The Company sponsors a noncontributory defined benefit pension plan, under which participation and benefit accruals ceased as of December 31, 1996, and it provides retiree medical benefits, consisting of the opportunity to purchase coverage at subsidized rates under the Company’s group medical plan.

Information related to the defined benefit pension plan maintained by Renasant Bank (“Pension Benefits”) and to the post-retirement health and life plan (“Other Benefits”) as of the dates presented is as follows:



	Pension Benefits				Other Benefits
	Three Months Ended				Three Months Ended
	March 31,				March 31,
	2021		2020			2021		2020
Service cost	$	—	$	—		$	1	$	2
Interest cost	166		242			4		5
Expected return on plan assets	(443)		(413)			—		—

Recognized actuarial loss (gain)	54		79			—		(18)

Net periodic (return) benefit cost	$	(223)	$	(92)		$	5	$	(11)

The Company maintains a long-term equity compensation plan that provides for the grant of stock options and the award of restricted stock. There were no stock options granted, nor compensation expense associated with options recorded, during the three months ended March 31, 2021 or 2020.

The following table summarizes information about options outstanding, exercised and forfeited as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2021:


	Shares	Weighted Average Exercise Price
Options outstanding at beginning of period	10,500	$	14.96
Granted	—	—
Exercised	(2,000)	14.96
Forfeited	—	—
Options outstanding at end of period	8,500	$	14.96

The Company also awards performance-based restricted stock to executives and other officers and employees and time-based restricted stock to non-employee directors, executives, and other officers and employees.

The following table summarizes the changes in restricted stock as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2021:


	Performance-Based Restricted Stock	Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Value		Time-Based Restricted Stock	Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Nonvested at beginning of period	132,827	$	32.88	548,416	$	34.15
Awarded	78,230	34.02		212,224	36.20
Vested	—	—		(89,240)	40.20
Cancelled	—	—		(19,461)	37.05
Nonvested at end of period	211,057	$	33.30	651,939	$	33.90

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company reissued 93,859 shares from treasury in connection with the exercise of stock options and awards of restricted stock. The Company recorded total stock-based compensation expense of $2,756 and $2,750 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.