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Retirement Benefit Plans
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Retirement Benefit Plans RETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS (Dollars in Thousands)
Arrow sponsors qualified and non-qualified defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans for its employees. Arrow maintains a non-contributory pension plan, which covers substantially all employees.  Effective December 1, 2002, all active participants in the qualified defined benefit pension plan were given a one-time irrevocable election to continue participating in the traditional plan design, for which benefits were based on years of service and the participant’s final compensation (as defined), or to begin participating in the new cash balance plan design.  All employees who first participate in the plan after December 1, 2002 automatically participate in the cash balance plan design.  The interest credits under the cash balance plan are based on the 30-year U.S. Treasury rate in effect for November of the prior year with a minimum interest credit of 3%.  The service credits under the cash balance plan are equal to 6.0% of eligible salaries for employees who become participants on or after January 1, 2003.  For employees in the plan prior to January 1, 2003, the service credits are scaled based on the age of the participant, and range from 6.0% to 12.0%. The funding policy is to contribute up to the maximum amount that can be deducted for federal income tax purposes and to make all payments required under The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).  Arrow also maintains a supplemental non-qualified unfunded retirement plan to provide eligible employees of Arrow and its subsidiaries with benefits in excess of qualified plan limits imposed by federal tax law.
Arrow has multiple non-pension postretirement benefit plans.  The health care, dental and life insurance plans are contributory, with participants’ contributions adjusted annually.  Arrow’s policy is to fund the cost of postretirement benefits based on the current cost of the underlying policies.  However, the health care plan provision allows for grandfathered participants to receive automatic increases of Company contributions each year based on the increase in inflation, limited to a maximum of 5%.  
As of December 31, 2020, Arrow used the sex-distinct amount-weighted Pri-2012 mortality tables for employees, healthy annuitants and contingent survivors, adjusted for mortality improvements with the Scale MP-2020 mortality improvement scale on a generational basis for the Pension Plan and the sex-distinct amount-weighted White Collar tables for employees and healthy annuitants, adjusted for mortality improvements with the scale MP-2020 mortality improvement scale on a generational basis for the Select Executive Retirement Plan. As of December 31, 2020, Arrow updated its mortality assumption used for the Postretirement Plan to the sex-distinct Pri.H-2012 headcount-weighted mortality tables for employees and healthy annuitants, adjusted for mortality improvements with the Scale MP-2020 mortality improvement scale on a generational basis. The change in mortality tables resulted in a decrease in liabilities for the Employees' Pension Plan, the Select Executive Retirement Plan and the Postretirement Benefit Plan.
The interest rates used in determining the present value of a lump sum payment/annuitizing cash balance accounts were changed to the segment rates in effect for the January 1, 2020 plan year (0.53%, 2.31%, 3.09%) as of December 31, 2020.
The Arrow Financial Corporation Employees' Pension Plan was amended effective January 1, 2021. The plan change was adopted January 1, 2021 and the amendment was valued as of December 31, 2020. The plan amendment included the following:
Effective January 1, 2021, the benefit payable to or on behalf of each participant:
• whose employment with the employer (or any predecessor employer, except as noted below) terminated on or before
January 1, 2016;
• who satisfied the requirements for early, normal, or late retirement as of such termination;
• who never participated in the United Vermont Bancorporation Plan and;
• who is, or whose beneficiary is, receiving monthly benefit payments from the Plan as of January 1, 2021 (including a
participant or beneficiary who shall commence receiving benefits from the Plan as of January 1, 2021), shall be increased
by three percent (3%).
The foregoing increase was applied to the monthly benefit actually payable to the participant, or to the participant's beneficiary, as of January 1, 2021, determined after all applicable adjustments, regardless of whether such benefit had been determined under the Company's plan or the plan of a predecessor employer that had been merged into the Plan.
The plan amendment caused a $351,638 increase in the projected benefit obligation creating a positive service cost which will be amortized over 9.70 years (the average expected future service of active plan participants.)
The Arrow Financial Corporation Employees' Select Executive Retirement Plan was amended effective January 1, 2021. The plan change was adopted January 1, 2021 and the amendment was valued as of December 31, 2020. The plan amendment provides a special adjustment to the monthly benefit payment for certain retirees. The plan amendment caused a $122,797 increase in the projected benefit obligation creating a positive prior service cost which will be amortized over 12.5 years.
The following tables provide the components of net periodic benefit costs for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2020.
Employees'Select ExecutivePostretirement
PensionRetirementBenefit
PlanPlanPlans
Net Periodic (Benefit) Cost
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2021:
Service Cost 1
$484 $146 $27 
Interest Cost 2
340 48 62 
Expected Return on Plan Assets 2
(945)— — 
Amortization of Prior Service Cost 2
20 12 27 
Amortization of Net Loss (Gain) 2
— 44 (22)
Net Periodic (Benefit) Cost$(101)$250 $94 
Plan Contributions During the Period$— $118 $32 
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2020:
Service Cost 1
$416 $102 $30 
Interest Cost 2
387 48 78 
Expected Return on Plan Assets 2
(902)— — 
Amortization of Prior Service Cost 2
15 11 27 
Amortization of Net Loss 2
20 37 — 
Net Periodic (Benefit) Cost$(64)$198 $135 
Plan Contributions During the Period$— $116 $54 
Net Periodic Benefit Cost
For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021:
Service Cost 1
$1,451 $437 $82 
Interest Cost 2
1,023 143 186 
Expected Return on Plan Assets 2
(2,835)— — 
Amortization of Prior Service Cost 2
59 36 80 
Amortization of Net Loss (Gain) 2
— 134 (66)
Net Periodic (Benefit) Cost$(302)$750 $282 
Plan Contributions During the Period$— $354 $87 
Estimated Future Contributions in the Current Fiscal Year$— $118 $32 
For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020:
Service Cost 1
$1,247 $306 $92 
Interest Cost 2
1,159 144 233 
Expected Return on Plan Assets 2
(2,706)— — 
Amortization of Prior Service Cost 2
47 32 80 
Amortization of Net Loss 2
61 110 — 
Net Periodic (Benefit) Cost$(192)$592 $405 
Plan Contributions During the Period$— $349 $191 
Footnotes:
1. Included in Salaries and Employee Benefits on the Consolidated Statements of Income
2. Included in Other Operating Expense on the Consolidated Statements of Income
A contribution to the qualified pension plan was not required during the period ended September 30, 2021 and currently, additional contributions in 2021 are not expected. Arrow makes contributions to its other post-retirement benefit plans in an amount equal to benefit payments for the year.