Transactions With Related Parties

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Transactions With Related Parties

NOTE 10 – TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES

Unit Petroleum Company serves as the general partner of 16 oil and gas limited partnerships. Three were formed for investment by third parties and 13 (the employee partnerships) were formed to allow certain of our qualified employees and our directors to participate in Unit Petroleum’s oil and gas exploration and production operations. The partnerships for the third party investments were formed in 1984 and 1986. Employee partnerships have been formed for each year beginning with 1984 and ending with 2011. Interests in the employee partnerships were offered to the employees of Unit and its subsidiaries whose annual base compensation was at least a specified amount ($36,000 for 2011 and 2010) and to the directors of Unit.

The employee partnerships formed in 1984 through 1990 were consolidated into a single consolidating partnership in 1993 and the employee partnerships formed in 1991 through 1999 were also consolidated into the consolidating partnership in 2002. The consolidation of the 1991 through the 1999 employee partnerships was done by the general partners under the authority contained in the respective partnership agreements and did not involve any vote, consent or approval by the limited partners. The employee partnerships have each had a set percentage (ranging from 1% to 15%) of our interest in most of the oil and natural gas wells we drill or acquire for our own account during the particular year for which the partnership was formed. The total interest the employees have in our oil and natural gas wells by participating in these partnerships does not exceed one percent.

Amounts received in the years ended December 31, from both public and private Partnerships for which Unit is a general partner are as follows:

	2012		2011		2010
	(In thousands)
Contract drilling	$	246	$	352	$	529
Well supervision and other fees	$	434	$	396	$	386
General and administrative expense reimbursement	$	39	$	610	$	536

Related party transactions for contract drilling and well supervision fees are the related party’s share of such costs. These costs are billed to related parties on the same basis as billings to unrelated parties for such services. General and administrative reimbursements are both direct general and administrative expense incurred on the related party’s behalf and indirect expenses allocated to the related parties. Such allocations are based on the related party’s level of activity and are considered by management to be reasonable.

On November 21, 2011, Superior Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Superior), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours, entered a Gas Purchase Agreement with Sullivan and Company, L.L.C. (Sullivan), an Oklahoma limited liability company for which Robert Sullivan, Jr., one the Company’s directors, is a principal. Under the terms of the agreement, Sullivan is selling natural gas from 23 wells in northern Oklahoma to Superior, which will gather, process and sell purchased volumes. The term of the agreement is for a five-year period, after which it will be on a year-to-year basis until terminated by either party on sixty days written notice. Volumes sold are not dedicated under the agreement, and volumes are purchased at Superior’s discretion. Proceeds from sales of volumes gathered and processed under the agreement are to be paid 90% to Sullivan and 10% to Superior. The agreement is the result of an arm’s length transaction reflecting market rate terms and conditions comparable to other gas purchase agreements negotiated by Superior with similarly situated sellers of natural gas in the same market during the same general time frame.

One of our directors, G. Bailey Peyton IV, also serves as the President and a significant investor in Upland Resources, L.L.C., a small independent oil and natural gas exploration company, and as Manager of Peyton Royalties, LP, a family-controlled limited partnership that owns royalty rights in wells in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. In the ordinary course of business during 2012 the Company drilled three wells, under its usual standard dayrate contracts, in which Upland Resources, L.L.C. was a participant, for which the Company received payments of approximately $1.6 million from Upland Resources, L.L.C. The Company also paid royalties during 2012, primarily due to its status as successor in interest to prior transactions and as operator of the wells involved and, in some cases, as lessee, with respect to certain wells in which Mr. Peyton, members of Mr. Peyton's family, and Peyton Royalties, LP have an interest. Such payments totaled approximately $1.2 million during 2012. Our Audit Committee and the board, in accordance with the Policy, have determined that these arrangements are in the best interest of the Company.