The following tables provide a reconciliation of the changes in the Group's plans' benefit obligations and fair value of assets over the two-year period ended December 31, 2003 and a statement of the funded status as of December 31 for each year:
| Pension Benefits | Postretirement Benefits | |||
| in € m. | 2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 |
| Change in benefit obligation | ||||
| Benefit obligation at beginning of year | 6,653 | 6,772 | 160 | 151 |
| Service cost | 279 | 323 | 8 | 4 |
| Interest cost | 375 | 384 | 9 | 8 |
| Plan amendments | 4 | 11 | 3 | 20 |
| Acquisitions/divestitures | (2) | (55) | – | 5 |
| Actuarial loss (gain) | 247 | (194) | 11 | 5 |
| Benefits paid | (319) | (282) | (12) | (12) |
| Curtailment/settlement | (46) | 4 | (2) | – |
| Foreign currency exchange rate changes | (271) | (310) | (29) | (21) |
| Benefit obligation at end of year | 6,920 | 6,653 | 148 | 160 |
| Change in plan assets | ||||
| Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year | 6,296 | 2,369 | – | – |
| Actual return on plan assets | 546 | (289) | – | – |
| Employer contributions1 | 560 | 4,493 | 11 | 12 |
| Benefits paid | (295) | (103) | (11) | (13) |
| Curtailment/settlement | (30) | 67 | – | 1 |
| Foreign currency exchange rate changes | (276) | (241) | – | – |
| Fair value of plan assets at end of year | 6,801 | 6,296 | – | – |
| Funded status | (119) | (357) | (148) | (160) |
| Unrecognized net actuarial loss (gain) | 838 | 893 | 14 | (13) |
| Unrecognized prior service cost (benefit) | 9 | (1) | 10 | 15 |
| Unrecognized transition obligation (assets) | 14 | 1 | – | – |
| Net amount recognized at end of year | 742 | 536 | (124) | (158) |
| 1 | Amount for 2003 includes € 170 million and € 196 million contributed to the Group’s U.K. and German pension plans, respectively. Amount for 2002 includes € 3.9 billion, € 300 million and € 115 million contributed to the Group's German, U.K. and U.S. pension plans, respectively. |
The following amounts were recognized in the consolidated balance sheet:
| Pension Benefits | Postretirement Benefits | |||
| in € m. | 2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 |
| Prepaid pension costs | 1,001 | 951 | – | – |
| Accrued benefit costs | (259) | (415) | (124) | (158) |
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | – | (8) | – | – |
| Net amount recognized | 742 | 528 | (124) | (158) |
The accumulated benefit obligation for all defined benefit pension plans was € 6.4 billion and € 6.0 billion at December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
The following table shows the information for defined benefit pension plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of the fair value of plan assets:
| in € m. | Dec 31, 2003 | Dec 31, 2002 |
| Projected benefit obligation | 374 | 1,454 |
| Accumulated benefit obligation | 329 | 1,367 |
| Fair value of plan assets | 103 | 1,084 |