Note 9. Pension Plans

United Kingdom plan

The Company maintains a defined benefit pension plan (the “Plan”) covering a number of its current and former employees in the United Kingdom, although it does also have other much smaller pension arrangements in the U.S. and overseas. The Plan is closed to future service accrual but has a large number of deferred and current pensioners. The Projected Benefit Obligation (“PBO”) is based on final salary and years of credited service reduced by social security benefits according to a plan formula. Normal retirement age is 65 but provisions are made for early retirement. The Plan’s assets are invested by several investment management companies in funds holding United Kingdom and overseas equities, United Kingdom and overseas fixed interest securities, index linked securities, property unit trusts and cash or cash equivalents. The trustees’ investment policy is to seek to achieve specified objectives through investing in a suitable mixture of real and monetary assets. The trustees recognize that the returns on real assets, while expected to be greater over the long-term than those on monetary assets, are likely to be more volatile. A mixture across asset classes should nevertheless provide the level of returns required by the Plan to meet its liabilities at an acceptable level of risk for the trustees and an acceptable level of cost to the Company.

In 2016, the Company contributed $1.1 million in cash to the Plan in accordance with an agreement with the trustees.


(in millions)	2016			2015			2014
Plan net pension (credit)/charge:
Service cost	$	1.0		$	1.5		$	1.7
Interest cost on PBO		20.7			27.7			34.7
Expected return on plan assets		(29.9	)		(33.4	)		(37.2	)
Amortization of prior service credit		(1.1	)		(1.2	)		(1.3	)
Amortization of actuarial net losses		2.6			5.2			5.4

	$	(6.7	)	$	(0.2	)	$	3.3

Plan assumptions at December 31, (%):
Discount rate		2.48			3.69			3.55
Inflation rate		2.25			2.15			2.15
Rate of return on plan assets – overall on bid-value		3.20			4.20			4.05
Rate of return on plan assets – equity securities		5.80			6.65			6.50
Rate of return on plan assets – debt securities		2.05			2.85			2.75

Plan asset allocation by category (%):
Equity securities		25			34			32
Debt securities		66			62			63
Cash		9			4			5

		100			100			100

The discount rate used represents the annualized yield based on a cash flow matched methodology with reference to an AA corporate bond spot curve and having regard to the duration of the Plan’s liabilities. The inflation rate is derived using a similar cash flow matched methodology as used for the discount rate but having regard to the difference between yields on fixed interest and index linked United Kingdom government gilts. A 0.25% change in the discount rate assumption would change the PBO by approximately $26 million and the net pension credit for 2017 would change by approximately $0.2 million. A 0.25% change in the level of price inflation assumption would change the PBO by approximately $19 million and the net pension credit for 2016 by approximately $0.2 million.

The current investment strategy of the Plan is to obtain an asset allocation of 65% debt securities and 35% equity securities in order to achieve a more predictable return on assets. As at December 31, 2016, approximately 37% (December 31, 2015 – 35%) of the Plan’s assets were held in index-tracking funds with one investment management company. Approximately 18% (December 31, 2015 – 16%) of the Plan’s assets were invested in United Kingdom government gilts. No more than 5% of the Plan’s assets were invested in any one individual company’s investment funds.

Movements in PBO and fair value of Plan assets are as follows:


(in millions)	2016			2015
Change in PBO:
Opening balance	$	739.7		$	817.1
Interest cost		20.7			27.7
Service cost		1.0			1.5
Benefits paid		(39.7	)		(42.9	)
Actuarial losses/(gains)		119.8			(21.8	)
Exchange effect		(131.3	)		(41.9	)

Closing balance	$	710.2		$	739.7

Fair value of plan assets:
Opening balance	$	795.2		$	862.3
Actual benefits paid		(39.7	)		(42.9	)
Actual contributions by employer		1.1			9.0
Actual return on assets		142.2			11.5
Exchange effect		(140.6	)		(44.7	)

Closing balance	$	758.2		$	795.2

The accumulated benefit obligation for the Plan was $710.2 million and $739.7 million at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

For the vast majority of assets, a market approach is adopted to assess the fair value of the assets, with the inputs being the quoted market prices for the actual securities held in the relevant fund.

Equity securities

Common and preferred stock for which market prices are readily available at the measurement date are valued at the last reported sale price or official closing price on the primary market or exchange on which they are actively traded and are classified in Level 1.

Fixed income securities

Fixed income securities are valued based on quotations received from independent pricing services or from dealers who make markets in such securities and are classified as Level 1.

Insurance contracts

The Company has invested in insurance contracts, known as buy-in contracts. The value of the insurance contract used significant unobservable inputs including plan participant medical data, in addition to observable inputs which includes expected return on assets and estimated value premium. Therefore we have classified the contracts as Level 3 investments. Fair value estimates are provided by the external parties and are subsequently reviewed and approved by management.

The fair values of pension assets by level of input were as follows:


(in millions)	Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total
At December 31, 2016
Fixed income securities:
Debt securities issued by U.S. government and government agencies	$	0.2	$		$		$	0.2
Debt securities issued by non-U.S. governments and government agencies		139.3						139.3
Corporate debt securities		180.8						180.8
Other asset-backed securities
Equity securities:
Equity securities held for proprietary investment purposes		84.2						84.2
Real estate		57.1						57.1
Insurance contracts						152.9		152.9
Investments measured at net asset value ⁽¹⁾								51.7
Other assets				26.2				26.2

Total assets at fair value		461.6		26.2		152.9		692.4
Cash		65.8						65.8

Total plan assets	$	527.4	$	26.2	$	152.9	$	758.2

At December 31, 2015
Fixed income securities:
Debt securities issued by U.S. government and government agencies	$	0.4	$		$		$	0.4
Debt securities issued by non-U.S. governments and government agencies		132.1						132.1
Corporate debt securities		189.7						189.7
Other asset-backed securities		0.2						0.2
Equity securities:
Equity securities held for proprietary investment purposes		125.0						125.0
Real estate		64.7						64.7
Insurance contracts						171.9		171.9
Investments measured at net asset value ⁽¹⁾								47.6
Other assets				31.6				31.6

Total assets at fair value		512.1		31.6		171.9		763.2
Cash		32.0						32.0

Total plan assets	$	544.1	$	31.6	$	171.9	$	795.2

(1)

Certain investments that are measured at fair value using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) have not been categorized in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value amounts presented in this table are intended to permit reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the amounts presented in the statement of financial position.

The reconciliation of the fair value of the Plan assets measured using significant unobservable inputs was as follows:


(in millions)	Other Assets
Balance at December 31, 2014	$	0.0
Realized/unrealized gains/(losses):
Relating to assets still held at the reporting date		0.0
Relating to assets sold during the period		0.0
Purchases, issuances and settlements		171.9
Exchange effect		0.0

Balance at December 31, 2015		171.9

Realized/unrealized gains/(losses):
Relating to assets still held at the reporting date		16.8
Relating to assets sold during the period		0.0
Purchases, issuances and settlements		(6.7	)
Exchange effect		(29.1	)

Balance at December 31, 2016	$	152.9

The projected net pension credit for the year ending December 31, 2017 is as follows:


(in millions)
Service cost	$	0.9
Interest cost on PBO		14.6
Expected return on plan assets		(23.4	)
Amortization of prior service credit		(1.0	)
Amortization of actuarial net losses		4.8

	$	(4.1	)

The following benefit payments are expected to be made:


(in millions)
2017	$	34.9
2018	$	35.4
2019	$	35.9
2020	$	36.4
2021	$	36.9
2022-2026	$	192.1

German plan

The Company also maintains an unfunded defined benefit pension plan covering a number of its current and former employees in Germany (the “German plan”). The German plan is closed to new entrants and has no assets.


(in millions)	2016		2015		2014
Plan net pension charge:
Service cost	$	0.2	$	0.2	$	0.2
Interest cost on PBO		0.2		0.2		0.3
Amortization of actuarial net loss		0.2		0.3		0.1

	$	0.6	$	0.7	$	0.6

Plan assumptions at December 31, (%):
Discount rate		1.80		2.40		2.10
Inflation rate		1.75		1.75		1.75
Rate of increase in compensation levels		2.75		2.75		2.75

Movements in PBO of the German plan are as follows:


(in millions)	2016			2015
Change in PBO:
Opening balance	$	9.2		$	10.4
Service cost		0.2			0.2
Interest cost		0.2			0.2
Benefits paid		(0.2	)		(0.2	)
Actuarial losses/(gains)		1.0			(0.3	)
Exchange effect		(0.3	)		(1.1	)

Closing balance	$	10.1		$	9.2

The amount of unrecognized actuarial net losses in other comprehensive loss in respect of the German plan is $2.5 million, net of tax of $0.7 million.

Other plans

Company contributions to defined contribution schemes during 2016 were $7.9 million (2015 – $8.5 million).

The Huntsman acquisition has pension plans with a liability at December 31, 2016 of $4.1 million.