Stock-Based Compensation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Stock-Based Compensation [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation

NOTE 16 – STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

International Paper has an Incentive Compensation Plan (ICP) which is administered by the Management Development and Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the Committee). The ICP authorizes the grants of restricted stock, restricted or deferred stock units, performance awards payable in cash or stock upon the attainment of specified performance goals, dividend equivalents, stock options, stock appreciation rights, other stock-based awards and cash-based awards in the discretion of the Committee. A detailed discussion of the ICP, including the stock option program and executive continuity award program that provided for tandem grants of restricted stock and stock options, is presented in Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. As of March 31, 2012, 16.1 million shares were available for grant under the ICP.

Stock-based compensation expense and related income tax benefits were as follows:

	Three Months Ended March  31,
In millions	2012		2011
Total stock-based compensation expense (selling and administrative)	$	31	$	27
Income tax benefits related to stock-based compensation		40		33

At March 31, 2012, $153 million, net of estimated forfeitures, of compensation cost related to unvested restricted performance shares, executive continuity awards and restricted stock attributable to future service had not yet been recognized. This amount will be recognized in expense over a weighted-average period of 2.0 years.

Performance Share Plan

Under the Performance Share Plan (PSP), awards may be granted by the Committee to approximately 1,000 employees. Awards are earned based on the Company's performance achievement in relative return on investment (ROI) and total shareholder return (TSR) compared to peer groups. Awards are weighted 75% for ROI and 25% for TSR for all participants except for officers for whom awards are weighted 50% for ROI and 50% for TSR. The ROI component of the PSP awards is valued at the closing stock price on the day prior to the grant date. As the ROI component contains a performance condition, compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, is recorded over the requisite service period based on the most probable number of awards expected to vest. The TSR component of the PSP awards is valued using a Monte Carlo simulation as the TSR component contains a market condition. The Monte Carlo simulation estimates the fair value of the TSR component based on the expected term of the award, the risk-free rate, expected dividends, and the expected volatility for the Company and its competitors. The expected term was estimated based on the vesting period of the awards, the risk-free rate was based on the yield on U.S. Treasury securities matching the vesting period, and the volatility was based on the Company's historical volatility over the expected term.

Beginning with the 2011 PSP, grants are made in performance-based restricted stock units (PSU's). The PSP will continue to be paid in unrestricted shares of Company stock.

PSP awards issued to certain members of senior management are liability awards, which are required to be remeasured at fair value at each balance sheet date. The valuation of these PSP liability awards is computed based on the same methodology as other PSP awards.

The following table sets forth the assumptions used to determine compensation cost for the market condition component of the PSP plan:

	Three Months Ended March  31,
	2012	2011
Expected volatility	36.67% - 55.33%	34.35% - 64.26%
Risk-free interest rate	0.12% -   0.46%	0.23% -   1.16%

The following summarizes the activity for PSP for the three months ended March 31, 2012:

	Nonvested Shares/Units			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at December 31, 2011		8,060,059		$	22.83
Granted		3,641,911			31.57
Shares Issued (a)		(2,819,957	)		16.63
Forfeited		(43,081	)		28.57
Outstanding at March 31, 2012		8,838,932		$	28.38

(a) Includes 21,388 shares/units held for payout at the end of the performance period.

Stock Option Program

The Company discontinued its stock option program in 2004 for members of executive management, and in 2005 for all other eligible U.S. and non-U.S. employees. Shares granted represent replacement options from a stock swap.

A summary of option activity under the plan for the three months ended March 31, 2012 is presented below:

	Options			Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Life (years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2011		15,556,786		$	38.13
Granted		2,513			35.94
Exercised		(630,675	)		32.85
Forfeited		0			0
Expired		(83,525	)		40.03
Outstanding at March 31, 2012		14,845,099		$	38.34		1.34	$	759

All options were fully vested and exercisable as of March 31, 2012.

Executive Continuity and Restricted Stock Award Program

The following summarizes the activity of the Executive Continuity and Restricted Stock Award Program for the three months ended March 31, 2012:

	Nonvested Shares			Weighted Average Grant  Date Fair Value
Outstanding at December 31, 2011		128,917		$	27.86
Granted		65,000			31.73
Shares Issued		(17,500	)		28.28
Forfeited		(0	)		0
Outstanding at March 31, 2012		176,417		$	29.25