form11k.htm


 
 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549

 
 
 

 
FORM 11-K
 
 
FOR ANNUAL REPORTS OF EMPLOYEE STOCK
PURCHASE, SAVINGS AND SIMILAR PLANS
PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 
 
 
(Mark One)
 
x
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
 
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008
 
 
OR
 
 
o
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
 
 
For the transition period from _________ to ___________
 
 
 
Commission File Number 1-32532
 
 
 
A.
Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if different from that of the issuer named below:
 
 
 
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
 
 
B.
Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and the address of its principal executive office:
 
 
 
ASHLAND INC.
50 E. RiverCenter Boulevard
P.O. Box 391
Covington, Kentucky 41012-0391
 
Telephone Number (859) 815-3333
 
 



 
 
 
 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY DATA




 
    Page
   
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 3
   
STATEMENT OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
 4
   At December 31, 2008 and 2007
 
   
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
 5
   For the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007
 
   
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 6
   
SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULES
 
   Schedule H, Part IV, Item 4(i) – Assets Held for Investment Purposes
14
   Schedule H, Part IV, Item 4(j) – Reportable Transactions
15
   
EXHIBIT INDEX
17

-2-



 
 
 
 

 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 

To the Board of Directors
Hercules Incorporated Savings and Investment Plan
Wilmington, Delaware


We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits of Hercules Incorporated Savings and Investment Plan (the “Plan”) as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the related statements of changes in net assets available for benefits for the years then ended.  These financial statements are the responsibility of the Plan's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
 

We conducted our audits in accordance with standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  The plan is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting.  Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting.  Accordingly, we express no such opinion.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the net assets available for benefits of Hercules Incorporated Savings and Investment Plan as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and changes in its net assets available for benefits for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

Our audits were performed for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic financial statements taken as a whole.  The supplemental schedules of assets held for investment purposes and reportable transactions are presented for the purpose of additional analysis and are not a required part of the basic financial statements but are supplementary information required by the Department of Labor’s Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.  These supplemental schedules are the responsibility of the Plan’s management.  The supplemental schedules have been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the basic financial statements and, in our opinion, are fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.





/s/ MorisonCogen LLP
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
June 24, 2009
 
 
-3-

 
 
 
 
 

HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
STATEMENT OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
(Dollars in Thousands)


   
December 31,
 
   
2008
   
2007
 
                 
ASSETS:
               
Investments (at fair value) (Notes 3 and 4)
  $ 312,218     $ 396,636  
Participant Loans Receivable (Notes 3 and 4)
    4,756       4,463  
     Total (at fair value)
    316,974       401,099  
                 
Contributions receivable
    942       7,180  
     Total assets
    317,916     $ 408,279  
                 
                 
LIABILITIES:
               
Loan payable (Note 7)
    12,522       18,192  
     Total liabilities
    12,522       18,192  
                 
     Net assets reflecting all investments at fair value
    305,394       390,087  
                 
Adjustment from fair value to contract value for
               
fully benefit – responsive investment contract
    1,144       (590 )
                 
     NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
  $ 306,538     $ 389,497  
                 

 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
 
-4-

 
 
 
 


HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
(Dollars in Thousands)


   
Year Ended
December 31,
 
   
2008
   
2007
 
                 
ADDITIONS:
               
Increase to net assets attributed to:
               
Investment income
               
     Interest
  $ 341     $ 3,715  
     Dividends
    13,684       15,452  
                 
Contributions:
               
     Participants
    14,133       13,874  
     Employer
    891       15,201  
Transfers from other plans
    26       9  
          Total Additions
    29,075       48,251  
                 
                 
DEDUCTIONS:
               
     Net depreciation in fair value
        of investments (Note 4)
  $ 83,734     $ 17  
                 
Deductions from net assets attributed to:
               
Benefits paid to participants
    27,050       27,231  
Administrative expenses
    122       96  
Interest Expense
    1,128       2,255  
          Total Deductions
    112,034       29,599  
                 
                 
          Net (Decrease) Increase
    (82,959 )     18,652  
                 
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS:
               
Beginning of year
    389,497       370,845  
                 
End of year
  $ 306,538     $ 389,497  
                 






The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
 
 
-5-

 
 
 
 

HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)

1.           Description of Plan
 
The following description of the Hercules Incorporated Savings and Investment Plan (the “Plan”) provides only general information.  The Plan is a defined contribution Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 401(k) plan subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”).  Participants should refer to the Plan document for a more complete description of the Plan’s provisions.
 
On November 13, 2008, Ashland Inc. (“Ashland”) completed the acquisition of Hercules Incorporated (“Hercules”), through a subsidiary merger transaction.  As a result of this transaction, Hercules has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Ashland.  At the effective time of the merger, each share of Hercules common stock was converted into the right to receive 0.093 of a share of Ashland common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and $18.60 in cash, without interest, which merger consideration has a value of approximately $23.01 per Hercules share based on Ashland’s July 10, 2008 closing stock price.
 
Upon hire, all United States Hercules (the “Company”) employees: (1) are immediately eligible to participate in the Plan; (2) are immediately enrolled in the Plan unless they choose not to participate and (3) obtain immediate, non-forfeitable (“vested”) rights to the full market value of their account. At enrollment, participants may elect to contribute up to 15% of their annual wages on either a pre-tax or post-tax basis, or a combination thereof subject to IRC limitations.  New participants are deemed to elect to contribute 3% of their wages as pre-tax contributions, unless they elect otherwise.
 
The Company contributes as a matching contribution 50% of the first 6% of the annual earnings that an employee contributes to the Plan.  The matching contribution may be made in shares of stock, cash or may be used to pay down an exempt loan the proceeds of which was used to acquire company stock held in a suspense account as part of the portion of the Plan that is an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).  To the extent matching contributions are used to pay down an exempt loan, shares of stock are released from the suspense account and allocated to participants' accounts.  Since the purchase of the Company by Ashland, the shares of stock in the Plan were exchanged for shares of Ashland Inc. stock.  Participants can elect to immediately diversify their Company matching common stock contribution into any Plan investment option.  Participants direct the investment of their monthly savings into any of the Plan’s investment options, or a combination thereof.  Eligible participants are also eligible to receive a performance-based employer contribution based on pre-established performance metrics.  For employees hired on or after January 1, 2005, the Company also makes a Basic Retirement Contribution equal to 2% of their earnings each pay period.
 
The Plan provides for various stock, bond, and fixed income mutual fund investment options and Ashland Inc. common stock.  These investments are exposed to various risks, such as interest rate, market, and credit.  Due to the level of risk associated with certain of these investments and the level of uncertainty related to changes in the value of investments, it is at least reasonably possible that changes in one or more of these or other risks in the near term could materially affect participants’ account balances and the amounts reported in the statement of net assets available for benefits and the statement of changes in net assets available for benefits.
 
The Plan includes an employee loan provision authorizing participants to borrow a minimum of $1,000 up to a maximum amount that is equal to the lesser of $50,000 or 50% of their vested balances in the Plan.  The loans are executed by promissory notes and have a minimum term of 12 months and a maximum term of 60 months, except for qualified residential loans, which have a maximum term of 120 months.  The loans bear a reasonable interest rate fixed at the date the loan is granted.  The loans are repaid over the term in monthly installments of principal and interest by payroll deduction.  A participant also has the right to repay the loan in full at any time without penalty.
 
Effective January 1, 2005, the Plan was amended to permit variable employer contributions to eligible participants (salaried employees and those union employees who have negotiated participation in the Flexible Benefits Plans).  This Performance Retirement Contribution (“PRC”) is based on Company performance each year against specific performance targets.  Effective January 1, 2009, Company performance may include the metrics deemed advisable or convenient and may include performance of the Company and its parent company and all affiliates.  Company performance at target will generate an average PRC contribution equal to 3% of participant’s annual wages.  If the
 
-6-
 
 
 
 
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
 
Company’s performance exceeds the target, the average contribution could go up to 6% of annual wages.  If the Company achieves the target in a given year and generates a 3% pool, the Company will make contributions to the participants’ accounts at the beginning of the following year in these amounts:
 
1.5% of pay for employees with less than 11 years of service.
 
3% of pay for employees with at least 11, but less than 20 years of service.
 
4.5% of pay for employees with 20 or more years of service.
 
The Company performance target for the PRC for both 2008 and 2007 was Operating Cash Flow.  Based on performance against target, the Company made no PRC for 2008 and $6,236 for 2007, which was allocated to eligible participant accounts.
 
The Vanguard Group (“Trustee”) is both the Trustee and Recordkeeper for the Plan.
 
Although it has not expressed any intent to do so, the Company has the right under the Plan to discontinue any or all of its contributions at any time and to terminate the Plan subject to the provisions of ERISA.
 
2.           Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
 
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and changes therein and disclosures of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.
 
The financial statements of the Plan are prepared under the accrual method of accounting. Investments in the Plan are carried at fair value.  The fair value of the common stock of both Ashland Inc. and Hercules Incorporated is based upon the price at which the stock closed on the New York Stock Exchange on the last business day of the year.  The market values for funds managed by the Trustee are valued at the net asset value of the shares held by the Plan at year-end, which is based on the fair value of the underlying securities held by the fund.  Purchases and sales of securities are recorded on a trade-date basis.  Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis and dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date.
 
Withdrawals are recorded upon distribution.  The Plan provides that participants who retire from the Company may elect, upon retirement, an Optional Valuation Date ("OVD") for determining their final withdrawal.  The OVD is the last business day of any month following retirement, in which the distribution is requested.
 
3.           Fair Value Measurements
 
The financial statements of the Plan are recorded at fair value in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 157, Fair Value Measurements (SFAS 157). SFAS No. 157 establishes a framework for measuring fair value. That framework provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value, summarized below:
 
Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for assets identical to the securities to be valued. If a Level 1 input is available, it must be used.
 
Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for securities, either directly or indirectly. Examples include matrix pricing utilizing yield curves, prepayment speeds, credit risks, etc; quoted prices for similar assets in active markets; and input derived from observable market data by correlation or other means.
 
Level 3 – Inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.
 
A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

 
 
 
-7-
 
 
 
 

HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)

 
The following table sets forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the Plan’s assets at fair value as of December 31, 2008:
 
 
                         
    Level 1       Level 2      Level 3    
Total
 
                         
                         
Common Stock, Mutual Funds
  $ 224,744     $ -     $ -     $ 224,744  
 
Guaranteed Investment Contracts
  $ -     $ -     $ 87,474     $ 87,474  
 
Participant Loans
  $ -     $ -     $ 4,756     $ 4,756  
Total
  $ 224,744     $ -     $ 92,230     $ 316,974  
                                 
                                 
                                 

As described in Financial Accounting Standards Board Staff Position, FSP AAG INV-1 and defined in SOP 94-4-1, Reporting of Fully Benefit-Responsive Investment Contracts Held by Certain Investment Companies Subject to the AICPA Investment Company Guide and Defined-Contribution Health and Welfare and Pension Plans (the FSP), investment contracts held by a defined-contribution plan are required to be reported at fair value. However, contract value is the relevant measurement attribute for that portion of the net assets available for benefits of a defined contribution plan attributable to fully benefit-responsive investment contracts because contract value is the amount participants would receive if they were to initiate permitted transactions under the terms of the plan. As required by the FSP, the Statement of Net Assets Available for Benefits presents the fair value of the investment contracts as well as the adjustment of the fully benefit-responsive investment contracts from fair value to contract value. The Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits is prepared on a contract value basis. The Vanguard Retirement Savings Trust in 2008 and 2007 held investment contracts in a common collective trust and are subject to the requirements of the FSP.

Following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for assets measured at fair value:
 
Common stocks: Valued at the closing price reported on the active market on which the securities are traded.

Mutual funds: Valued at the net asset value (NAV) of shares held by the plan at year-end.

Guaranteed investment contract: Valued at fair value by discounting the related cash flows based on current yields of similar instruments with comparable durations.

Participant loans: Valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value.




-8-
 

 
 
 
 
 


HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Changes in the fair value of the Plan’s Level 3 investments during the year ended December 31, 2008 were as follows:

                       
 
 
  Level 3 Assets
                       
   
Participant Loans
       
Guaranteed Investment Contracts
   
Total
 
                             
Balance at December 31, 2007
  $ 4,463         $ 72,037     $ 82,500  
Realized and unrealized gains
    -            9,437        9,437  
Issuances and settlements, net
     293           -        293  
Balance at December 31, 2008
  $ 4,756         $ 87,474     $ 92,230  
                             
                             
                             

4.    Investments
 
The following table presents the fair values of investments held by the Trustee at December 31:
 
     
2008
   
2007
 
               
*
Vanguard 500 Index Fund
  $ 26,868     $ 45,638  
 
Vanguard Explorer Fund
    4,820       9,613  
 
Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund
    4,747       7,796  
Vanguard Growth & Income Fund
    12,358       24,331  
 
Vanguard International Growth Fund
    14,545       25,940  
Vanguard PRIMECAP Fund
    27,426       44,263  
 
Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund
    5,689       9,630  
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund
    27,786       19,133  
*
Vanguard Windsor II Fund
    15,243       27,349  
Ashland Common Stock Fund
    10,211        
Hercules Common Stock Fund
          74,524  
Vanguard Retirement Savings Trust
    87,474       78,037  
 
Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund
    389        
 
Vanguard Target Retirement 2005 Fund
    5,866       4,021  
 
Vanguard Target Retirement 2010 Fund
    5,647       224  
Vanguard Target Retirement 2015 Fund
    17,338       10,408  
 
Vanguard Target Retirement 2020 Fund
    13,825       352  
Vanguard Target Retirement 2025 Fund
    16,772       9,358  
 
Vanguard Target Retirement 2030 Fund
    6,164       124  
 
Vanguard Target Retirement 2035 Fund
    4,157       3,058  
Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Fund
    1,315       89  
 
Vanguard Target Retirement 2045 Fund
    1,227       1,212  
 
Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund
    265       26  
 
Vanguard Target Retirement Income
    2,086       1,510  
      $ 312,218     $ 396,636  
 
Participant Loans Receivable
    4,756       4,463  
 
Total
  $ 316,974     $ 401,099  
                   
                   
Represents at least 5% of the Plan’s net assets at December 31, 2008 or 2007
               
 
 
 
-9-
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)

 
The Plan assets are held in the Vanguard Company. The Plan offers twenty-three investment vehicles in which participants may invest their account balances. Net appreciation (depreciation) in fair value of investments for the Plan for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 are as follows:
 
 
   
2008
   
2007
 
                 
Hercules Common Stock
  $ -     $ 253  
Ashland Common Stock
    2,980       -  
Mutual Funds
    (86,714     (270
         
Net appreciation (depreciation) in fair value of investments
  $ (83,734   $ (17
                 


5.           Employer Contributions

 
As of, and for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 respectively, the Company made the following contributions to the Plan.
 

 
   
Stock
   
Cash
   
Total
 
                         
                         
December 31, 2008
  $ 891     $     $ 891  
                         
                         
December 31, 2007
  $ 14,843     $ 358     $ 15,201  
                         
                         

 
At December 31, 2008 and 2007, $257 and $6,480, respectively were receivable from the Company.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-10-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)

 

6.           Non-participant-directed Investments
 
Information about the net assets and the significant components of the changes in net assets relating to the non-participant-directed investments is as follows:
 
 
   
Investments
   
Contributions Receivable
   
Loan
   
Net Assets
 
                                 
December 31, 2008
                               
Ashland Common Stock Fund (participant-
    directed)
  $ 2,478     $ 251     $     $ 2,729  
      2,478       251             2,729  
Ashland ESOP Stock Fund (non-participant-
    directed)
                               
    Allocated
    2,438                   2,438  
    Unallocated
    5,295       1,932       (12,522     (5,295 )
      7,733       1,932       (12,522     (2,857 )
                                 
                                 
    $ 10,211     $ 2,183     $ (12,522   $ (128 )  
                                 
                                 
December 31, 2007
                               
Hercules Common Stock Fund (participant-
    directed)
  $ 26,660     $ 32     $     $ 26,692  
      26,660       32             26,692  
Hercules ESOP Stock Fund (non-participant-
    directed)
                               
    Allocated
    29,397       6,454             35,851  
    Unallocated
    18,467             (18,192 )     275  
      47,864       6,454       (18,192 )     36,126  
                                 
    $ 74,524     $ 6,486     $ (18,192 )   $ 62,818  
                                 

 
 
 
-11-
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)

Investment income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 are as follows:
 

   
Ashland Common
   
Ashland ESOP Stock Fund
 
   
Stock Funds
   
Allocated
   
Unallocated
 
                         
      December 31, 2008
                       
Net appreciation (depreciation) in fair value of investments
  $ (608   $ (699   $ (2,151
Employer contributions
    227       (11     5,220  
Employee contributions
    70              
Benefit paid to participants
    (15 )     (22 )      
Interest income (expense)
    11       12       (301 )
Allocation of shares under ESOP provisions
          405       (405 )
Net loan activity
    24       46        
Cash payment for stock conversion
    (26,692 )     (35,851 )     1,657  
Transfer to other investment options
    3,020       2,707       (9,590 )
                         
Net (decrease) increase
  $ (23,963 )   $ (33,413   $ (5,570
                         
                         
   
Hercules Common
   
Hercules ESOP Stock Fund
 
   
Stock Funds
   
Allocated
   
Unallocated
 
                         
      December 31, 2007
                       
Net appreciation (depreciation) in fair value of investments
  $ 203     $ (207 )   $ 330  
Employer contributions
    84       2,345       12,445  
Employee contributions
    640              
Benefit paid to participants
    (1,662 )     (1,578 )      
Interest expense
    (10 )           (2,255 )
Allocation of shares under ESOP provisions
          7,854       (7,854 )
Net loan activity
    65       (197 )      
Transfer to other investment options
    (2,674 )     (5,709 )      
                         
Net increase (decrease)
  $ (3,354 )   $ 2,508     $ 2,666  
                         

7.           Loan Payable
 
Pursuant to a loan agreement entered into with the Company in 2001, the Plan borrowed $11,000 in December 2001.  This loan has a maturity date of December 31, 2020, bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 2.75% and has a fixed principal payment schedule of $200 per year on December 31 of each year from 2002 through 2019, with a balloon payment of $7,400 payable on December 31, 2020.  On April 29, 2002, the Plan borrowed an additional $75,000 from the Company.  This second loan has a maturity date of December 31, 2020, bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 2.75% and has a fixed payment schedule of $250 at the end of each calendar quarter as follows:  $250 on June 30, 2002 and $250 on the last day of each quarter thereafter, with any remaining principal balance payable on December 31, 2020.  In addition to the combined fixed payments of $1,200 for the loans, the Plan made additional payments of $4,470 and $8,905 in 2008 and 2007, respectively.  These payments were calculated based on the number of shares that were
 
 
-12-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
allocated to participants’ accounts during the year.  Principal payments on the loans are made in the same proportion as shares are released from the ESOP.  The interest rate of both loans at December 31, 2008 was 6.9%.
 
The Plan provides for the periodic allocation of shares of Hercules common stock held by the ESOP component of the Plan to the account of Plan participants to satisfy Hercules’ matching obligations.  The unallocated shares of the ESOP are pledged as security for the loans.  As part of the acquisition by Ashland, Hercules stock has been exchanged for Ashland shares. The value of the outstanding borrowings under the promissory notes is $12,522 and $18,192 at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

8.           Related Party Transactions

Certain Plan investments are shares of mutual funds managed by the Trustee; therefore, these transactions qualify as party-in-interest transactions.

9.           Tax Status

On March 18, 2003, the United States Treasury Department advised the Company that the Plan as amended through January 28, 2002, is a qualified trust under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and is therefore exempt from Federal income taxes under provisions of Section 501(a) of the code.  The Plan has been amended since receiving the determination letter, to include, among other things, the merger of the BetzDearborn Plan and the performance based and fixed contributions. A subsequent, off cycle, filing was made with the United States Treasury Department for amendments through January 31, 2008, the date of such filing.  Because the filing was off cycle, the Treasury Department placed it in suspense and nothing more has been heard. We expect additional feedback regarding the filing once the Treasury Department has made sufficient progress processing its on cycle filings.  Since the filing, other amendments have been adopted; however, the Plan administrator and the Plan’s tax counsel believe that the Plan is designed and currently being operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.

10.           Recent Accounting Pronouncement

In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes. FIN 48 prescribes detailed guidance for the financial statement recognition, measurement and disclosure of uncertain tax positions recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes (“SFAS No. 109”). Tax positions must meet a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold at the effective date to be recognized upon the adoption of FIN 48 and in subsequent periods. FSP FIN 48-3 issued in December 2008 deferred the effective date for nonpublic enterprises to annual financial statements for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008. However, a nonpublic enterprise that elects to defer the application of Interpretation 48 in accordance with this FSP shall explicitly disclose that fact and shall disclose its accounting policy for evaluating uncertain tax positions for each set of financial statements where the deferral applies.

The Plan has elected to defer the application of Interpretation 48. The Plan’s current policy for accounting for uncertain tax positions is governed by SFAS No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies.

11.           Risks and Uncertainties

The Plan invests in various investment securities. Investment securities are exposed to various risks such as interest rate, market and credit risks. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, it is at least reasonably possible that changes in the values of investment securities will occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect participants’ account balances and the amounts reported in the Statement of Net Assets Available for Benefits.
 
 
-13-

 
 
 
 
SCHEDULE I
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
Schedule of Assets Held for Investment Purposes at End of Year – Attachment for Schedule H, Line 4i
As of December 31, 2008

Hercules Incorporated Savings and Investment Plan, EIN 51-0023450, PN 020

           
Identity of Issue
 
Investment Type
 
Cost/Contract Value
   
Current/Market Value
 
*Vanguard 500 Index Investment
 
Registered Investment Company
  $ 33,403,373     $ 26,868,115  
*Vanguard Explorer Fund
 
Registered Investment Company
    7,409,578       4,819,666  
*Vanguard Extended Market Index Investment
 
Registered Investment Company
    6,197,668       4,747,327  
*Vanguard Growth & Income Investment
 
Registered Investment Company
    17,412,542       12,358,041  
*Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund
 
Registered Investment Company
    383,530       389,125  
*Vanguard International Growth Fund
 
Registered Investment Company
    23,383,708       14,544,847  
*Vanguard PRIMECAP Fund
 
Registered Investment Company
    30,987,085       27,425,662  
*Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index
 
Registered Investment Company
    7,884,286       5,689,208  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2005
 
Registered Investment Company
    6,522,019       5,866,461  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2010
 
Registered Investment Company
    5,594,634       5,647,146  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2015
 
Registered Investment Company
    18,457,209       17,337,692  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2020
 
Registered Investment Company
    13,630,198       13,824,577  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2025
 
Registered Investment Company
    18,356,399       16,771,825  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2030
 
Registered Investment Company
    6,049,655       6,163,626  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2035
 
Registered Investment Company
    4,861,111       4,157,137  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2040
 
Registered Investment Company
    1,314,924       1,315,320  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2045
 
Registered Investment Company
    1,509,757       1,227,000  
*Vanguard Target Retirement 2050
 
Registered Investment Company
    328,503       265,104  
*Vanguard Target Retirement Inc
 
Registered Investment Company
    2,200,202       2,086,553  
*Vanguard Total Bond Market Index
 
Registered Investment Company
    27,520,638       27,786,035  
*Vanguard Windsor II Fund Investment
 
Registered Investment Company
    21,090,767       15,242,745  
*Vanguard Retire Savings Trust
 
Common/Collective Trust
    88,617,818       88,617,818  
*Ashland Common Stock Fund
 
Company Stock Fund
    3,040,097       2,478,128  
*Ashland ESOP Fund
 
Company Stock Fund
    2,789,605       2,437,530  
*Ashland ESOP – Unallocated
 
Company Stock Fund
    1,884,306       5,295,201  
                     
Subtotal
      $ 350,829,613     $ 313,361,889  
*Loan Fund
  5.25% - 9.75%      4,756,039       4,756,039  
                     
Total Assets Held for Investment Purposes
      $ 355,585,652     $ 318,117,928  
                     
*Party in Interest
                   


 
-14-


 
 
 
 
 
 
SCHEDULE II
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN

Schedule of Reportable Transactions – Attachment for Schedule H, Line 4j
As of December 31, 2008

Hercules Incorporated Savings and Investment Plan, EIN 51-0023450, PN 020



Identity of Party Involved
 
Description of Asset
 
Purchase Price
   
Selling Price
   
Historical Cost of Asset
   
Current Value of Asset on Transaction Date*
   
Historical Gain (Loss)
 
The Vanguard Group
 
Vanguard Tgt Retirement 2015
  $ 15,799,888                     $ 15,799,888          
The Vanguard Group
 
Vanguard Tgt Retirement 2015
          $ 6,580,854     $ 7,022,162     $ 6,580,854     $ (441,307 )
The Vanguard Group
 
Vanguard Total Bd Mkt Indx Inv
  $ 15,503,802                     $ 15,503,802          
The Vanguard Group
 
Vanguard Total Bd Mkt Indx Inv
          $ 6,898,034     $ 6,979,299     $ 6,898,034     $ (81,265 )
The Vanguard Group
 
Vanguard Retire Savings Trust
  $ 33,530,470                     $ 33,530,470          
The Vanguard Group
 
Vanguard Retire Savings Trust
          $ 22,359,670     $ 22,359,670     $ 22,359,670          
The Vanguard Group
 
Ashland Common Stock Fund
  $ 337,856                     $ 337,856          
The Vanguard Group
 
Hercules Common Stock Fund
  $ 19,627,838                     $ 19,627,838          
The Vanguard Group
 
Hercules Common Stock Fund
          $ 22,681,773     $ 21,356,643     $ 22,681,773     $ 1,325,130  
                                             
* Transactions or a series of transactions in excess of 5% of the current value of the Plan's assets as of the beginning of the plan
         
year as defined in Section 2520.103-6 of the Department of Labor Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under ERISA.
         

 
-15-
 
 
 
 
 
SIGNATURES
 
 
    THE PLAN.  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
 
 
HERCULES INCORPORATED SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN
 
 
   
   
Date:  June 25, 2009
By      /s/ Lamar M. Chambers
 
Lamar M. Chambers
 
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
 
 
-16-
 
 
 
 
 
EXHIBIT INDEX
 
 
23.1
Consent of MorisonCogan LLP
 
 
 
-17-