PENSION AND BENEFITS
BLOG
May 16, 2012
by Dana J. Domone
Scott C. Albert, chief of the reporting and compliance division at the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, said recently that DOL is sending emails to Form 5500...
April 25, 2012
by Gary M. Ford
The Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, and Department of
Health and Human Services have issued a series guidance that summarizes their intended
direction in implementing the employer shared responsibility
requirement and related Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requirements. Most recently, IRS
Notice 2012-17 and DOL Technical Release 2012-01 address the PPACA
employer shared responsibility requirement, automatic enrollment
requirement, and waiting period limitation in a series of
"frequently asked" questions and answers.
March 21, 2012
by Greta E. Cowart
During the February 28, 2012 ALI-ABA Video Broadcast program on Health Plans some representatives from the government provided us with their personal insights on how the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (“SBC”) rules and templates should operate. Earlier this week the DoL posted FAQ VIII on its ACA website regarding the SBC that provided additional flexibility for employers. This is just a highlight of some of the important information learned during such program and from FAQ VIII.
February 29, 2012
by Sherwin S. Kaplan
Editor's Note: Last month, advisory board member Sherwin Kaplan and his colleague at Nixon Peabody, Eric Paley, conducted a webinar titled "Managing and Protecting Your Employee Benefit Plans: New Department of Labor Initiatives." As part of that webinar, Sherwin and Eric took questions from the audience, but they were unable to get to every question in the time allocated for the program. Sherwin--a former co-chair of the Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Publications Advisory Board--agreed to answer outstanding questions here on the blog.
February 24, 2012
This week we officially relaunch the Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Blog. Now on a new platform, the blog is more attractive and easier to use, yet it continues to contain insight, commentary, and analysis from the well-respected Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Advisory Board.
February 24, 2012
by Greta E. Cowart
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro recently announced that the SEC is looking to curb high-frequency trading in stocks, a practice commonly referred to as day trading. The SEC previously attempted to address market timing or rapid trading in mutual funds when it issued amendments to rule 22c-2 in 2006. Rule 22c-2 permitted mutual funds to impose redemption fees for rapid trading or to stop rapid trades. While this rule has been in place for some time, plans may want to consider verifying how the record keepers for their plans and the mutual funds in their participant directed investment account plan are monitoring and complying with the restrictions imposed by the mutual funds and what redemption fees the mutual funds might impose for a violation not stopped by the record keeper or custodian of the funds.
February 3, 2012
by Susan J. Daley
At the end of 2008 we were all scurrying to be sure we had identified and amended all arrangements that involved 409A deferred compensation. That is more than 3 years ago and we may not currently be as focused on identifying 409A arrangements and issues as we were in 2008. Yet it is important to consider 409A issues today.
November 7, 2011
Now available: BNA’s new ERISA Litigation Tracker™. A smart, simple, streamlined resource designed to help practitioners stay on top of key ERISA cases as they are filed and litigated in federal courts.
October 14, 2011
The DOL’s recent proposed class exemption for the provision of investment advice has re-ignited the debate over the need for and the role of investment advice in participant directed plans. The proposal would strike a good balance between the need to offer investment advice to plan participants and the importance of participant safeguards.
August 16, 2011
by Rebecca J. Miller
The DOL’s recent proposed class exemption for the provision of investment advice has re-ignited the debate over the need for and the role of investment advice in participant directed plans. The proposal would strike a good balance between the need to offer investment advice to plan participants and the importance of participant safeguards.