SCANA CORPORATION 401(k) RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
Organization and Basis of Accounting
Effective January 1, 2019, SCANA Corporation (the Company) became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion Energy, Inc. (Dominion Energy), and Dominion Energy Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion Energy, became the Plan Administrator and the named fiduciary of the SCANA Corporation 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (the Plan). The Company remains the sponsor of the Plan, though the board of directors of Dominion Energy has the authority to terminate the Plan or to adopt such amendments to the Plan as the board considers appropriate. The board of Dominion Energy, Inc. has delegated its authority to adopt certain Plan amendments to its Chief Administrative Officer and to a committee appointed by its Chief Executive Officer.
In connection with the Company’s acquisition by Dominion Energy, shares of the Company held by the Plan were exchanged for shares of Dominion Energy. See Note 2 for additional discussion.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).
Investments Valuation
The Plan’s investments are stated at fair value (see Notes 3 and 5). Shares of mutual funds are valued at quoted market prices, which represent the net asset value of shares held by the Plan at year end. Quoted market prices are used to value the shares of common stock. The common collective trust fund with underlying investments in investment contracts is valued at fair market value of the underlying investments.
The Wells Fargo Stable Value Fund Q (Fund Q) is a common collective trust fund that has invested its assets in the Wells Fargo Stable Return Fund G (Fund G). The value of Fund Q is based on the underlying unit value of Fund G. Certain required disclosures related to Fund G follow.
Fund G invests in investment contracts, including traditional guaranteed investment contracts (GICs) and security-backed contracts. An investment contract is a contract issued by a financial institution to provide a stated rate of return to the buyer of the contract for a specified period. A security-backed contract has similar characteristics to a traditional investment contract and is comprised of (1) a fixed-income security or portfolio of fixed-income securities and (2) a contract value guarantee (wrapper) provided by a third party. Wrappers provide contract value payments for certain participant-initiated withdrawals and transfers, a floor crediting rate, and return of fully accrued contract value at maturity. Fund G carries its investments at contract value in accordance with GAAP.
GICs are backed by the general account of the contract issuer. Fund G deposits a lump sum with the issuer and receives a guaranteed interest rate for a specified period. The issuer guarantees that all qualified participant withdrawals will be at contract value (principal plus accrued interest). A security-backed contract is an investment contract (also known as a synthetic GIC or a separate account GIC) issued by an insurance company or other financial institution, backed by a portfolio of bonds.
There are several risks specific to investment contracts. One of the primary risks involved is credit risk of the contract issuer. Credit risk for security-backed contracts includes risks arising from the potential inability of the issuer to meet the terms of the contract wrapper and the potential default of the underlying fixed-income securities. A second risk is that liquidity is limited because of the unique characteristics of investment contracts and the absence of an actively traded secondary market. Interest rate risk is also present because rates may be fixed with these products.
GICs generally do not permit issuers to terminate the agreement prior to the scheduled maturity date. Security-backed contracts generally are evergreen contracts that contain termination provisions, allowing Fund G or the contract issuer to terminate with notice, at any time at fair value, and providing for automatic termination of the contract if the contract value or the fair value of the underlying portfolio equals zero. The issuer is obligated to pay the excess contract value when the fair value of the underlying portfolio equals zero.
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