ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
The Trust does not have a board of directors, executive officers or any employees. The compensation paid to the Trustees is governed by the Amendment to the Agreement of Trust dated October 25, 1982, as amended (the “Amendment”). The Amendment does not provide for any stock awards, option awards, non-equity incentive plan compensation, change in pension value, nonqualified deferred compensation earnings or any other compensation. The Trust does not have severance agreements nor does it provide post-retirement benefits to the Trustees. Accordingly, all such tables have been omitted from the Annual Report.
Pursuant to the Amendment, each individual Trustee receives at least $20,000 in annual compensation for services as Trustee. Each year, annual Trustee compensation is adjusted up or down (but not below $20,000) in accordance with changes from the November 1981 level of 295.5 (the “1981 Escalation Level”) in the All Commodities Producer Price Index (with 1967 = 100 as a base). The All Commodities Producer Price Index is published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The adjustment is made at the end of each fiscal year and is calculated on the basis of the proportion between (a) the level of such index for the November preceding the end of such fiscal year, and (b) the 1981 Escalation Level. Any action to modify or otherwise vary the compensation of the individual Trustees as provided by the Amendment must be approved by the affirmative vote of 66 2/3% in interest of the Trust Certificates then outstanding. Each of the individual Trustees received total compensation of $49,345 during fiscal 2022.
Under the Amendment, the Corporate Trustee receives annual compensation for services as a Trustee in an amount equal to the greater of (i) $20,000, or such other amount determined in accordance with the adjustments described in the preceding paragraph, or (ii) one quarter of one percent (1/4 of 1%) of the trust moneys, exclusive of proceeds of sale of any part of the Trust Estate (as such terms are defined in the Agreement of Trust), received by the Trustees and distributed to Unitholders. The compensation paid to Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, for services as Corporate Trustee of the Trust, under this second prong of this compensation formula was $93,807 pursuant to the Amendment.
Additionally, each year the Corporate Trustee receives $62,500 to cover clerical and administrative services to Mesabi Trust, other than services customarily performed by a registrar or transfer agent for which the Corporate Trustee is paid additional service fees. The Corporate Trustee earned $156,307 in cash compensation for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2022, inclusive of the $62,500 administrative fee. The Corporate Trustee also received $5,561 for its services as registrar and transfer agent for the year ended January 31, 2022. Accordingly, the Corporate Trustee earned $161,868 in total compensation for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2022.
Under the Amendment, the Individual Trustees may, in extraordinary circumstances, pay additional compensation to the Corporate Trustee. The decision to pay such compensation must be unanimously approved by the Individual Trustees. The Corporate Trustee did not receive any compensation for extraordinary services with respect to the fiscal year ended January 31, 2022.