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Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans  
Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans

NOTE 7. Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans

 

Net periodic benefit cost is recorded in cost of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, and research, development and related expenses. Components of net periodic benefit cost and other supplemental information for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 follow:

 

Benefit Plan Information

 

   Three months ended March 31,
   Qualified and Non-qualified      
 Pension BenefitsPostretirement
   United States International Benefits
(Millions) 2014 2013 2014 2013 2014 2013
Net periodic benefit cost (benefit)            
Service cost  $ 60 $ 64 $ 36 $ 36 $ 16 $ 20
Interest cost    169   150   64   61   24   22
Expected return on plan assets    (261)   (261)   (79)   (75)   (22)   (22)
Amortization of transition (asset) obligation          (1)    
Amortization of prior service cost (benefit)    1   1   (4)   (4)   (12)   (17)
Amortization of net actuarial (gain) loss    61   100   31   40   14   24
Net periodic benefit cost (benefit)  $ 30 $ 54 $ 48 $ 57 $ 20 $ 27
Settlements, curtailments, special termination benefits and other             
Net periodic benefit cost (benefit) after settlements, curtailments,                   
 special termination benefits and other  $ 30 $ 54 $ 48 $ 57 $ 20 $ 27

For the three months ended March 31, 2014, contributions totaling $40 million were made to the Company's U.S. and international pension plans and $2 million to its postretirement plans. For total year 2014, the Company expects to contribute approximately $100 million to $200 million of cash to its global pension and postretirement plans. The Company does not have a required minimum cash pension contribution obligation for its U.S. plans in 2014. Therefore, the amount of future discretionary pension contributions could vary significantly depending on the U.S. plans' funded status and the anticipated tax deductibility of the contributions. Future contributions will also depend on market conditions, interest rates and other factors. 3M's annual measurement date for pension and postretirement assets and liabilities is December 31 each year, which is also the date used for the related annual measurement assumptions.

3M was informed during the first quarter of 2009 that the general partners of WG Trading Company, in which 3M's benefit plans hold limited partnership interests, are the subject of a criminal investigation as well as civil proceedings by the SEC and CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission). In March 2011, over the objections of 3M and six other limited partners of WG Trading Company, the district court judge ruled in favor of the court appointed receiver's proposed distribution plan (and in April 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court's ruling). The benefit plan trustee holdings of WG Trading Company interests were adjusted to reflect the decreased estimated fair market value, inclusive of estimated insurance proceeds, as of the annual measurement dates. The Company has insurance that it believes, based on what is currently known, will result in the recovery of a portion of the decrease in original asset value. As of the 2013 measurement date these holdings represented less than one percent of 3M's fair value of total plan assets. 3M currently believes that the resolution of these events will not have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position of the Company.

 

In addition, the Company also sponsors employee savings plans under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code, as discussed in Note 10 in 3M's 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K.