Pension Benefit and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Pension Benefit and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

Note 9 – Pension Benefit and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

The components of net periodic benefit cost for the periods indicated are:

(Dollars in thousands)	Pension Benefits												Retirement Health and Life Insurance Benefits
	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended						Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
Change in benefit obligation:	September 30, 2011			September 30, 2010			September 30, 2011			September 30, 2010			September 30, 2011			September 30, 2010			September 30, 2011			September 30, 2010
Service cost	$	1,060		$	878		$	3,180		$	2,672		$	171		$	158		$	523		$	496
Interest cost		2,116			2,061			6,348			6,259			110			96			304			298
Expected return on plan assets		(2,591	)		(2,499	)		(7,773	)		(7,221	)		--			--			--			--
Amortization of prior service cost		150			152			450			450			(157	)		(158	)		(471	)		(470	)
Amortization of net loss		553			446			1,659			1,368			130			69			292			247
Settlement charge		--			147			--			372			--			--			--			--
Net periodic benefit cost	$	1,288		$	1,185		$	3,864		$	3,900		$	254		$	165		$	648		$	571

Employer Contributions

We made $5.0 million in voluntary contributions to our qualified defined benefit pension plans during the first nine months of 2011.  For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, our contributions were $4.0 million.

We made a de minimis benefit payment to our non-qualified defined benefit pension plan the first nine months of 2011 and made $1.5 million in benefit payments to our non-qualified defined benefit pension plans for the first nine months of 2010.