PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

The components of net periodic benefit costs (credits) are:



	PENSION
	QUARTER ENDED						YEAR-TO-DATE ENDED
DOLLAR AMOUNTS IN MILLIONS	SEPTEMBER 2015			SEPTEMBER 2014			SEPTEMBER 2015			SEPTEMBER 2014
Service cost⁽¹⁾	$	14		$	13		$	42		$	40
Interest cost	65			67			198			205
Expected return on plan assets	(115		)	(117		)	(354		)	(349		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	44			33			135			94
Amortization of prior service cost	1			1			3			4
Loss due to curtailment and special termination benefits⁽²⁾	—			9			—			9
Total net periodic benefit cost (credit)	$	9		$	6		$	24		$	3


(1)	Service cost includes $2 million year-to-date ended 2014 for employees that were part of the Real Estate Divestiture. These charges are included in our results of discontinued operations.

(2) The 2014 loss due to curtailment and special termination benefits are related to involuntary terminations caused by restructuring activities, as well as the Real Estate Divestiture.



	OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS
	QUARTER ENDED						YEAR-TO-DATE ENDED
DOLLAR AMOUNTS IN MILLIONS	SEPTEMBER 2015			SEPTEMBER 2014			SEPTEMBER 2015			SEPTEMBER 2014
Interest cost	$	2		$	3		$	7		$	8
Amortization of actuarial loss	2			3			7			9
Amortization of prior service credit	(2		)	(25		)	(6		)	(120		)
Other	—			—			—			(4		)
Total net periodic benefit cost (credit)	$	2		$	(19	)	$	8		$	(107	)

During fourth quarter 2013, we decided to eliminate post-Medicare health funding for certain salaried retirees after 2014. We recognized a pretax gain of $23 million in third quarter 2014 and $113 million in year-to-date 2014 from this plan amendment. This gain is included in "Other operating income, net" in our Consolidated Statement of Operations and reflected in the amortization of prior service credit in the table above.

VALUATION OF PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS ASSETS AND OBLIGATION

We estimate the fair value of pension plan assets based upon the information available during the year-end reporting process. In some cases, primarily private equity funds, the information available consists of net asset values as of an interim date, cash flows between the interim date and the end of the year and market events. We revised the year-end estimated fair value of pension plan assets to incorporate year-end net asset values reflected in financial statements received after we have filed our Annual Report on Form 10-K. During second quarter 2015, we recorded an increase in the fair value of the pension assets of $57 million, or 1 percent. We also revised our census data that is used to estimate our projected benefit obligation for pension and other postretirement benefit plans. As a result of that update, during second quarter 2015, we recorded an increase to the projected benefit obligation of $25 million, or less than 1 percent. The net effect was a $32 million increase in the funded status.

EXPECTED CONTRIBUTIONS AND BENEFIT PAYMENTS

We do not anticipate making a contribution to our U.S. qualified pension plan for 2015. In 2015 we expect to:


•	be required to contribute approximately $38 million for our Canadian registered plan;


•	be required to contribute or make benefit payments for our Canadian nonregistered plans of $3 million;


•	make benefit payments of $19 million for our U.S. nonqualified pension plans; and


•	make benefit payments of $25 million for our U.S. and Canadian other postretirement plans.