11.  EMPLOYEE BENEFIT 401(k) PLANS AND DEFERRED RETIREMENT COMPENSATION AGREEMENTS

Employees of the Company, who meet certain minimum age and service requirements, are eligible to participate in the Mack-Cali Realty Corporation 401(k) Savings/Retirement Plan (the “401(k) Plan”).  Eligible employees may elect to defer from one percent up to 60 percent of their annual compensation on a pre-tax basis to the 401(k) Plan, subject to certain limitations imposed by federal law.  The amounts contributed by employees are immediately vested and non-forfeitable.  The Company may make discretionary matching or profit sharing contributions to the 401(k) Plan on behalf of eligible participants in any plan year.  Participants are always 100 percent vested in their pre-tax contributions and will begin vesting in any matching or profit sharing contributions made on their behalf after two years of service with the Company at a rate of 20 percent per year, becoming 100 percent vested after a total of six years of service with the Company.  All contributions are allocated as a percentage of compensation of the eligible participants for the Plan year.  The assets of the 401(k) Plan are held in trust and a separate account is established for each participant.  A participant may receive a distribution of his or her vested account balance in the 401(k) Plan in a single sum or in installment payments upon his or her termination of service with the Company.  Total expense recognized by the Company for the 401(k) Plan for the years ended December 31, 2015,  2014 and 2013 was  $970,000,  zero and $117,000,  respectively. 

On September 12, 2012, the Board of Directors of the Company approved multi-year deferred retirement compensation agreements for those executive officers in place on such date (the “Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreements”).  Pursuant to the Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreements, the Company was to make annual contributions of stock units (“Stock Units”) representing shares of the Company’s common stock on January 1 of each year from 2013 through 2017 into a deferred compensation account maintained on behalf of each participating executive.  Vesting of each annual contribution of Stock Units was to occur on December 31 of each year, subject to continued employment.  In connection with the separation from service to the Company of certain executive officers effective March 31, 2014, the Company agreed to make cash payments totaling $1.2 million for all vested and unvested Stock Units and future cash contributions pursuant to the Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreements.   In connection with the separation from service to the Company of its former president and chief executive officer effective June 30, 2015, the Company agreed to make cash payments of $2.3 million on the separation date for all vested and unvested Stock Units and future cash contributions pursuant to his Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreement. Total expense recognized by the Company under the Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreements for the years ended December 31, 2015,  2014 and 2013 was zero,  $2,957,000 and $595,000,  respectively.