Related Party Transactions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

Note 10 – Related party transactions:

We may be deemed to be controlled by Ms. Lisa Simmons and the Family Trust. See Note 1. Corporations that may be deemed to be controlled by or affiliated with these individuals sometimes engage in (a) intercorporate transactions such as guarantees, management and expense sharing arrangements, shared fee arrangements, joint ventures, partnerships, loans, options, advances of funds on open account, and sales, leases and exchanges of assets, including securities issued by both related and unrelated parties and (b) common investment and acquisition strategies, business combinations, reorganizations, recapitalizations, securities repurchases, and purchases and sales (and other acquisitions and dispositions) of subsidiaries, divisions or other business units, which transactions have involved both related and unrelated parties and have included transactions that resulted in the acquisition by one related party of a publicly-held minority equity interest in another related party. We continuously consider, review and evaluate, and understand that Contran and related entities consider, review and evaluate such transactions. Depending upon the business, tax and other objectives then relevant, it is possible that we might be a party to one or more such transactions in the future.

From time to time, we may have loans and advances outstanding between us and various related parties pursuant to term and demand notes. We generally enter into these loans and advances for cash management purposes. When we loan funds to related parties, we are generally able to earn a higher rate of return on the loan than we would earn if we invested the funds in other instruments. While certain of these loans may be of a lesser credit quality than cash equivalent instruments otherwise available to us, we believe we have evaluated the credit risks in the terms of the applicable loans. In this regard, prior to 2021, we entered into an unsecured revolving demand promissory note with Valhi under which, as amended, we have agreed to loan Valhi up to $25 million. Our loan to Valhi, as amended, bears interest at prime plus 1.00%, payable quarterly, with all principal due on demand, but in any event no earlier than December 31, 2025. Loans made to Valhi at any time under the agreement are at our discretion. At the end of our fiscal year in 2022 and 2023, the outstanding principal balance receivable from Valhi under the promissory note was $13.2 million and $10.6 million, respectively. Interest income (including unused commitment fees) on our loan to Valhi was $1.2 million in 2021, $1.0 million in 2022 and $1.2 million in 2023.

Under the terms of an Intercorporate Service Agreement (“ISA”) with Contran, employees of Contran perform certain management, tax planning, financial, legal and administrative services for us on a fee basis. Such fees are based upon the compensation of individual Contran employees providing services for us and/or estimates of time devoted to our affairs by such persons. Because of the number of companies affiliated with Contran, we believe we benefit from cost savings and economies of scale gained by not having certain management, financial and administrative staffs duplicated at each entity, thus allowing certain individuals to provide services to multiple companies but only be compensated by one entity. We negotiate ISA fees annually and agreements renew quarterly. Fees pursuant to these agreements aggregated $3.4 million in each of 2021 and 2022 and $3.1 million in 2023.

Contran and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us, purchase certain of their insurance policies and risk management services as a group, with the costs of the jointly-owned policies and services being apportioned among the participating companies. Tall Pines Insurance Company (“Tall Pines”), a subsidiary of Valhi, underwrites certain insurance policies for Contran and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us. Tall Pines purchases reinsurance from highly rated (as determined by A.M. Best or other internationally recognized ratings agency) third-party insurance carriers for substantially all of the risks it underwrites. Consistent with insurance industry practices, Tall Pines receives commissions from the reinsurance underwriters and/or assesses fees for certain of the policies that it underwrites. During 2021, 2022 and 2023 we paid $2.9 million, $3.3 million and $3.4 million, respectively, under the group insurance program, which amounts principally represent insurance premiums, including $.9 million, $1.0 million and $1.1 million, respectively, for policies written by Tall Pines. Amounts paid under the group insurance program also include payments to insurers or reinsurers for the reimbursement of claims within our applicable deductible or retention ranges that such

insurers and reinsurers paid to third parties on our behalf, as well as amounts for claims and risk management services and various other third-party fees and expenses incurred by the program. We expect these relationships will continue in 2024.

With respect to certain of such jointly-owned insurance policies, it is possible that unusually large losses incurred by one or more insureds during a given policy period could leave the other participating companies without adequate coverage under that policy for the balance of the policy period. As a result, and in the event that the available coverage under a particular policy would become exhausted by one or more claims, Contran and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us, have entered into a loss sharing agreement under which any uninsured loss arising because the available coverage had been exhausted by one or more claims will be shared ratably amongst those entities that had submitted claims under the relevant policy. We believe the benefits, in the form of reduced premiums and broader coverage associated with the group coverage for such policies, justifies the risk associated with the potential for any uninsured loss.