There is some debate about the intended scope of Regulation Best Interest (Regulation BI) as proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the case of retirement investors.
Generally, proposed Regulation BI...more
In Notice 2018-95, released on December 4, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) formally announced a “once-in-always-in” interpretation of the section 403(b) participation exclusion for part-time employees and provided...more
In the last three weeks, the Department of Labor (DOL) undertook two initiatives that have the potential to improve the efficiency of the retirement system and the retirement security it provides to US workers.
..The first...more
The legal standards for broker-dealer firms (BDs) and their representatives, particularly in the retirement market, continue to be in flux. BDs were among those most affected by the promulgation in 2016 of the Department of...more
As the 2017-2018 term of the US Supreme Court came to a close, a key tool relied on by the Department of Labor (DOL) in enforcement cases under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA) was...more
A legal dispute involving an Arizona real estate development company has led to a rare court decision considering the “real estate operating company” (REOC) exception under the “plan asset” regulations of the Employee...more
On April 23, 2018, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) 2018-01 regarding proxy voting, shareholder engagement and economically targeted investments (ETIs) under the Employee Retirement...more
In Teufel v. Northern Trust Co. (April 11, 2018), the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit confirmed that a prospective change in the benefit formula for a defined benefit pension plan constituted neither an...more
4/17/2018
/ 401k ,
ADEA ,
Age Discrimination ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
IRS ,
Minimum Salary ,
Pension Plan Amendments ,
Plan Participants
The nationwide vacatur of the Department of Labor “investment advice” fiduciary definition and related exemptions by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on March 15, 2018, does not bring an end to the challenges...more
In 2017, the principal focus in the administration of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), by the Department of Labor (DOL) appropriately remained one of the extraordinary developments...more
2/14/2018
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
IRS ,
MEWAs ,
Political Appointments ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
QPAM ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration
In conjunction with the start of the Supreme Court’s new term, Eversheds Sutherland took a look back at the Court’s work in employee benefit cases since the enactment of ERISA. We found an astonishing 128 decisions, spanning...more
10/23/2017
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employment Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA) ,
Military Service Members ,
NLRA ,
SCOTUS ,
Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act
On August 3, 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a fourth set of FAQs related to its new “investment advice” fiduciary definition and related exemptions (Final Rule), which became applicable on June 9. Like the May ...more
With its announcements of May 22, 2017, starting with an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, the Department of Labor confirmed that, absent last-minute action in the courts or by Congress, its new “investment advice” fiduciary...more
On April 4, 2017, the Department of Labor released its final rule postponing the applicability date of its new “investment advice” fiduciary definition and related exemptions. This extension, which was published in the April...more
With recent developments in all three branches of government bearing on the authority and timing of the new Department of Labor (DOL) final rule expanding the definition of fiduciary “investment advice” (the Final Rule) for...more
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) recently published its Fiscal Year 2016 “Fact Sheet” documenting the criminal and civil enforcement activities of its Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) under the...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released two additional sets of FAQs providing guidance related to its final rule expanding the definition of fiduciary “investment advice” (the Final Rule) for purposes of the Employee...more
In 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) continued a curtailed program of interpretive guidance under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). As has been the case for several years, the...more
On July 7, 2016, DOL released technical corrections to its two new exemptions published in April 2016 in conjunction with the
Final Rule:
..The Best Interest Contract Exemption (BICE), now officially designated as...more
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) recently published its Fiscal Year 2015 “Fact Sheet” documenting civil and criminal enforcement activities under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)....more
In recent years, a number of states have explored the idea of establishing state-run retirement plans for private sector employees who do not have access to employer-sponsored retirement plans. The preemption concerns under...more
As has been widely reported, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on April 14 issued its proposal to expand the definition of investment advice fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). DOL included...more
The Supreme Court has once again emphasized the importance of ERISA’s origins in the common law of trusts, this time in interpreting its statute of limitations. On May 18, the Court reversed the Ninth Circuit’s decision in...more
On April 14, 2015, after 43 months in development, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released its reproposal to expand the “investment advice fiduciary” definition under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,...more
The Fact Sheet recently published by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) documenting Fiscal Year 2014 civil and criminal enforcement activity under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA) showed...more