Compliance

It may be a new calendar year for defined contribution (DC) retirement plans, but the professionals running them are still concerned with the same serious fiduciary risks that troubled...

The agency has added references to 403(b) pre-approved plans in its user fee guidance.

The IRS is making changes to the program in anticipation of its elimination.

However, a bankruptcy court judge has granted Walter Energy’s request to terminate retiree benefits for union workers.

Lawmakers’ repeated efforts to clarify the application of certain tax and retirement laws and regulations to the church retirement plans have come to fruition.

A federal district court previously found that Henkel Corp. effectively reduced nonqualified retirement plan participants’ benefits by not properly withholding taxes.

The first of the appellate courts to rule on recent church plan litigation, the 3rd Circuit reiterated that only churches may establish ERISA-exempt church plans.

Employers have more time to file information reporting to both employees and the IRS.

The court rejected the argument that “bargaining power” of participants is a requirement for a plan to be considered a “top hat” plan.

The bill expands allowable SIMPLE plan rollovers, expands exceptions to the 10% early withdrawal penalty on retirement plan distributions, and contains provisions for church plans.

A federal judge found the meaning of “church” is not as simple as “a house of worship.”

It seems nearly all types of plans and investment approaches have been challenged recently in the courts. Next year probably won’t be any different. 

Another class action lawsuit has emerged challenging a retirement plan sponsor for allowing allegedly excessive fees—this one directed at a plan provider’s own 401(k) program.

OMB is asking for comments about the necessity of providing Summary Annual Reports to participants, the amount of burden it creates for responders and how to improve the...

The guidance is related to accounting and financial reporting of fiduciary activities, certain asset retirement obligations, and pension issues.

The suit says Fidelity was overly conservative in its underlying investments and used strategies to appease wrap providers to the detriment of 401(k) plan participants.

Looking back over a year of compliance coverage on www.plansponsor.com, few topics match the volume of reporting filed on the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rulemaking effort.

Representatives say their new proposals would take steps to codify a set of bipartisan principles members introduced in November.

A business owner failed to refund more than $8,000 in employee-paid premiums after his company went out of business.

IRS guidance applies same-gender marriage court decision to retirement plans.