 26.39 23.10 24.71
Closing balance 7,133,714 8,373,146 6,499,469 27.52 24.90 22.92

 

The fair value of share awards granted is recorded as an expense under staff expenses and is allocated over the vesting period of the share awards. The fair values of share awards have been determined by using a Monte Carlo Simulation based valuation model. The model takes into account the risk free interest rate, the current stock prices, expected volatilities and current divided yields of the performance peer group used to determine ING’s Total Shareholder Return (TSR) ranking.

As of 31 December 2007 there were EUR 53 million (2006: EUR 88 million; 2005: EUR 81 million) of total unrecognised compensation costs related to share awards. These costs are expected to be recognised over a weighted average period of 1.7 years (2006: 1.8 years; 2005: 1.9 years).

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