on january 15 , 2016 , duke energy and piedmont filed a joint request with the tennessee regulatory authority for approval of a change in control of piedmont that will result from duke energy 's acquisition of piedmont . in that request , duke energy and piedmont requested that the authority approve the change in control on or before april 30 , 2016. subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals and meeting closing conditions , duke energy and piedmont target a closing by the end of 2016. on december 11 , 2015 , duke energy kentucky filed a declaratory request with the kpsc seeking a finding that the transaction does not constitute a change in control of duke energy kentucky requiring kpsc approval . duke energy also presented the transaction for information before the pscsc on january 13 , 2016. the merger agreement contains certain termination rights for both duke energy and piedmont , and provides that , upon termination of the merger agreement under specified circumstances , duke energy would be required to pay a termination fee of $ 250 million to piedmont and piedmont would be required to pay duke energy a termination fee of $ 125 million . see note 4 to the consolidated financial statements , regulatory matters , `` for additional information regarding duke energy and piedmont 's joint investment in atlantic coast pipeline , llc . 36 part ii midwest generation exit duke energy , through indirect subsidiaries , completed the sale of the nonregulated midwest generation business and duke energy retail sales llc ( collectively , the disposal group ) to a subsidiary of dynegy on april 2 , 2015 , for approximately $ 2.8 billion in cash . refer to note 2 to the consolidated financial statements , “ acquisitions and dispositions , ” for additional information on this transaction . accelerated stock repurchase program on april 6 , 2015 , duke energy entered into agreements with each of goldman , sachs & co. and jpmorgan chase bank , national association ( the dealers ) to repurchase a total of $ 1.5 billion of duke energy common stock under an accelerated stock repurchase program ( the asr ) . duke energy made payments of $ 750 million to each of the dealers and was delivered 16.6 million shares , with a total fair value of $ 1.275 billion , which represented approximately 85 percent of the total number of shares of duke energy common stock expected to be repurchased under the asr . the $ 225 million unsettled portion met the criteria to be accounted for as a forward contract indexed to duke energy 's stock and qualified as an equity instrument . the company recorded the $ 1.5 billion payment as a reduction to common stock as of april 6 , 2015. in june 2015 , the dealers delivered 3.2 million additional shares to duke energy to complete the asr . approximately 19.8 million shares , in total , were delivered to duke energy and retired under the asr at an average price of $ 75.75 per share . the final number of shares repurchased was based upon the average of the daily volume weighted average stock prices of duke energy 's common stock during the term of the program , less a discount . for additional information on the details of this transaction , see note 18 to the consolidated financial statements , “ common stock . ” financial results ( a ) see results of operations below for duke energy 's definition of adjusted earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share as well as a reconciliation of this non-gaap financial measure to net income attributable to duke energy and net income attributable to duke energy per diluted share . adjusted earnings decreased from 2014 to 2015 primarily due to lower earnings at international energy as a result of unfavorable hydrology and changes in foreign currency exchange rates , partially offset by improved earnings at regulated utilities from improved retail pricing and wholesale margins net of higher operations and maintenance expense . adjusted earnings increased from 2013 to 2014 primarily due to the impact of revised rates and favorable weather , partially offset by higher depreciation and amortization expense . see “ results of operations ” below for a detailed discussion of the consolidated results of operations , as well as a detailed discussion of financial results for each of duke energy 's reportable business segments , as well as other . 2015 areas of focus and accomplishments in 2015 , duke energy advanced a number of important strategic initiatives to transform the energy future with a focus on customers , employees , operations and growth . duke energy announced the acquisition of piedmont , completed the purchase of north carolina eastern municipal power agency 's ( ncempa ) generation assets , completed the sale of the nonregulated midwest generation business and executed on the coal ash strategy to continue moving towards ash basin closures . duke energy also accomplished industry-leading safety and environmental performance and increased the growth rate of the dividend , a significant component of the investor value proposition . acquisition of piedmont natural gas . in 2015 , duke energy entered into a merger agreement with piedmont , under which duke energy will acquire piedmont for $ 4.9 billion in cash . this acquisition reflects the growing importance of natural gas to the future of the energy infrastructure within the company 's service territory , and throughout the u.s. , and establishes a platform for future growth in natural gas infrastructure . 37 part ii purchase of ncempa 's generation . in 2015 , duke energy completed the acquisition of ncempa 's ownership interest in some of duke energy progress 's existing nuclear and coal generation for a total amount of approximately $ 1.25 billion . story_separator_special_tag reversal of a sales tax reserve recorded in 2014 at duke energy indiana , partially offset by higher property taxes across multiple jurisdictions and a favorable 2014 ohio gas excise tax settlement that did not recur in 2015. partially offset by : an $ 88 million impairment charge related to the 2015 edwardsport igcc settlement . see note 4 to the consolidated financial statements , “ regulatory matters , ” for additional information ; 42 part ii a $ 56 million increase in operations and maintenance expense primarily due to planned nuclear spending and the prior-year benefit of the adoption of nuclear outage levelization , higher costs for customer programs and distribution projects , and higher maintenance costs at fossil generation stations primarily due to increased ownership interest in assets acquired from ncempa , partially offset by a 2014 litigation reserve related to the investigation of the dan river coal ash spill ( see note 5 to the consolidated financial statements , “ commitments and contingencies , ” for additional information ) , and lower storm restoration costs ; and a $ 55 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense primarily due to increased plant in service . income tax expense . the variance was primarily due to an increase in the pretax income . the effective tax rates for the years ended december 31 , 2015 and 2014 were 36.3 percent and 36.8 percent , respectively . year ended december 31 , 2014 as compared to 2013 regulated utilities ' results were positively impacted by higher retail pricing and rate riders , favorable weather , an increase in wholesale power margins , retail sales growth , and 2013 impairments and other charges . these impacts were partially offset by higher depreciation and amortization expense , higher operation and maintenance costs , higher interest expense , and higher income tax expense . the following is a detailed discussion of the variance drivers by line item . operating revenues . the variance was driven primarily by : a $ 614 million increase in fuel revenues driven primarily by increased demand from electric retail customers resulting from favorable weather conditions , and higher fuel rates for electric retail customers for all jurisdictions , except north carolina . fuel revenues represent sales to retail and wholesale customers ; a $ 556 million net increase in retail pricing primarily due to retail rate changes and updated rate riders ; a $ 216 million increase in electric sales ( net of fuel revenue ) to retail customers due to more favorable weather conditions across the service territory . compared to normal , weather was favorable in the carolinas and florida service territories , while weather in the midwest was essentially normal ; a $ 63 million increase in wholesale power revenues , net of sharing , primarily due to additional volumes and capacity charges for customers served under long-term contracts ; and a $ 21 million increase from retail sales growth ( net of fuel revenue ) reflecting increased demand . partially offset by : a $ 139 million decrease in gross receipts tax revenue due to the nc tax simplification and rate reduction act which terminated the collection of the north carolina gross receipts tax effective july 1 , 2014. operating expenses . the variance was driven primarily by : a $ 611 million increase in fuel expense ( including purchased power and natural gas purchases for resale ) primarily related to ( i ) higher volumes of coal , and oil used in electric generation due primarily to increased generation resulting from favorable weather conditions , ( ii ) higher natural gas prices , and ( iii ) the application of the nuclear electric insurance limited ( neil ) settlement proceeds in 2013 for duke energy florida ; a $ 436 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense primarily due to increases in depreciation as a result of additional plant in service and amortization of regulatory assets , and higher 2013 reductions to cost of removal reserves in accordance with regulatory orders ; and a $ 292 million increase in operating and maintenance expense primarily due to a litigation reserve related to the criminal investigation of the dan river coal ash spill ( see note 5 to the consolidated financial statements , “ commitments and contingencies , ” for additional information ) , higher storm costs , repairs and remediation expenses associated with the dan river coal ash discharge and other ash basin related assessment costs , and higher nuclear costs , including nuclear outage levelization costs , and higher environmental and operational costs that are recoverable in rates ; partially offset by a 2013 crystal river unit 3 related settlement matter , decreased benefits costs and 2013 donations for low-income customers and job training in accordance with 2013 ncuc and pscsc rate case orders . partially offset by : a $ 346 million decrease due to the 2013 impairment and other charges primarily related to crystal river unit 3 and the proposed levy nuclear station ( levy ) . see note 4 to the consolidated financial statements , “ regulatory matters , ” for additional information ; a $ 42 million decrease in property and other taxes primarily due to the termination of the collection of the north carolina gross receipts tax as mentioned above ; partially offset by a sales tax reserve as a result of an indiana sales tax audit , and higher property taxes ; and a $ 22 million decrease due to the 2013 impairment resulting from the decision to suspend the application for two proposed nuclear units at shearon harris nuclear plant ( harris ) . other income and expenses , net . the variance is primarily due to recognition of post in-service equity returns for projects that had been completed prior to being reflected in customer rates , partially offset by lower allowance for funds used during construction ( afudc ) equity , primarily due to

senior secured debt a a1 a senior unsecured debt a- a3 a- duke energy ohio stable stable negative senior secured debt a a2 a senior unsecured debt a- baa1 a- duke energy indiana positive stable negative senior secured debt a aa3 a senior unsecured debt a- a2 a- credit ratings are intended to provide credit lenders a framework for comparing the credit quality of securities and are not a recommendation to buy , sell or hold . the duke energy registrants ' credit ratings are dependent on the rating agencies ' assessments of their ability to meet their debt principal and interest obligations when they come due . if , as a result of market conditions or other factors , the duke energy registrants are unable to maintain current balance sheet strength , or if earnings and cash flow outlook materially deteriorates , credit ratings could be negatively impacted . cash flow information the following table summarizes duke energy 's cash flows for the three most recently completed fiscal years . replace_table_token_41_th 66 part ii operating cash flows the following table summarizes key components of duke energy 's operating cash flows for the three most recently completed fiscal year . replace_table_token_42_th for the year ended december 31 , 2015 compared to 2014 , the variance was driven primarily by : a $ 376 million increase in net income after non-cash adjustments resulting from increased retail pricing due to rate riders and higher base rates , increased wholesale net margins due to higher contracted amounts and prices , a new wholesale contract with ncempa , retail sales growth and a $ 294 million increase in cash flows from a working capital decrease primarily due to lower current year receivables resulting from unseasonably warmer weather in december 2015 and prior year under collection of fuel and purchased power due to increased consumption .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```senior secured debt a a1 a senior unsecured debt a- a3 a- duke energy ohio stable stable negative senior secured debt a a2 a senior unsecured debt a- baa1 a- duke energy indiana positive stable negative senior secured debt a aa3 a senior unsecured debt a- a2 a- credit ratings are intended to provide credit lenders a framework for comparing the credit quality of securities and are not a recommendation to buy , sell or hold . the duke energy registrants ' credit ratings are dependent on the rating agencies ' assessments of their ability to meet their debt principal and interest obligations when they come due . if , as a result of market conditions or other factors , the duke energy registrants are unable to maintain current balance sheet strength , or if earnings and cash flow outlook materially deteriorates , credit ratings could be negatively impacted . cash flow information the following table summarizes duke energy 's cash flows for the three most recently completed fiscal years . replace_table_token_41_th 66 part ii operating cash flows the following table summarizes key components of duke energy 's operating cash flows for the three most recently completed fiscal year . replace_table_token_42_th for the year ended december 31 , 2015 compared to 2014 , the variance was driven primarily by : a $ 376 million increase in net income after non-cash adjustments resulting from increased retail pricing due to rate riders and higher base rates , increased wholesale net margins due to higher contracted amounts and prices , a new wholesale contract with ncempa , retail sales growth and a $ 294 million increase in cash flows from a working capital decrease primarily due to lower current year receivables resulting from unseasonably warmer weather in december 2015 and prior year under collection of fuel and purchased power due to increased consumption .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : on january 15 , 2016 , duke energy and piedmont filed a joint request with the tennessee regulatory authority for approval of a change in control of piedmont that will result from duke energy 's acquisition of piedmont . in that request , duke energy and piedmont requested that the authority approve the change in control on or before april 30 , 2016. subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals and meeting closing conditions , duke energy and piedmont target a closing by the end of 2016. on december 11 , 2015 , duke energy kentucky filed a declaratory request with the kpsc seeking a finding that the transaction does not constitute a change in control of duke energy kentucky requiring kpsc approval . duke energy also presented the transaction for information before the pscsc on january 13 , 2016. the merger agreement contains certain termination rights for both duke energy and piedmont , and provides that , upon termination of the merger agreement under specified circumstances , duke energy would be required to pay a termination fee of $ 250 million to piedmont and piedmont would be required to pay duke energy a termination fee of $ 125 million . see note 4 to the consolidated financial statements , regulatory matters , `` for additional information regarding duke energy and piedmont 's joint investment in atlantic coast pipeline , llc . 36 part ii midwest generation exit duke energy , through indirect subsidiaries , completed the sale of the nonregulated midwest generation business and duke energy retail sales llc ( collectively , the disposal group ) to a subsidiary of dynegy on april 2 , 2015 , for approximately $ 2.8 billion in cash . refer to note 2 to the consolidated financial statements , “ acquisitions and dispositions , ” for additional information on this transaction . accelerated stock repurchase program on april 6 , 2015 , duke energy entered into agreements with each of goldman , sachs & co. and jpmorgan chase bank , national association ( the dealers ) to repurchase a total of $ 1.5 billion of duke energy common stock under an accelerated stock repurchase program ( the asr ) . duke energy made payments of $ 750 million to each of the dealers and was delivered 16.6 million shares , with a total fair value of $ 1.275 billion , which represented approximately 85 percent of the total number of shares of duke energy common stock expected to be repurchased under the asr . the $ 225 million unsettled portion met the criteria to be accounted for as a forward contract indexed to duke energy 's stock and qualified as an equity instrument . the company recorded the $ 1.5 billion payment as a reduction to common stock as of april 6 , 2015. in june 2015 , the dealers delivered 3.2 million additional shares to duke energy to complete the asr . approximately 19.8 million shares , in total , were delivered to duke energy and retired under the asr at an average price of $ 75.75 per share . the final number of shares repurchased was based upon the average of the daily volume weighted average stock prices of duke energy 's common stock during the term of the program , less a discount . for additional information on the details of this transaction , see note 18 to the consolidated financial statements , “ common stock . ” financial results ( a ) see results of operations below for duke energy 's definition of adjusted earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share as well as a reconciliation of this non-gaap financial measure to net income attributable to duke energy and net income attributable to duke energy per diluted share . adjusted earnings decreased from 2014 to 2015 primarily due to lower earnings at international energy as a result of unfavorable hydrology and changes in foreign currency exchange rates , partially offset by improved earnings at regulated utilities from improved retail pricing and wholesale margins net of higher operations and maintenance expense . adjusted earnings increased from 2013 to 2014 primarily due to the impact of revised rates and favorable weather , partially offset by higher depreciation and amortization expense . see “ results of operations ” below for a detailed discussion of the consolidated results of operations , as well as a detailed discussion of financial results for each of duke energy 's reportable business segments , as well as other . 2015 areas of focus and accomplishments in 2015 , duke energy advanced a number of important strategic initiatives to transform the energy future with a focus on customers , employees , operations and growth . duke energy announced the acquisition of piedmont , completed the purchase of north carolina eastern municipal power agency 's ( ncempa ) generation assets , completed the sale of the nonregulated midwest generation business and executed on the coal ash strategy to continue moving towards ash basin closures . duke energy also accomplished industry-leading safety and environmental performance and increased the growth rate of the dividend , a significant component of the investor value proposition . acquisition of piedmont natural gas . in 2015 , duke energy entered into a merger agreement with piedmont , under which duke energy will acquire piedmont for $ 4.9 billion in cash . this acquisition reflects the growing importance of natural gas to the future of the energy infrastructure within the company 's service territory , and throughout the u.s. , and establishes a platform for future growth in natural gas infrastructure . 37 part ii purchase of ncempa 's generation . in 2015 , duke energy completed the acquisition of ncempa 's ownership interest in some of duke energy progress 's existing nuclear and coal generation for a total amount of approximately $ 1.25 billion . story_separator_special_tag reversal of a sales tax reserve recorded in 2014 at duke energy indiana , partially offset by higher property taxes across multiple jurisdictions and a favorable 2014 ohio gas excise tax settlement that did not recur in 2015. partially offset by : an $ 88 million impairment charge related to the 2015 edwardsport igcc settlement . see note 4 to the consolidated financial statements , “ regulatory matters , ” for additional information ; 42 part ii a $ 56 million increase in operations and maintenance expense primarily due to planned nuclear spending and the prior-year benefit of the adoption of nuclear outage levelization , higher costs for customer programs and distribution projects , and higher maintenance costs at fossil generation stations primarily due to increased ownership interest in assets acquired from ncempa , partially offset by a 2014 litigation reserve related to the investigation of the dan river coal ash spill ( see note 5 to the consolidated financial statements , “ commitments and contingencies , ” for additional information ) , and lower storm restoration costs ; and a $ 55 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense primarily due to increased plant in service . income tax expense . the variance was primarily due to an increase in the pretax income . the effective tax rates for the years ended december 31 , 2015 and 2014 were 36.3 percent and 36.8 percent , respectively . year ended december 31 , 2014 as compared to 2013 regulated utilities ' results were positively impacted by higher retail pricing and rate riders , favorable weather , an increase in wholesale power margins , retail sales growth , and 2013 impairments and other charges . these impacts were partially offset by higher depreciation and amortization expense , higher operation and maintenance costs , higher interest expense , and higher income tax expense . the following is a detailed discussion of the variance drivers by line item . operating revenues . the variance was driven primarily by : a $ 614 million increase in fuel revenues driven primarily by increased demand from electric retail customers resulting from favorable weather conditions , and higher fuel rates for electric retail customers for all jurisdictions , except north carolina . fuel revenues represent sales to retail and wholesale customers ; a $ 556 million net increase in retail pricing primarily due to retail rate changes and updated rate riders ; a $ 216 million increase in electric sales ( net of fuel revenue ) to retail customers due to more favorable weather conditions across the service territory . compared to normal , weather was favorable in the carolinas and florida service territories , while weather in the midwest was essentially normal ; a $ 63 million increase in wholesale power revenues , net of sharing , primarily due to additional volumes and capacity charges for customers served under long-term contracts ; and a $ 21 million increase from retail sales growth ( net of fuel revenue ) reflecting increased demand . partially offset by : a $ 139 million decrease in gross receipts tax revenue due to the nc tax simplification and rate reduction act which terminated the collection of the north carolina gross receipts tax effective july 1 , 2014. operating expenses . the variance was driven primarily by : a $ 611 million increase in fuel expense ( including purchased power and natural gas purchases for resale ) primarily related to ( i ) higher volumes of coal , and oil used in electric generation due primarily to increased generation resulting from favorable weather conditions , ( ii ) higher natural gas prices , and ( iii ) the application of the nuclear electric insurance limited ( neil ) settlement proceeds in 2013 for duke energy florida ; a $ 436 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense primarily due to increases in depreciation as a result of additional plant in service and amortization of regulatory assets , and higher 2013 reductions to cost of removal reserves in accordance with regulatory orders ; and a $ 292 million increase in operating and maintenance expense primarily due to a litigation reserve related to the criminal investigation of the dan river coal ash spill ( see note 5 to the consolidated financial statements , “ commitments and contingencies , ” for additional information ) , higher storm costs , repairs and remediation expenses associated with the dan river coal ash discharge and other ash basin related assessment costs , and higher nuclear costs , including nuclear outage levelization costs , and higher environmental and operational costs that are recoverable in rates ; partially offset by a 2013 crystal river unit 3 related settlement matter , decreased benefits costs and 2013 donations for low-income customers and job training in accordance with 2013 ncuc and pscsc rate case orders . partially offset by : a $ 346 million decrease due to the 2013 impairment and other charges primarily related to crystal river unit 3 and the proposed levy nuclear station ( levy ) . see note 4 to the consolidated financial statements , “ regulatory matters , ” for additional information ; a $ 42 million decrease in property and other taxes primarily due to the termination of the collection of the north carolina gross receipts tax as mentioned above ; partially offset by a sales tax reserve as a result of an indiana sales tax audit , and higher property taxes ; and a $ 22 million decrease due to the 2013 impairment resulting from the decision to suspend the application for two proposed nuclear units at shearon harris nuclear plant ( harris ) . other income and expenses , net . the variance is primarily due to recognition of post in-service equity returns for projects that had been completed prior to being reflected in customer rates , partially offset by lower allowance for funds used during construction ( afudc ) equity , primarily due to

