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Capitalization
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Capitalization, Long-term Debt and Equity [Abstract]  
Capitalization
CAPITALIZATION
COMMON STOCK
Retained Earnings and Dividends
As of December 31, 2012, FirstEnergy’s unrestricted retained earnings were $2.9 billion. Dividends declared in 2012 were $2.20 per share, which included dividends of $0.55 per share paid in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2012 and dividends of $0.55 per share payable in the first quarter of 2013. Dividends declared in 2011 were $2.20 per share, which included dividends of $0.55 per share paid in the second, third and fourth quarter of 2011 and dividends of $0.55 per share paid in the first quarter of 2012. The amount and timing of all dividend declarations are subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors and its consideration of business conditions, results of operations, financial condition and other factors.
In addition to paying dividends from retained earnings, OE, CEI, TE, Penn, JCP&L, ME and PN have authorization from the FERC to pay cash dividends to FirstEnergy from paid-in capital accounts, as long as their FERC-defined equity to total capitalization ratio remains above 35%. In addition, TrAIL and AGC have authorization from the FERC to pay cash dividends to FE from paid-in capital accounts, as long as their FERC-defined equity to total capitalization ratio remains above 50% and 45%, respectively. The articles of incorporation, indentures, regulatory limitations and various other agreements relating to the long-term debt of certain FirstEnergy subsidiaries contain provisions that could further restrict the payment of dividends on their common stock. None of these provisions materially restricted FirstEnergy’s subsidiaries’ abilities to pay cash dividends to FirstEnergy as of December 31, 2012.
In 2011, FirstEnergy elected to change its method of recognizing actuarial gains and losses for its defined benefit pension plans and other postemployment benefit plans and applied this change retrospectively to all periods presented. The retrospective application of this change caused accumulated deficits for certain of the Utilities during those prior periods, including periods when dividends were paid from retained earnings. Previous to this accounting change, retained earnings were sufficient for those dividends that were declared and paid.
PREFERRED AND PREFERENCE STOCK
FirstEnergy and the Utilities were authorized to issue preferred stock and preference stock as of December 31, 2012, as follows:
 
 
Preferred Stock
 
Preference Stock
 
 
Shares Authorized
 
Par Value
 
Shares Authorized
 
Par Value
FirstEnergy
 
5,000,000

 
$
100

 
 
 
 
OE
 
6,000,000

 
$
100

 
8,000,000

 
no par

OE
 
8,000,000

 
$
25

 
 
 
 

Penn
 
1,200,000

 
$
100

 
 
 
 

CEI
 
4,000,000

 
no par

 
3,000,000

 
no par

TE
 
3,000,000

 
$
100

 
5,000,000

 
$
25

TE
 
12,000,000

 
$
25

 
 
 
 
JCP&L
 
15,600,000

 
no par

 
 
 
 
ME
 
10,000,000

 
no par

 
 
 
 
PN
 
11,435,000

 
no par

 
 
 
 
MP
 
940,000

 
$
100

 
 
 
 
PE
 
10,000,000

 
$
0.01

 
 
 
 
WP
 
32,000,000

 
no par

 
 
 
 

As of December 31, 2012, and 2011, there were no preferred or preference shares outstanding.
LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS

The following tables present outstanding long-term debt and capital lease obligations for FirstEnergy, FES, OE and JCP&L as of December 31, 2012 and 2011:
 
As of December 31, 2012
 
As of December 31, 
(Dollar amounts in millions)
Maturity Date
 
Interest Rate
 
2012
 
2011
FirstEnergy:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FMBs
2013 - 2038
 
3.340% - 9.740%
 
$
2,587

 
$
2,487

Secured notes - fixed rate
2013 - 2037
 
4.982% - 7.880%
 
2,113

 
2,725

Secured notes - variable rate
2013
 
0.140%
 
50

 
50

Total secured notes
 
 
 
 
2,163

 
2,775

Unsecured notes - fixed rate
2013 - 2039
 
2.150% - 7.700%
 
11,145

 
10,961

Unsecured notes - variable rate
2013
 
0.100% - 2.815%
 
959

 
782

Total unsecured notes
 
 
 
 
12,104

 
11,743

Capital lease obligations
 
 
 
 
176

 
108

Unamortized debt premiums
 
 
 
 
45

 
64

Unamortized merger fair value adjustments
 
 
 
 
103

 
160

Currently payable long-term debt
 
 
 
 
(1,999
)
 
(1,621
)
Total long-term debt and other long-term obligations
 
 
 
 
$
15,179

 
$
15,716

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FES:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Secured notes - fixed rate
2013 - 2018
 
5.150% - 12.000%
 
$
689

 
$
899

Secured notes - variable rate
2013
 
0.140%
 
50

 
50

Total secured notes
 
 
 
 
739

 
949

Unsecured notes - fixed rate
2013 - 2039
 
2.150% - 6.800%
 
2,769

 
2,218

Unsecured notes - variable rate
2013
 
0.130% - 0.160%
 
686

 
508

Total unsecured notes
 
 
 
 
3,455

 
2,726

Capital lease obligations
 
 
 
 
27

 
31

Unamortized debt discounts
 
 
 
 
(1
)
 
(2
)
Currently payable long-term debt
 
 
 
 
(1,102
)
 
(905
)
Total long-term debt and other long-term obligations
 
 
 
 
$
3,118

 
$
2,799

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OE:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FMBs
2018 - 2038
 
6.090% - 9.740%
 
$
407

 
$
407

Unsecured notes - fixed rate
2015 - 2036
 
5.450% - 6.875%
 
750

 
750

Capital lease obligations
 
 
 
 
29

 
11

Unamortized debt discounts
 
 
 
 
(10
)
 
(11
)
Currently payable long-term debt
 
 
 
 
(4
)
 
(2
)
Total long-term debt and other long-term obligations
 
 
 
 
$
1,172

 
$
1,155

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
JCP&L:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Secured notes - fixed rate
2013 - 2021
 
5.410% - 6.160%
 
$
243

 
$
277

Unsecured notes - fixed rate
2016 - 2037
 
4.800% - 7.350%
 
1,500

 
1,500

Unamortized debt discounts
 
 
 
 
(6
)
 
(7
)
Currently payable long-term debt
 
 
 
 
(36
)
 
(34
)
Total long-term debt
 
 
 
 
$
1,701

 
$
1,736

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

See Note 5, Leases for additional information related to capital leases.
Securitized Bonds
Environmental Control Bonds
The consolidated financial statements of FirstEnergy include environmental control bonds issued by two bankruptcy remote, special purpose limited liability companies that are indirect subsidiaries of MP and PE. Proceeds from the bonds were used to construct environmental control facilities. The special purpose limited liability companies own the irrevocable right to collect non-bypassable environmental control charges from all customers who receive electric delivery service in MP's and PE's West Virginia service territories. Principal and interest owed on the environmental control bonds is secured by, and payable solely from, the proceeds of the environmental control charges. The right to collect environmental control charges is not included as an asset on FirstEnergy's consolidated balance sheets. Creditors of FirstEnergy, other than the special purpose limited liability companies, have no recourse to any assets or revenues of the special purpose limited liability companies. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, $493 million and $513 million of environmental control bonds were outstanding, respectively.
Transition Bonds
The consolidated financial statements of FirstEnergy and JCP&L include the accounts of JCP&L Transition Funding and JCP&L Transition Funding II, wholly owned limited liability companies of JCP&L. In June 2002, JCP&L Transition Funding sold transition bonds to securitize the recovery of JCP&L’s bondable stranded costs associated with the previously divested Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. In August 2006, JCP&L Transition Funding II sold transition bonds to securitize the recovery of deferred costs associated with JCP&L’s supply of BGS. JCP&L did not purchase and does not own any of the transition bonds, which are included as long-term debt on FirstEnergy’s and JCP&L’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The transition bonds are the sole obligations of JCP&L Transition Funding and JCP&L Transition Funding II and are collateralized by each company’s equity and assets, which consist primarily of bondable transition property. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, $243 million and $287 million of the transition bonds were outstanding, respectively.
Bondable transition property represents the irrevocable right under New Jersey law of a utility company to charge, collect and receive from its customers, through a non-bypassable TBC, the principal amount and interest on transition bonds and other fees and expenses associated with their issuance. JCP&L sold its bondable transition property to JCP&L Transition Funding and JCP&L Transition Funding II and, as servicer, manages and administers the bondable transition property, including the billing, collection and remittance of the TBC, pursuant to separate servicing agreements with JCP&L Transition Funding and JCP&L Transition Funding II. For the two series of transition bonds, JCP&L is entitled to aggregate annual servicing fees of up to $628 thousand that are payable from TBC collections.
Other Long-term Debt
The Ohio Companies, Penn, FG and NG each have a first mortgage indenture under which they can issue FMBs secured by a direct first mortgage lien on substantially all of their property and franchises, other than specifically excepted property.
Based on the amount of FMBs authenticated by the respective mortgage bond trustees as of December 31, 2012, the sinking fund requirement for all FMBs issued under the various mortgage indentures amounted to payments of $7 million in 2012, all of which relate to Penn. Penn expects to meet its 2013 annual sinking fund requirement with a replacement credit under its mortgage indenture.
As of December 31, 2012, FirstEnergy’s currently payable long-term debt included approximately $809 million (FES — $736 million) of variable interest rate PCRBs, the bondholders of which are entitled to the benefit of irrevocable direct pay bank LOCs. The interest rates on the PCRBs are reset daily or weekly. Bondholders can tender their PCRBs for mandatory purchase prior to maturity with the purchase price payable from remarketing proceeds, or if the PCRBs are not successfully remarketed, by drawings on the irrevocable direct pay LOCs. The subsidiary obligor is required to reimburse the applicable LOC bank for any such drawings or, if the LOC bank fails to honor its LOC for any reason, must itself pay the purchase price.
The following table presents scheduled debt repayments for outstanding long-term debt, excluding capital leases, fair value purchase accounting adjustments and unamortized debt discounts and premiums, for the next five years as of December 31, 2012. PCRBs that can be tendered for mandatory purchase prior to maturity are reflected in 2013.
Year
 
FirstEnergy
 
FES
 
OE
 
JCP&L
 
 
(In millions)
2013
 
$
1,970

 
$
1,097

 
$
1

 
$
36

2014
 
1,026

 
186

 
1

 
38

2015
 
1,639

 
815

 
151

 
41

2016
 
1,267

 
422

 
251

 
343

2017
 
1,736

 
162

 
1

 
279


The following table classifies the outstanding variable rate put PCRBs and variable rate PCRBs by year, excluding unamortized debt discounts and premiums, for the next five years based on the next date on which the debt holders may exercise their right to tender their PCRBs. OE and JCP&L did not have any outstanding PCRBs as of December 31, 2012.
Year
 
FirstEnergy
 
FES
 
 
(In millions)
2013
 
$
1,044

 
$
970

2014
 
26

 
26

2015
 
313

 
313

2016
 
391

 
391

2017
 
130

 
130


Obligations to repay certain PCRBs are secured by several series of FMBs. Certain PCRBs are entitled to the benefit of irrevocable bank LOCs, to pay principal of, or interest on, the applicable PCRBs. To the extent that drawings are made under the LOCs, FG, NG and the applicable Utilities are entitled to a credit against their obligation to repay those bonds. FG, NG and the applicable Utilities pay annual fees based on the amounts of the LOCs to the issuing banks and are obligated to reimburse the banks or insurers, as the case may be, for any drawings thereunder. The insurers hold FMBs as security for such reimbursement obligations. In addition, OE has LOCs of $102 million and $31 million in connection with the sale and leaseback of Beaver Valley Unit 2 and Perry Unit 1, respectively.
The amounts and annual fees for PCRB-related LOCs for FirstEnergy and FES as of December 31, 2012, are as follows:
 
 
Aggregate LOC Amount
 
Annual Fees
 
 
 
(In millions)
 
 
 
FirstEnergy
 
$
818

 
1.65% to 3.30%
 
FES
 
744

 
1.65% to 3.30%
 

Debt Covenant Default Provisions
FirstEnergy has various debt covenants under certain financing arrangements, including its revolving credit facilities. The most restrictive of the debt covenants relate to the nonpayment of interest and/or principal on such debt and the maintenance of certain financial ratios. The failure by FirstEnergy to comply with the covenants contained in its financing arrangements could result in an event of default, which may have an adverse effect on its financial condition.
Additionally, there are cross-default provisions in a number of the financing arrangements. These provisions generally trigger a default in the applicable financing arrangement of an entity if it or any of its significant subsidiaries default under another financing arrangement in excess of a certain principal amount, typically $100 million. Although such defaults by any of the Utilities, ATSI or TrAIL would generally cross-default FirstEnergy financing arrangements containing these provisions, defaults by any of AE Supply, FES, FG or NG would generally not cross-default to applicable financing arrangements of FirstEnergy. Also, defaults by FirstEnergy would generally not cross-default applicable financing arrangements of any of FirstEnergy’s subsidiaries. Cross-default provisions are not typically found in any of the senior notes or FMBs of FirstEnergy, FG, NG or the Utilities.