As of December 31, 2003, the benefit service under the pension plan had been frozen and, accordingly, there is no service cost. As of April 30, 2009, the compensation increments have been frozen and, accordingly, no additional benefits are being accrued under the plan.

	Three months ended March 31
In thousands	2012	2011
Interest cost	$ 130	$ 137
Expected return on plan assets	(110)	(99)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	121	87
Net periodic pension cost	$ 141	$ 125

As of March 31, 2012, the Company has recorded a current pension liability of $1.0 million, which is included in Accrued liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, and a long-term pension liability of $4.9 million, which is included in Deferred pension liability and other in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The minimum required contribution for 2012 is expected to be $1.2 million.

The pension plan asset information included below is presented at fair value. ASC 820 establishes a framework for measuring fair value and required disclosures about assets and liabilities measured at fair value. The fair values of these assets are determined using a three-tier fair value hierarchy. Based on this hierarchy, the Company determined the fair value of its money market funds and mutual stock funds using quoted market prices, a Level 1 or an observable input, and the guaranteed investment contracts and equity and index funds, a Level 2 based on observable inputs and quoted prices in markets that are not active. The Company does not have any Level 3 pension assets, in which such valuation would be based on unobservable measurements and management’s estimates.

The following table presents the pension plan assets by level within the fair value hierarchy as of March 31, 2012:

In thousands	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Guaranteed investment contracts	$	-	$	2,009	$	-	$	2,009
Mutual stock funds		1,062		-		-		1,062
Equity and index funds		-		2,700		-		2,700
Money market funds		41		-		-		41
Total pension plan assets	$	1,103	$	4,709	$	-	$	5,812

In March 2011 and 2010, the Company submitted to the Internal Revenue Service requests for waivers of the minimum funding standard for its defined benefit plan. The waiver requests were submitted as a result of the economic climate and the business hardship that the Company was experiencing. The waivers, if granted, will defer payment of $559,000 and $285,000 of the minimum funding standard for the 2010 and 2009 plan years, respectively. If the waivers are not granted, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and the Internal Revenue Service have various enforcement remedies they can implement to protect the participant’s benefits, such as termination of the plan and require the Company to remit the unpaid contributions. The senior lender has waived the default of non-payment of certain pension plan contributions, but in the event that any government agency takes any enforcement action or otherwise exercises any rights or remedies it may have, this shall constitute a separate and distinct event of default and the senior lender may exercise any and all rights or remedies it may have. At this time, the Company is expecting to make its required contributions for the 2011 and 2012 plan years; however there is no assurance that the Company will be able to make all payments. In the event the Company requests waivers to defer payments in an amount greater than or equal to $1.0 million, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation may place a lien on the Company’s assets for the amount owed.