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Employee Benefit Plans
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Employee Benefit Plans Employee Benefit Plans
The Company maintains a noncontributory defined-benefit plan (the "DB Pension Plan") and a 401(k) plan (the "Retirement Savings Plan"), within which the Company makes both matching contributions and discretionary contributions which cover substantially all employees of the Company.

The DB Pension Plan was closed to new employees at year-end 2009 and was frozen on July 31, 2015. The benefits under the DB Pension Plan are based on years of service, age and percentages of the employees' average final compensation. Assets of the Company's DB Pension Plan are invested in common and preferred stock, mutual funds and cash equivalents.

The Retirement Savings Plan covers substantially all employees of the Company who have reached the age of 21. For participants in these plans, the Company makes matching contributions to an account set up in the participant's name. Under the Retirement Savings Plan, employees may contribute a percentage of their eligible compensation with a Company match of such contributions up to a maximum match of 4%. The Company’s expense associated with these matching provisions was $3.2 million in 2023, $3.1 million in 2022, and $3.0 million in 2021. In addition, discretionary contributions are made once per year and equals a percentage of pay and varies based on the participant's age, service, and tenure with the Company. The Retirement Savings Plan offers the participant a wide range of investment alternatives from which to choose. Expenses related to the discretionary contributions totaled $4.2 million in 2023, $4.1 million in 2022, and $4.4 million in 2021.

The Company has an Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("ESOP") covering substantially all employees of the Company that have a least one year of service. The ESOP allows for Company contributions in the form of common stock of the Company. Annually, the Tompkins Board of Directors determines a profit-sharing payout to its employees in accordance with a performance-based formula. A percentage of the approved amount is paid in Company common stock into the ESOP. Contributions are limited to a maximum amount as stipulated in the ESOP. The remaining percentage is either paid out in cash, contributed to a health savings account, or deferred into the Retirement Savings Plan at the direction of the employee. Compensation expense related to the profit-sharing totaled $1.4 million in 2023, $5.3 million in 2022, and $5.4 million in 2021.

The Company maintains supplemental employee retirement plans ("SERPs") for certain executives. In 2016, certain SERPs were amended and restated to reflect changes resulting from the freezing of the DB Pension Plan and the Company entered into additional SERP agreements with certain executives. In 2019, the SERP for the Company's CEO was amended to expand the definition of "Earnings" under the SERP to better align the scope of compensation included in our CEO's retirement benefits with chief executive compensation in a manner that is more consistent with market practice. All benefits provided under the SERPs are unfunded and the Company makes payments to plan participants.

The Company also maintains a post-retirement life and healthcare benefit plan (the "Life and Healthcare Plan"), which was amended in 2005. For employees commencing employment after January 1, 2005, the Company does not contribute towards post-retirement healthcare benefits. Retirees and employees who were eligible to retire when the Life and Healthcare Plan was amended were unaffected. Generally, all other employees were eligible for Health Reimbursement Accounts ("HRA") with an initial balance equal to the amount of the Company’s estimated then current liability. Contributions to the plan are limited to an annual contribution of 4% of the total HRA balance. Employees, upon retirement, will be able to utilize their HRA for qualified health costs and deductibles. In 2019, the Retiree Life Benefit program was closed to new entrants, and only employees who attained age 50 as of February 1, 2020 will be eligible to earn this benefit.
 
The Company engages independent, external actuaries to compute the amounts of liabilities and expenses relating to these plans, subject to the assumptions that the Company selects. The benefit obligation for these plans represents the liability of the Company for current and former employees, and is affected primarily by the following: service cost (benefits attributed to employee service during the period); interest cost (interest on the liability due to the passage of time); actuarial gains/losses (experience during the year different from that assumed and changes in plan assumptions); and benefits paid to participants.
 
GAAP requires an employer to recognize in its Statement of Condition as an asset or liability the overfunded or underfunded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan, measured as the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the benefit obligation. For a pension plan, the benefit obligation is the projected benefit obligation; for any other postretirement benefit plan, such as a retiree health care plan, the benefit obligation is the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation. The following table sets forth the changes in the projected benefit obligation for the DB Pension Plan and SERPs and the accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation for the Life and Healthcare Plan; and the respective plan assets, and the plans’ funded status and amounts recognized in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Condition at December 31, 2023 and 2022 (the measurement dates of the plans).
DB Pension PlanLife and Healthcare PlanSERP Plan
(In thousands)202320222023202220232022
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year$70,521 $93,009 $7,603 $10,055 $24,991 $34,033 
Service cost0 0 33 174 43 78 
Interest cost3,275 1,985 354 223 1,148 814 
Plan participants’ contributions0 0 92 100 0 0 
Actuarial loss (gain)1,242 (20,729)(153)(2,598)(315)(9,083)
Benefits paid(4,320)(3,744)(326)(351)(906)(851)
Benefit obligation at end of year$70,718 $70,521 $7,603 $7,603 $24,961 $24,991 
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year$78,885 $96,393 $0 $0 $0 $0 
Actual return on plan assets10,079 (13,764)0 0 0 0 
Plan participants’ contributions0 0 92 100 0 0 
Employer contributions0 0 234 251 906 850 
Benefits paid(4,320)(3,744)(326)(351)(906)(850)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year$84,644 $78,885 $0 $0 $0 $0 
Funded (unfunded) status$13,926 $8,364 $(7,603)$(7,603)$(24,961)$(24,991)
 
The benefit obligation for the DB Pension Plan at December 31, 2023 and 2022, was $70.7 million and $70.5 million, respectively. The accumulated benefit obligation for the Life and Healthcare Plan at both year end 2023 and 2022 was $7.6 million. The accumulated benefit obligation for the SERPs at both December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $25.0 million. The funded status of the DB Pension Plan was recognized in other assets and the unfunded status of the Life and Healthcare Plan, and SERPs was recognized in other liabilities in the Consolidated Statement of Condition at December 31, 2023 in the amounts of $13.9 million, $(7.6) million, and $(25.0) million, respectively. The funded status of the DB Pension Plan was recognized in other assets and the unfunded status of the Life and Healthcare Plan, and SERPs in the amount of $8.4 million, $(7.6) million, and $(25.0) million, respectively, was recognized in other liabilities in the Consolidated Statement of Condition at December 31, 2022.

The actuarial (gains) losses shown above totaling $(774,000) in 2023 and $32.4 million in 2022 were mainly the result of changes in the discount rates used to measure the benefit obligation of all plans at year end compared to those used at the prior year-end. The specific discount rates for each plan at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 are provided below.
Net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income (loss) includes the following components:
(In thousands)DB Pension PlanLife and Healthcare PlanSERP Plan
Components of net periodic benefit cost202320222021202320222021202320222021
Service cost$0 $0 $0 $33 $174 $186 $43 $78 $231 
Interest cost3,275 1,985 1,628 354 223 180 1,148 814 692 
Expected return on plan assets(4,789)(5,885)(5,652)0 0 0 0 0 0 
Amortization of prior service (credit) cost0 0 1 (61)(61)(61)278 277 282 
Recognized net actuarial loss1,156 1,217 1,559 (40)196 312 0 847 1,080 
Net periodic benefit (credit) cost$(358)$(2,683)$(2,464)$286 $532 $617 $1,469 $2,016 $2,285 

Service cost is included in salaries and wages in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The other components of net periodic benefit costs are included in other operating expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income (loss):

(In thousands)DB Pension PlanLife and Healthcare PlanSERP Plan
202320222021202320222021202320222021
Net actuarial gain$(4,048)$(1,080)$(8,209)$(153)$(2,598)$(574)$(315)$(9,083)$(3,002)
Recognized actuarial (loss) gain(1,156)(1,217)(1,559)40 (196)(312)0 (847)(1,080)
Prior service credit0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
Recognized prior service cost (credit)0 0 (1)61 61 61 (278)(277)(282)
Recognized in other comprehensive income (loss)$(5,204)$(2,297)$(9,769)$(52)$(2,733)$(825)$(593)$(10,207)$(4,364)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income (loss)$(5,562)$(4,980)$(12,233)$234 $(2,201)$(208)$876 $(8,191)$(2,079)

Pre-tax amounts recognized as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as of year-end that have not been recognized as a component of the Company’s combined net periodic benefit cost of the Company’s DB Pension Plan, Life and Healthcare Plan and SERPs are presented in the following table:

(In thousands)DB Pension PlanLife and Healthcare PlanSERP Plan
202320222021202320222021202320222021
Net actuarial loss (gain)$33,265 $38,468 $40,765 $(1,022)$(909)$1,886 $287 $603 $10,532 
Prior service cost (credit)0 0 0 (104)(165)(226)1,311 1,588 1,866 
Total$33,265 $38,468 $40,765 $(1,126)$(1,074)$1,660 $1,598 $2,191 $12,398 
Weighted-average assumptions used in accounting for the plans were as follows:
(In thousands)DB Pension PlanLife and Healthcare PlanSERP Plan
202320222021202320222021202320222021
Discount Rates
Benefit Cost for Plan Year4.95 %2.63 %2.24 %4.98 %2.69 %2.33 %4.98 %2.71 %2.37 %
Benefit Obligation at End of Plan Year4.75 %4.95 %2.63 %4.79 %4.98 %2.69 %4.78 %4.98 %2.71 %
Expected long-term return on plan assets6.25 %6.25 %6.50 %N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Rate of compensation increase
Benefit Cost for Plan YearN/AN/AN/A4.00 %4.00 %4.00 %5.00 %5.00 %5.00 %
Benefit Obligation at End of Plan YearN/AN/AN/A4.00 %4.00 %4.00 %5.00 %5.00 %5.00 %

To develop the expected long-term rate of return on assets assumption for the DB Pension Plan, the Company considered the historical returns and the future expectations for returns for each asset class, as well as target asset allocations of the pension portfolio. Based on this analysis, the Company selected 6.25% as the long-term rate of return on assets assumption.

The discount rates used to determine the Company’s DB Pension Plan and other post-retirement benefit obligations as of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, were determined by matching estimated benefit cash flows to a yield curve derived from Citigroup’s regular bond yield at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Based on the Company’s anticipation of future experience under the DB Pension Plan, the mortality tables used to determine future benefit obligations under the plan were updated as of December 31, 2021 to the PRI-2012 Mortality Tables with Mortality Improvement Scale MP 2021. The Company updated this assumption based on the newest improvement table released by The Society of Actuaries as of December 31, 2023. The appropriateness of the assumptions is reviewed annually.

Cash Flows 

Plan assets are amounts that have been segregated and restricted to provide benefits, and include amounts contributed by the Company and amounts earned from investing contributions, less benefits paid. The Company funds the cost of the SERPs and the Life and Healthcare Plan benefits on a pay-as-you-go basis.

The benefits as of December 31, 2023, expected to be paid in each of the next five fiscal years, and in the aggregate for the five fiscal years thereafter were as follows:
(In thousands)DB Pension PlanLife and Healthcare PlanSERP Plan
2024$4,433 $516 $953 
20254,575 490 950 
20264,717 492 940 
20274,855 495 917 
20284,844 477 893 
2029-203324,596 2,292 8,938 
Total$48,020 $4,762 $13,591 
Plan Assets
 
The Company’s DB Pension Plan’s weighted-average asset allocations at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, by asset category are as follows:
20232022
Equity securities61 %58 %
Debt securities38 %38 %
Other1 %4 %
Total Allocation100 %100 %

It is the policy of the Trustees of the Plan to invest the Pension Trust Fund (the "Fund") for total return. The Trustees seek the maximum return consistent with the interests of the participants and beneficiaries and prudent investment management. The management of the Fund’s assets is in compliance with the guidelines established in the Company’s Pension Plan and Trust Investment Policy, which is reviewed and approved annually by the Tompkins Board of Directors, and the Pension Investment Review Committee.
 
The intention is for the Fund to be prudently diversified. The Fund’s investments will be invested among the fixed income, equity and cash equivalent sectors. The Pension Investment Committee will designate minimum and maximum positions in any of the sectors. In no case shall more than 10% of the Fund assets consist of qualified securities or real estate of the Company. Unless otherwise approved by the Trustees of the Plan, the following investments are prohibited:
 
•Restricted stock, private placements, short positions, calls, puts, or margin transactions;
•Commodities, oil and gas properties, real estate properties, or
•Any investment that would constitute a prohibited transaction as described in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), section 407, 29 U.S.C. 1106.

In general, the investment in debt securities is limited to readily marketable debt securities having a Standard & Poor’s rating of "A" or Moody’s rating of "A", securities of, or guaranteed by the United States Government or its agencies, or obligations of banks or their holding companies that are rated in the three highest ratings assigned by Fitch Investor Service, Inc. In addition, investments in equity securities must be listed on the NYSE or traded on the national Over The Counter market or listed on the NASDAQ. Cash equivalents generally may be United States Treasury obligations, commercial paper having a Standard & Poor’s rating of "A-1" or Moody’s National Credit Officer rating of "P-1"or higher.
 
The major categories of assets in the Company’s DB Pension Plan as of year-end are presented in the following table. Assets are segregated by the level of valuation inputs within the fair value hierarchy established by ASC Topic 820 utilized to measure fair value (see Note 19-Fair Value Measurements). 

Fair Value Measurements
December 31, 2023
(In thousands)Fair Value 2023(Level 1)(Level 2)(Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents$1,023 $1,023 $0 $0 
Common stocks25,975 25,975 0 0 
Mutual funds57,646 57,646 0 0 
Total Fair Value of Plan Assets$84,644 $84,644 $0 $0 

Fair Value Measurements
December 31, 2022
(In thousands)Fair Value 2022(Level 1)(Level 2)(Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents$3,322 $3,322 $0 $0 
Common stocks22,386 22,386 0 0 
Mutual funds53,177 53,177 0 0 
Total Fair Value of Plan Assets$78,885 $78,885 $0 $0 
The Company determines the fair value for its pension plan assets using an independent pricing service. The pricing service uses a variety of techniques to determine fair value, including market maker bids, quotes and pricing models. Inputs to the model include recent trades, benchmark interest rates, spreads, and actual and projected cash flows. Based on the inputs used by our independent pricing services, the Company identifies the appropriate level within the fair value hierarchy to report these fair values. U.S. Treasury securities, common stocks and mutual funds are considered Level 1 based on quoted prices in active markets.

Life insurance benefits are provided to certain officers of the Company. In connection with these policies, the Company reflects life insurance assets on its Consolidated Statements of Condition of $67.9 million at December 31, 2023, and $85.6 million at December 31, 2022. The insurance is carried at its cash surrender value on the Consolidated Statements of Condition. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company surrendered certain separate account BOLI policies, which accounts for the decrease in the cash surrender value between December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Increases in the cash surrender value of the insurance are reflected as noninterest income, net of any related mortality expense.

The Company provides split dollar life insurance benefits to certain employees. The plan is unfunded and the estimated liability of the plan is recorded in other liabilities in the Consolidated Statement of Condition at $1.5 million as of both December 31, 2023 and 2022. Compensation expense related to the split dollar life insurance was approximately $3,000 in 2023 and $7,000 in 2022.