18. STOCK OPTION PLANS AND RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS

In May 2008, the shareholders approved the 2008 Equity Incentive Plan which authorizes the issuance of up to 3,949,891 shares of Company common stock for grants of stock options and restricted stock to employees, officers, consultants and directors of the Company and its subsidiaries, and expires in 2018. The plan authorizes the issuance of incentive and non-qualified stock options, as well as, restricted stock awards. The 2008 Equity Incentive Plan replaced the 2000 Stock Option Plan. No further grants will be made under the 2000 Stock Option Plan, but shares may continue to be issued under such plan pursuant to grants previously made. As of December 31, 2014, we have 390,698 outstanding options under our 2000 Stock Option Plan.

Stock Options

The Company expensed $876,000, $850,000, and $1.1 million, for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The estimated fair value of the options granted during 2014 and prior years was calculated using the Black-Scholes options pricing model. There were 169,000, 45,000 and 248,000 options granted during 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. The options will vest, in equal installments, over a five-year period. The fair value of each stock option granted in 2014, 2013, and 2012, was estimated on the date of grant using the following weighted-average assumptions:


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Dividend yield		2.6	%		2.9	%		2.9	%
Volatility		50.3	%		50.5	%		51.0	%
Risk-free interest rate		1.5	%		1.2	%		1.1	%
Expected life		6.3 years			6.6 years			6.8 years
Weighted average grant date fair value	$	5.70		$	4.68		$	4.44

The expected volatility is solely based on the daily historical stock price volatility over the expected option life. The expected life of options granted is derived from the output of the option valuation model and represents the period of time an optionee will hold an option before exercising it. The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury five-year constant maturity yield curve in effect at the time of the grant. The Company estimates its forfeiture rates based on its historical experience. The forfeiture rate for 2014 was 6.0%.

Option activity under the Company’s stock option plans as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014 was as follows:


	Number of Stock Options Outstanding (In thousands)			Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (In years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)
Outstanding at January 1, 2014		2,106		$	10.61
Granted		169			14.80
Exercised		(512	)		10.79
Forfeited or expired		(75	)		11.83

Outstanding at December 31, 2014		1,688		$	10.92		4.55	$	8,618

Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2014		1,646		$	10.90		4.48	$	8,431
Exercisable at December 31, 2014		1,317		$	10.41		3.60	$	7,390

The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $2.5 million, $1.4 million, and $618,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2014, there was a total of $1.3 million in unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested options granted under the Plan. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 3.4 years. The total fair value of options vested was $841,000, $918,000,, and $1.1 million during 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. Cash received from stock option exercises was $5.5 million, $4.5 million, and $2.6 million, in 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.

At December 31, 2014, options for the purchase of 1,688,326 shares of the Company’s common stock were outstanding under the above plans, of which options to purchase 1,316,726, shares were exercisable at prices ranging from $7.68 to $16.97.

The Company has a policy of issuing new shares to satisfy share option exercises.

Restricted Stock

Under the 2008 Equity Incentive Plan, the Company granted 400,000, 100,000, and 173,000 restricted stock awards during 2014, 2013, and 2012 respectively. . The weighted average grant date fair value of restricted stock awards granted in 2014, 2013, and 2012 was $14.78 per share, $13.25 per share, and $11.10 per share, respectively. These awards will vest, in equal installments, over a five-year period.

Compensation cost is recognized over the requisite service period, which is five years, and amounted to $2.1 million, $1.1 million and $911,000 during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Total unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock awards was $6.3 million at December 31, 2014.

Activity related to the Company’s non-vested restricted shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is presented below:


	Shares (In thousands)			Weighted Average Fair Value
Nonvested at January 1, 2014		311		$	10.87
Granted		400			14.78
Vested		(135	)		10.31
Forfeited		(6	)		11.41

Nonvested at December 31, 2014		570		$	13.81

Under the 2008 Equity Incentive Plan, 1,021,822 shares of common stock were available for the granting of future options and restricted stock awards as of December 31, 2014.