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NOTICE OF 2015 ANNUAL MEETING

AND PROXY STATEMENT

April 30, 2015

You are cordially invited to attend our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders at 10:00 a.m., Dallas, Texas, local time, on June 12, 2015.  The meeting will be held at 2323 Victory Avenue, 5th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75219.

This booklet includes the formal notice of the meeting and our proxy statement.  The proxy statement tells you about the matters to be addressed, and the procedures for voting, at the meeting.

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT.  Even if you only have a few shares, we want your shares to be represented.  If your shares are held in a brokerage account, your broker no longer has discretion to vote on your behalf with respect to electing directors or certain other non-routine matters. Accordingly, you must provide specific voting instructions to your broker in order to vote.  Please vote promptly in order to ensure that your shares are represented at the meeting.

The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or this proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card, Notice of 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and annual report for the year ended December 31, 2014 were first provided to all stockholders of record on or about May 1, 2015.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY
MATERIALS FOR THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 12, 2015.

Our proxy statement and our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 are both available at www.proxyvote.com.

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Notice of 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

To Be Held on June 12, 2015

Pursuant to rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we are providing access to our proxy materials, including this proxy statement and our annual report for the year ended December 31, 2014, over the Internet.  As a result, we are providing to many of our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials instead of a paper copy of our proxy materials.  The notice contains instructions on how to access those proxy materials over the Internet, as well as instructions on how to request a paper copy of our proxy materials.  All stockholders who are not sent a notice will be sent a paper copy of our proxy materials by mail.  This electronic distribution process reduces the environmental impact and lowers the costs of printing and distributing our proxy materials.

Your vote is very important.  Please read the proxy statement and voting instructions on the enclosed proxy card.  Then, whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting in person, and no matter how many shares you own, please vote by Internet, telephone or by marking, signing, dating and promptly returning the enclosed proxy card in the enclosed envelope, which requires no additional postage if mailed in the United States.  Please see “General Information - What should I do if I want to attend in person?” for information on how to obtain directions to be able to attend the meeting and vote in person.

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PROXY STATEMENT

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HILLTOP HOLDINGS INC.

200 Crescent Court, Suite 1330

Dallas, Texas 75201

PROXY STATEMENT

2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

To be Held on June 12, 2015

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or this Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy card, Notice of 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 were first provided to all stockholders of record on or about May 1, 2015.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, all references in this Proxy Statement to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or “ours” or similar words are to Hilltop Holdings Inc. and its direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries, references to “Hilltop” refer solely to Hilltop Holdings Inc., references to “PlainsCapital” refer to PlainsCapital Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop), references to “Hilltop Securities” refer to Hilltop Securities Holdings LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop), references to “Southwest Securities” refer to Southwest Securities, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop Securities), references to “SWS Financial” refer to SWS Financial Services, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop Securities), references to the “Bank” refer to PlainsCapital Bank (a wholly owned subsidiary of PlainsCapital), references to “FNB” refer to First National Bank, references to “First Southwest” refer to First Southwest Holdings, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop Securities) and its subsidiaries as a whole, references to “FSC” refer to First Southwest Company, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of First Southwest), references to “PrimeLending” refer to PrimeLending, a PlainsCapital Company (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank) and its subsidiaries as a whole, and references to “NLC” refer to National Lloyds Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilltop) and its subsidiaries as a whole.

Why am I receiving these proxy materials?

The Board of Directors of Hilltop, or the Board of Directors, has made these materials available to you on the Internet or has delivered printed versions of these materials to you by mail in connection with the Board of Directors’ solicitation of proxies for use at our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, or the Annual Meeting, which will take place at 10:00 a.m. (Dallas, Texas time) on Friday, June 12, 2015, at 2323 Victory Avenue, 5th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75219.  This Proxy Statement describes matters on which you, as a stockholder, are entitled to vote.  This Proxy Statement also gives you information on these matters so that you can make an informed decision.

Why did I receive a one-page notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials instead of printed proxy materials?

In accordance with rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, instead of mailing a printed copy of our proxy materials to all of our stockholders, we have elected to furnish such materials to selected stockholders by providing access to these documents over the Internet.  Accordingly, on or about May 1, 2015, we provided a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, or the Notice, to selected stockholders of record and beneficial owners.  These stockholders have the ability to access the proxy materials on a website referred to in the Notice or to request to receive a printed set of the proxy materials by calling the toll-free number found on the Notice.  We encourage you to take advantage of the availability of the proxy materials on the Internet in order to help reduce the environmental impact of the Annual Meeting.

How can I get electronic access to the proxy materials?

The Notice provides you with instructions regarding how to:

·                  view our proxy materials for the Annual Meeting on the Internet;

·                  vote your shares after you have viewed our proxy materials;

·                  register to attend the meeting in-person;

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·                  request a printed copy of the proxy materials; and

·                  instruct us to send our future proxy materials to you electronically by email.

Copies of the proxy materials are available for viewing at www.proxyvote.com.

You may have received proxy materials by email.  Even if you received a printed copy of our proxy materials, you may choose to receive future proxy materials by email.  Choosing to receive your future proxy materials by email will lower our costs of delivery and will reduce the environmental impact of our annual meetings.  If you choose to receive our future proxy materials by email, you will receive an email next year with instructions containing a link to view those proxy materials and link to the proxy voting site.  Your election to receive proxy materials by email will remain in effect until you terminate it or for so long as the email address provided by you is valid.

What am I voting on?

At the Annual Meeting, stockholders will be asked to:

·                  Elect 21 directors to serve on our Board of Directors until the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

·                  Conduct an advisory vote to approve executive compensation;

·                  Ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2015; and

·                  Transact any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting.

What are the Board of Directors’ recommendations?

The Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares:

·                  FOR each of our director candidates;

·                  FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of our named executive officers; and

·                  FOR the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2015.

Who is entitled to vote?

Holders of record of our common stock at the close of business on April 21, 2015, are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.  With respect to each matter presented, a stockholder is entitled to cast one vote for each share of common stock owned at the close of business on April 21, 2015.

How do I vote?

If you are a stockholder of record, there are four ways to vote:

·                  In Person.  You may vote in person at the Annual Meeting.  Bring your printed proxy card if you received one by mail.  Otherwise, we will provide stockholders of record a ballot at the Annual Meeting.  We recommend that you vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting.  You always can change your vote at the Annual Meeting.

·                  Via the Internet.  You may vote by proxy via the Internet by visiting www.proxyvote.com.  Have your proxy card or Notice in hand when you access the website and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

·                  Via Telephone.  If you received or requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by proxy by calling the toll-free number found on the proxy card.

·                  Via Mail.  If you received or requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by proxy by marking, signing and dating the proxy card and sending it back in the envelope provided.

If you are the beneficial owner of shares held by a broker or other nominee, you may instruct your broker or nominee to vote your shares by following the instructions that the broker or nominee provides you.  New York Stock Exchange rules prohibit your broker from voting for the election of directors and to approve executive

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compensation on your behalf without specific voting instructions from you.  Many brokers allow stockholders to provide voting instructions by mail, telephone and the Internet.

How do proxies work?

Our Board of Directors is asking for your proxy.  Giving your proxy to the persons named by us means you authorize them to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting in the manner you direct.  You may vote for all, some or none of our director candidates, and you may vote for or against, or abstain from voting on, executive compensation and the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2015.

If you are a stockholder of record and (a) you indicate when voting on the Internet or by telephone that you wish to vote as recommended by our Board of Directors or (b) you sign and return the enclosed proxy card but do not specify how your shares are to be voted, your shares will be voted FOR the election of all of our director candidates, FOR the approval of our executive compensation and FOR the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2015.

If you are the beneficial owner of shares held by a broker or other nominee, also referred to as held in “street name,” and you do not provide such broker or nominee with specific voting instructions, under the rules promulgated by the New York Stock Exchange, the broker or nominee that holds your shares may generally vote on “routine” matters at its discretion, but cannot vote on “non-routine” matters.  If the broker or nominee that holds your shares does not receive instructions from you on how to vote your shares on a “non-routine” matter, that broker or nominee will inform the inspector of election that it does not have the authority to vote on such matters with respect to your shares, which is generally referred to as a “broker non-vote.”

You may receive more than one proxy or voting card depending on how you hold your shares.  Shares registered in your name are covered by one card.  If you also hold shares through a broker or other nominee, you also may receive material from them asking how you want those shares voted.  To be sure that all of your shares are voted, we encourage you to respond to each request you receive.

Which matters are considered “routine” or “non-routine”?

The ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2015 is considered to be a “routine” matter.  A broker or other nominee may generally vote on routine matters and, therefore, no broker non-votes are expected to exist with respect to this matter.   All other matters set forth in this Proxy Statement are matters that we believe will be designated “non-routine” matters.  A broker or other nominee cannot vote without instructions on non-routine matters and, therefore, there may be broker non-votes on all matters other than the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy after I have voted?

You may revoke your proxy and change your vote at any time before the final vote at the Annual Meeting (or before any earlier deadline specified in the Notice or the proxy card) by (a) voting again via the Internet or by telephone (only your latest Internet or telephone proxy submitted prior to the Annual Meeting will be counted), (b) signing and returning a new proxy card or vote instruction form with a later date or (c) attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.  Your attendance at the Annual Meeting, however, will not automatically revoke your proxy unless you vote again at the Annual Meeting or specifically request that your prior proxy be revoked by delivering, prior to the Annual Meeting, a written notice of revocation to the corporate Secretary at the address listed under “Questions” on page 56.

Will my shares be voted if I don’t sign a proxy?

If you hold your shares directly in your own name, they will not be voted unless you provide a proxy or attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person.  Under certain conditions, shares that you own that are held by a broker or nominee may be voted even if you do not provide voting instructions to the broker or nominee.  As discussed above under “—How do proxies work?”, brokerage firms have the authority under applicable rules to vote on certain “routine” matters, including the ratification of the appointment of auditors.

What constitutes a quorum?

In order to carry on the business of the Annual Meeting, we must have a quorum present.  This means that the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares eligible to be cast must be represented at the Annual Meeting,

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either in person or by proxy.  Any shares that we hold for our own benefit may not be voted and are not counted in the total number of outstanding shares eligible to be voted.  Both abstentions and broker non-votes (described below) are counted as present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum.  On April 21, 2015, we had 100,289,492 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

How many votes are needed for approval?

Election of Directors

Election of the director nominees requires the affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast on the matter. The director candidates receiving the highest number of affirmative votes of the shares entitled to be voted will be elected as directors.  For purposes of the election of directors, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote.  Stockholders may not cumulate votes in the election of directors.

Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter is required to approve, on an advisory basis, executive compensation. The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors will review the results of this matter and will take the results into account in making future determinations concerning executive compensation.  For purposes of the advisory vote on executive compensation, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote.

Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2015 will be ratified if this proposal receives the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter.  Brokers have the authority to vote FOR this proposal in the absence of contrary instructions from a beneficial owner.  If this appointment is not ratified by our stockholders, the Audit Committee may reconsider its selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.  With respect to this proposal, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote.

Who conducts the proxy solicitation?

Our Board of Directors is soliciting the proxies, and we will bear all costs of this solicitation, including the preparation, assembly, printing and mailing of this Proxy Statement.  Copies of proxy materials will be furnished to banks, brokerage houses and other agents and nominees holding shares in their names that are beneficially owned by others so that they may forward the proxy materials to those beneficial owners.  In addition, if asked, we will reimburse these persons for their reasonable expenses in forwarding the proxy materials to the beneficial owners.  We have requested banks, brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward all proxy materials to the beneficial owners of the shares that they hold of record.  Certain of our officers and employees also may solicit proxies on our behalf by mail, email, phone or fax or in person.

What should I do if I want to attend in person?

You will need an admission ticket to attend the Annual Meeting.  Attendance at the Annual Meeting will be limited to stockholders of record at the close of business on April 21, 2015 (or their authorized representatives) having an admission ticket or proof of their share ownership, and guests of the Company. If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please indicate that you intend to do so when you are voting by telephone or Internet or follow the instructions on your proxy card, and we will promptly mail an admission ticket to you.

If your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee and you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, you can obtain an admission ticket in advance by providing proof of your ownership, such as a bank or brokerage account statement, to the corporate Secretary at the address listed under “Questions” on page 56. If you do not have an admission ticket, you must show proof of your ownership of the Company’s common stock at the registration table at the door.

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PROPOSAL ONE — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

General

At the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, our Board of Directors has nominated the director candidates named under “—Nominees for Election as Directors” below.

Our Board of Directors oversees our management on your behalf.  The Board of Directors reviews our long-term strategic plans and exercises direct decision-making authority on key issues, such as the approval of business combination transactions, the authorization of dividends, the selection of the Chief Executive Officer, setting the scope of his authority to manage our day-to-day operations and the evaluation of his performance.

Our Board of Directors is not classified; thus, all of our directors are elected annually.  The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has recommended, and our Board of Directors has nominated, for re-election all 21 persons currently serving as directors whose terms are expiring at the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

If elected, each of the persons nominated as a director will serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.  Personal information on each of our nominees is given below.

Nominees for Election as Directors

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Director Independence

Our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that 12 of the 21 nominees for election as directors at the Annual Meeting have no material relationship with us (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us) and are independent within the meaning of the director independence requirements of the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE.  The independent directors are Charlotte Jones Anderson, Rhodes Bobbitt, Tracy A. Bolt, W. Joris Brinkerhoff, J. Taylor Crandall, Charles R. Cummings, J. Markham Green, William T. Hill, Jr., Andrew J. Littlefair, W. Robert Nichols, III, A. Haag Sherman and Robert C. Taylor, Jr.  Jess T. Hay, who served on our Board of Directors until his death in April 2015, was affirmatively determined to be independent. The determinations regarding the independence of these individuals were based upon information known by the members of the Board of Directors concerning each other and supplied by each of the directors for the purpose of this determination.

In conducting its annual review of director independence, the Board of Directors considered transactions and relationships between each director or any member of his or her immediate family and the Company. The Board of Directors considered that three directors it determined to be independent— Ms. Anderson and Messrs. Bolt and Taylor—have, or a member of their respective immediate families or an affiliated company in which they are employed or in which they are a principal equity holder has, received loans from the Bank in the ordinary course of business, in each case which our Board of Directors did not view as compensation. In our management’s opinion, these loans were made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions by the Bank with other unaffiliated persons and do not involve more than normal risk of collectability.  In addition, the Board of Directors considered transactions between the Bank and Clean Energy Finance, Inc., a subsidiary of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., a company for which Andrew J. Littlefair serves as a director and president and chief executive officer. Mr. Littlefair also beneficially owned 2.1% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. at April 7, 2015. From late 2011 through March 31, 2015, the Bank purchased, in a series of transactions, an aggregate of approximately $16.3 million in original principal amount of promissory notes issued by unaffiliated third parties from Clean Energy Finance, Inc. Although purchased at a premium to the outstanding principal balance on the notes, at the time of purchase, the interest rates on the notes exceeded the market rates charged by the Bank on similar-type loans that it originated. Clean Energy Finance, Inc. performs the servicing on the notes at no cost to the Bank, and the Bank purchased these notes with recourse to Clean Energy Finance, Inc. in the event of default. The aggregate yearly payments of the purchase prices in these transactions constituted less than 2% of the consolidated gross revenues of each of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and the Company in the applicable year purchased and were made in the ordinary course of business in arms-length transactions. Mr. Littlefair did not have a direct financial interest in any of the transactions with Clean Energy Finance, Inc.

Assuming the election of our 21 nominees, all of our directors, other than Messrs. Hill A. Feinberg, Gerald J. Ford, Jeremy B. Ford, James R. Huffines, Lee Lewis, Clifton Robinson, Kenneth D. Russell, Carl B. Webb and Alan B. White, also will be “independent” directors, as defined by the NYSE.

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Meeting Attendance

Our Board of Directors met seven times during 2014. No director attended fewer than 75% of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the board committees on which he or she served during 2014.  Our Board of Directors has not adopted a formal policy with regard to director attendance at the annual meetings of stockholders.  We, however, encourage members of the Board of Directors to attend annual meetings.  Messrs. Gerald J. Ford, Jeremy B. Ford, Alan B. White, James R. Huffines, Hill A. Feinberg, Kenneth W. Russell and Robert Nichols attended the 2014 annual meeting of stockholders.

Vote Necessary to Elect Directors

Election of the director nominees requires the affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast on the matter.  The director candidates receiving the highest number of affirmative votes of the shares entitled to be voted will be elected as directors.  For purposes of the election of directors, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote.  Under applicable NYSE rules, a broker or other nominee does not possess the authority to vote for the director nominees in the absence of instructions from the beneficial owner of the relevant shares.  Stockholders may not cumulate votes in the election of directors.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES IDENTIFIED ABOVE.

Director Compensation

General

Members of our Board of Directors who also are full-time employees do not receive any compensation for their service on the Board of Directors or any committee of the Board of Directors.  All other directors receive the following compensation for their service on the Board of Directors:

·                  $40,000 annual retainer; and

·                  $2,000 fee for participation in each meeting of the Board of Directors at which attendance in person is requested (one-half of that fee is paid for participation in any meeting at which attendance is requested by telephone).

In addition, members of board committees receive the following additional compensation:

·                  Audit Committee—$65,000 annual fee for the chairperson of the committee;

·                  Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee—$10,000 annual fee for the chairperson of the committee;

·                  Compensation Committee—$10,000 annual fee for the chairperson of the committee;

·                  Investment Committee—$25,000 annual fee for the chairperson of the committee;

·                  Merger and Acquisition Committee— $10,000 annual fee for the chairperson of the committee; and

·                  $1,000 fee for participation in each meeting of a board committee.

Members of our Board of Directors may elect to receive their aggregate Board of Directors and board committee compensation:

·                  entirely in the form of cash;

·                  entirely in the form of common stock; or

·                  one-half in cash and one-half in common stock.

Any elections, or changes in elections, by directors regarding the form of compensation to be received may only occur during a “trading window” and only become effective at the “trading window” immediately following such election or change in election.  Cash and shares of common stock are paid and issued, respectively, in arrears on a

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calendar quarterly basis, with no vesting requirements.  Customarily, these payments and issuances occur by the 15th day of the month following the applicable calendar quarter-end.  The value of the common stock awarded is based upon the average closing price per share of our common stock for the last ten consecutive trading days of the applicable calendar quarter.  In lieu of fractional shares of common stock that would otherwise be issuable to directors, we pay cash to the director based upon the value of those fractional shares at the value the shares are awarded to the director.  If a director does not serve for the entire calendar quarter, that director is compensated based upon the time of service during the applicable calendar quarter.

Each member of our Board of Directors is reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses associated with his service on, and attendance at, Board of Directors or board committee meetings.  Other than as described above, members of our Board of Directors receive no additional compensation for their service on the Board of Directors or board committees.

Political Action Committee Matching Program

The NLASCO Political Action Committee, or the PAC, is a separate segregated fund that was formed to make political contributions. To encourage participation in the PAC by eligible participants, for each contribution made to the PAC by an eligible individual contributor, NLC makes a matching contribution to any Section 501(c)(3) organization of the contributor’s choice, dollar for dollar, up to the maximum amount an eligible individual can contribute to the PAC in a given calendar year.  Under this program, no contributor to the PAC receives any financial, tax or other tangible benefit or premium from either the recipient charities or us.  This program is completely voluntary.

2014 Director Compensation

Director Compensation Table for 2014(1)

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(1)         Fees earned for services performed in 2014 include annual retainers, meeting fees and chairperson remuneration.  Aggregate fees paid to non-employee directors for annual retainers and committee chairmanships were paid quarterly in arrears.  Cash was paid in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares.  Service for any partial quarter is calculated and paid on the basis of time served during the applicable calendar quarter.  Non-employee directors are solely responsible for the payment of taxes payable on remuneration paid by the Company.  The number of shares awarded was determined based upon the average closing price per share of our common stock for the last ten consecutive trading days of the calendar quarter during which the stock was earned; however, the dollar value reported in the table for each stock award was determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.

(2)        Mr. Hay passed away on April 13, 2015.

As described above, the 2014 stock awards were issued to each non-employee director who elected to receive all or part of his or her director compensation in the form of our common stock, generally within 15 days following each applicable calendar quarter-end.  All of our personnel, as well as non-employee directors, are subject to trading restrictions with regard to our common stock, and trading may only occur during a “trading window.”  Provided that any such party does not possess material, non-public information about us, this trading period commences on the next trading day following two trading days after the public release of quarterly or annual financial information and continues until the close of business on last day of the month preceding the last month of the next fiscal quarter.

The following numbers of shares of our common stock were issued to our directors for services performed during 2014:

Each of the following directors had outstanding the following aggregate numbers of shares of our common stock awarded for services performed on behalf of us from election or appointment through the end of fiscal 2014:

For further information about the stockholdings of these directors and our management, see “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” commencing on page 22 of this Proxy Statement.

Board Committees

General

The Board of Directors appoints committees to assist it in carrying out its duties.  In particular, committees work on key issues in greater detail than would be practical at a meeting of all the members of the Board of Directors.  Each committee reviews the results of its deliberations with the full Board of Directors.

The standing committees of the Board of Directors currently consist of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Executive Committee, the Investment Committee, the Merger and Acquisition Committee, Risk Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. A more detailed description of these

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committees is set forth below.  Our Board of Directors may, from time to time, establish certain other committees to facilitate our management. Current copies of the charters for each of the foregoing committees, as well as our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, or the General Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, and Code of Ethics for Chief Executive and Senior Financial Officers, or the Senior Officer Code of Ethics, may be found on our website at ir.hilltop-holdings.com, under the heading “Corporate Information —Governance Documents.”  Printed versions also are available to any stockholder who requests them by writing to our corporate Secretary at the address listed under “Questions” on page 56.

Committee Membership

The following table shows the current membership of, and the 2014 fiscal meeting information for, each of the committees of the Board of Directors.

*      Denotes independent director.

(1)   With the recent passing of Mr. Hay, a new chairman of the Merger and Acquisition Committee has not yet been appointed.

Audit Committee

We have a standing Audit Committee established within the meaning of Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.  The Audit Committee helps our Board of Directors ensure the integrity of our financial statements, the qualifications and independence of our independent registered public accounting firm and the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm.  In furtherance of those matters, the Audit Committee assists in the establishment and maintenance of our internal audit controls, selects, meets with and assists the independent registered public accounting firm, oversees each annual audit and quarterly review and prepares the report that federal securities laws require be included in our annual proxy statement, which appears on page 53.  Mr. Cummings has been designated as Chairman, and Messrs. Green and Bolt are members, of the Audit Committee.  Our Board of Directors has reviewed the education, experience and other qualifications of each member of the Audit Committee.  Based upon that review, our Board of Directors has determined that each of Mr. Cummings and Mr. Bolt qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined by the rules of the SEC, and each member of the Audit Committee is independent in accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE. Currently, none of our Audit Committee members serve on the audit committees of three or more public companies.

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Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the compensation and benefits of our executive officers, administers the Hilltop Holdings Inc. 2012 Annual Incentive Plan, or the Annual Incentive Plan, the Hilltop Holdings Inc. 2003 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2003 Equity Incentive Plan, and the Hilltop Holdings Inc. 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, and produces the annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in our annual proxy statement, which appears on page 37.  Each member is independent in accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s purpose is as follows:

·                  Identify, screen and recommend to our Board of Directors individuals qualified to serve as members, and on committees, of the Board of Directors;

·                  Advise our Board of Directors with respect to the composition, procedures and committees of the Board of Directors;

·                  Advise our Board of Directors with respect to the corporate governance principles applicable to the Company; and

·                  Oversee the evaluation of the Board of Directors and our management.

Each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is independent in accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE.

Risk Committee

The purpose of the Risk Committee is to provide assistance to the Board of Directors in its oversight of:

·                  The Company’s risk governance structure;

·                  The Company’s risk tolerance;

·                  The Company’s risk management and risk assessment guidelines and policies regarding market, credit, operation, liquidity, funding, reputational, regulatory, and such other risks as necessary;

·                  The Company’s capital and liquidity and funding; and

·                  The performance of the Company’s Chief Risk Officer.

The duties assigned to the Risk Committee are meant to ensure that there is an effective system reasonably designed to evaluate and control risk throughout the Company.

Investment Committee

The Investment Committee is responsible for, among other things, reviewing investment policies, strategies and programs; reviewing the procedures that we utilize in determining that funds are invested in accordance with policies and limits approved by the Investment Committee; and reviewing the quality and performance of our investment portfolios and the alignment of asset duration to liabilities.

Merger and Acquisition Committee

The purpose of the Merger and Acquisition Committee is to review potential mergers, acquisitions or dispositions of material assets or a material portion of any business proposed by management and to report its findings and conclusions to the Board of Directors.  Each member is independent in accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE.

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Executive Committee

The Executive Committee, with certain exceptions, has the power and authority of the Board of Directors to manage the affairs of the Company between meetings of the Board of Directors.

Corporate Governance

General

We are committed to good corporate governance practices and, as such, we have adopted formal corporate governance guidelines to maintain our effectiveness.  The guidelines govern, among other things, board member qualifications, responsibilities, education, management succession and executive sessions.  A copy of the corporate governance guidelines may be found at our corporate website at ir.hilltop-holdings.com under the heading “Corporate Information —Governance Documents.”  A copy also may be obtained upon request from our corporate Secretary at the address listed under “Questions” on page 56.

Board Leadership Structure

We have separated the offices of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board as a means of separating management of the Company from our Board of Director’s oversight of management.  Separating these roles also enables an orderly leadership transition when necessary.  We believe, at this time, that this structure provides desirable oversight of our management and affairs.  We have in the past appointed, and will continue to appoint, lead independent directors as circumstances require.

Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors and the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors oversee an enterprise-wide approach to risk management, intended to support the achievement of organizational objectives, including strategic objectives, to improve long-term organizational performance and enhance stockholder value.  Our Board of Directors and the Risk Committee are actively involved in establishing and refining our business strategy, including assessing management’s appetite for risk and determining the appropriate level of overall risk for the Company.  The Company conducts continual assessments through the Chief Risk Officer who is overseen by the Risk Committee.

While the Board of Directors has the ultimate oversight responsibility for the risk management process, various committees of the Board of Directors outside of the Risk Committee also have responsibility for risk management.  In particular, the Audit Committee focuses on financial risk, including internal controls, and, from time to time, discusses and evaluates matters of risk, risk assessment and risk management with our management team.  The Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risk associated with our compensation policies and arrangements.  The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee ensures that the internal rule processes by which we are governed are consistent with prevailing governance practices and applicable laws and regulations.  Finally, the Investment Committee ensures that our funds are invested in accordance with policies and limits approved by it.  Our Senior Officer Code of Ethics, General Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, committee charters and other governance documents are reviewed by the appropriate committees annually to confirm continued compliance, ensure that the totality of our risk management processes and procedures is appropriately comprehensive and effective and that those processes and procedures reflect established best practices.

Board Performance

Our Board of Directors conducts a survey of its members regarding its performance and reviews the results of the survey with a view to improving efficacy and effectiveness of the Board of Directors.  In addition, the full Board of Directors reviews annually the qualifications and effectiveness of the Audit Committee and its members.

Director Qualifications for Service

As described below, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers a variety of factors when evaluating a potential candidate to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors or when nomination of an incumbent director for re-election is under consideration.  The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board of Directors strive to balance a diverse mix of experience, perspective, skill and background with the practical requirement that the Board of Directors will operate collegially, with the common purpose of overseeing our

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business on behalf of our stockholders.  All of our directors possess relevant experience, and each of them approaches the business of the Board of Directors and their responsibilities with great seriousness of purpose.  The following describes, with respect to each director, his or her particular experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that qualify him or her to serve as a director:

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Executive Board Sessions

The current practice of our Board of Directors is to hold an executive session of its non-management directors at least once per quarter.  The individual who serves as the chair at these executive sessions is the Chairman of the Board of Directors.  Executive sessions of the independent directors of the Board of Directors also are held at least

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once per fiscal year, and the independent directors select the independent director to preside over each executive session.

Communications with Directors

Our Board of Directors has established a process to receive communications from stockholders and other interested parties.  Stockholders and other interested parties may contact any member or all members of the Board of Directors by mail.  To communicate with our Board of Directors, any individual director or any group or committee of directors, correspondence should be addressed to the Board of Directors or any such individual director or group or committee of directors by either name or title.  The correspondence should be sent to Hilltop Holdings Inc., c/o Secretary, 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1330, Dallas, Texas 75201.

All communications received as set forth in the preceding paragraph will be opened by the office of our General Counsel for the sole purpose of determining whether the contents represent a message to our directors.  Any contents that are not in the nature of advertising, promotions of a product or service or patently offensive material will be forwarded promptly to the addressee(s).  In the case of communications to the Board of Directors or any group or committee of directors, the General Counsel’s office will make sufficient copies of the contents to send to each director who is a member of the group or committee to whom the communication is addressed.  If the amount of correspondence received through the foregoing process becomes excessive, our Board of Directors may consider approving a process for review, organization and screening of the correspondence by the corporate Secretary or other appropriate person.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted a Senior Officer Code of Ethics applicable to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer.  We also have adopted a General Code of Ethics and Business Conduct applicable to all officers, directors and employees.  Both codes are available on our website at ir.hilltop-holdings.com under the heading “Corporate Information—Governance Documents.” Copies also may be obtained upon request by writing our corporate Secretary at the address listed under “Questions” on page 56.  We intend to disclose any amendments to, or waivers from, our Senior Officer Code of Ethics and our General Code of Ethics and Business Conduct at the same website address provided above.

Director Nomination Procedures

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believes that, at a minimum, candidates for membership on the Board of Directors should have a demonstrated ability to make a meaningful contribution to the Board of Directors’ oversight of our business and affairs and have a record and reputation for honest and ethical conduct.  The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee recommends director nominees to the Board of Directors based on, among other things, its evaluation of a candidate’s experience, knowledge, skills, expertise, integrity, ability to make independent analytical inquiries, understanding of our business environment and a willingness to devote adequate time and effort to board responsibilities.  In making its recommendations to the Board of Directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also seeks to have the Board of Directors nominate candidates who have diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise so that each member can offer a unique and valuable perspective.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee expects, in the future, to identify potential nominees by asking current directors and executive officers to notify the committee if they become aware of persons who meet the criteria described above.  The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also, from time to time, may engage firms, at our expense, that specialize in identifying director candidates.  As described below, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also will consider candidates recommended by stockholders.

Once a person has been identified by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee as a potential candidate, the committee expects to collect and review publicly available information regarding the person to assess whether the person should be considered further.  If the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determines that the candidate warrants further consideration, and if the person expresses a willingness to be considered and to serve on the Board of Directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee expects to request information from the candidate, review the person’s accomplishments and qualifications, including in light

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of any other candidates that the committee might be considering, and conduct one or more interviews with the candidate.  In certain instances, members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may contact one or more references provided by the candidate or may contact other members of the business community or other persons that may have greater first-hand knowledge of the candidate’s accomplishments.

In addition to formally nominating individuals for election as directors in accordance with our Second Amended and Restated Bylaws, as summarized below on page 55 under “Stockholder Proposals for 2016,” stockholders may send written recommendations of potential director candidates to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee for its consideration.  Such recommendations should be submitted to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee “c/o Secretary” at Hilltop Holdings Inc., 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1330, Dallas, Texas 75201.  Director recommendations submitted by stockholders should include the following information regarding the stockholder making the recommendation and the individual(s) recommended for nomination:

·                  name, age, business address and residence address;

·                  the class, series and number of any shares of Hilltop stock or other securities of Hilltop or any affiliate of Hilltop owned, beneficially or of record (including the name of the nominee holder if beneficially owned);

·                  the date(s) that shares of Hilltop stock or other securities of Hilltop or any affiliate of Hilltop were acquired and the investment intent of such acquisition;

·                  any short interest (including any opportunity to profit or share in any benefit from any decrease in the price of such stock or other security) in any securities of Hilltop or any affiliate of Hilltop;

·                  whether and the extent to which such person, directly or indirectly (through brokers, nominees or otherwise), is subject to or during the prior six months has engaged in any hedging, derivative or other transaction or series of transactions or entered into any other agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any short interest, any borrowing or lending of securities or any proxy or voting agreement), the effect or intent of which is to (a) manage risk or benefit of changes in the price of Hilltop securities or any security of any entity listed in the peer group in the stock performance graph included in the materials distributed with this Proxy Statement or (b) increase or decrease the voting power of such person in Hilltop disproportionately to such person’s economic interest in Hilltop securities (or, as applicable, any security of any entity listed in the peer group in the stock performance graph included in the materials distributed with this Proxy Statement);

·                  any substantial interest, direct or indirect (including, without limitation, any existing or prospective commercial, business or contractual relationship with us), by security holdings or otherwise of such person in us or in any of our affiliates, other than an interest arising from the ownership of securities where such person receives no extra or special benefit not shared on a pro rata basis by all other holders of the same class or series;

·                  the investment strategy or objective, if any, of the stockholder making the recommendation and a copy of the prospectus, offering memorandum or similar document, if any, provided to investors, or potential investors, in such stockholder (if not an individual);

·                  to the extent known by the stockholder making the recommendation, the name and address of any other stockholder supporting the nominee for election or reelection as a director;

·                  a certificate executed by the proposed nominee that certifies that the proposed nominee is not, and will not, become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than us in connection with service or action as a director that has not been disclosed to us and that the proposed nominee consents to being named in a proxy statement and will serve as a director if elected;

·                  completed proposed nominee questionnaire (which will be provided upon request by writing or telephoning our corporate Secretary at the address or phone number listed under “Questions” on page 56); and

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·                  all other information that would be required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in an election contest, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder.

The stockholder recommendation and information described above must be delivered to the corporate Secretary not earlier than the 120th day and not later than 5:00 p.m., Dallas, Texas time, on the 90th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that if the date of the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to, or delayed by more than 30 days after, the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, the stockholder recommendation and information must be delivered not earlier than the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Dallas, Texas time, on the later of the 90th day prior to the date of such annual meeting of stockholders and the 10th day following the date on which public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is first made.  In the event, however, the number of directors to be elected to the Board of Directors is increased and there is no public announcement of such action at least 100 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting, a stockholder recommendation also will be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by the increase, if it is delivered to the corporate Secretary not later than 5:00 p.m., Dallas, Texas time, on the 10th day following the day on which the public announcement is first made.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee expects to use a similar process to evaluate candidates to the Board of Directors recommended by stockholders as the one it uses to evaluate candidates otherwise identified by the committee.

No fee was paid to any third party or parties to identify or evaluate, or assist in identifying or evaluating, potential nominees.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee did not receive the name of any stockholder recommendations for director nominees with respect to the Annual Meeting.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

Principal Stockholders

The following table sets forth information regarding our common stock beneficially owned on April 21, 2015 by any person or “group,” as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, known to us to beneficially own more than five percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

(a)         Based on 100,289,492 shares of common stock outstanding on April 21, 2015.  Shares issuable under instruments to purchase our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of April 21, 2015 are treated as if outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of the person holding these instruments, but are not treated as outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

(b)         The shares of common stock beneficially owned by Mr. Ford include 15,544,674 shares owned by Diamond A Financial, LP.  Mr. Ford is the sole general partner of Diamond A Financial, LP.  Mr. Ford has sole voting and dispositive power of these shares.

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Security Ownership of Management

The following table sets forth information regarding the number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned on April 21, 2015, by:

·                  each of our directors;

·                  each of our named executive officers; and

·                  all of our directors and executive officers presently serving, as a group.

Except as otherwise set forth below, the address of each of the persons listed below is c/o Hilltop Holdings Inc., 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1330, Dallas, Texas 75201.  Except as otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table, the persons named in the table have specified that they have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of stock shown as beneficially owned by them, subject to any applicable community property law.

*                 Represents less than 1% of the outstanding shares of such class.

(a)         Based on 100,289,492 shares of common stock outstanding on April 21, 2015.  Shares issuable under instruments to purchase our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of April 21, 2015 are treated as if outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of the person holding these instruments, but are not treated as outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

(b)         Includes 62,100 shares of common stock held in an IRA account for the benefit of Mr. Bobbitt.

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(c)          Excludes 1,488 shares held by Oak Hill Capital Management LLC, 69,014 shares held by Oak Hill Capital Management Partners III, L.P. and 2,101,418 shares held by Oak Hill Capital Partners III, L.P.

(d)         Includes 25,776 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Feinberg’s wife.  Also includes 776 shares of common stock held by the Max McDermott Trust for the benefit of Mr. Feinberg’s stepson.  Mr. Feinberg’s wife is the trustee of the trust.  Includes 15,000 restricted shares of common stock that cliff vest on April 11, 2016.  Mr. Feinberg can vote such restricted shares but may not dispose of them until they have vested.  Excludes 21,747 shares of common stock deliverable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015.

(e)          The shares of common stock beneficially owned by Mr. Ford include 15,544,674 shares owned by Diamond A Financial, LP.  Mr. Ford is the sole general partner of Diamond A Financial, LP.  Mr. Ford has sole voting and dispositive power of these shares.

(f)           Jeremy Ford is a beneficiary of a trust that owns a 49% limited partnership interest in Diamond A Financial, LP (see footnote (e)).  Includes (a) 400,000 shares of common stock acquirable upon the exercise of a stock option and (b) 30,000 restricted shares of common stock that cliff vest on April 1, 2016.  Mr. Jeremy Ford can vote such restricted shares but may not dispose of them until they have vested.  Excludes (x) 100,000 shares of common stock acquirable upon the exercise of a stock option that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015, (y) 61,400 shares of common stock deliverable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015 and (z) 15,544,674 shares of common stock held by Diamond A Financial, LP.

(g)          Includes 7,300 shares of common stock held in a SEP IRA account for the benefit of Mr. Hill and 15,750 shares of common stock held by the William T. Hill P.C. retirement account for the benefit of Mr. Hill.

(h)         Includes (a) 47,000 shares of common stock held by the James Huffines 1994 Trust for the benefit of Mr. Huffines, (b) 12,028 shares of common stock held in a self-directed individual retirement account and (c) 30,000 restricted shares of common stock that cliff vest on April 1, 2016.  Mr. Huffines can vote such restricted shares but may not dispose of them until they have vested.  Excludes 39,379 shares of common stock deliverable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015.

(i)            Includes 603,417 shares of common stock held by Lee Lewis Construction.  Mr. Lewis is the sole owner of Lee Lewis Construction and may be deemed to have voting and/or investment power with respect to the shares owned by Lee Lewis Construction.

(j)            Includes 11,000 shares of common stock held in an IRA account for the benefit of Mr. Nichols.

(k)         Includes 5,000 restricted shares of common stock that cliff vest on April 1, 2016. Mr. Parmenter can vote such restricted shares but may not dispose of them until they have vested.  Excludes 16,408 shares of common stock deliverable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015.

(l)             Includes 25,000 restricted shares of common stock that cliff vest on April 1, 2016.  Mr. Salmans can vote such restricted shares but may not dispose of them until they have vested.  Excludes 32,816 shares of common stock deliverable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015.

(m)     Includes (a) 9,785 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. White’s wife, (b) 453 shares of common stock held in a self-directed individual retirement account of Mr. White’s wife, (c) 23,806 shares of common stock held by Double E Investments (“Double E”), (d) 12,883 shares of common stock held by EAW White Family Partnership, Ltd. (“EAW”), (e) 8,045 shares of common stock held by Maedgen, White and Maedgen (“MW&M”), (f) 1,566,458 shares of common stock held by Maedgen & White, Ltd., and (g) 95,844 shares of common stock held in a self-directed individual retirement account of Mr. White.  As the manager of Double E, the managing partner of MW&M and the sole member of the general partner of EAW, Mr. White has exclusive authority to vote and/or dispose of the securities held by Double E, MW&M and EAW, respectively, and may, therefore, be deemed to have sole voting and dispositive power over the shares of common stock held by Double E, MW&M and EAW.  Mr. White is the sole general partner of Maedgen & White, Ltd. and may be deemed to beneficially own the shares held by Maedgen & White, Ltd. As the sole general partner of Maedgen & White, Ltd., Mr. White has the power to vote the shares held by Maedgen & White, Ltd. The Agreement of Limited Partnership of Maedgen & White, Ltd. requires the approval of 80% of the limited partnership interests in Maedgen & White, Ltd. before its general partner may dispose of the shares held by Maedgen & White, Ltd. Mr. White, directly and indirectly, controls approximately 77% of the limited partnership interests of Maedgen & White, Ltd. and therefore may be deemed to share dispositive power over the shares held by Maedgen & White, Ltd.  Includes 50,000 restricted shares of common stock that cliff vest on April 1, 2016.  Mr. White can vote such restricted shares but may not dispose of them until they have vested.  Excludes 65,631 shares of common stock deliverable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015.

(n)         Represents 26 persons and includes (a) 480,000 shares of common stock acquirable pursuant to the exercise of stock options and (b) 210,000 restricted shares of common stock that cliff vest on April 1, 2016. The holders of such restricted shares can vote the restricted shares but may not dispose of them until they have vested.  Excludes (x) 120,000 shares of common stock acquirable by our executive officers pursuant to the exercise of stock options that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015 and (y) 317,545 shares of common stock deliverable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will not vest within 60 days of April 21, 2015.

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MANAGEMENT

Executive Officers

General

We have identified the following officers as “executive officers,” consistent with the definition of that term as used by the SEC:

Business Experience of Executive Officers

Information concerning the business experience of Messrs. Hill A. Feinberg, Jeremy B. Ford, James R. Huffines and Alan B. White is set forth above under “Proposal One — Election of Directors — Nominees for Election as Directors” beginning on page 5.

John A. Martin.  Mr. Martin has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PlainsCapital since November 2010 and has continued in that position since our acquisition of PlainsCapital in November 2012. Mr. Martin also serves on the board of directors of the Bank and various other subsidiaries of PlainsCapital. Prior to joining PlainsCapital, Mr. Martin most recently served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Family Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary, San Antonio National Bank, from April 2010 until October 2010. Before joining Family Bancorp, from 2009 to 2010, Mr. Martin served as a consultant to community banks, providing strategic planning services. Beginning in 2005, Mr. Martin served as chief financial officer of Texas Regional Bancshares, Inc. and later served as director of financial planning and analysis for BBVA Compass after its acquisition of Texas Regional Bancshares in 2006.

Darren E. Parmenter.  Mr. Parmenter has served as Executive Vice President — Principal Financial Officer of Hilltop since February 2014 and previously served as Senior Vice President of Finance of Hilltop from June 2007 to February 2014.  From January 2000 to June 2007, Mr. Parmenter was with Hilltop’s predecessor, Affordable Residential Communities Inc., and served as the Controller of Operations from April 2002 to June 2007.  Prior to 2000, Mr. Parmenter was employed by Albertsons Inc., as an Assistant Controller.

Corey G. Prestidge.  Mr. Prestidge has served as an Executive Vice President of Hilltop since February 2014 and General Counsel and Secretary of Hilltop since January 2008.  From November 2005 to January 2008, Mr. Prestidge was the Assistant General Counsel of Mark Cuban Companies.  Prior to that, Mr. Prestidge was an associate in the corporate and securities practice group at Jenkens & Gilchrist, a Professional Corporation, which is a former national law firm. Mr. Prestidge is the son-in-law of our Chairman of the Board, Gerald J. Ford, and the brother-in-law of our President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy B. Ford.

Todd L. Salmans.  Mr. Salmans has served as Chief Executive Officer of PrimeLending since January 2011 and has continued in that position since our acquisition of PlainsCapital in November 2012.  He also previously held the office of President of PrimeLending until August 2013.  As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Salmans is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day management of PrimeLending, including financial performance, compliance, business development, board and strategic partner communications and team development. He also serves as a

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member of PrimeLending’s Board of Directors. Mr. Salmans joined PrimeLending in 2006 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, with responsibility over daily operations, loan processing and sales. He was promoted to President in April 2007. Mr. Salmans has over 30 year of experience in the mortgage banking industry. Prior to joining PrimeLending, he served as regional executive vice president of CTX/Centex, regional senior vice president of Chase Manhattan/Chase Home Mortgage Corp., and regional senior vice president of First Union National Bank/First Union Mortgage Corp. Mr. Salmans is currently a board member of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association.

Jerry L. Schaffner.  Mr. Schaffner has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank since November 2010 and has continued in that position since our acquisition of PlainsCapital in November 2012. He currently serves as a director of the Bank and various other subsidiaries, and previously served as a director of PlainsCapital from 1993 until March 2009. Mr. Schaffner joined PlainsCapital in 1988 as part of its original management group.

Terms of Office and Relationships

Our executive officers are elected annually or, as necessary, to fill vacancies or newly created offices by our Board of Directors.  Each executive officer holds office until his successor is duly elected and qualifies or, if earlier, until his death, resignation or removal. Any officer or agent elected or appointed by our Board of Directors may be removed by our Board of Directors whenever, in its judgment, our best interests will be served, but any removal will be without prejudice to the contractual rights, if any, of the person so removed.

Except as disclosed under “Proposal One — Election of Directors — Nominees for Election as Directors” commencing on page 5, (a) there are no familial relationships among any of our current directors or executive officers and (b) none of our director nominees hold directorships in any company with a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act or pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act or any company registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Except as set forth in this Proxy Statement, there are no arrangements or understandings between any nominee for election as a director or officer and any other person pursuant to which that director was nominated or that officer was selected.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) is responsible for establishing, implementing and monitoring adherence with our compensation philosophy. The Committee ensures that the total compensation paid to executive officers is fair, reasonable, competitive, performance-based and aligned with stockholder interests.

Executive Summary

Year 2014 represented another strong and exciting year for our Company and compensation programs.  It was the first year under the more robust compensation program developed in the prior year, which focuses on defined performance objectives.  The Committee continues to evaluate the compensation program to ensure it achieves the intended results, including pay-for-performance.

2014 Highlights

·                  We generated $105.9 million in income to common stockholders, or $1.17 per diluted share. Return on average equity (ROAE) was 8.01% and return on average assets (ROAA) was 1.26% for 2014.

·                  Asset quality remained strong compared to peers with non-performing assets as a percentage of total assets of 0.25%, excluding covered loans and covered other real estate owned.

·                  Hilltop capital ratios remained strong with a Tier 1 Leverage Ratio at 14.17% and a Total Capital Ratio of 19.69% at December 31, 2014.

·                  NLC recorded its best annual operating results since its founding.

·                  We entered into a merger agreement with SWS Group, Inc. to acquire the remaining interests not owned by us.  This transaction was consummated on January 1, 2015.

All of this contributed to an increase in our book value per share from $13.27 at December 31, 2013 to $14.93 at December 31, 2014.  Additional detail regarding our results and achievements can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. Furthermore, we believe that we are well positioned to continue positive growth momentum into 2015 and beyond.

Enhanced Compensation Program

Year 2014 represented the first year under the comprehensive compensation program that was under development in 2013.  In that regard, the Committee refined scorecards for each executive under the annual cash incentive compensation program to enhance its objectives.  The Committee also awarded long-term incentive compensation in the form of restricted stock units that includes a combination of performance-based and time-based award. Accordingly, half of the equity awards granted to executive officers are subject to performance-based vesting criteria over a three-year period and all awards are subject to a one-year hold period following vesting, subject to certain exceptions.  The Committee believes the implementation of these programs has benefited the Company in clearly defining short-term and long-term objectives.

Philosophy and Objectives of Our Executive Compensation Program

Our compensation program includes the following components: base salary, annual and long-term incentive awards that are linked to performance and the creation of stockholder value and perquisites. In structuring our compensation programs, the Committee selected the particular components and the weight given to those components based upon our strategic objectives.  We believe that it is critical to structure the compensation program in such a manner to retain those with the talent, skill and experience necessary for us to realize our strategic objectives.

With this in mind, the following principles help guide our decisions regarding compensation of our named executive officers:

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·                  Compensation opportunities should be competitive with market practices.  In order to attract and retain executives with the experience and skills necessary to lead our Company and motivate them to deliver strong performance to our stockholders, we are committed to providing total annual compensation opportunities that are competitive.

·                  A significant portion of compensation should be performance-based.  Our executive compensation program now further emphasizes pay-for-performance.  This means that compensation based on corporate performance, as assessed under the criteria established pursuant to the Annual Incentive Plan, has the possibility to represent a significant portion of the named executive officer’s total compensation. An additional component, which has the ability to reduce annual incentive compensation, is based upon improper risk taking and non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

·                  Management’s interests should be aligned with those of our stockholders.  Our long-term incentive compensation was delivered in the form of restricted stock units in 2014 to support our goals for ownership and retention.  Half of the restricted stock units awarded vest upon achievement of performance goals. The value of these awards ultimately depends upon our relative total stockholder return and our cumulative earnings per share over a three-year period.  In 2014, we also implemented stock ownership guidelines applicable to our Section 16 officers, including our named executive officers, and directors.

·                  Compensation should be perceived as fair.  We strive to create a compensation program that will be perceived as fair and equitable, both internally and externally.

How We Determine and Assess Executive Compensation Generally

Background

We completed the acquisition of PlainsCapital on November 30, 2012, and the compensation of our named executive officers who were employed by PlainsCapital is, therefore, in part based upon the compensation they were paid by PlainsCapital prior to the acquisition.  Three of our named executive officers, Messrs. White, Huffines and Salmans, were employed by PlainsCapital Corporation or its subsidiaries prior to the acquisition, and each had an employment agreement.   In connection with the acquisition of PlainsCapital, we entered into a retention agreement with Mr. White to ensure continuity following the closing.  All other existing employment arrangements at PlainsCapital were amended to terminate on November 30, 2014.  Following the expiration of the employment agreements with Messrs. Huffines and Salmans, we entered into new employment agreements with them that are consistent with our current compensation philosophy. For a more detailed discussion of these employment agreements and Mr. White’s retention agreement, see “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table— Employment Contracts and Incentive Plans — Employment Contracts” commencing on page 40.

Messrs. Jeremy B. Ford and Darren E. Parmenter do not have employment agreements and their compensation was largely discretionary prior to 2013.

Role of the Compensation Committee

The Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving all aspects of the compensation programs for our named executive officers and making all decisions regarding specific compensation to be paid or awarded to them.  The Committee is responsible for, among its other duties, the following:

·                  Review and approval of corporate incentive goals and objectives relevant to compensation;

·                  Evaluation of individual performance results in light of these goals and objectives;

·                  Evaluation of the competitiveness of the total compensation package; and

·                  Approval of any changes to the total compensation package, including, but not limited to, base salary, annual and long-term incentive award opportunities and payouts and retention programs.

The Committee is responsible for determining all aspects of compensation of the Chief Executive Officers of Hilltop and PlainsCapital, as well as assessing their individual performance.

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In setting the compensation of our named executive officers, the Committee, in its discretion, considers (i) the transferability of managerial skills, (ii) the relevance of each named executive officer’s experience to other potential employees, and (iii) the readiness of the named executive officer to assume a different or more significant role, either within our organization or with another organization.  When making pay-related decisions, the Committee also has considered our specific circumstances and the associated difficulties with attraction, retention and motivation of talent and the importance of compensation in supporting achievement of our strategic objectives.

Information about the Committee and its composition, responsibilities and operations can be found under “Board Committees” beginning on page 14.

Role of the Chief Executive Officers in Compensation Decisions

The Chief Executive Officers of Hilltop and PlainsCapital recommend to the Committee any compensation changes affecting the other named executive officers.  The Chief Executive Officers provide input and recommendations to the Committee with regards to compensation decisions for their direct reports. These recommendations are made within the framework of the compensation programs approved by the Committee and based on market data provided by the Committee’s independent consultant. The input includes base salary changes, annual incentive and long-term incentive opportunities, specific individual performance objectives, and individual performance assessments. The Chief Executive Officers make their recommendations based on their assessment of the individual officer’s performance, performance of the officer’s respective business or function and employee retention considerations. The Committee reviews and considers the Chief Executive Officers’ recommendations when determining any compensation changes affecting our officers or executives.  Each Chief Executive Officer does not play any role with respect to any matter impacting his own compensation.

Role of Stockholder Say-on-Pay Votes

The Company provides its stockholders with the opportunity to cast an annual advisory vote on executive compensation.  At the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders held in June 2014, 97.0% of the votes cast (excluding abstentions and broker non-votes) on the say-on-pay proposal at that meeting were voted in favor of the proposal.  As a result of such vote, the Committee continues to utilize the more comprehensive and robust compensation framework designed for 2014.  Highlights of the compensation program for fiscal 2015 are included in this Compensation, Discussion & Analysis in order to assist stockholders in evaluating the compensation program currently in effect.  Accordingly, the Committee will continue to consider the outcome of the Company’s say-on-pay votes when making future compensation decisions for the named executive officers.

Role of Compensation Consultant

Pursuant to its charter, the Committee is authorized to retain and terminate any consultant, as well as to approve the consultant’s fees and other terms of the engagement. The Committee also has the authority to obtain advice and assistance from internal or external legal, accounting or other advisors. In January 2013, the Committee engaged Pearl Meyer & Partners (“Pearl Meyer”) as its compensation consultant. The Committee had not engaged a compensation consultant during any of the previous five years.  In June 2013, the lead consultant with Pearl Meyer transferred to Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (“Meridian”), and the Committee unanimously agreed to transfer its relationship to Meridian.  The Committee believed that it was important to retain that lead consultant in order to complete the work already in progress.  Meridian had also previously been the compensation consultant for PlainsCapital prior to its acquisition by Hilltop. Other than performing Monte Carlo valuations with respect to the performance-based restricted stock units granted to assist in recording their expense,  Meridian does not provide any other services to management.

Meridian provides research, data analyses, survey information and design expertise in developing compensation programs for executives and incentive programs for eligible employees. In addition, Meridian keeps the Committee apprised of regulatory developments and market trends related to executive compensation practices.  Meridian does not determine or recommend the exact amount or form of executive compensation for any of the named executive officers.  A representative of Meridian generally attends meetings of the Committee, is available to participate in executive sessions and communicates directly with the Committee.

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Pursuant to the Committee’s charter, if the Committee elects to use a compensation consultant, the consultant must be independent. The Committee assesses independence taking into account the following factors:

·                  compliance with the NYSE listing standards;

·                  the policies and procedures the consultant has in place to prevent conflicts of interest;

·                  any business or personal relationships between the consulting firm and the members of the Committee;

·                  any ownership of Company stock by the individuals at the firm performing consulting services for the Committee; and

·                  any business or personal relationship of the firm with an executive officer of the Company.

Meridian has provided the Committee with appropriate assurances and confirmation of its independent status pursuant to the charter and other factors. The Committee believes that Meridian has been independent throughout its service for the Committee and there is no conflict of interest between Meridian and the Committee.

Other Factors

The Committee makes executive compensation decisions following a review and discussion of both the financial and operational performance of our businesses and the annual performance reviews of the named executive officers and other members of the management team.

Benchmarking Compensation

During 2013, the Committee consulted with Meridian to assess the competitiveness and effectiveness of our executive compensation program. In December 2013, Meridian provided an analysis of base salary, short-term incentive, long-term incentive and benefit practices of comparable companies in the financial industry. Meridian considered individual compensation elements, as well as the total compensation package, and assessed the relationship of pay to performance.

In performing this analysis, Meridian used a peer group of financial institutions, which was reviewed and approved by the Committee. The peer group included institutions of generally similar asset size and, to the extent possible, organizations with significant other operating segments. At the time the peer group was selected, our Company was positioned at the 55th percentile of the peer group in terms of total assets, with asset size ranging from $3.2 billion to $13.1 billion (approximately one-half to two times the size of our Company). The peer group used in the report presented for consideration in the determination of 2014 pay consisted of the following financial institutions:

Because a peer group analysis is limited to those positions for which compensation information is disclosed publicly, these studies typically include only the five most highly compensated officers at each company. Therefore, the compensation consultant also relied on published compensation surveys to supplement information for these positions, as well as to provide the basis for analysis for other executives. Similar asset and scope comparisons were used for that benchmarking analysis.

In late 2014, Meridian, at the direction of the Committee, re-evaluated the members of the Company’s peer group given the pending acquisition of SWS.  As a result, Meridian developed a new peer group for the Company, which was reviewed and approved by the Committee.  That new peer group was used to ensure that compensation program developed for 2015 was in the desired benchmark range, as well as competitive.

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Elements of our Executive Compensation Program

Overall, our executive compensation program is designed to be consistent with the objectives and principles set forth in this discussion.  The basic elements of our executive compensation program are summarized below, followed by a more detailed discussion of the programs.

Our compensation policies and programs are considered by the Committee in a total rewards framework, considering both “pay”—base salary, annual incentive compensation and long-term incentive compensation; and “benefits”—benefits, perquisites and executive benefits and other compensation.  Our executive compensation program consists primarily of the following components:

Base Salary

We provide base salaries for each named executive officer, commensurate with the services each provides to us, because we believe a portion of total direct compensation should be provided in a form that is fixed and liquid.  In reviewing base salaries, the Committee evaluated the salaries of other named executive officers of the Company and its peers and any increased level of responsibility, among other items.  As a result of that analysis, the Committee determined to increase the annual salaries of Messrs. Ford and Parmenter for 2015.  With respect to the other named executive officers of the Company, the Committee determined to maintain the current salary for 2015, as they were found to be competitive with the Company’s peers.  The following are the base salaries for the named executive officers in 2014 and 2015:

(a)          Mr. White’s base salary is set forth in his retention agreement, which became effective upon the closing of the acquisition of PlainsCapital.

Annual Incentive Awards

Our named executive officers and other employees are eligible to receive annual cash incentive awards based upon our financial performance and other factors, including individual performance.  The Committee believes that this

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element of compensation is important to focus management efforts on, and provide rewards for, annual financial and strategic results that are aligned with creating value for our stockholders.

Target incentive awards are defined at the start of the year in consideration of market data provided by the Committee’s consultant, each executive’s total compensation package and the entity’s budgetary considerations.  Targets for 2014 were adjusted slightly lower than 2013 in consideration of these factors; however, the percentage payout as a percentage of salary also was reduced accordingly.

Each executive officer had defined performance objectives during 2014 based upon measurable performance of both the individual and our Company.  Annual Incentive Plan awards are subject to claw back for improper risk management and non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations.  This component of the compensation program is pre-determined at the outset of the year and based upon measurable criteria.

The Committee, in its sole discretion, determines the amount of each participant’s award based on attainment of the applicable performance goals and assessments of individual performance.  For 2014, the applicable performance goals were among the following:

·                  Consolidated financial results for Hilltop for named executive officers employed by Hilltop;

·                  Consolidated financial results of PlainsCapital for employees of PlainsCapital and its subsidiaries;

·                  Financial results of lines of business for business heads; and

·                  Pre-determined individual objectives.

Additionally, a forfeiture of up to 15% of any available Annual Incentive Plan award can occur in the event that any improper risk management or non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations is identified.

Each element of the annual cash incentive award is independent of the other.  Accordingly, the executive officer may achieve certain performance goals, while at the same time failing to achieve others.  In that case, the executive officer will be entitled to receive the award for the performance goal achieved, but not an award for a performance goal for which threshold performance is not achieved.   As a result of this change from 2013, the maximum amount was reduced to 125% of the target award amounts.  Threshold awards were set at 60% of target.  Between the threshold and target amounts, a range of the potential annual cash incentive award is defined. Our 2014 goals were intended to be realistic and reasonable but challenging in order to drive performance. The Committee and management believe that by using these metrics we are encouraging profitable top line growth and value for stockholders. For 2014 and 2015, the Committee set Annual Incentive Plan compensation target payments for named executive officers as follows:

(a)          Determined pursuant to Mr. White’s retention agreement for the achievement of earnings threshold.

Based upon evaluation of their respective performance in 2014, together with operations of the Company, the Committee determined the Annual Incentive Plan bonuses for 2014 as follows for the following named executive officers.

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(a)         Determined pursuant to Mr. White’s retention agreement for the achievement of earnings threshold.

In determining such bonus amounts, the Committee exercised its discretion under the Annual Incentive Plan to increase the amounts paid to each of Jeremy B. Ford and Darren E. Parmenter above the amounts payable pursuant to the performance criteria. The increases in the Annual Incentive Plan payment for Mr. Ford were in recognition of his efforts in connection with the negotiation and consummation of the SWS merger and the integration of the operations acquired in the FNB acquisition. The Committee increased Mr. Parmenter’s payment in recognition of the work he performed at NLC, which led to NLC’s best annual operating results since its founding.  The Committee also awarded discretionary bonuses to Todd L. Salmans during 2014 in the amount of $240,000 for cost savings implemented at PrimeLending and $260,000 as an enticement to sign his employment agreement.

See “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table—Annual Incentive Plan” for more information on possible future payments to the named executive officers.

Long-Term Incentive Awards

As described above, we believe that a portion of each named executive officer’s compensation should be tied to the performance of our stock price, aligning the officer’s interest with that of our stockholders.  In this regard, our long-term incentive compensation for 2014 was delivered in the form of restricted stock units, the value of which is ultimately dependent upon the performance of our stock price.  Further discussion of the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan pursuant to which such restricted stock units were awarded is found after the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” section below.

Mr. Ford has an award outstanding under the 2003 Equity Incentive Plan. However, with the adoption of the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, all 2013 equity-based awards, including the named executive officers, have since been made pursuant to the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan.  All equity-based awards made to the named executive officers are approved by the Committee and not pursuant to delegated authority.

In 2014, long-term incentive awards were made in consideration of each executive’s role, competitive market practice, and performance.  Grants were made in the form of restricted stock units on February 24, 2014, to the following named executive officers as set forth below: