Retirement Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Retirement Plans

Retirement Plans

The Corporation's retirement plans include qualified defined benefit pension plans, nonqualified postretirement benefit plans, 401(k) savings plans and nonqualified supplemental retirement plans. These plans are discussed in further detail in the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Qualified Defined Benefit Pension Plans

The TCF Cash Balance Pension Plan (the "Legacy TCF Pension Plan") and the Chemical Financial Corporation Employees' Pension Plan ("Chemical Pension Plan") are both defined as qualified benefit pension plans (collectively, the "Pension Plans"), which previously provided for postretirement pension benefits for plan eligible employees.

The Board of Directors of Legacy TCF approved the termination of the Legacy TCF Pension Plan effective November 1, 2019. The Corporation believes all participants will have their benefits paid in full. During the three months ended September 30, 2020, distributions were made to all participants electing a lump sum payment. Due to the TCF Pension Plan’s funding level, assets were liquidated and additional funding was made for the annuity purchase in October 2020. The weighted-average interest crediting rate was 2.05% as of September 30, 2020. TCF does not consolidate the assets and liabilities associated with the Legacy TCF Pension Plan.

The termination of the Chemical Pension Plan was effective August 31, 2019. The discount rate was adjusted to 3.48% based on the remeasurement of the Chemical Pension Plan required due to the Merger and the termination. At the time of the Merger, as a result of the termination, the Corporation recognized a prepaid asset representing the funded status of the Chemical Pension Plan, net of estimated settlement costs, and the balance previously recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income was eliminated. The purchase accounting adjustment, as a result of the Merger, was reported in goodwill. The Chemical Pension Plan was fully funded as of September 30, 2020. During the three months ended September 30, 2020, distributions were made to all participants electing a lump-sum payment. Following that distribution, existing plan assets will be liquidated over the next several months and an annuity purchase transaction was completed in October 2020.

Nonqualified Postretirement Benefit Plans

The Legacy TCF Postretirement Plan provides health care benefits to eligible retired employees who retired prior to December 31, 2009. The provisions for active and retired employees then eligible for these benefits were not changed. The Postretirement Plan is not funded.

The Chemical Postretirement Benefit Plan provides medical and dental benefits, during retirement, to a limited number of active and retired employees. The benefits can be amended, modified or terminated by the Corporation at any time.

401(k) Savings Plans

The TCF 401K Plan (the "TCF 401K"), a qualified postretirement benefit and employee stock ownership plan provides, and until December 31, 2019 the Chemical Financial Corporation 401K Savings Plan (the "Chemical 401K"), a qualified postretirement benefit plan provided the option to invest in TCF common stock. Effective December 31, 2019, the Chemical 401K merged with and into the TCF 401K. All participant balances remaining in the Chemical 401K were transferred into the TCF 401K on December 31, 2019.

Nonqualified Supplemental Retirement Plans

The TCF 401K Supplemental Plan (the "Legacy TCF SERP") and the TCF Financial Corporation Deferred Compensation Plan (the "TCF Deferred Compensation Plan") are both defined as nonqualified supplemental retirement plans. The Legacy TCF SERP's assets, which include investments in TCF common stock, are held in trust and included in equity in the other line item.

Net Periodic Benefit

The net periodic benefit plan (income) cost included in other noninterest expense for defined benefit pension plans and postretirement benefit plans were as follows:

	Defined Benefit Pension Plans
	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands)	2020			2019			2020			2019
Interest cost	$	946		$	1,046		$	2,839		$	1,574
Return on plan assets	(864		)	(949		)	(2,594		)	(1,223		)
Net periodic benefit plan (income) cost	$	82		$	97		$	245		$	351

	Postretirement Benefit Plans
	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands)	2020			2019			2020			2019
Interest cost	$	36		$	41		$	107		$	101
Service cost	—			—			1			—
Amortization of prior service cost	(12		)	(11		)	(35		)	(35		)
Net periodic benefit plan (income) cost	$	24		$	30		$	73		$	66

TCF made no cash contributions to the defined benefit pension plans during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. Due to the funding level upon final termination, assets were liquidated and additional funding was made for the annuity purchase in October 2020. TCF contributed $0.1 million and $0.2 million to the Legacy TCF Postretirement Plan during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, compared to $0.1 million and $0.3 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. TCF made no contributions to the Chemical Postretirement Benefit Plan during both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019.

As of December 31, 2019, the TCF 401K allows participants to make contributions of up to 50% of their covered compensation on a tax-deferred and/or after-tax basis, subject to the annual covered compensation limitation imposed by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). TCF matches the contributions of all participants at a rate of $1 per dollar for employees to a maximum company contribution of 5% of the employee's covered compensation per pay period subject to the annual covered compensation limitation imposed by the IRS. Employee contributions and matching contributions vest immediately. The Corporation match under the TCF 401K was $5.0 million and $16.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively. The Corporation match under both the Legacy TCF 401k and the Chemical 401k was $4.3 million and $11.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. Dividends on TCF's common shares held in the TCF 401K are reinvested in such fund or, at the election of the participant, may be paid in cash to the participant.

Effective January 1, 2020, the TCF Deferred Compensation Plan (previously the Chemical Deferred Compensation Plan), a nonqualified supplemental retirement plan, was amended to allow certain employees to contribute up to 60% of their salary and up to 85% of bonus compensation. The amounts deferred under this plan are invested in a selection of participant designated mutual funds.