NOTE 9 – BENEFIT PLANS

The Bank has a contributory defined contribution retirement plan (401(k) plan) which covers substantially all employees. Total expense under the plan was $361,000 for 2017, $349,000 for 2016 and $307,000 for 2015. The Bank matches participants’ voluntary contributions up to 5% of gross pay. Participants were able to make voluntary contributions to the plan up to a maximum of $18,000 with an additional $6,000 catch-up deferral for plan participants over the age of 50. The Bank makes bi-weekly contributions to this plan equal to amounts accrued for plan expense.

The Company provides supplemental retirement benefit plans for the benefit of certain officers and non-officer directors. The plan for officers is designed to provide post-retirement benefits to supplement other sources of retirement income such as social security and 401(k) benefits. The benefits will be paid for a period of 15 years after retirement. Director Retirement Agreements provide for a benefit of $10,000 annually on or after the director reaches normal retirement age, which is based on a combination of age and years of service. Director retirement benefits are paid over a period of 10 years following retirement. The Company accrues the cost of these post-retirement benefits during the working careers of the officers and directors. At December 31, 2017, the accumulated liability for these benefits totaled $3.2 million, with $2.7 million accrued for the officers’ plan and $500,000 for the directors’ plan.

The following table reconciles the accumulated liability for the benefit obligation of these agreements:

	(Amounts in thousands)
	Years Ended December 31,
	2017			2016			2015
Beginning balance	$	2,957		$	2,760		$	2,549
Benefit expense		387			359			369
Benefit payments		(162	)		(162	)		(158	)
Ending balance	$	3,182		$	2,957		$	2,760

Supplemental executive retirement agreements are unfunded plans and have no plan assets. The benefit obligation represents the vested net present value of future payments to individuals under the agreements. The benefit expense, as specified in the agreements for the entire year 2018, is expected to be approximately $426,000. The benefits expected to be paid in the next year are approximately $162,000.

The Bank has purchased insurance contracts on the lives of the participants in the supplemental retirement benefit plan and has named the Bank as the beneficiary. Similarly, the Company has purchased insurance contracts on the lives of the directors with the Bancorp as beneficiary. While no direct linkage exists between the supplemental retirement benefit plan and the life insurance contracts, it is management’s current intent that the revenue from the insurance contracts be used as a funding source for the plan.

The Company accrues for the monthly benefit expense of postretirement cost of insurance for split-dollar life insurance coverage. The following table presents the changes in the accumulated liability.

	(Amounts in thousands)
	December 31,
	2017			2016			2015
Beginning balance	$	840		$	856		$	616
Expense recorded		50			23			132
Other comprehensive (income) loss recorded		(14	)		(39	)		108
Ending balance	$	876		$	840		$	856