the price of home heating oil is closely linked to the price refiners pay for crude oil , which is the principal cost component of home heating oil . the volatility in the wholesale cost of home heating oil , as measured by the new york mercantile exchange ( “ nymex ” ) , for the fiscal years ending september 30 , 2014 , through 2018 , on a quarterly basis , is illustrated in the following chart ( price per gallon ) : replace_table_token_9_th 31 on november 30 , 2018 , the nymex ultra low sulfur diesel contract closed at $ 1.85 per gallon or $ 0.20 per gallon lower than the average of $ 2.05 in fiscal 2018. income taxes new federal income tax legislation on december 22 , 2017 , the tax cuts and jobs act ( the “ tax reform act ” ) was enacted into law . the tax reform act contains several key tax provisions that will impact the company , including the reduction of the corporate federal income tax rate from 35 % to 21 % effective january 1 , 2018. in addition , between september 28 , 2017 and december 31 , 2022 , the tax reform act allows for the full depreciation , in the year acquired , for certain fixed assets purchased in that year ( also known as 100 % bonus depreciation ) . during fiscal 2018 , the company recorded an $ 11.1 million discrete income tax benefit for the re-measurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities due to the change in the federal corporate income tax rate on which the deferred taxes are based . excluding the $ 11.1 million benefit recorded to income tax expense , our combined federal , state , and local effective income tax rate was reduced from 43.1 % at september 30 , 2017 to 29.6 % for the twelve months ended september 30 , 2018. book versus tax deductions the amount of cash flow that we generate in any given year depends upon a variety of factors including the amount of cash income taxes that we are required to pay , which will increase as tax depreciation and amortization decreases . the amount of depreciation and amortization that we deduct for book ( i.e . , financial reporting ) purposes will differ from the amount that the company can deduct for federal tax purposes . the table below compares the estimated depreciation and amortization for book purposes to the amount that we expect to deduct for federal tax purposes based on currently owned assets . we file our tax returns based on a calendar year . the amounts below are based on our september 30 fiscal year , and the tax amounts include any 100 % bonus depreciation available for fixed assets purchased between october 1 , 2017 and september 30 , 2018. however , this table does not include any forecast of future annual capital purchases . given historical levels of annual capital purchases and the current law related to federal bonus depreciation , it is likely that federal tax depreciation and amortization will exceed book depreciation and amortization for most , if not all , of the periods presented in the table below . estimated depreciation and amortization expense replace_table_token_10_th weather hedge contracts weather conditions have a significant impact on the demand for home heating oil and propane because certain customers depend on these products principally for space heating purposes . actual weather conditions may vary substantially from year to year , significantly affecting our financial performance . to partially mitigate the adverse effect of warm weather on cash flow , we have used weather hedging contracts for a number of years with several providers . under these contracts , we are entitled to a payment if the total number of degree days within the hedge period is less than the ten year average . the “ payment thresholds , ” or strikes , are set at various levels . in addition , we will be obligated to make a payment capped at $ 5.0 million if degree days exceed the ten year average . the hedge period 32 runs from november 1 through march 31 , taken as a whole , for each respective fiscal year . in fiscal 2018 , the company recorded a charge of $ 1.9 million due to colder than average weather conditions . for fiscal 2019 , 2020 and 2021 the maximum that the company can receive is $ 12.5 million and the maximum that the company may be obligated to pay is $ 5.0 million . per gallon gross profit margins we believe home heating oil and propane margins should be evaluated on a cents per gallon basis ( before the effects of increases or decreases in the fair value of derivative instruments ) , as we believe that realized per gallon margins should not include the impact of non-cash changes in the market value of hedges before the settlement of the underlying transaction . a significant portion of our home heating oil volume is sold to individual customers under an arrangement pre-establishing a ceiling price or fixed price for home heating oil over a fixed period of time , generally twelve to twenty-four months ( “ price-protected ” customers ) . when these price-protected customers agree to purchase home heating oil from us for the next heating season , we purchase option contracts , swaps and futures contracts for a substantial majority of the heating oil that we expect to sell to these customers . the amount of home heating oil volume that we hedge per price-protected customer is based upon the estimated fuel consumption per average customer per month . in the event that the actual usage exceeds the amount of the hedged volume on a monthly basis , we may be required to obtain additional volume at unfavorable costs . story_separator_special_tag delivery and branch expenses for fiscal 2018 , delivery and branch expenses increased $ 51.1 million , or 16.7 % , to $ 357.6 million , compared to $ 306.5 million for fiscal 2017 , due to additional costs from acquisitions of $ 18.2 million , as well as a $ 31.0 million , or 10.1 % expense increase in the base business , and a $ 1.9 million charge related to an amount due under our weather hedge contract , as temperatures were slightly colder than the payment threshold . ( the weather hedge covered the period from november 1 , 2017 to march 31 , 2018 , taken as a whole . ) expenses in the base business rose by 10.1 % , exceeding the 5.7 % increase in home heating oil and propane volume sold . the extremely cold weather conditions experienced in late december 2017 and early january 2018 , as previously mentioned , not only increased the demand for service calls but also drove an increase in direct delivery expense as well as many other branch expenses . certain december and january deliveries were made at premium labor rates , and the unusual weather conditions necessitated increased staffing levels for delivery and office personnel to handle the tremendous influx of customer inquiries regarding the status of their delivery or service call . we estimate that the extremely cold weather conditions in january 2018 resulted in unanticipated expenses of $ 2.8 million and the increase in volume sold in the base business resulted in higher costs of $ 2.6 million . the company also saw an increase in credit card fees and bad debt expense of $ 5.7 million tied to the higher cost of product and greater use of credit cards . insurance expense rose by $ 4.5 million largely reflecting an increase in the number of insurance claims due in part to the extreme weather conditions . in addition , our fixed costs increased by $ 3.6 million as we strengthened our customer service , sales , operations , and information technology departments . in recognition of the opportunity to differentiate star and , thereby , to attract and retain customers through our service offerings , we have begun offering a concierge level service as a test program , which led to an increase in delivery and branch expenses of $ 3.4 million . we also experienced increases in rent , plant maintenance , higher vehicle fuel costs and increased customer concessions in the base business totaling $ 2.6 million , incurred rebranding expenses of $ 1.1 million , and we also took a charge for severance of $ 0.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2018 as 11 positions were eliminated which should save us over $ 2 million in fiscal 2019. in the prior year 's comparable period we provided disaster relief services and recorded a net benefit to delivery and branch of $ 0.5 million . finally , normal salary , benefit and other expense changes totaled $ 3.7 million , or 1.2 % of the increase . depreciation and amortization for fiscal 2018 , depreciation and amortization expense increased by $ 3.7 million , or 13.2 % , to $ 31.6 million , compared to $ 27.9 million for fiscal 2017 , as increases from acquisitions and accelerated amortization of certain 38 tradenames related to rebranding more than offset the impact of certain assets that became fully amortized . general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2018 , general and administrative expenses decreased $ 0.8 million , to $ 24.2 million , from $ 25.0 million for fiscal 2017 , primarily due to lower legal and professional expenses of $ 1.2 million . in fiscal 2017 the company incurred legal and professional fees related to its october 2017 conversion to a c corporation that did not reoccur in fiscal 2018. this reduction in legal and professional expenses plus lower profit sharing expense of $ 0.3 million and lower frozen pension expense of $ 0.3 million , was largely offset by the costs of increased human resource staffing and other normal salary and benefit changes totaling $ 1.0 million . the company accrues approximately 6 % of adjusted ebitda , as defined in the profit sharing plan , for distribution to its employees , and this amount is payable when the company achieves adjusted ebitda of at least 70 % of the amount budgeted . the dollar amount of the profit sharing pool is subject to increases and decreases in line with increases and decreases in adjusted ebitda . finance charge income for fiscal 2018 , finance charge income increased by $ 0.6 million , or 15.9 % , to $ 4.7 million compared to $ 4.1 million for fiscal 2017. the income primarily represents late customer payment charges . the increase in the wholesale cost of product and the increase in volume led to higher product sales and thus an increase in accounts receivable balances subject to a finance charge . interest expense , net for fiscal 2018 , interest expense increased $ 1.9 million , or 28.6 % , to $ 8.7 million compared to $ 6.8 million for fiscal 2017 primarily due to an increase in average borrowings of $ 53.1 million from $ 81.7 million in fiscal 2017 to $ 134.9 million in fiscal 2018 and an increase in the weighted average interest rate from 4.1 % in fiscal 2017 to 4.6 % in fiscal 2018. the increase in average borrowings of $ 53.1 million was used to fund higher working capital needs , acquisitions and an investment into our captive insurance company . funding of the captive reduced the need to secure our insurance liability with letters of credit . to hedge against rising interest rates , the company entered into an interest rate swap in july 2018 for $ 50.0 million , or 50 % , of our long term debt . amortization of debt issuance

in cash and $ 1.5 million of deferred liabilities . the gross purchase price was allocated $ 15 . 3 million to intangible assets , $ 7.5 million to fixed assets and $ 2.4 million to working capital . in october 2017 , we deposited $ 34.2 million of cash into an irrevocable trust to secure certain liabilities for our captive insurance company and , as a result , $ 36.6 million of letters of credit were cancelled that previously had secured these liabilities . subsequently , $ 1.0 million of earnings have been reinvested into the irrevocable trust . the cash deposited into the trust is shown on our balance sheet as investments and , correspondingly , reduced cash on our balance sheet . we believe that the investment into the irrevocable trust will lower our letter of credit fees , increase interest income on invested cash balances , and provide us with certain tax advantages attributable to a captive insurance company . our capital expenditures for fiscal 2017 totaled $ 12.2 million , as we invested in computer hardware and software ( $ 4.1 million ) , refurbished certain physical plants ( $ 2.5 million ) , expanded our propane operations ( $ 2.5 million ) and made additions to our fleet ( $ 2.9 million ) and other equipment ( $ 0.2 million ) . we also completed seven acquisitions for aggregate purchase price of approximately $ 44.8 million ; comprised of $ 43.3 million in cash and $ 1.5 million of deferred liabilities ( including $ 0.6 million of contingent consideration ) . the gross purchase price was allocated $ 37.5 million to intangible assets , $ 10.2 million to fixed assets and reduced by $ 2.9 million in working capital credits .


 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.
     ```in cash and $ 1.5 million of deferred liabilities . the gross purchase price was allocated $ 15 . 3 million to intangible assets , $ 7.5 million to fixed assets and $ 2.4 million to working capital . in october 2017 , we deposited $ 34.2 million of cash into an irrevocable trust to secure certain liabilities for our captive insurance company and , as a result , $ 36.6 million of letters of credit were cancelled that previously had secured these liabilities . subsequently , $ 1.0 million of earnings have been reinvested into the irrevocable trust . the cash deposited into the trust is shown on our balance sheet as investments and , correspondingly , reduced cash on our balance sheet . we believe that the investment into the irrevocable trust will lower our letter of credit fees , increase interest income on invested cash balances , and provide us with certain tax advantages attributable to a captive insurance company . our capital expenditures for fiscal 2017 totaled $ 12.2 million , as we invested in computer hardware and software ( $ 4.1 million ) , refurbished certain physical plants ( $ 2.5 million ) , expanded our propane operations ( $ 2.5 million ) and made additions to our fleet ( $ 2.9 million ) and other equipment ( $ 0.2 million ) . we also completed seven acquisitions for aggregate purchase price of approximately $ 44.8 million ; comprised of $ 43.3 million in cash and $ 1.5 million of deferred liabilities ( including $ 0.6 million of contingent consideration ) . the gross purchase price was allocated $ 37.5 million to intangible assets , $ 10.2 million to fixed assets and reduced by $ 2.9 million in working capital credits .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : the price of home heating oil is closely linked to the price refiners pay for crude oil , which is the principal cost component of home heating oil . the volatility in the wholesale cost of home heating oil , as measured by the new york mercantile exchange ( “ nymex ” ) , for the fiscal years ending september 30 , 2014 , through 2018 , on a quarterly basis , is illustrated in the following chart ( price per gallon ) : replace_table_token_9_th 31 on november 30 , 2018 , the nymex ultra low sulfur diesel contract closed at $ 1.85 per gallon or $ 0.20 per gallon lower than the average of $ 2.05 in fiscal 2018. income taxes new federal income tax legislation on december 22 , 2017 , the tax cuts and jobs act ( the “ tax reform act ” ) was enacted into law . the tax reform act contains several key tax provisions that will impact the company , including the reduction of the corporate federal income tax rate from 35 % to 21 % effective january 1 , 2018. in addition , between september 28 , 2017 and december 31 , 2022 , the tax reform act allows for the full depreciation , in the year acquired , for certain fixed assets purchased in that year ( also known as 100 % bonus depreciation ) . during fiscal 2018 , the company recorded an $ 11.1 million discrete income tax benefit for the re-measurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities due to the change in the federal corporate income tax rate on which the deferred taxes are based . excluding the $ 11.1 million benefit recorded to income tax expense , our combined federal , state , and local effective income tax rate was reduced from 43.1 % at september 30 , 2017 to 29.6 % for the twelve months ended september 30 , 2018. book versus tax deductions the amount of cash flow that we generate in any given year depends upon a variety of factors including the amount of cash income taxes that we are required to pay , which will increase as tax depreciation and amortization decreases . the amount of depreciation and amortization that we deduct for book ( i.e . , financial reporting ) purposes will differ from the amount that the company can deduct for federal tax purposes . the table below compares the estimated depreciation and amortization for book purposes to the amount that we expect to deduct for federal tax purposes based on currently owned assets . we file our tax returns based on a calendar year . the amounts below are based on our september 30 fiscal year , and the tax amounts include any 100 % bonus depreciation available for fixed assets purchased between october 1 , 2017 and september 30 , 2018. however , this table does not include any forecast of future annual capital purchases . given historical levels of annual capital purchases and the current law related to federal bonus depreciation , it is likely that federal tax depreciation and amortization will exceed book depreciation and amortization for most , if not all , of the periods presented in the table below . estimated depreciation and amortization expense replace_table_token_10_th weather hedge contracts weather conditions have a significant impact on the demand for home heating oil and propane because certain customers depend on these products principally for space heating purposes . actual weather conditions may vary substantially from year to year , significantly affecting our financial performance . to partially mitigate the adverse effect of warm weather on cash flow , we have used weather hedging contracts for a number of years with several providers . under these contracts , we are entitled to a payment if the total number of degree days within the hedge period is less than the ten year average . the “ payment thresholds , ” or strikes , are set at various levels . in addition , we will be obligated to make a payment capped at $ 5.0 million if degree days exceed the ten year average . the hedge period 32 runs from november 1 through march 31 , taken as a whole , for each respective fiscal year . in fiscal 2018 , the company recorded a charge of $ 1.9 million due to colder than average weather conditions . for fiscal 2019 , 2020 and 2021 the maximum that the company can receive is $ 12.5 million and the maximum that the company may be obligated to pay is $ 5.0 million . per gallon gross profit margins we believe home heating oil and propane margins should be evaluated on a cents per gallon basis ( before the effects of increases or decreases in the fair value of derivative instruments ) , as we believe that realized per gallon margins should not include the impact of non-cash changes in the market value of hedges before the settlement of the underlying transaction . a significant portion of our home heating oil volume is sold to individual customers under an arrangement pre-establishing a ceiling price or fixed price for home heating oil over a fixed period of time , generally twelve to twenty-four months ( “ price-protected ” customers ) . when these price-protected customers agree to purchase home heating oil from us for the next heating season , we purchase option contracts , swaps and futures contracts for a substantial majority of the heating oil that we expect to sell to these customers . the amount of home heating oil volume that we hedge per price-protected customer is based upon the estimated fuel consumption per average customer per month . in the event that the actual usage exceeds the amount of the hedged volume on a monthly basis , we may be required to obtain additional volume at unfavorable costs . story_separator_special_tag delivery and branch expenses for fiscal 2018 , delivery and branch expenses increased $ 51.1 million , or 16.7 % , to $ 357.6 million , compared to $ 306.5 million for fiscal 2017 , due to additional costs from acquisitions of $ 18.2 million , as well as a $ 31.0 million , or 10.1 % expense increase in the base business , and a $ 1.9 million charge related to an amount due under our weather hedge contract , as temperatures were slightly colder than the payment threshold . ( the weather hedge covered the period from november 1 , 2017 to march 31 , 2018 , taken as a whole . ) expenses in the base business rose by 10.1 % , exceeding the 5.7 % increase in home heating oil and propane volume sold . the extremely cold weather conditions experienced in late december 2017 and early january 2018 , as previously mentioned , not only increased the demand for service calls but also drove an increase in direct delivery expense as well as many other branch expenses . certain december and january deliveries were made at premium labor rates , and the unusual weather conditions necessitated increased staffing levels for delivery and office personnel to handle the tremendous influx of customer inquiries regarding the status of their delivery or service call . we estimate that the extremely cold weather conditions in january 2018 resulted in unanticipated expenses of $ 2.8 million and the increase in volume sold in the base business resulted in higher costs of $ 2.6 million . the company also saw an increase in credit card fees and bad debt expense of $ 5.7 million tied to the higher cost of product and greater use of credit cards . insurance expense rose by $ 4.5 million largely reflecting an increase in the number of insurance claims due in part to the extreme weather conditions . in addition , our fixed costs increased by $ 3.6 million as we strengthened our customer service , sales , operations , and information technology departments . in recognition of the opportunity to differentiate star and , thereby , to attract and retain customers through our service offerings , we have begun offering a concierge level service as a test program , which led to an increase in delivery and branch expenses of $ 3.4 million . we also experienced increases in rent , plant maintenance , higher vehicle fuel costs and increased customer concessions in the base business totaling $ 2.6 million , incurred rebranding expenses of $ 1.1 million , and we also took a charge for severance of $ 0.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2018 as 11 positions were eliminated which should save us over $ 2 million in fiscal 2019. in the prior year 's comparable period we provided disaster relief services and recorded a net benefit to delivery and branch of $ 0.5 million . finally , normal salary , benefit and other expense changes totaled $ 3.7 million , or 1.2 % of the increase . depreciation and amortization for fiscal 2018 , depreciation and amortization expense increased by $ 3.7 million , or 13.2 % , to $ 31.6 million , compared to $ 27.9 million for fiscal 2017 , as increases from acquisitions and accelerated amortization of certain 38 tradenames related to rebranding more than offset the impact of certain assets that became fully amortized . general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2018 , general and administrative expenses decreased $ 0.8 million , to $ 24.2 million , from $ 25.0 million for fiscal 2017 , primarily due to lower legal and professional expenses of $ 1.2 million . in fiscal 2017 the company incurred legal and professional fees related to its october 2017 conversion to a c corporation that did not reoccur in fiscal 2018. this reduction in legal and professional expenses plus lower profit sharing expense of $ 0.3 million and lower frozen pension expense of $ 0.3 million , was largely offset by the costs of increased human resource staffing and other normal salary and benefit changes totaling $ 1.0 million . the company accrues approximately 6 % of adjusted ebitda , as defined in the profit sharing plan , for distribution to its employees , and this amount is payable when the company achieves adjusted ebitda of at least 70 % of the amount budgeted . the dollar amount of the profit sharing pool is subject to increases and decreases in line with increases and decreases in adjusted ebitda . finance charge income for fiscal 2018 , finance charge income increased by $ 0.6 million , or 15.9 % , to $ 4.7 million compared to $ 4.1 million for fiscal 2017. the income primarily represents late customer payment charges . the increase in the wholesale cost of product and the increase in volume led to higher product sales and thus an increase in accounts receivable balances subject to a finance charge . interest expense , net for fiscal 2018 , interest expense increased $ 1.9 million , or 28.6 % , to $ 8.7 million compared to $ 6.8 million for fiscal 2017 primarily due to an increase in average borrowings of $ 53.1 million from $ 81.7 million in fiscal 2017 to $ 134.9 million in fiscal 2018 and an increase in the weighted average interest rate from 4.1 % in fiscal 2017 to 4.6 % in fiscal 2018. the increase in average borrowings of $ 53.1 million was used to fund higher working capital needs , acquisitions and an investment into our captive insurance company . funding of the captive reduced the need to secure our insurance liability with letters of credit . to hedge against rising interest rates , the company entered into an interest rate swap in july 2018 for $ 50.0 million , or 50 % , of our long term debt . amortization of debt issuance

