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Savings and Retirement Plans
12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Savings and Retirement Plans [Abstract]  
Savings and Retirement Plans
4.Savings and Retirement Plans

We sponsor various plans for eligible employees in the United States, the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), and The Netherlands. Our retirement savings plan in the United States conforms to Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code and participation is available to substantially all employees.  We may also make discretionary contributions ratably to all eligible employees.  We made discretionary contributions to the U.S. plan of $224,000, $228,000 and $218,000 for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Our international subsidiaries in the U.K. and The Netherlands have defined benefit retirement plans for eligible employees.  These plans provide benefits based on the employee’s years of service and compensation during the years immediately preceding retirement, termination, disability, or death, as defined in the plans.  We froze the U.K. subsidiary’s defined benefit plan on December 31, 2004.  On March 10, 2005, we established a defined contribution plan for the U.K. subsidiary.  As of April 1, 2005, we closed The Netherlands subsidiary’s defined benefit retirement plan for new employees and established a defined contribution plan for them.  The total contribution expense associated with the defined contribution plans in The Netherlands and the U.K. was $22,000, $16,000 and $12,000 for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The amortization of actuarial gains or losses is included as a component of the annual expense for a year if, as of the beginning of the year, the cumulative net gain or loss exceeds 10% of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or plan assets.  If amortization is required, the amortization is that excess divided by the expected average future service of the active employees participating in the plans or the average remaining life expectancies of inactive employees.
 
The Netherlands defined benefit plan

The Netherlands defined benefit pension plan is funded through a guaranteed insurance contract with Swiss Life, an insurance company.  Our contract with Swiss Life requires us to make annual premium payments which are sufficient to satisfy the Vested Benefit Obligation (“VBO”).  Swiss Life does not hold separate investment assets for our contract, but rather is obligated to provide the stream of future benefits for the annual premium payments we make.  We calculate the market value of the pension plan assets, held in Swiss Life insured assets, as the stream, based on mortality, of the earned guaranteed benefit payments discounted at market interest rate.  The benefit obligation is calculated based on the same assumptions as well.  Accordingly, the impact on pension plan assets of a change in assumption for discount rate and mortality would equally offset the change in VBO.

At March 31, 2014, we project the following benefit payments in subsequent fiscal years:

2015
 
$
4,000
 
2016
  
23,000
 
2017
  
23,000
 
2018
  
24,000
 
2019
  
24,000
 
2020 to 2024
  
172,000
 
 
 
$
270,000
 

We contributed $216,000 in fiscal 2014, $122,000 in fiscal 2013, $154,000 in fiscal 2012, and expect to contribute approximately $150,000 in fiscal 2015.

The following table summarizes the change in benefit obligations and the change in plan assets for the years ended March 31:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
Changes in benefit obligations:
 
  
 
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year
 
$
2,624,000
  
$
1,572,000
 
Service cost
  
126,000
   
74,000
 
Interest cost
  
108,000
   
88,000
 
Benefits paid
  
(1,000
)
  
-
 
Value transfers
  
(57,000
)
  
-
 
Plan Amendment
  
(46,000
)
  
-
 
Actuarial result
  
384,000
   
956,000
 
Foreign currency translation
  
205,000
   
(66,000
)
 
        
Projected benefit obligation, end of year
 
$
3,343,000
  
$
2,624,000
 
         
Changes in plan assets:
        
Plan assets, beginning of year
 
$
1,993,000
  
$
1,217,000
 
Contributions to plan
  
216,000
   
122,000
 
Management cost
  
(15,000
)
  
(11,000
)
Actual return on assets
  
370,000
   
716,000
 
Benefits paid
  
(1,000
)
  
-
 
Value transfers
  
(57,000
)
  
-
 
Foreign currency translation
  
159,000
   
(51,000
)
 
        
Plan assets, end of year
 
$
2,665,000
  
$
1,993,000
 

The amount recognized in other comprehensive loss at March 31 consists of:

 
2014
  
2013
 
    
Unrecognized net prior service benefit
 
$
(348,000
)
 
$
(313,000
)
Unrecognized net losses
  
711,000
   
612,000
 
 
        
Additional other comprehensive loss (gross of deferred taxes)
 
$
363,000
  
$
299,000
 

The projected benefit obligation, accumulated benefit obligations and the fair value plan assets at March 31 were as follows:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
 
 
  
 
Projected benefit obligation
 
$
3,343,000
  
$
2,624,000
 
Accumulated benefit obligation
  
2,704,000
   
2,083,000
 
Fair value of plan assets
  
2,665,000
   
1,993,000
 

We have recorded the excess of the projected benefit obligation over the fair value of the plan assets on March 31, 2014 and 2013, of $678,000 and $631,000, respectively, as accrued pension liability.

The cost of our defined benefit retirement plan includes the following components for the years ended March 31:

 
 
2014
  
2013
  
2012
 
 
 
  
  
 
Gross service cost, net of employee contribution
 
$
113,000
  
$
60,000
  
$
58,000
 
Interest cost
  
108,000
   
88,000
   
86,000
 
Management cost
  
11,000
   
11,000
   
14,000
 
Expected return on assets
  
(72,000
)
  
2,000
   
9,000
 
Amortization
  
-
   
(11,000
)
  
(6,000
)
 
            
Net periodic retirement cost
 
$
160,000
  
$
150,000
  
$
161,000
 

Major assumptions used in the above calculations include:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
 
 
  
 
Discount rate
  
3.40
%
  
3.90
%
Expected return on assets
  
3.40
%
  
3.90
%
Expected rate of increase in future compensation:
        
General
  
2.5
%
  
2.5
%
Individual
  
0-3
%
  
0-3
%

The discount rate used is based upon the yields available on high quality corporate bonds with a term that matches the liabilities.  The impact of the decrease in discount rate used for March 31, 2014 over 2013 was an increase in the projected benefit obligation and actual return on assets. The market value of the assets is determined as the discounted stream of guaranteed benefit payments. Given the valuation method of the assets, the expected long-term rate of return on assets equals the discount rate.

The U.K. defined benefit plan
 
As of March 31, 2014 and 2013, we held all the assets of the U.K. defined benefit pension plan in a Deposit Administration Contract with Phoenix Life Limited.
 
At March 31, 2014 we project the following benefit payments in subsequent fiscal years:

2015
 
$
-
 
2016
  
-
 
2017
  
119,000
 
2018
  
-
 
2019
  
184,000
 
2020 to 2024
  
816,000
 
 
 
$
1,119,000
 

We contributed $43,000 in fiscal 2014, $34,000 in fiscal 2013, $35,000 in fiscal 2012, and expect to contribute approximately $47,000 in fiscal 2015.

The following table summarizes the change in benefit obligations and the change in plan assets for the years ended March 31:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
Changes in benefit obligations:
 
  
 
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year
 
$
665,000
  
$
733,000
 
Service cost
  
5,000
   
5,000
 
Interest cost
  
33,000
   
35,000
 
Other
  
(5,000
)
  
(5,000
)
Actuarial result
  
(7,000
)
  
(69,000
)
Foreign currency translation
  
64,000
   
(34,000
)
 
        
Projected benefit obligation, end of year
 
$
755,000
  
$
665,000
 
 
        
Changes in plan assets:
        
Plan assets, beginning of year
 
$
636,000
  
$
614,000
 
Contributions to plan
  
43,000
   
34,000
 
Management cost
  
(5,000
)
  
(5,000
)
Actual return on assets
  
19,000
   
24,000
 
Foreign currency translation
  
63,000
   
(31,000
)
 
        
Plan assets, end of year
 
$
756,000
  
$
636,000
 

The amount recognized in other comprehensive loss as of March 31 consists of:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
 
 
  
 
Unrecognized net losses (gross of deferred taxes)
 
$
130,000
  
$
130,000
 

The projected benefit obligation, accumulated benefit obligation and the fair value plan assets at March 31 were as follows:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
 
 
  
 
Projected benefit obligation
 
$
755,000
  
$
665,000
 
Accumulated benefit obligation
  
755,000
   
665,000
 
Fair value of plan assets
  
756,000
   
636,000
 
 

 
We have recorded the excess of the fair value of the plan assets over the projected benefit obligation of $1,000, as of March 31, 2014, as prepaid pension asset. We have recorded the excess of the projected benefit obligation over the fair value of the plan assets of $29,000, as of March 31, 2013, as accrued pension liability.
 
The cost of our defined benefit retirement plan includes the following components for the years ended March 31:

 
 
2014
  
2013
  
2012
 
 
 
  
  
 
Gross service cost, net of employee contribution
 
$
5,000
  
$
5,000
  
$
5,000
 
Interest cost
  
33,000
   
35,000
   
36,000
 
Expected return on assets
  
(21,000
)
  
(21,000
)
  
(29,000
)
Amortization
  
7,000
   
15,000
   
12,000
 
 
            
Net periodic retirement cost
 
$
24,000
  
$
34,000
  
$
24,000
 

Major assumptions used in the above calculations include:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
 
 
  
 
Discount rate
  
4.60
%
  
4.80
%
Expected return on assets
  
3.70
%
  
3.10
%

The discount rate used is based upon the yields available on high quality corporate bonds with a term that matches the liabilities.  The expected return on assets assumption on the investment portfolio for the defined benefit plan is based on the long-term expected returns for the assets currently in the portfolio. Management uses historic return trends of the asset portfolio combined with recent market conditions to estimate the future rate of return.

Plan Assets

The primary objective of the Netherlands pension plan is to meet retirement income commitments to plan participants at a reasonable cost.  In The Netherlands, consistent with typical practice, the pension plan is funded through a guaranteed insurance contract with Swiss Life, an insurance company.  Swiss Life is responsible for the investment strategy of the insurance premiums we make.  We have characterized the assets of the pension plan as an “other contract.”

The primary objective of the U.K. pension plan is to meet retirement income commitments to plan participants at a reasonable cost.  The objective is achieved through growth of capital and safety of funds invested.  The pension plan assets are invested in a Deposit Administration Contract with Phoenix Life Limited, an insurance company, with underlying investments primarily in fixed interest U.K. government bonds.

The allocation of pension plan assets as of March 31 was as follows:

 
 
2014
  
2013
 
 
 
Target
Allocation
  
Actual
Allocation
  
Target
Allocation
  
Actual
Allocation
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
Other Contract (Netherlands Plan)
  
100
%
  
100
%
  
100
%
  
100
%
Deposit Administration Contract (U.K. Plan)
  
100
%
  
100
%
  
100
%
  
100
%
 
                

We calculate the market value of the pension plan assets, held in Swiss Life insured assets, as the stream, based on mortality (an unobservable input), of the earned guaranteed benefit payments discounted at market interest rate.  Accordingly, we have classified the Netherlands pension plan assets as Level 3 assets.  The market value of the U.K. pension plan reflects the value of our contributions to the plan and the credited accrued interest at the rate specified in the Deposit Administration Contract.  Accordingly, we have classified the U.K. plan assets as Level 2 assets.

The fair value of the pension plan assets at March 31 by asset class is as follows:
 
Asset Class
 
Total
  
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets
(Level 1)
  
Significant
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
  
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 
        
2014
        
Other Contract (Netherlands Plan)
 
$
2,665,000
  
$
-
  
$
-
  
$
2,665,000
 
Deposit Administration Contract (U.K. Plan)
  
756,000
   
-
   
756,000
   
-
 
 
                
2013
                
Other Contract (Netherlands Plan)
 
$
1,993,000
  
$
(3,000
)
 
$
-
  
$
1,996,000
 
Deposit Administration Contract (U.K. Plan)
  
636,000
   
-
   
636,000
   
-
 
 
The reconciliation of beginning and ending balances for our Level 3 assets is as follows:

 
 
Other Contract
(Netherlands Pension
Plan Assets)
 
 
 
 
Beginning balance as at April 1, 2013
 
$
1,996,000
 
Loss recognized in earnings
  
57,000
 
Unrealized actuarial gain recognized in other comprehensive loss
  
296,000
 
Purchases
  
215,000
 
Sales
  
(1,000
)
Transfers
  
(57,000
)
Unrealized foreign currency translation loss recognized in other comprehensive loss
  
159,000
 
 
    
Ending balance as at March 31, 2014
 
$
2,665,000
 

The unrealized actuarial gain of $296,000, recognized in other comprehensive loss, is equally offset by an unrealized actuarial loss, recognized in other comprehensive income, in the Vested Benefit Obligation.