Saving and Retirement Plans (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Compensation and Employee Benefit Plans [Text Block]

Saving and Retirement Plans

401(k) Retirement Plan

The Company maintains a 401(k) retirement plan covering substantially all employees and permits participants to defer eligible compensation up to the maximum allowable amount determined by the IRS. This deferred compensation, together with Company matching contributions equal to 100% of employee deferrals up to a maximum of $5,000 of their eligible compensation, is fully vested and funded as of December 31, 2018. Additionally, an annual profit sharing contribution may be made, which vests over a three year period. Costs for Company contributions to the plan totaled $3.9 million, $4.1 million and $3.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively.

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan

The Company maintains a non-qualified deferred compensation plan (“NQDCP”), which allows select employees and directors to defer part or all of their cash bonus, director fees, and vested restricted stock awards. All contributions into the participants' accounts are fully vested upon contribution to the NQDCP and are deposited in a Rabbi trust.

The following table reflects the balances of the assets and deferred compensation liabilities of the Rabbi trust in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets:



Non Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan Component⁽¹⁾	Year ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2018		2017
Assets:
Trading securities held in trust ⁽²⁾	$	31,351	31,662
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and other liabilities	$	31,166	31,383

⁽¹⁾Assets and liabilities of the Rabbi trust are exclusive of the shares of the Company's common stock.
⁽²⁾ Included within Other assets in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Realized and unrealized gains and losses on securities held in the NQDCP are recognized within Net investment income in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Changes in participant obligations, which is based on changes in the value of their investment elections, is recognized within General and administrative expenses within the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Investments in shares of the Company's common stock are included, at cost, as treasury stock in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets of the Parent Company and as a reduction of general partner capital in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets of the Operating Partnership. The participant's deferred compensation liability attributable to the participants' investments in shares of the Company's common stock are included, at cost, within additional paid in capital in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets of the Parent Company and as a reduction of general partner capital in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets of the Operating Partnership. Changes in participant account balances related to the Regency common stock fund are recorded directly within stockholders' equity.