On April 13, 2021, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) on the DOL’s new class exemption for the provision of investment advice, known as Prohibited Transaction Exemption (“PTE”)...more
On April 14, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a cybersecurity guidance package directed to plan sponsors; fiduciaries regulated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”);...more
On February 8, 2021, in the latest turn in the saga of a closely-watched ERISA cybersecurity lawsuit, the Northern District of Illinois again dismissed fiduciary breach claims against Abbott Laboratories (“Abbott Labs”)...more
On January 12, 2021, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued sub-regulatory guidance detailing what steps plan sponsors should take to locate and distribute retirement benefits to missing or nonresponsive participants (missing...more
On January 12, 2021, the Department of Labor (the “DOL”) issued three pieces of guidance detailing the DOL’s view of what steps plan fiduciaries should take to locate and distribute retirement benefits to missing or...more
On December 21, the House and Senate passed a $2.3 trillion omnibus appropriations and COVID-19 relief package, H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”). President Trump signed the Act into law on...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) provided employers valuable relief from the economic stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, by creating access to loans under the Paycheck Protection...more
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (“SECURE Act”), directed that guidance be issued providing that a section 403(b)(7) custodial account could make distributions in kind upon a plan...more
On November 5, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released final regulations under section 401(a)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”). 85 Fed. Reg. 72472 (Nov. 12, 2020). The final regulations, which closely...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) passed earlier this year delayed the due date of quarterly and final contributions otherwise due in calendar year 2020 to January 1, 2021. But because...more
On October 30, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its much-anticipated final rule on Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule amends the DOL’s long-standing “investment...more
On October 2, 2020, the Northern District of Illinois ruled on motions to dismiss in a closely-watched cybertheft lawsuit arising out of the theft of $245,000 from a participant’s account in the Abbott Laboratories Stock...more
10/16/2020
/ Abbott Laboratories ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybertheft ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Duty to Monitor ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Popular ,
Retirement Plan
On October 1, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) made substantial waves when it published a Cease and Desist Order (“Cease and Desist Order”) regarding the Great Plains Trust Company (“GPT”) that primarily...more
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-94, Division O, the “SECURE Act”) created a new structure through which completely unrelated employers can participate in a single defined...more
8/28/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Form 5500 ,
PEP ,
Proposed Rules ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SECURE Act
On June 29, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued Notice 2020-52, which provides guidance and temporary relief for employers who may choose to reduce contributions during 2020 to their safe harbor 401(k) or 403(b) plan....more
On June 23, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued Notice 2020-51, which provides much-needed guidance on how defined contribution plans (including 403(b) and governmental 457(b) plans) and IRAs implement the waiver of...more
6/26/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
CARES Act ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
IRA Rollovers ,
IRS ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
SECURE Act
On June 23, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a proposed regulation (the “Proposed Rule”) defining plan fiduciaries’ duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) when considering...more
On June 19, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued Notice 2020-50, which provides clarity to plan administrators and participants on coronavirus-related loans and distributions following the passage of the...more
In Thole v. U.S. Bank, the Supreme Court held that defined benefit plan participants who are receiving their full pension benefit lack constitutional standing to bring a lawsuit alleging that the plan fiduciaries breached...more
6/8/2020
/ Article III ,
Breach of Duty ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Investment Adviser ,
Mismanagement ,
Pensions ,
Plan Participants ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
Thole v U.S. Bank
On June 3, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued Notice 2020-42 to provide temporary relief for certain participant elections required to be witnessed in the “physical presence” of a plan representative or notary...more
On June 3, 2020, the Department of Labor (“Department”) issued an Information Letter that, for the first time, provides the Department’s views on the use of private equity investments within 401(k) and other defined...more
6/6/2020
/ 401k ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Information Letters ,
Investment ,
Investment Management ,
Private Equity ,
Retirement Plan
IRS Notice 2020-35 is a follow-on to Notice 2020-23 that provided for a wide range of pension filings and actions that were otherwise due between April 1 and July 14, 2020 that were extended until July 15, 2020. ...more
6/1/2020
/ 403(b) Plans ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
EPCRS ,
Excise Tax ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 5500 ,
IRS ,
Pensions ,
Retirement Plan
Recently, plaintiffs’ firms have filed a flurry of class action lawsuits against employers, alleging violations of COBRA’s election notice requirements and seeking statutory and other penalties. ...more
Recent announcements from the IRS indicate the potential for increased audits of section 403(b) and 457(b) plans, specifically relating to catch-up contributions under such plans. ...more
Plan sponsors, service providers and plan participants have been eagerly awaiting guidance on the new Coronavirus Relief Distribution (CRD) and loan provisions that were added by Section 2202 of the CARES Act. Limited...more