XML 34 R20.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.25.0.1
EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLANS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLANS  
EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLANS

12. EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLANS

We have a defined benefit pension plan which was frozen effective December 31, 2016. No benefits have been accrued under the plan subsequent to that date. We also have an unfunded supplemental pension plan for key executives.  Retirement benefits are provided based on employees’ years of credited service and average earnings or stated amounts for years of service.  Normal retirement age is 65 with provisions for earlier retirement. The plan also has provisions for disability and death benefits.  

Our funding policy for the defined benefit pension plan is to make contributions to the plan such that all employees’ benefits will be fully provided by the time they retire.  Plan assets are stated at fair value and consist primarily of equity securities and fixed income securities, mainly U.S. government and corporate obligations.

We follow ASC 715, Compensation – Retirement Benefits, which requires employers to recognize the funded status of defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans as an asset or liability in their statements of financial position and to recognize changes in the funded status in the year in which the changes occur as a component of comprehensive income.  In addition, ASC 715 requires employers to measure the funded status of their plans as of the date of their year-end statements of financial position.  ASC 715 also requires additional disclosures regarding amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

Our pension plan’s weighted average asset allocation at December 31, 2024 and 2023, by asset category, was as follows:

Plan Assets at December 31, 

 

    

2024

    

2023

 

Asset Category:

 

  

 

  

Equity Securities

 

59

%  

58

%

Fixed Income Securities

 

31

%  

28

%

Other

 

10

%  

14

%

Total

 

100

%  

100

%

We have a Retirement Plan Committee, consisting of our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to manage the operations and administration of all benefit plans and related trusts. The committee has an investment policy for the pension plan assets that establishes target asset allocation ranges for the above listed asset classes as follows: equity securities: 20% - 80%; fixed income securities: 20% - 80%; and other, principally cash: 0% - 20%. On a semi-annual basis, the committee reviews progress towards achieving the pension plan’s performance objectives.

To develop the expected long-term rate of return on assets assumption, we considered the historical returns and the future expectations for returns for each asset class, as well as the target asset allocation of the pension portfolio.  This resulted in the selection of 6.75% as the long-term rate of return on assets assumptions for both 2024 and 2023.

The following discount rates were used to determine the funded status of the pension plans as of December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

Supplemental Pension Plan

 

    

2024

    

2023

    

2024

    

2023

Discount rate for determining funded status

 

5.65

%  

5.15

%  

5.65

%  

5.16

%

The following is a reconciliation of the change in benefit obligation and plan assets of both the defined benefit pension plan and the unfunded supplemental pension plan for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

Supplemental Pension Plan

    

2024

    

2023

    

2024

    

2023

(Dollars in thousands)

Change in projected benefit obligation

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year

$

40,411

$

39,609

$

11,609

$

12,372

Service cost

 

427

 

467

 

 

Interest cost

 

1,995

 

2,052

 

561

 

580

Actuarial (gain) loss

 

(1,592)

 

916

 

(885)

 

(1,001)

Benefits paid

 

(2,748)

 

(2,633)

 

(345)

 

(342)

Projected benefit obligation, end of year

$

38,493

$

40,411

$

10,940

$

11,609

Change in plan assets

 

 

 

  

 

  

Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year

$

38,041

$

35,927

$

$

Actual return on plan assets

 

4,151

 

5,214

 

 

Administrative expenses

 

(427)

 

(467)

 

 

Contributions

 

 

 

345

 

Benefits paid

 

(2,748)

 

(2,633)

 

(345)

 

Fair value of plan assets, end of year

$

39,017

$

38,041

$

$

Funded status of plan

$

524

$

(2,370)

$

(10,940)

$

(11,609)

Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets consist of:

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Accrued liabilities - other

$

$

$

(528)

$

(567)

Long-term pension liability

 

524

 

(2,370)

 

(10,412)

 

(11,042)

Net amount recognized

$

524

$

(2,370)

$

(10,940)

$

(11,609)

Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss consist of:

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Accumulated loss, net of income tax benefit of $2,012, $2,863, $179, and $410, respectively

$

5,729

$

8,150

$

510

$

1,168

Prior service cost, net of income tax benefit of $0, $0, $8 and $13, respectively

 

 

 

24

 

39

Net amount recognized

$

5,729

$

8,150

$

534

$

1,207

The accumulated benefit obligations of the defined benefit pension plan and supplemental pension plan were equal to the respective plans’ projected benefit obligations, as shown in the above table, at December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Assumptions used in determining pension expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were:

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

    

Supplemental Pension Plan

 

    

2024

    

2023

    

2024

    

2023

 

Discount rate for projected benefit obligation

 

5.15

%  

5.41

%  

5.16

%  

5.44

%

Discount rate for determining interest cost

 

5.08

%  

5.35

%  

5.08

%  

5.37

%

Long-term rate of return on plan assets

 

6.75

%  

6.75

%  

 

The components of pension expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, were:

    

2024

    

2023

(Dollars in thousands)

Service cost

$

427

$

467

Interest cost

 

2,556

 

2,632

Expected return on plan assets

 

(2,437)

 

(2,301)

Net amortization and deferral

 

416

 

495

Pension expense

$

962

$

1,293

The components of pension expense other than the service cost component were included in “other expense, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings.

It is our intention to satisfy the minimum funding requirements and maintain at least an 80% funding percentage in our defined benefit retirement plan in future years.  At this time, we expect that any cash contributions necessary to satisfy these requirements in 2025 would not be material.

Projected benefit payments for the plans at December 31, 2024, were estimated as follows:

    

Defined Benefit 

    

Supplemental

Pension Plan

Pension Plan

(Dollars in thousands)

2025

$

3,382

$

528

2026

$

3,266

$

607

2027

$

3,226

$

683

2028

$

3,172

$

886

2029

$

3,059

$

908

2030 - 2034

$

14,081

$

4,694

The following table summarizes the fair value of pension plan assets at December 31, 2024, by asset category within the fair value hierarchy (for further level information, see Note 3):

December 31, 2024

Quoted Prices

Significant

Significant

in Active Markets

Observable Inputs

Unobservable Inputs

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

    

Total

(Dollars in thousands)

Common stocks

$

16,838

$

-

$

-

$

16,838

Preferred stocks

 

205

 

-

 

-

 

205

Exchange traded funds

 

5,883

 

-

 

-

 

5,883

Corporate obligations

 

-

 

3,875

 

-

 

3,875

Pooled fixed income funds

 

7,610

 

-

 

-

 

7,610

U.S. government securities

 

-

 

663

 

-

 

663

Cash and cash equivalents

 

3,943

 

-

 

-

 

3,943

Total

$

34,479

$

4,538

$

-

$

39,017

The following table summarizes the fair value of pension plan assets at December 31, 2023, by asset category within the fair value hierarchy (for further level information, see Note 3):

December 31, 2023

Quoted Prices

Significant

Significant

in Active Markets

Observable Inputs

Unobservable Inputs

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

    

Total

(Dollars in thousands)

Common stocks

$

16,693

$

$

$

16,693

Preferred stocks

 

202

 

 

 

202

Exchange traded funds

 

5,129

 

 

 

5,129

Corporate obligations

 

 

4,160

 

 

4,160

Pooled fixed income funds

 

5,793

 

 

 

5,793

U.S. government securities

 

 

772

 

 

772

Cash and cash equivalents

 

5,292

 

 

 

5,292

Subtotal

$

33,109

$

4,932

$

$

38,041

We also have a defined contribution plan covering substantially all employees. We contributed $1.1 million and $1.0 million to this plan in 2024 and 2023, respectively.