Edgar Filing: CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES INC.

Ownership Submission

FORM 4

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person ^*

GONCALVES LOURENCO

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES INC. [CLF]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

__X__ Director	_____ 10% Owner
__X__ Officer (give title below)	_____ Other (specify below)
Chairman, President & CEO

(Last)

(First)

(Middle)

200 PUBLIC SQUARE, SUITE 3300

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
11/17/2014

(Street)

CLEVELAND, OH 44114-2315

4. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line)
_X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person
___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price

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Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security
(Instr. 3)

2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security

3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)

3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)

4. Transaction Code
(Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D)
(Instr. 3, 4, and 5)

6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date
(Month/Day/Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities
(Instr. 3 and 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security
(Instr. 5)

9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s)
(Instr. 4)

10. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 4)

Code

(A)

(D)

Date Exercisable

Expiration Date

Title

Amount or Number of Shares

Performance-Based RSUs

⁽¹⁾

11/17/2014⁽²⁾

400,000

⁽¹⁾

Common Shares

400,000

$ 0 ⁽¹⁾

400,000

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
Reporting Owner Name / Address	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
GONCALVES LOURENCO 200 PUBLIC SQUARE SUITE 3300 CLEVELAND, OH 44114-2315	X		Chairman, President & CEO

Signatures

/s/ James D. Graham by Power of Attorney		12/19/2014
^**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	This November 17, 2014 grant is an award of performance-based restricted stock units ("PRSUs") to the Reporting Person under the Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. Amended and Restated 2012 Incentive Equity Plan. The Reporting Person did not pay any purchase price for the PRSUs, which are considered a derivative security; they instead were a compensatory grant to the Reporting Person under the terms of his employment letter agreement, filed as Exhibit 10.1 of Form 8-K/A on September 16. 2014. Each PRSU represents a contingent right to receive one common share of Issuer. The PRSUs are considered a derivative security because the Insider can earn the PRSUs based on share price appreciation. Under the terms of the award, the performance period will run from August 7, 2014 through December 31, 2017. SEE CONTINUATION OF FN1 IN "REMARKS".
(2)	This Form 4, which is being filed on December 19, 2014, reports the PRSU grant that was made on November 17, 2014, the date on which the Issuer's Compensation and Organization Committee actually granted the award. This Form 4 relates only to that November 2014 award.
Remarks: FN1 CONTINUED: In general, the following number of PRSUs will be earned, subject to continued employment, based on the following performance, with straight line interpolation applied between performance levels once threshold performance is achieved: (1) 300,000, if the volume weighted average price ("VWAP") of an Issuer common share is, for any 90-consecutive-calendar-day period during the performance period, 25% greater than $13.83 ("Threshold Achievement"); (2) 400,000, if the VWAP of an Issuer common share is, for any 90-consecutive-calendar-day period during the performance period, 50% greater than $13.83; and (3) 500,000, if the VWAP of an Issuer common share is, for any 90-consecutive-calendar-day period during the performance period, 100% greater than $13.83. If Threshold Achievement is not achieved, no portion of the award will be earned. Further, 25% of any shares issued in settlement of the award must be held by the Reporting Person for one year.

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