On August 17, 2026, Rocket Companies, Inc. expanded its Board from nine to ten directors and appointed Sarah Watterson as a Class III director, with a term expiring at the 2029 annual meeting. Ms. Watterson is President of 3 Star Sports & Entertainment, LLC and previously served as President of Brightline West and Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group. She was determined to be independent and will receive an annual cash retainer of $75,000, prorated for partial service, plus an initial grant of restricted stock units valued at $215,000 vesting after one year, along with a standard indemnification agreement.
Original SEC Filing Text expand_more
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. On August 17, 2026, the Board of Directors (the Board ) of Rocket Companies, Inc. (the Company ), upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board, voted to expand the Board from nine directors to ten directors and to fill the newly created vacancy on the Board by appointing Sarah Watterson to serve as a Class III director, effective August 17, 2026, for a term expiring at the Company s annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2029 and until her successor is elected and qualified, subject to her earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. Ms. Watterson currently serves as President of 3 Star Sports & Entertainment, LLC, a platform that owns, invests in and operates businesses and assets across sports, media, real estate and adjacent ventures. She is also a Special Advisor of Brightline West, where she previously held the role of President and led the development of the nation s first high-speed passenger rail connecting Southern California and Las Vegas. She began her career at Goldman Sachs, working with publicly traded investments. Ms. Watterson then served as a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, where she evaluated and managed businesses across financial services, hospitality, real estate, transportation and lending including mortgage origination and servicing. She has also held senior leadership roles including Chief Executive Officer and Head of Investor Relations, supporting businesses as they accessed public debt and equity capital. The Board determined that Ms. Watterson meets all of the applicable standards of independence for members of the Board established by (i) the laws, rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and (ii) the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. The Board determined that Ms. Watterson is independent and free of any material relationship with the Company or any of the Company s subsidiaries, other than through her service as a director of the Company. Neither Ms. Watterson nor any of her immediate family members has had (or proposes to have) a direct or indirect interest in a transaction in which the Company or any of the Company s subsidiaries was (or is to be) a participant, that would be required to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of SEC Regulation S-K. In connection with her election as a non-affiliated director of the Company, Ms. Watterson will receive an annual cash retainer of $75,000, prorated for partial years of service. On her appointment date, Ms. Watterson will also receive a grant of restricted stock units ( RSUs ) with an initial grant value equal to $215,000, subject to vesting after one year. Thereafter, Ms. Watterson will be eligible to receive annual equity grants at each annual meeting of stockholders as determined by the Board for non-affiliate director compensation from time to time, provided that at the first annual meeting following appointment, Ms. Watterson will receive a prorated amount to reflect the period of time between her appointment date and the annual meeting. The RSUs will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Company s Omnibus Incentive Plan and an award agreement substantially in the form of the publicly filed Director RSU Agreement. Ms. Watterson will enter into an indemnification agreement with the Company in the same form that the Company has entered into with its other directors. There are no other arrangements or understandings between Ms. Watterson and any other person pursuant to which Ms. Watterson was selected as a director.