Pension and Postretirement Benefits

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Pension and Postretirement Benefits

8. Pension and Postretirement Benefits

DP&L sponsors a defined benefit pension plan for the vast majority of its employees.

We generally fund pension plan benefits as accrued in accordance with the minimum funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and, in addition, make voluntary contributions from time to time. There were no contributions made during the three months ending March 31, 2012.  DP&L made a discretionary contributed $40.0 million to the defined benefit plan in the three months ended March 31, 2011.

Qualified employees who retired prior to 1987 and their dependents are eligible for health care and life insurance benefits until their death, while qualified employees who retired after 1987 are eligible for life insurance benefits and partially subsidized health care. The partially subsidized health care is at the election of the employee, who pays the majority of the cost, and is available only from retirement until Medicare coverage begins at age 65. We have funded a portion of the union-eligible benefits using a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association Trust.

The amounts presented in the following tables for pension include both the collective bargaining plan formula, the traditional management plan formula, the cash balance plan formula and the SERP in the aggregate.  The amounts presented for postretirement include both health and life insurance.

The net periodic benefit cost (income) of the pension and postretirement benefit plans for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 was:

Net Periodic Benefit Cost / (Income)		Pension						Postretirement
		Successor		Predecessor				Successor		Predecessor
$ in millions		2012			2011			2012			2011
Service cost	$	1.5		$	1.4		$	0.1		$	-
Interest cost		4.3			4.3			0.3			0.3
Expected return on assets (a)		(5.7	)		(6.1	)		(0.1	)		(0.1	)
Amortization of unrecognized:
Actuarial (gain) / loss		1.2			2.3			(0.2	)		(0.2	)
Prior service cost		0.4			0.5			-			-
Net periodic benefit cost / (income) before adjustments	$	1.7		$	2.4		$	0.1		$	-

(a) For purposes of calculating the expected return on pension plan assets, under GAAP, the market-related value of assets (MRVA) is used. GAAP requires that the difference between actual plan asset returns and estimated plan asset returns be included in the MRVA equally over a period not to exceed five years. We use a methodology under which we include the difference between actual and estimated asset returns in the MRVA equally over a three year period. The MRVA used in the calculation of expected return on pension plan assets for the 2012 and 2011 net periodic benefit cost was approximately $336 million and 317 million respectively.

Benefit payments, which reflect future service, are expected to be paid as follows:

Estimated Future Benefit Payments and Medicare Part D Reimbursements

$ in millions		Pension		Postretirement
2012	$	17.3	$	1.8
2013	$	22.7	$	2.3
2014	$	23.2	$	2.2
2015	$	23.8	$	2.0
2016	$	24.0	$	1.9
2017 - 2021	$	124.4	$	7.5

DP&L [Member]

Pension and Postretirement Benefits

 

8. Pension and Postretirement Benefits

DP&L sponsors a defined benefit pension plan for the vast majority of its employees.

We generally fund pension plan benefits as accrued in accordance with the minimum funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and, in addition, make voluntary contributions from time to time. There were no contributions made during the three months ending March 31, 2012.  DP&L made a discretionary contribution of $40.0 million to the defined benefit plan in three months ended March 31, 2011.

The amounts presented in the following tables for pension include the collective bargaining plan formula, the traditional management formula, the cash balance plan formula and the SERP in the aggregate. The amounts presented for postretirement include both health and life insurance.

The net periodic benefit cost (income) of the pension and postretirement benefit plans for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 was:

Net Periodic Benefit Cost / (Income)		Pension						Postretirement
$ in millions		2012			2011			2012			2011
Service cost	$	1.5		$	1.4		$	0.1		$	-
Interest cost		4.3			4.3			0.3			0.3
Expected return on assets (a)		(5.7	)		(6.1	)		(0.1	)		(0.1	)
Amortization of unrecognized:
Actuarial (gain) / loss		0.8			2.3			(0.2	)		(0.2	)
Prior service cost		2.7			0.5			-			-
Net periodic benefit cost / (income) before adjustments	$	3.6		$	2.4		$	0.1		$	-

(a) For purposes of calculating the expected return on pension plan assets, under GAAP, the market-related value of assets (MRVA) is used. GAAP requires that the difference between actual plan asset returns and estimated plan asset returns be included in the MRVA equally over a period not to exceed five years. We use a methodology under which we include the difference between actual and estimated asset returns in the MRVA equally over a three year period. The MRVA used in the calculation of expected return on pension plan assets for the 2012 and 2011 net periodic benefit cost was approximately $335 million and $316 million respectively.

Benefit payments, which reflect future service, are expected to be paid as follows:

Estimated Future Benefit Payments and Medicare Part D Reimbursements

$ in millions		Pension		Postretirement
2012	$	17.3	$	1.8
2013		22.7		2.3
2014		23.2		2.2
2015		23.8		2.0
2016		24.0		1.9
2017 - 2021		124.4		7.5