16.    EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

Rollins, Inc. Retirement Income Plan

The Company maintains several noncontributory tax-qualified defined benefit pension plans (the “Plans”) covering employees meeting certain age and service requirements. The Plans provide benefits based on the average compensation for the highest five years during the last ten years of credited service (as defined) in which compensation was received, and the average anticipated Social Security covered earnings. The Company funds the Plans with at least the minimum amount required by ERISA. The Company made no contribution for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and $3.3 million to the Plans during the year 2016.

In 2005, the Company ceased all future benefit accruals under the Rollins, Inc. Retirement Income Plan, although the Company remains obligated to provide employees benefits earned through June 2005. In 2016, the Plan was amended to allow certain vested participants the ability to elect for a limited time the commencement of their benefit in the form of a single-sum payment, not to exceed $35,000, or an annuity starting date of December 1, 2016. In total $8.8 million was paid by the Plan during the year ended December 31, 2016, under this program. The Plan did not offer any options for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

The Company includes the Waltham Services, LLC Hourly Employee Pension Plan in the Company’s financial statements. The Waltham Services, LLC Hourly Employee Pension Plan was amended, effective September 1, 2018, to freeze future benefit accruals for all participants. The Company accounts for these defined benefit plans in accordance with the FASB ASC Topic 715 “Compensation- Retirement Benefits”, and engages an outside actuary to calculate its obligations and costs. With the assistance of the actuary, the Company evaluates the significant assumptions used on a periodic basis including the estimated future return on plan assets, the discount rate, and other factors, and makes adjustments to these liabilities as necessary.

The Company has initiated the process to transition its Pension Plan to an Insurance provider and does not expect to amortize a net loss in 2019. The timeline will take approximately 6-9 months from December 31, 2018. The Company’s Pension Plan is currently more than 100% funded.

In June 2005, the Company froze the Rollins, Inc. defined benefit pension plan. The Company currently uses December 31 as the measurement date for its defined benefit post-retirement plans. The funded status of the Plans and the net amount recognized in the statement of financial position are summarized as follows as of:

The accumulated benefit obligation for the defined benefit pension plans were $203.4 million and $202.3 million at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Accumulated benefit obligation and projected benefit obligation are materially the same for the Plans. Pre-tax (increases)/decreases in the pension liability which were (charged, net of tax) credited to other comprehensive income/(loss) were ($14.8) million, $19.0 million, and $3.0 million in 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively.

The following weighted-average assumptions were used to determine the accumulated benefit obligation and net benefit cost:

* In 2018, the Company used a termination liability approach in calculating the 2018 discount rate for the Rollins, Inc. Pension plan. The following assumptions were used 1) 3.90%, based on current market conditions, for participants in pay status expected to elect a plan termination annuity; 2) 4.11%, based on current market conditions, for active and terminated participants with deferred benefits expected to elect a plan termination annuity; 3) The IRC 417(e) interest rates for the month of November 2018 (3.43%, 4.46%, and 4.88), based on plan provisions, for all lump sum eligible expected to elect a plan termination lump sum. The Waltham Services, LLC Hourly Employee Pension Plan applied 4.05% discount rate based on yield curve analysis.

The return on plan assets reflects the weighted-average of the expected long-term rates of return for the broad categories of investments held in the plan. The expected long-term rate of return is adjusted when there are fundamental changes in the expected returns on the plan investments.

The discount rate reflects the current rate at which the pension liabilities could be effectively settled at the end of the year.  In estimating this rate, the Company utilized a termination liability approach for fiscal year 2018 and a yield curve analysis for fiscal year’s 2017, and 2016.

The components of net periodic benefit cost are summarized as follows:

The benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016 are summarized as follows:

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Plan’s assets were comprised of listed common stocks and U.S. government and corporate securities, real estate and other. Included in the assets of the Plan were shares of Rollins, Inc. Common Stock with a market value of $1.6 million and $32.0 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The Plans’ weighted average asset allocation at December 31, 2018 and 2017 by asset category, along with the target allocation for 2018, are as follows:

For each of the asset categories in the pension plan, the investment strategy is identical – maximize the long-term rate of return on plan assets with an acceptable level of risk in order to minimize the cost of providing pension benefits. The investment policy establishes a target allocation for each asset class which is rebalanced as required. The plans utilize a number of investment approaches, including individual market securities, equity and fixed income funds in which the underlying securities are marketable, and debt funds to achieve this target allocation. The Company and management are not considering making contributions to the pension plans during fiscal 2019.

Some of our assets, primarily our private equity, real estate, and hedge funds, do not have readily determinable market values given the specific investment structures involved and the nature of the underlying investments. For the December 31, 2018 plan asset reporting, publicly traded asset pricing was used where possible. For assets without readily determinable values, estimates were derived from investment manager statements combined with discussions focusing on underlying fundamentals and significant events. Additionally, these investments are categorized as NAV investments and are valued using significant non-observable inputs which do not have a readily determinable fair value. In accordance with ASU No. 2011-12 “Investments In Certain Entities That Calculate Net Asset Value per Share (Or Its Equivalent),” these investments are valued based on the net asset value per share calculated by the funds in which the plan has invested. These valuations are subject to judgments and assumptions of the funds which may prove to be incorrect, resulting in risks of incorrect valuation of these investments. The Company seeks to mitigate against these risks by evaluating the appropriateness of the funds’ judgments and assumptions by reviewing the financial data included in the funds’ financial statements for reasonableness.

Fair Value Measurements

Given the funded status of the Rollins, Inc. Plan, the Company has modified the overall investment strategy to mitigate risk related to volatility with asset types by transitioning to a higher percentage of fixed income securities. As such, the Company's overall investment strategy is to achieve a mix of approximately 50 percent of investments to match long-term pension obligations and 50 percent for near term benefits payments, with a diversification of assets types, fund strategies and fund managers. With the modification of investment strategy, the Company has transitioned the majority of its assets to Fixed-income securities. Fixed-income securities include corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, sovereign bonds, and U.S. Treasuries. Equity securities primarily include investments in large-cap and small-cap companies domiciled domestically and internationally. Other types of investments include real estate funds and private equity funds that follow several different investment strategies. For each of the asset categories in the pension plan, the investment strategy is identical – maximize the long-term rate of return on plan assets with an acceptable level of risk in order to minimize the cost of providing pension benefits. The investment policy establishes a target allocation for each asset class which is rebalanced as required. The plans utilize a number of investment approaches, including but not limited to individual market securities, equity and fixed income funds in which the underlying securities are marketable, and debt funds to achieve this target allocation.

The Company has initiated the process to transition its Pension Plan to an Insurance provider and does not expect to amortize a net loss in 2019. The timeline will take approximately 6-9 months from December 31, 2018. The Company’s Pension Plan is currently more than 100% funded. Discount rates of 3.90% per year for participants in pay status and 4.11% per year for participants with deferred benefits were selected by the Plan Sponsor to determine the benefit obligation resulting from plan termination annuity purchases. The discount rates reflect the single effective interest rate that produces the same present value as that produced when the expected future cash flows for participants expected to elect an annuity are discounted with the FTSE Yield Curve (formerly Citigroup) as of the measurement date. To determine the benefit obligation resulting from plan termination lump sum payments, the expected future cash flows for lump sum eligible participants, determined with the IRC 417(e) Mortality Table for 2019, were discounted with the IRC 417(e) segment interest rates for the month of November 2018 (3.43%, 4.46%, and 4.88%).

The following table presents our plan assets using the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2018. The fair value hierarchy has three levels based on the reliability of the inputs used to determine fair value. See Note 8 for a brief description of the three levels under the fair value hierarchy.

The following table presents our plan assets using the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2017. The fair value hierarchy has three levels based on the reliability of the inputs used to determine fair value.

There were no purchases, sales or transfers of assets classified as Level 3 in 2018 or 2017.

The estimated future benefit payments over the next five years are as follows:

Defined Contribution 401(k) Savings Plan

The Company sponsors a defined contribution 401(k) Savings Plan that is available to a majority of the Company’s full-time employees the first day of the calendar quarter following completion of three months of service. The Plan is available to non-full-time employees the first day of the calendar quarter following one year of service upon completion of 1000 hours in that year. The Plan changed to provide for a matching contribution of one dollar ($1.00) for each one dollar ($1.00) of a participants contributions to the Plan that do not exceed 3 percent of his or her eligible compensation (which include commissions, overtime, and bonuses) and fifty cents ($0.50) for each one dollar ($1.00) of a participant’s contributions to the Plan over the initial 3 percent that do not exceed 6 percent of his or her eligible compensation (which includes commissions, overtime and bonuses), up from a matching contribution of fifty cents ($0.50) for each one dollar ($1.00) of a participants contributions to the Plan that do not exceed 6 percent of his or her eligible compensation (which include commissions, overtime and bonuses) in 2017 and 2016. The charge to expense for the Company match was approximately $21.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and $12.1 million and $11.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. At December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016 approximately, 41.7%, 38.8%, and 36.4%, respectively of the plan assets consisted of Rollins, Inc. Common Stock. Total administrative fees paid by the Company for the Plan were less than $0.1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan

The Deferred Compensation Plan provides that participants may defer up to 50% of their base salary and up to 85% of their annual bonus with respect to any given plan year, subject to a $2 thousand per plan year minimum. The Company may make discretionary contributions to participant accounts. The Company credited accounts of participants of long service to the Company with certain discretionary amounts (“Pension Plan Benefit Restoration Contributions”) in lieu of benefits that previously accrued under the Company’s Retirement Income Plan up to a maximum of $245 thousand.

Accounts will be credited with hypothetical earnings, and/or debited with hypothetical losses, based on the performance of certain “Measurement Funds.” Account values are calculated as if the funds from deferrals and Company credits had been converted into shares or other ownership units of selected Measurement Funds by purchasing (or selling, where relevant) such shares or units at the current purchase price of the relevant Measurement Fund at the time of the participant’s selection. Deferred Compensation Plan benefits are unsecured general obligations of the Company to the participants, and these obligations rank in parity with the Company’s other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The Company has established a “rabbi trust,” which it uses to voluntarily set aside amounts to indirectly fund any obligations under the Deferred Compensation Plan. To the extent that the Company’s obligations under the Deferred Compensation Plan exceed assets available under the trust, the Company would be required to seek additional funding sources to fund its liability under the Deferred Compensation Plan.

Generally, the Deferred Compensation Plan provides for distributions of any deferred amounts upon the earliest to occur of a participant’s death, disability, retirement or other termination of employment (a “Termination Event”). However, for any deferrals of salary and bonus (but not Company contributions), participants would be entitled to designate a distribution date which is prior to a Termination Event. Generally, the Deferred Compensation Plan allows a participant to elect to receive distributions under the Deferred Compensation Plan in installments or lump-sum payments.

At December 31, 2018, the Deferred Compensation Plan had 70 life insurance policies with a net face value of $42.6 million. The cash surrender value of these life insurance policies were worth $17.3 million and $18.3 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The estimated life insurance premium payments over the next five years are as follows:

Total expense related to deferred compensation was $180 thousand, $241 thousand, and $230 thousand in 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively. The Company had $18.4 million and $18.4 million in deferred compensation assets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, included within other assets on the Company’s consolidated statements of financial position and $17.5 million and $18.4 million in deferred compensation liability as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, located within long-term accrued liabilities on the Company’s consolidated statements of financial position. The amounts of assets were marked to fair value.