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Components of Net Periodic Pension Benefit Cost
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Components of Net Periodic Pension Benefit Cost  
Components of Net Periodic Pension Benefit Cost

Note G – Components of Net Periodic Pension Benefit Cost

Prior to January 1, 1999, we maintained a defined benefit pension plan for which most of our employees were eligible.  We elected to freeze benefits under this defined benefit pension plan as of December 31, 1998.

 

In 1994, we adopted a non-qualified, unfunded, supplemental pension plan covering certain employees, which provides for incremental pension payments so that total pension payments equal those amounts that would have been payable from our principal pension plan if it were not for limitations imposed by income tax regulations.  The benefits under this supplemental pension plan accrued after December 31, 1998 as if the principal pension plan had not been frozen.

 

Net pension cost for both plans included the following components:

 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

In thousands

 

2014

 

2013

 

Service cost

 

 $

100

 

 $

86

 

Interest cost

 

1,939

 

1,809

 

Expected return on plan assets

 

(2,109)

 

(1,846)

 

Amortization of prior service cost

 

0

 

0

 

Recognized actuarial loss

 

921

 

1,672

 

Net periodic benefit cost

 

 $

851

 

 $

1,721

 

 

We made contributions to our funded, frozen pension plan of $1.1 million in the first quarter of 2014.  We plan to make additional contributions of $3.7 million to this pension plan during the remainder of 2014.  These contributions to our funded, frozen pension plan are being made in order to satisfy the Pension Protection Act of 2006 minimum required contribution.

 

We are not required to make and do not intend to make any contributions to our unfunded, supplemental pension plan in 2014 other than to the extent needed to cover benefit payments.  We expect benefit payments under this supplemental pension plan to total $1.6 million in 2014.

 

Effective April 1, 2014, we elected to freeze benefits under the unfunded, supplemental pension plan, which will be accounted for as a curtailment of the plan in the second quarter of 2014.  The plan freeze results in a reduction of plan expense of $0.4 million over the remainder of 2014 and a reduction in the projected benefit obligation of $1.1 million.  This curtailment gain will offset the unrecognized loss held by the plan.  The remaining portion of the unrecognized loss will then be amortized over the average life expectancy of all participants.