| Group December 31 |
Parent Company December 31 | ||||
| 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | ||
| Trade receivables, with recourse | — | — | — | — | |
| Guarantees and other commitments | |||||
| On behalf of subsidiaries | — | — | 1,448 | 1,641 | |
| On behalf of external counterparties | 1,062 | 1,185 | 154 | 171 | |
| Employee benefits in excess of reported liabilities | — | — | 6 | 6 | |
| Total | 1,062 | 1,185 | 1,608 | 1,818 | |
The main part of the total amount of guarantees and other commitments on behalf of external counterparties is related to US sales to dealers financed through external finance companies with a regulated buy-back obligation of the products in case of dealer’s bankruptcy.
In addition to the above contingent liabilities, guarantees for fulfillment of contractual undertakings are given as part of the Group’s normal course of business. There was no indication at year-end that payment will be required in connection with any contractual guarantees.
Asbestos litigation in the US
Litigation and claims related to asbestos are pending against the Group in the US. Almost all of the cases refer to externally supplied components used in industrial products manufactured by discontinued operations prior to the early 1970s. The cases involve plaintiffs who have made identical allegations against other defendants who are not part of the Electrolux Group.
As of December 31, 2010, the Group had a total of 2,800 (2,818) cases pending, representing approximately 3,050 (approximately 3,120) plaintiffs. During 2010, 842 new cases with 842 plaintiffs were filed and 860 pending cases with approximately 915 plaintiffs were resolved.
The Group reached an agreement in 2007 with many of the insurance carriers that issued general liability insurance to certain predecessors of the Group who manufactured industrial products, some of which are alleged to have contained asbestos. Under this agreement the insurance carriers have agreed to reimburse the Group for a portion of the past and future costs incurred in connection with asbestos-related lawsuits for such products. The term of the agreement is indefinite but subject to termination upon 60 days notice. If terminated, all parties would be restored to all of their rights and obligations under the affected insurance policies.
Additional lawsuits may be filed against Electrolux in the future. It is not possible to predict either the number of future claims or the number of plaintiffs that any future claims may represent. In addition, the outcome of asbestos claims is inherently uncertain and always difficult to predict and Electrolux cannot provide any assurances that the resolution of these types of claims will not have a material adverse effect on its business or on results of operations in the future.