11. RETIREMENT PLANS

The Corporation sponsors the Retirement Income Plan (RIP), a qualified noncontributory defined benefit pension plan that covered substantially all salaried employees hired prior to January 1, 2008. The RIP covers employees who satisfied minimum age and length of service requirements. The Corporation’s funding guideline has been to make annual contributions to the RIP each year, if necessary, such that minimum funding requirements have been met. The RIP was frozen as of December 31, 2010.

The Corporation also sponsors two supplemental non-qualified retirement plans. The ERISA Excess Retirement Plan provides retirement benefits equal to the difference, if any, between the maximum benefit allowable under the Internal Revenue Code and the amount that would be provided under the RIP, if no limits were applied. The Basic Retirement Plan (BRP) is applicable to certain officers whom the Board of Directors designates. Officers participating in the BRP receive a benefit based on a target benefit percentage based on years of service at retirement and a designated tier as determined by the Board of Directors. When a participant retires, the basic benefit under the BRP is a monthly benefit equal to the target benefit percentage times the participant’s highest average monthly cash compensation during five consecutive calendar years within the last ten calendar years of employment. This monthly benefit is reduced by the monthly benefit the participant receives from Social Security, the RIP, the ERISA Excess Retirement Plan and the annuity equivalent of the automatic contributions to the qualified 401(k) defined contribution plan and the ERISA Excess Lost Match Plan. The BRP was frozen as of December 31, 2008. The ERISA Excess Retirement Plan was frozen as of December 31, 2010.

The net periodic benefit credit for the defined benefit plans includes the following components:


	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	June 30,						June 30,
(in thousands)	2016			2015			2016			2015
Service cost	$	(4	)	$	17		$	(8	)	$	34
Interest cost		1,544			1,477			3,088			2,954
Expected return on plan assets		(2,353	)		(2,491	)		(4,706	)		(4,982	)
Amortization:
Unrecognized prior service cost		2			2			4			4
Unrecognized loss		608			536			1,216			1,072

Net periodic pension credit	$	(203	)	$	(459	)	$	(406	)	$	(918	)

The Corporation’s subsidiaries participate in a qualified 401(k) defined contribution plan under which employees may contribute a percentage of their salary. Employees are eligible to participate upon their first day of employment. Under this plan, the Corporation matches 100% of the first six percent that the employee defers. Additionally, the Corporation may provide a performance-based company contribution of up to three percent if the Corporation exceeds annual financial goals. The Corporation’s contribution expense was $4.7 million and $4.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The Corporation also sponsors an ERISA Excess Lost Match Plan for certain officers. This plan provides retirement benefits equal to the difference, if any, between the maximum benefit allowable under the Internal Revenue Code and the amount that would have been provided under the qualified 401(k) defined contribution plan, if no limits were applied.