Best Interest Contract Exemption, 21002-21089 [2016-07925]

Agencies

• Employee Benefits Security Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 21002-21089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07925]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employee Benefits Security Administration

29 CFR Part 2550

[Application No. D-11712]
ZRIN 1210-ZA25


Best Interest Contract Exemption

AGENCY: Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), U.S. 
Department of Labor.

ACTION: Adoption of Class Exemption.

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SUMMARY: This document contains an exemption from certain prohibited 
transactions provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act 
of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (the Code). The 
provisions at issue generally prohibit fiduciaries with respect to 
employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) from 
engaging in self-dealing and receiving compensation from third parties 
in connection with transactions involving the plans and IRAs. The 
exemption allows entities such as registered investment advisers, 
broker-dealers and insurance companies, and their agents and 
representatives, that are ERISA or Code fiduciaries by reason of the 
provision of investment advice, to receive compensation that may 
otherwise give rise to prohibited transactions as a result of their 
advice to plan participants and beneficiaries, IRA owners and certain 
plan fiduciaries (including small plan sponsors). The exemption is 
subject to protective conditions to safeguard the interests of the 
plans, participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners. The exemption 
affects participants and beneficiaries of plans, IRA owners and 
fiduciaries with respect to such plans and IRAs.

DATES: Issuance date: This exemption is issued June 7, 2016.
    Applicability date: This exemption is applicable to transactions 
occurring on or after April 10, 2017. See Section K of this preamble, 
Applicability Date and Transition Rules, for further information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Shiker or Susan Wilker, Office 
of Exemption Determinations, Employee Benefits Security Administration, 
U.S. Department of Labor, (202) 693-8824 (this is not a toll-free 
number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Executive Summary

Purpose of This Regulatory Action

    The Department grants this exemption in connection with its 
publication, elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, of a 
final regulation defining who is a ``fiduciary'' of an employee benefit 
plan under ERISA as a result of giving investment advice to a plan or 
its participants or beneficiaries (Regulation). The Regulation also 
applies to the definition of a ``fiduciary'' of a plan (including an 
IRA) under the Code. The Regulation amends a prior regulation, dating 
to 1975, specifying when a person is a ``fiduciary'' under ERISA and 
the Code by reason of the provision of investment advice for a fee or 
other compensation regarding assets of a plan or IRA. The Regulation 
takes into account the advent of 401(k) plans and IRAs, the dramatic 
increase in rollovers, and other developments that have transformed the 
retirement plan landscape and the associated investment market over the 
four decades since the existing regulation was issued. In light of the 
extensive changes in retirement investment practices and relationships, 
the Regulation updates existing rules to distinguish more appropriately 
between the sorts of advice relationships that should be treated as 
fiduciary in nature and those that should not.
    This Best Interest Contract Exemption is designed to promote the 
provision of investment advice that is in the best interest of retail 
investors such as plan participants and beneficiaries, IRA owners, and 
certain plan fiduciaries, including small plan sponsors. ERISA and the 
Code generally prohibit fiduciaries from receiving payments from third 
parties and from acting on conflicts of interest, including using their 
authority to affect or increase their own compensation, in connection 
with transactions involving a plan or IRA. Certain types of fees and 
compensation common in the retail market, such as brokerage or 
insurance commissions, 12b-1 fees and revenue sharing payments, may 
fall within these prohibitions when received by fiduciaries as a result 
of transactions involving advice to the plan, plan participants and 
beneficiaries, and IRA owners. To facilitate continued provision of 
advice to such retail investors under conditions designed to safeguard 
the interests of these investors, the exemption allows investment 
advice fiduciaries, including investment advisers registered under the 
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or state law, broker-dealers, and 
insurance companies, and their agents and representatives, to receive 
these various forms of compensation that, in the absence of an 
exemption, would not be permitted under ERISA and the Code.
    Rather than create a set of highly prescriptive transaction-
specific exemptions, which has been the Department's usual approach, 
the exemption flexibly accommodates a wide range of compensation 
practices, while minimizing the harmful impact of conflicts of interest 
on the quality of advice. As a condition of receiving compensation that 
would otherwise be prohibited, individual Advisers and the Financial 
Institutions that employ or otherwise retain them must adhere to 
conditions designed to mitigate the harmful impact of conflicts of 
interest. By taking a standards-based approach, the exemption permits 
firms to continue to rely on many common compensation

[[Page 21003]]

and fee practices, as long as they adhere to basic fiduciary standards 
aimed at ensuring that their advice is in the best interest of their 
customers and take certain steps to minimize the impact of conflicts of 
interest.
    ERISA section 408(a) specifically authorizes the Secretary of Labor 
to grant administrative exemptions from ERISA's prohibited transaction 
provisions.\1\ Regulations at 29 CFR 2570.30 to 2570.52 describe the 
procedures for applying for an administrative exemption. In granting 
this exemption, the Department has determined that the exemption is 
administratively feasible, in the interests of plans and their 
participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners, and protective of the 
rights of participants and beneficiaries of plans and IRA owners.
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    \1\ Code section 4975(c)(2) authorizes the Secretary of the 
Treasury to grant exemptions from the parallel prohibited 
transaction provisions of the Code. Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 
1978 (5 U.S.C. app. at 214 (2000)) (the Reorganization Plan) 
generally transferred the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury 
to grant administrative exemptions under Code section 4975 to the 
Secretary of Labor. To rationalize the administration and 
interpretation of dual provisions under ERISA and the Code, the 
Reorganization Plan divided the interpretive and rulemaking 
authority for these provisions between the Secretaries of Labor and 
of the Treasury, so that, in general, the agency with responsibility 
for a given provision of Title I of ERISA would also have 
responsibility for the corresponding provision in the Code. Among 
the sections transferred to the Department were the prohibited 
transaction provisions and the definition of a fiduciary in both 
Title I of ERISA and in the Code. ERISA's prohibited transaction 
rules, 29 U.S.C. 1106-1108, apply to ERISA-covered plans, and the 
Code's corresponding prohibited transaction rules, 26 U.S.C. 
4975(c), apply both to ERISA-covered pension plans that are tax-
qualified pension plans, as well as other tax-advantaged 
arrangements, such as IRAs, that are not subject to the fiduciary 
responsibility and prohibited transaction rules in ERISA. 
Specifically, section 102(a) of the Reorganization Plan provides the 
Department of Labor with ``all authority'' for ``regulations, 
rulings, opinions, and exemptions under section 4975 [of the Code]'' 
subject to certain exceptions not relevant here. Reorganization Plan 
section 102. In President Carter's message to Congress regarding the 
Reorganization Plan, he made explicitly clear that as a result of 
the plan, ``Labor will have statutory authority for fiduciary 
obligations. . . . Labor will be responsible for overseeing 
fiduciary conduct under these provisions.'' Reorganization Plan, 
Message of the President. This exemption provides relief from the 
indicated prohibited transaction provisions of both ERISA and the 
Code.
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Summary of Major Provisions

    This Best Interest Contract Exemption is broadly available for 
Advisers and Financial Institutions that make investment 
recommendations to retail ``Retirement Investors,'' including plan 
participants and beneficiaries, IRA owners, and non-institutional (or 
``retail'') fiduciaries. As a condition of receiving compensation that 
would otherwise be prohibited under ERISA and the Code, the exemption 
requires Financial Institutions to acknowledge their fiduciary status 
and the fiduciary status of their Advisers in writing. The Financial 
Institution and Advisers must adhere to enforceable standards of 
fiduciary conduct and fair dealing with respect to their advice. In the 
case of IRAs and non-ERISA plans, the exemption requires that the 
standards be set forth in an enforceable contract with the Retirement 
Investor. Under the exemption's terms, Financial Institutions are not 
required to enter into a contract with ERISA plan investors, but they 
are obligated to adhere to these same standards of fiduciary conduct, 
which the investors can effectively enforce pursuant to ERISA sections 
502(a)(2) and (3). Likewise, ``Level Fee'' Fiduciaries that, with their 
Affiliates, receive only a Level Fee in connection with advisory or 
investment management services, do not have to enter into a contract 
with Retirement Investors, but they must provide a written statement of 
fiduciary status, adhere to standards of fiduciary conduct, and prepare 
a written documentation of the reasons for the recommendation.
    The exemption is designed to cover a wide variety of current 
compensation practices, which would otherwise be prohibited as a result 
of the Department's Regulation extending fiduciary status to many 
investment professionals who formerly were not treated as fiduciaries. 
Rather than flatly prohibit compensation structures that could be 
beneficial in the right circumstances--such as commission accounts for 
investors that make infrequent trades--the exemption permits individual 
Advisers \2\ and related Financial Institutions to receive commissions 
and other common forms of compensation, provided that they implement 
appropriate safeguards against the harmful impact of conflicts of 
interest on investment advice. The exemption strives to ensure that 
Advisers' recommendations reflect the best interest of their Retirement 
Investor customers, rather than the conflicting financial interests of 
the Advisers and their Financial Institutions. Protected Retirement 
Investors include plan participants and beneficiaries, IRA owners, and 
``retail'' fiduciaries of plans or IRAs (generally persons who hold or 
manage less than $50 million in assets, and are not banks, insurance 
carriers, registered investment advisers or broker dealers), including 
small plan sponsors.
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    \2\ By using the term ``Adviser,'' the Department does not 
intend to limit the exemption to investment advisers registered 
under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or under state law. As 
explained herein, an Adviser is an individual who can be a 
representative of a registered investment adviser, a bank or similar 
financial institution, an insurance company, or a broker-dealer.
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    In order to protect the interests of the plan participants and 
beneficiaries, IRA owners, and plan fiduciaries, the exemption requires 
the Financial Institution to acknowledge fiduciary status for itself 
and its Advisers. The Financial Institutions and Advisers must adhere 
to basic standards of impartial conduct. In particular, under this 
standards-based approach, the Adviser and Financial Institution must 
give prudent advice that is in the customer's best interest, avoid 
misleading statements, and receive no more than reasonable 
compensation. Additionally, Financial Institutions generally must adopt 
policies and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate any harmful 
impact of conflicts of interest, and disclose basic information about 
their conflicts of interest and the cost of their advice. Level Fee 
Fiduciaries are subject to more streamlined conditions, including a 
written statement of fiduciary status, compliance with the standards of 
impartial conduct, and, as applicable, documentation of the specific 
reason or reasons for the recommendation of the Level Fee arrangement.
    The exemption is calibrated to align the Adviser's interests with 
those of the plan or IRA customer, while leaving the Adviser and 
Financial Institution the flexibility and discretion necessary to 
determine how best to satisfy the exemption's standards in light of the 
unique attributes of their business.

Executive Order 12866 and 13563 Statement

    Under Executive Orders 12866 and 13563, the Department must 
determine whether a regulatory action is ``significant'' and therefore 
subject to the requirements of the Executive Order and subject to 
review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Executive Orders 
12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess all costs and benefits of 
available regulatory alternatives and, if regulation is necessary, to 
select regulatory approaches that maximize net benefits (including 
potential economic, environmental, public health and safety effects, 
distributive impacts, and equity). Executive Order 13563 emphasizes the 
importance of quantifying both costs and benefits, of reducing costs, 
of harmonizing and streamlining rules, and of promoting flexibility. It 
also requires federal

[[Page 21004]]

agencies to develop a plan under which the agencies will periodically 
review their existing significant regulations to make the agencies' 
regulatory programs more effective or less burdensome in achieving 
their regulatory objectives.
    Under Executive Order 12866, ``significant'' regulatory actions are 
subject to the requirements of the Executive Order and review by the 
OMB. Section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866, defines a ``significant 
regulatory action'' as an action that is likely to result in a rule (1) 
having an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, or 
adversely and materially affecting a sector of the economy, 
productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or 
safety, or State, local or tribal governments or communities (also 
referred to as ``economically significant'' regulatory actions); (2) 
creating serious inconsistency or otherwise interfering with an action 
taken or planned by another agency; (3) materially altering the 
budgetary impacts of entitlement grants, user fees, or loan programs or 
the rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raising novel 
legal or policy issues arising out of legal mandates, the President's 
priorities, or the principles set forth in the Executive Order. 
Pursuant to the terms of the Executive Order, OMB has determined that 
this action is ``significant'' within the meaning of Section 3(f)(1) of 
the Executive Order. Accordingly, the Department has undertaken an 
assessment of the costs and benefits of the proposal, and OMB has 
reviewed this regulatory action. The Department's complete Regulatory 
Impact Analysis is available at www.dol.gov/ebsa.

I. Background

    The Department proposed this class exemption on its own motion, 
pursuant to ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c)(2), and in 
accordance with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR art 2570, subpart B 
(76 FR 66637 (October 27, 2011)).

A. Regulation Defining a Fiduciary

    As explained more fully in the preamble to the Regulation, ERISA is 
a comprehensive statute designed to protect the interests of plan 
participants and beneficiaries, the integrity of employee benefit 
plans, and the security of retirement, health, and other critical 
benefits. The broad public interest in ERISA-covered plans is reflected 
in its imposition of fiduciary responsibilities on parties engaging in 
important plan activities, as well as in the tax-favored status of plan 
assets and investments. One of the chief ways in which ERISA protects 
employee benefit plans is by requiring that plan fiduciaries comply 
with fundamental obligations rooted in the law of trusts. In 
particular, plan fiduciaries must manage plan assets prudently and with 
undivided loyalty to the plans and their participants and 
beneficiaries.\3\ In addition, they must refrain from engaging in 
``prohibited transactions,'' which ERISA does not permit because of the 
dangers posed by the fiduciaries' conflicts of interest with respect to 
the transactions.\4\ When fiduciaries violate ERISA's fiduciary duties 
or the prohibited transaction rules, they may be held personally liable 
for the breach.\5\ In addition, violations of the prohibited 
transaction rules are subject to excise taxes under the Code.
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    \3\ ERISA section 404(a).
    \4\ ERISA section 406. ERISA also prohibits certain transactions 
between a plan and a ``party in interest.''
    \5\ ERISA section 409; see also ERISA section 405.
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    The Code also has rules regarding fiduciary conduct with respect to 
tax-favored accounts that are not generally covered by ERISA, such as 
IRAs. In particular, fiduciaries of these arrangements, including IRAs, 
are subject to the prohibited transaction rules and, when they violate 
the rules, to the imposition of an excise tax enforced by the Internal 
Revenue Service. Unlike participants in plans covered by Title I of 
ERISA, IRA owners do not have a statutory right to bring suit against 
fiduciaries for violations of the prohibited transaction rules.
    Under this statutory framework, the determination of who is a 
``fiduciary'' is of central importance. Many of ERISA's and the Code's 
protections, duties, and liabilities hinge on fiduciary status. In 
relevant part, ERISA section 3(21)(A) and Code section 4975(e)(3) 
provide that a person is a fiduciary with respect to a plan or IRA to 
the extent he or she (i) exercises any discretionary authority or 
discretionary control with respect to management of such plan or IRA, 
or exercises any authority or control with respect to management or 
disposition of its assets; (ii) renders investment advice for a fee or 
other compensation, direct or indirect, with respect to any moneys or 
other property of such plan or IRA, or has any authority or 
responsibility to do so; or, (iii) has any discretionary authority or 
discretionary responsibility in the administration of such plan or IRA.
    The statutory definition deliberately casts a wide net in assigning 
fiduciary responsibility with respect to plan and IRA assets. Thus, 
``any authority or control'' over plan or IRA assets is sufficient to 
confer fiduciary status, and any persons who render ``investment advice 
for a fee or other compensation, direct or indirect'' are fiduciaries, 
regardless of whether they have direct control over the plan's or IRA's 
assets and regardless of their status as an investment adviser or 
broker under the federal securities laws. The statutory definition and 
associated responsibilities were enacted to ensure that plans, plan 
participants, and IRA owners can depend on persons who provide 
investment advice for a fee to provide recommendations that are 
untainted by conflicts of interest. In the absence of fiduciary status, 
the providers of investment advice are neither subject to ERISA's 
fundamental fiduciary standards, nor accountable under ERISA or the 
Code for imprudent, disloyal, or biased advice.
    In 1975, the Department issued a regulation, at 29 CFR 2510.3-
21(c)(1975), defining the circumstances under which a person is treated 
as providing ``investment advice'' to an employee benefit plan within 
the meaning of ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) (the ``1975 regulation'').\6\ 
The 1975 regulation narrowed the scope of the statutory definition of 
fiduciary investment advice by creating a five-part test for fiduciary 
advice. Under the 1975 regulation, for advice to constitute 
``investment advice,'' an adviser must (1) render advice as to the 
value of securities or other property, or make recommendations as to 
the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities or 
other property (2) on a regular basis (3) pursuant to a mutual 
agreement, arrangement or understanding, with the plan or a plan 
fiduciary that (4) the advice will serve as a primary basis for 
investment decisions with respect to plan assets, and that (5) the 
advice will be individualized based on the particular needs of the 
plan. The 1975 regulation provided that an adviser is a fiduciary with 
respect to any particular instance of advice only if he or she meets 
each and every element of the five-part test with respect to the 
particular advice recipient or plan at issue.
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    \6\ The Department of Treasury issued a virtually identical 
regulation, at 26 CFR 54.4975-9(c), which interprets Code section 
4975(e)(3).
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    The market for retirement advice has changed dramatically since the 
Department first promulgated the 1975 regulation. Individuals, rather 
than large employers and professional money managers, have become 
increasingly responsible for managing retirement assets as IRAs and 
participant-directed plans, such as 401(k) plans, have supplanted 
defined benefit pensions. At

[[Page 21005]]

the same time, the variety and complexity of financial products have 
increased, widening the information gap between advisers and their 
clients. Plan fiduciaries, plan participants and IRA investors must 
often rely on experts for advice, but are unable to assess the quality 
of the expert's advice or effectively guard against the adviser's 
conflicts of interest. This challenge is especially true of retail 
investors with smaller account balances who typically do not have 
financial expertise, and can ill-afford lower returns to their 
retirement savings caused by conflicts. The IRA accounts of these 
investors often account for all or the lion's share of their assets and 
can represent all of savings earned for a lifetime of work. Losses and 
reduced returns can be devastating to the investors who depend upon 
such savings for support in their old age. As baby boomers retire, they 
are increasingly moving money from ERISA-covered plans, where their 
employer has both the incentive and the fiduciary duty to facilitate 
sound investment choices, to IRAs where both good and bad investment 
choices are myriad and advice that is conflicted is commonplace. These 
rollovers are expected to approach $2.4 trillion cumulatively from 2016 
through 2020.\7\ These trends were not apparent when the Department 
promulgated the 1975 regulation. At that time, 401(k) plans did not yet 
exist and IRAs had only just been authorized.
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    \7\ Cerulli Associates, ``Retirement Markets 2015.''
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    As the marketplace for financial services has developed in the 
years since 1975, the five-part test has now come to undermine, rather 
than promote, the statutes' text and purposes. The narrowness of the 
1975 regulation has allowed advisers, brokers, consultants and 
valuation firms to play a central role in shaping plan and IRA 
investments, without ensuring the accountability that Congress intended 
for persons having such influence and responsibility. Even when plan 
sponsors, participants, beneficiaries, and IRA owners clearly relied on 
paid advisers for impartial guidance, the 1975 regulation has allowed 
many advisers to avoid fiduciary status and disregard basic fiduciary 
obligations of care and prohibitions on disloyal and conflicted 
transactions. As a consequence, these advisers have been able to steer 
customers to investments based on their own self-interest (e.g., 
products that generate higher fees for the adviser even if there are 
identical lower-fee products available), give imprudent advice, and 
engage in transactions that would otherwise be prohibited by ERISA and 
the Code without fear of accountability under either ERISA or the Code.
    In the Department's amendments to the 1975 regulation defining 
fiduciary advice within the meaning of ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) and 
Code section 4975(e)(3)(B), (the ``Regulation'') which are also 
published in this issue of the Federal Register, the Department is 
replacing the existing regulation with one that more appropriately 
distinguishes between the sorts of advice relationships that should be 
treated as fiduciary in nature and those that should not, in light of 
the legal framework and financial marketplace in which IRAs and plans 
currently operate.\8\ The Regulation describes the types of advice that 
constitute ``investment advice'' with respect to plan or IRA assets for 
purposes of the definition of a fiduciary at ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) 
and Code section 4975(e)(3)(B). The Regulation covers ERISA-covered 
plans, IRAs, and other plans not covered by Title I, such as Keogh 
plans, and health savings accounts described in Code section 223(d).
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    \8\ The Department initially proposed an amendment to its 
regulation defining a fiduciary within the meaning of ERISA section 
3(21)(A)(ii) and Code section 4975(e)(3)(B) on October 22, 2010, at 
75 FR 65263. It subsequently announced its intention to withdraw the 
proposal and propose a new rule, consistent with the President's 
Executive Orders 12866 and 13563, in order to give the public a full 
opportunity to evaluate and comment on the new proposal and updated 
economic analysis. The first proposed amendment to the rule was 
withdrawn on April 20, 2015, see 80 FR 21927.
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    As amended, the Regulation provides that a person renders 
investment advice with respect to assets of a plan or IRA if, among 
other things, the person provides, directly to a plan, a plan 
fiduciary, plan participant or beneficiary, IRA or IRA owner, the 
following types of advice, for a fee or other compensation, whether 
direct or indirect:
    (i) A recommendation as to the advisability of acquiring, holding, 
disposing of, or exchanging, securities or other investment property, 
or a recommendation as to how securities or other investment property 
should be invested after the securities or other investment property 
are rolled over, transferred or distributed from the plan or IRA; and
    (ii) A recommendation as to the management of securities or other 
investment property, including, among other things, recommendations on 
investment policies or strategies, portfolio composition, selection of 
other persons to provide investment advice or investment management 
services, types of investment account arrangements (brokerage versus 
advisory), or recommendations with respect to rollovers, transfers or 
distributions from a plan or IRA, including whether, in what amount, in 
what form, and to what destination such a rollover, transfer or 
distribution should be made.
    In addition, in order to be treated as a fiduciary, such person, 
either directly or indirectly (e.g., through or together with any 
affiliate), must: Represent or acknowledge that it is acting as a 
fiduciary within the meaning of ERISA or the Code with respect to the 
advice described; represent or acknowledge that it is acting as a 
fiduciary within the meaning of ERISA or the Code; render the advice 
pursuant to a written or verbal agreement, arrangement or understanding 
that the advice is based on the particular investment needs of the 
advice recipient; or direct the advice to a specific advice recipient 
or recipients regarding the advisability of a particular investment or 
management decision with respect to securities or other investment 
property of the plan or IRA.
    The Regulation also provides that as a threshold matter in order to 
be fiduciary advice, the communication must be a ``recommendation'' as 
defined therein. The Regulation, as a matter of clarification, provides 
that a variety of other communications do not constitute 
``recommendations,'' including non-fiduciary investment education; 
general communications; and specified communications by platform 
providers. These communications which do not rise to the level of 
``recommendations'' under the Regulation are discussed more fully in 
the preamble to the final Regulation.
    The Regulation also specifies certain circumstances where the 
Department has determined that a person will not be treated as an 
investment advice fiduciary even though the person's activities 
technically may satisfy the definition of investment advice. For 
example, the Regulation contains a provision excluding recommendations 
to independent fiduciaries with financial expertise that are acting on 
behalf of plans or IRAs in arm's length transactions, if certain 
conditions are met. The independent fiduciary must be a bank, insurance 
carrier qualified to do business in more than one state, investment 
adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or by a 
state, broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (Exchange Act), or any other independent fiduciary that holds, or 
has under management or control, assets of at least $50 million, and: 
(1) The person

[[Page 21006]]

making the recommendation must know or reasonably believe that the 
independent fiduciary of the plan or IRA is capable of evaluating 
investment risks independently, both in general and with regard to 
particular transactions and investment strategies (the person may rely 
on written representations from the plan or independent fiduciary to 
satisfy this condition); (2) the person must fairly inform the 
independent fiduciary that the person is not undertaking to provide 
impartial investment advice, or to give advice in a fiduciary capacity, 
in connection with the transaction and must fairly inform the 
independent fiduciary of the existence and nature of the person's 
financial interests in the transaction; (3) the person must know or 
reasonably believe that the independent fiduciary of the plan or IRA is 
a fiduciary under ERISA or the Code, or both, with respect to the 
transaction and is responsible for exercising independent judgment in 
evaluating the transaction (the person may rely on written 
representations from the plan or independent fiduciary to satisfy this 
condition); and (4) the person cannot receive a fee or other 
compensation directly from the plan, plan fiduciary, plan participant 
or beneficiary, IRA, or IRA owner for the provision of investment 
advice (as opposed to other services) in connection with the 
transaction.
    Similarly, the Regulation provides that the provision of any advice 
to an employee benefit plan (as described in ERISA section 3(3)) by a 
person who is a swap dealer, security-based swap dealer, major swap 
participant, major security-based swap participant, or a swap clearing 
firm in connection with a swap or security-based swap, as defined in 
section 1a of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a) and section 3(a) 
of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)) is not investment advice if 
certain conditions are met. Finally, the Regulation describes certain 
communications by employees of a plan sponsor, plan, or plan fiduciary 
that would not cause the employee to be an investment advice fiduciary 
if certain conditions are met.

B. Prohibited Transactions

    The Department anticipates that the Regulation will cover many 
investment professionals who did not previously consider themselves to 
be fiduciaries under ERISA or the Code. Under the Regulation, these 
entities will be subject to the prohibited transaction restrictions in 
ERISA and the Code that apply specifically to fiduciaries. ERISA 
section 406(b)(1) and Code section 4975(c)(1)(E) prohibit a fiduciary 
from dealing with the income or assets of a plan or IRA in his own 
interest or his own account. ERISA section 406(b)(2), which does not 
apply to IRAs, provides that a fiduciary shall not ``in his individual 
or in any other capacity act in any transaction involving the plan on 
behalf of a party (or represent a party) whose interests are adverse to 
the interests of the plan or the interests of its participants or 
beneficiaries.'' ERISA section 406(b)(3) and Code section 4975(c)(1)(F) 
prohibit a fiduciary from receiving any consideration for his own 
personal account from any party dealing with the plan or IRA in 
connection with a transaction involving assets of the plan or IRA.
    Parallel regulations issued by the Departments of Labor and the 
Treasury explain that these provisions impose on fiduciaries of plans 
and IRAs a duty not to act on conflicts of interest that may affect the 
fiduciary's best judgment on behalf of the plan or IRA.\9\ The 
prohibitions extend to a fiduciary causing a plan or IRA to pay an 
additional fee to such fiduciary, or to a person in which such 
fiduciary has an interest that may affect the exercise of the 
fiduciary's best judgment as a fiduciary. Likewise, a fiduciary is 
prohibited from receiving compensation from third parties in connection 
with a transaction involving the plan or IRA.\10\
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    \9\ Subsequent to the issuance of these regulations, 
Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978, 5 U.S.C. App. (2010), divided 
rulemaking and interpretive authority between the Secretaries of 
Labor and the Treasury. The Secretary of Labor was given 
interpretive and rulemaking authority regarding the definition of 
fiduciary under both Title I of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. 
Id. section 102(a) (``all authority of the Secretary of the Treasury 
to issue [regulations, rulings opinions, and exemptions under 
section 4975 of the Code] is hereby transferred to the Secretary of 
Labor'').
    \10\ 29 CFR 2550.408b-2(e); 26 CFR 54.4975-6(a)(5).
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    Investment professionals typically receive compensation for 
services to retirement investors in the retail market through a variety 
of arrangements, which would typically violate the prohibited 
transaction rules applicable to plan fiduciaries. These include 
commissions paid by the plan, participant or beneficiary, or IRA, or 
commissions, sales loads, 12b-1 fees, revenue sharing and other 
payments from third parties that provide investment products. A 
fiduciary's receipt of such payments would generally violate the 
prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA section 406(b) and Code 
section 4975(c)(1)(E) and (F) because the amount of the fiduciary's 
compensation is affected by the use of its authority in providing 
investment advice, unless such payments meet the requirements of an 
exemption.

C. Prohibited Transaction Exemptions

    As the prohibited transaction provisions demonstrate, ERISA and the 
Code strongly disfavor conflicts of interest. In appropriate cases, 
however, the statutes provide exemptions from their broad prohibitions 
on conflicts of interest. For example, ERISA section 408(b)(14) and 
Code section 4975(d)(17) specifically exempt transactions involving the 
provision of fiduciary investment advice to a participant or 
beneficiary of an individual account plan or IRA owner if the advice, 
resulting transaction, and the adviser's fees meet stringent conditions 
carefully designed to guard against conflicts of interest.
    In addition, the Secretary of Labor has discretionary authority to 
grant administrative exemptions under ERISA and the Code on an 
individual or class basis, but only if the Secretary first finds that 
the exemptions are (1) administratively feasible, (2) in the interests 
of plans and their participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners, and 
(3) protective of the rights of the participants and beneficiaries of 
such plans and IRA owners. Accordingly, fiduciary advisers may always 
give advice without need of an exemption if they avoid the sorts of 
conflicts of interest that result in prohibited transactions. However, 
when they choose to give advice in which they have a conflict of 
interest, they must rely upon an exemption.
    Pursuant to its exemption authority, the Department has previously 
granted several conditional administrative class exemptions that are 
available to fiduciary advisers in defined circumstances. As a general 
proposition, these exemptions focused on specific advice arrangements 
and provided relief for narrow categories of compensation. In contrast 
to these earlier exemptions, this new Best Interest Contract Exemption 
is specifically designed to address the conflicts of interest 
associated with the wide variety of payments Advisers receive in 
connection with retail transactions involving plans and IRAs. 
Similarly, the Department has granted a new exemption for principal 
transactions, Exemption for Principal Transactions in Certain Assets 
between Investment Advice Fiduciaries and Employee Benefit Plans and 
IRAs, (Principal Transactions Exemption), also published in this issue 
of the Federal Register, that permits investment advice fiduciaries to 
sell or purchase certain debt securities and other investments in

[[Page 21007]]

principal transactions and riskless principal transactions with plans 
and IRAs.
    At the same time that the Department has granted these new 
exemptions, it has also amended existing exemptions to ensure uniform 
application of the Impartial Conduct Standards, which are fundamental 
obligations of fair dealing and fiduciary conduct, and include 
obligations to act in the customer's best interest, avoid misleading 
statements, and receive no more than reasonable compensation.\11\ Taken 
together, the new exemptions and amendments to existing exemptions 
ensure that Retirement Investors are consistently protected by 
Impartial Conduct Standards, regardless of the particular exemption 
upon which the adviser relies.
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    \11\ The amended exemptions, published elsewhere in this issue 
of the Federal Register, include Prohibited Transaction Exemption 
(PTE) 75-1; PTE 77-4; PTE 80-83; PTE 83-1: PTE 84-24; and PTE 86-
128.
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    The amendments also revoke certain existing exemptions, which 
provided little or no protections to IRA and non-ERISA plan 
participants, in favor of a more uniform application of the Best 
Interest Contract Exemption in the market for retail investments. With 
limited exceptions, it is the Department's intent that investment 
advice fiduciaries in the retail investment market rely on statutory 
exemptions or the Best Interest Contract Exemption to the extent that 
they receive conflicted forms of compensation that would otherwise be 
prohibited. The new and amended exemptions reflect the Department's 
view that Retirement Investors should be protected by a more consistent 
application of fundamental fiduciary standards across a wide range of 
investment products and advice relationships, and that retail 
investors, in particular, should be protected by the stringent 
protections set forth in the Best Interest Contract Exemption. When 
fiduciaries have conflicts of interest, they will uniformly be expected 
to adhere to fiduciary norms and to make recommendations that are in 
their customer's best interest.
    These new and amended exemptions follow a lengthy public notice and 
comment process, which gave interested persons an extensive opportunity 
to comment on the proposed Regulation and exemption proposals. The 
proposals initially provided for 75-day comment periods, ending on July 
6, 2015, but the Department extended the comment periods to July 21, 
2015. The Department then held four days of public hearings on the new 
regulatory package, including the proposed exemptions, in Washington, 
DC from August 10 to 13, 2015, at which over 75 speakers testified. The 
transcript of the hearing was made available on September 8, 2015, and 
the Department provided additional opportunity for interested persons 
to comment on the proposals or hearing transcript until September 24, 
2015. A total of over 3000 comment letters were received on the new 
proposals. There were also over 300,000 submissions made as part of 30 
separate petitions submitted on the proposal. These comments and 
petitions came from consumer groups, plan sponsors, financial services 
companies, academics, elected government officials, trade and industry 
associations, and others, both in support and in opposition to the 
rule.\12\ The Department has reviewed all comments, and after careful 
consideration of the comments, has decided to grant this Best Interest 
Contract Exemption.
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    \12\ As used throughout this preamble, the term ``comment'' 
refers to information provided through these various sources, 
including written comments, petitions and witnesses at the public 
hearing.
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II. Best Interest Contract Exemption

    As finalized, the Best Interest Contract Exemption retains the core 
protections of the proposed exemption, but with revisions designed to 
facilitate implementation and compliance with the exemption's terms. In 
broadest outline, the exemption permits Advisers and the Financial 
Institutions that employ or otherwise retain them to receive many 
common forms of compensation that ERISA and the Code would otherwise 
prohibit, provided that they give advice that is in their customers' 
Best Interest and the Financial Institution implements basic 
protections against the dangers posed by conflicts of interest. In 
particular, to rely on the exemption, Financial Institutions generally 
must:
     Acknowledge fiduciary status with respect to investment 
advice to the Retirement Investor;
     Adhere to Impartial Conduct Standards requiring them to:
    [cir] Give advice that is in the Retirement Investor's Best 
Interest (i.e., prudent advice that is based on the investment 
objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and needs of the 
Retirement Investor, without regard to financial or other interests of 
the Adviser, Financial Institution, or their Affiliates, Related 
Entities or other parties);
    [cir] Charge no more than reasonable compensation; and
    [cir] Make no misleading statements about investment transactions, 
compensation, and conflicts of interest;
     Implement policies and procedures reasonably and prudently 
designed to prevent violations of the Impartial Conduct Standards;
     Refrain from giving or using incentives for Advisers to 
act contrary to the customer's best interest; and
     Fairly disclose the fees, compensation, and Material 
Conflicts of Interest, associated with their recommendations.
    Advisers relying on the exemption must adhere to the Impartial 
Conduct Standards when making investment recommendations.
    The exemption takes a principles-based approach that permits 
Financial Institutions and Advisers to receive many forms of 
compensation that would otherwise be prohibited, including, inter alia, 
commissions, trailing commissions, sales loads, 12b-1 fees, and 
revenue-sharing payments from investment providers or other third 
parties to Advisers and Financial Institutions. The exemption is 
available for advice to retail ``Retirement Investors,'' including IRA 
owners, plan participants and beneficiaries, and ``retail fiduciaries'' 
(including such fiduciaries of small participant-directed plans). All 
Financial Institutions relying on the exemption must notify the 
Department in advance of doing so, and retain records that can be made 
available to the Department and Retirement Investors for evaluating 
compliance with the exemption.
    The exemption neither bans all conflicted compensation, nor permits 
Financial Institutions and Advisers to act on their conflicts of 
interest to the detriment of the Retirement Investors they serve as 
fiduciaries. Instead, it holds Financial Institutions and their 
Advisers responsible for adhering to fundamental standards of fiduciary 
conduct and fair dealing, while leaving them the flexibility and 
discretion necessary to determine how best to satisfy these basic 
standards in light of the unique attributes of their particular 
businesses. The exemption's principles-based conditions, which are 
rooted in the law of trust and agency, have the breadth and flexibility 
necessary to apply to a large range of investment and compensation 
practices, while ensuring that Advisers put the interests of Retirement 
Investors first. When Advisers choose to give advice to retail 
Retirement Investors pursuant to conflicted compensation structures, 
they must protect their customers from the dangers posed by conflicts 
of interest.

[[Page 21008]]

    In order to ensure compliance with its broad protective standards 
and purposes, the exemption gives special attention to the 
enforceability of its terms by Retirement Investors. When Financial 
Institutions and Advisers breach their obligations under the exemption 
and cause losses to Retirement Investors, it is generally critical that 
the investors have a remedy to redress the injury. The existence of 
enforceable rights and remedies gives Financial Institutions and 
Advisers a powerful incentive to comply with the exemption's standards, 
implement policies and procedures that are more than window-dressing, 
and carefully police conflicts of interest to ensure that the conflicts 
of interest do not taint the advice.
    Thus, in the case of IRAs and non-ERISA plans, the exemption 
generally requires the Financial Institution to commit to the Impartial 
Conduct Standards in an enforceable contract with Retirement Investor 
customers. The exemption does not similarly require the Financial 
Institution to execute a separate contract with ERISA investors (which 
includes plan participants, beneficiaries, and fiduciaries), but the 
Financial Institution must acknowledge its fiduciary status and that of 
its advisers, and ERISA investors can directly enforce their rights to 
proper fiduciary conduct under ERISA section 502(a)(2) and (3). In 
addition, the exemption safeguards Retirement Investors' enforcement 
rights by providing that Financial Institutions and Advisers may not 
rely on the exemption if they include contractual provisions 
disclaiming liability for compensatory remedies or waiving or 
qualifying Retirement Investors' right to pursue a class action or 
other representative action in court. However, the exemption does 
permit Financial Institutions to include provisions waiving the right 
to punitive damages or rescission as contract remedies to the extent 
permitted by other applicable laws. In the Department's view, the 
availability of make-whole relief for such claims is sufficient to 
protect Retirement Investors and incentivize compliance with the 
exemption's conditions.
    While the final exemption retains the proposed exemption's core 
protections, the Department has revised the exemption to ease 
implementation in response to commenters' concerns about its 
workability. Thus, for example, the final exemption eliminates the 
contract requirement altogether in the ERISA context, simplifies the 
mechanics of contract-formation for IRAs and plans not covered by Title 
I of ERISA, and provides streamlined conditions for ``Level Fee 
Fiduciaries'' that give ongoing advice on a relatively un-conflicted 
basis. For new customers, the final exemption provides that the 
required contract terms may simply be incorporated in the Financial 
Institution's account opening documents and similar commonly-used 
agreements. The exemption additionally permits reliance on a negative 
consent process for existing contract holders; and provides a mechanism 
for Financial Institutions and Advisers to rely on the exemption in the 
event that the Retirement Investor does not open an account with the 
Adviser but nevertheless acts on the advice through other channels. The 
Department recognizes that Retirement Investors may talk to numerous 
Advisers in numerous settings over the course of their relationship 
with a Financial Institution. Accordingly, the exemption also 
simplifies execution of the contract by simply requiring the Financial 
Institution to execute the contract, rather than each of the individual 
Advisers from whom the Retirement Investor receives advice. For similar 
reasons, the exemption does not require execution of the contract at 
the start of Retirement Investors' conversations with Advisers, as long 
as it is entered into prior to or at the same time as the recommended 
investment transaction.
    Other changes similarly facilitate reliance on the exemption by 
clarifying key terms, reducing compliance burden, increasing the 
exemption's availability with respect to the types of advice recipients 
and the types of investments that may be recommended, and streamlining 
and simplifying disclosure requirements. For example, in response to 
commenter's concerns, the final exemption clarifies that, subject to 
its conditions, the exemption provides relief for all of the categories 
of fiduciary recommendations covered by the Regulation, including 
advice on rollovers, distributions, and services, as well as investment 
recommendations concerning any asset, rather than a limited list of 
specified assets. Similarly, the exemption is broadly available to 
small plan fiduciaries, regardless of the type of plan, as well as to 
IRA owners, plan participants, and other Retirement Investors. 
Additionally, in response to concerns about the application of the Best 
Interest standard to Financial Institutions that limit investment 
recommendations to Proprietary Products and/or investments that 
generate Third Party Payments, the exemption includes a specific test 
for satisfying the Best Interest standard in these circumstances. Also 
in response to comments, the exemption makes clear that it does not ban 
commissions or mandate rigid fee-leveling (e.g., by requiring identical 
fees for recommendations to invest in insurance products as to invest 
in mutual funds).
    The Department also streamlined compliance for ``Level Fee 
Fiduciaries''--fiduciaries that, together with their Affiliates, 
receive only a Level Fee in connection with advisory or investment 
management services with respect to plan or IRA assets (e.g., 
investment advice fiduciaries that provide ongoing advice for a fee 
based on a fixed percentage of assets under management).
    As a means of facilitating use of this exemption, the Department 
also reduced the compliance burden by eliminating some of the proposed 
conditions that were not critical to its protective purposes, and by 
expanding the scope of its coverage (e.g., by covering all investment 
products and advice to retail fiduciaries of participant-directed 
plans). The Department eliminated the proposed requirement of adherence 
to other state and federal laws relating to advice as unduly expansive 
and duplicative of other laws; dropped a proposed data collection 
requirement that would have required collection and retention of 
specified data relating to the Financial Institution's inflows, 
outflows, holdings, and returns for retirement investments; and 
eliminated some of the more detailed proposed disclosure requirements, 
including the requirement for projections of the total cost of an 
investment at the point of sale over 1-, 5- and 10-year periods, as 
well as the annual disclosure requirement. In addition, the Department 
streamlined the disclosure conditions by simplifying them and requiring 
the most detailed customer-specific information to be disclosed only 
upon request of the customer. The Department also provided a mechanism 
for correcting good faith violations of the disclosure conditions, so 
that Financial Institutions would not lose the benefit of the exemption 
as a result of such good faith errors and would have an incentive to 
promptly correct them.
    In making these adjustments to the exemption, the Department was 
mindful of public comments that expressed concern about the 2015 
proposal's potential negative effects on small investors' access to 
affordable investment advice. In particular, the Department considered 
comments on the costs and benefits of the proposed Regulation and 
exemptions. As detailed in the Regulatory Impact Analysis

[[Page 21009]]

accompanying this final rulemaking,\13\ a number of comments on the 
Department's 2015 proposal, including those from consumer advocates, 
some independent researchers, and some independent financial advisers, 
largely endorsed its accompanying impact analysis, affirming that 
adviser conflicts cause avoidable harm and that the proposal would 
deliver gains for retirement investors that more than justify 
compliance costs, with minimal or no attendant unintended adverse 
consequences. In contrast, many other comments, including those from 
most of the financial industry (generally excepting only comments from 
independent financial advisers), strongly criticized the Department's 
analysis and conclusions. These comments variously argued that the 
Department's evidence was weak, that its estimates of conflicts' 
negative effects and the proposal's benefits were overstated, that its 
compliance cost estimates were understated, and that it failed to 
anticipate predictable adverse consequences including increases in the 
cost of advice and reductions in its availability to small investors, 
which the commenters said would depress savings and exacerbate rather 
than reduce investment mistakes. Some of these comments took the form 
of or were accompanied by research reports that variously offered 
direct, sometimes technical critiques of the Department's analysis, or 
presented new data and analysis that challenged the Department's 
conclusions. The Department took these comments into account in 
developing the final exemption. Many of these comments were grounded in 
practical operational concerns which the Department believes it has 
alleviated through revisions to the final exemption. At the same time, 
however, many suffered from analytic weaknesses that undermined the 
credibility of some of their conclusions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \13\ See Regulatory Impact Analysis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Many comments anticipating sharp increases in the cost of advice 
neglected many of the costs currently attributable to conflicted advice 
including, for example, indirect fees. Many exaggerated the negative 
impacts (and neglected the positive impacts) of recent overseas reforms 
and/or the similarity of such reforms to the 2015 proposal. Many 
implicitly and without support assumed rigidity in existing business 
models, service levels, compensation structures and/or pricing levels, 
neglecting the demonstrated existence of low-cost solutions and 
potential for investor-friendly market adjustments. Many that predicted 
that only wealthier investors would be served appeared to neglect that 
once the fixed costs of serving these investors was defrayed only the 
relatively small marginal cost of serving smaller investors would 
remain for firms and investors to bear.
    Many comments arguing that costlier advice will compromise savings 
exaggerated their case by presenting mere correlation (wealth and 
advisory services are found together) as evidence that advice causes 
large increases in saving. Some wrongly implied that earlier Department 
estimates of the potential for fiduciary advice to reduce retirement 
investment errors--when accompanied by very strong anti-conflict 
consumer protections--constituted an acknowledgement that conflicted 
advice yields large net benefits.
    The negative comments that offered their own original analysis, and 
whose conclusions contradicted the Department's, also are generally 
unpersuasive on balance in the context of this present analysis. For 
example, these comments variously neglected important factors such as 
indirect fees, made comparisons without adjusting for risk, relied on 
data that is likely to be unrepresentative, failed to distinguish 
conflicted from independent advice, and/or presented as evidence median 
results when the problems targeted by the 2015 proposal and the 
proposal's expected benefits are likely to be concentrated on one side 
of the distribution's median.
    In light of these weaknesses in the aforementioned negative 
comments, the Department found their arguments largely unpersuasive. 
Moreover, responsive changes to the 2015 proposal reflected in this 
final rulemaking further minimize any risk of an unintended negative 
impact on small investors' access to affordable advice. The Department 
therefore stands by its conclusions that adviser conflicts are 
inflicting large, avoidable losses on retirement investors, that 
appropriate, strong reforms are necessary, and this final rulemaking 
will deliver large net gains to retirement investors. The Department 
does not anticipate the substantial, long-term unintended consequences 
predicted in these negative comments.
    To ease the transition for Financial Institutions and Advisers that 
are now more clearly recognized as fiduciaries under the Regulation, 
the Department has also expanded the ``grandfathered'' relief for 
compensation associated with investments made prior to the Regulation's 
Applicability Date. The final exemption also provides a transition 
period in Section IX under which prohibited transaction relief is 
available for Financial Institutions and Advisers during the period 
between the Applicability Date and January 1, 2018, subject to more 
limited conditions.
    The comments on the Best Interest Contract Exemption, the 
Regulation, and related exemptions have helped the Department improve 
this exemption, while preserving and enhancing its protections. As 
described above, the Department has revised the exemption to facilitate 
implementation and compliance with the exemption, without diluting its 
core protections, which are critical to reducing the harm caused by 
conflicts of interest in the marketplace for advice. The tax-preferred 
investments covered by the exemption are critical to the financial 
security and physical health of investors. After consideration of the 
comments, the Department remains convinced of the importance of the 
exemption's core protections.
    ERISA and the Code are rightly skeptical of the dangers posed by 
conflicts of interest, and generally prohibit conflicted advice. Before 
granting exemptive relief, the Department has a statutory obligation to 
ensure that the exemption is in the interests of plan and IRA investors 
and protective of their rights. Adherence to the fundamental fiduciary 
norms and basic protective conditions of this exemption helps ensure 
that investment recommendations are not driven by Adviser conflicts, 
but by the Best Interest of the Retirement Investor. Advisers can 
always give conflict-free advice. But if they choose to rely upon 
conflicted payment structures, they should be prepared to make an 
enforceable commitment to safeguard Retirement Investors from biased 
advice that is not in the investor's Best Interest. The conditions of 
this exemption are carefully calibrated to permit a wide variety of 
compensation structures, while protecting Retirement Investors' 
interest in receiving sound advice on vitally important investments. 
Based upon these protective conditions, the Department finds that the 
exemption is administratively feasible, in the interests of plans and 
their participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners, and protective of 
the rights of participants and beneficiaries of plans and IRA owners.
    The preamble sections that follow provide a much more detailed 
discussion of the exemption's terms, comments on the exemption, and the 
Department's responses to those comments. After a discussion of the 
exemption's scope and limitations, the preamble discusses the 
conditions of the

[[Page 21010]]

exemption, certain exclusions from relief, and the terms of subsidiary 
exemptions provided in this document, including an exemption providing 
grandfathered relief for certain pre-existing investments.

A. Scope of Relief in the Best Interest Contract Exemption

    The exemption provides relief for the receipt of compensation by 
``Advisers'' and ``Financial Institutions,'' and their ``Affiliates'' 
and ``Related Entities,'' as a result of their provision of investment 
advice within the meaning of ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) or Code section 
4975(e)(3)(B) to a ``Retirement Investor.'' \14\ These definitional 
terms are discussed below. The exemption broadly provides relief from 
the restrictions of ERISA section 406(b) and the sanctions imposed by 
Code section 4975(a) and (b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(E) 
and (F). These provisions prohibit conflict of interest transactions 
and receipt of third-party payments by investment advice 
fiduciaries.\15\ In general, the exemption is intended to provide 
relief for a wide variety of prohibited transactions related to the 
provision of fiduciary advice in the market for retail investments. The 
exemption permits many common compensation practices that result in 
prohibited transactions to continue notwithstanding the expanded 
definition of fiduciary advice, so long as the exemption's protective 
conditions are satisfied.
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    \14\ While the Department uses the term ``Retirement Investor'' 
throughout this document, the exemption is not limited only to 
investment advice fiduciaries of employee pension benefit plans and 
IRAs. Relief would be available for investment advice fiduciaries of 
employee welfare benefit plans as well.
    \15\ Relief is also provided from ERISA section 406(a)(1)(D) and 
Code section 4975(c)(1)(D), which prohibit transfer of plan assets 
to, or use of plan assets for the benefit of, a party in interest 
(including a fiduciary).
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    In response to commenters' concerns, the exemption expressly 
provides relief for all categories of fiduciary recommendations set 
forth in the Regulation. In addition to covering asset recommendations, 
for example, an Adviser and Financial Institution can provide 
investment advice regarding the rollover or distribution of assets of a 
plan or IRA; the hiring of a person to advise on or manage the assets; 
and the advisability of acquiring, holding, disposing, or exchanging 
certain common investments by Retirement Investors. These activities 
fall within the provisions of the Regulation identifying, as fiduciary 
conduct: (i) Recommendations as to the advisability of acquiring, 
holding, disposing of, or exchanging, securities or other investment 
property, or a recommendation as to how securities or other investment 
property should be invested after the securities or other property is 
rolled over, transferred distributed from the plan or IRA, and (ii) 
recommendations as to the management of securities or other investment 
property, including, among other things, recommendations on investment 
policies or strategies, portfolio composition, selection of other 
persons to provide investment advice or investment management services, 
selection of investment account arrangements (e.g., brokerage versus 
advisory); or recommendations with respect to rollovers, distributions, 
or transfers from a plan or IRA including whether, in what amount, in 
what form, and to what destination such a rollover, transfer or 
distribution should be made.
    The exemption has also been revised to extend to recommendations 
concerning any investment product, rather than restricted to a specific 
list of defined ``Assets,'' and to cover riskless principal 
transactions.
    The exemption does not, however, provide relief for all 
transactions involving advice in the retail market. In particular, the 
exemption excludes advice rendered in connection with principal 
transactions that are not riskless principal transactions, advice from 
fiduciaries with discretionary authority over the recommended 
transaction, so-called robo-advice (unless provided by Level Fee 
Fiduciaries in accordance with Section II(h)), and specified advice 
concerning in-house plans. These exclusions, set forth in Section I(c), 
involve special circumstances that warrant a different approach than 
the one set forth in this exemption, and are discussed further below.
    Commenters on the scope of the exemption, as proposed, primarily 
focused on six categories of issues: (1) The treatment of rollovers, 
distributions and services; (2) the definition of Retirement Investor; 
(3) the limits on the Asset recommendations covered by the exemption; 
(4) riskless principal transactions, (5) indexed annuities and variable 
annuities, and (6) the types of compensation that the Adviser or 
Financial Institution may receive. These issues are discussed below.
 1. Relief for Rollovers, Distributions and Services
a. General
    As proposed, the exemption would have applied to ``compensation for 
services provided in connection with a purchase, sale or holding of an 
Asset by a plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA.'' A number 
of commenters requested clarification or revision of this language. 
These commenters questioned whether the exemption would cover 
recommendations regarding rollovers, distributions, or services such as 
managed accounts and advice programs. Although the Department had 
intended to cover these recommendations as part of its original 
proposal, commenters expressed concern that in some circumstances, the 
recommendations might not be considered sufficiently connected to the 
purchase, sale or holding of an Asset to meet the exemption's terms.
    In this regard, some commenters stated that, while the proposed 
Regulation made clear that providing advice to take a distribution or 
to roll over assets from a plan or IRA, for a fee, was clearly 
fiduciary advice, it did not appear that relief for any resulting 
prohibited transactions was contemplated in the proposed exemption. 
More specifically, a few commenters argued that there are several steps 
to a rollover recommendation and that relief may be necessary at each 
step. For example, one commenter suggested that a rollover 
recommendation is best evaluated as including four separate 
recommendations: ``(i) A recommendation to take a distribution `from' 
the plan; (ii) a recommendation to hire the Adviser; (iii) the 
recommendation to rollover to an IRA; and (iv) the recommendation 
regarding how to invest the assets of the IRA once rolled over.'' Other 
commenters indicated that in their view recommendations of individuals 
to provide investment advisory or investment management services, also 
fiduciary conduct, was not clearly covered by the proposed exemption.
    In response, the Department has revised the final exemption's 
description of covered transactions to more clearly coincide with the 
fiduciary conduct described in the Regulation. Although the Department 
also intended to cover these recommendations in its original proposal, 
it agrees that the exemption should more clearly state its broad 
applicability. The final exemption therefore broadly permits 
``Advisers, Financial Institutions, and their Affiliates and Related 
Entities to receive compensation as a result of their provision of 
investment advice within the meaning of ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) or 
Code Section 4975(e)(3)(B) to a Retirement Investor.''

[[Page 21011]]

    In addition to questions about whether these types of 
recommendations were covered, commenters also asked how the conditions 
of the proposed exemption would apply to recommendations regarding 
rollovers, distributions and services. Commenters expressed the view 
that the proposed disclosure requirements were too focused on the costs 
associated with investments and therefore did not appear tailored to 
recommendations to rollover plan assets, take a distribution, or hire a 
provider of investment advisory or management services. Other 
commenters asked whether there were ongoing monitoring obligations, 
even when a recommendation involved only a discrete interaction between 
the Adviser and Retirement Investor. Many commenters indicated that due 
to the general burden of compliance with the exemption, Advisers and 
Financial Institutions might be unwilling to provide advice to 
Retirement Investors who were eligible to take a distribution from 
their employer's plan, and that left on their own, these investors 
might decide to take the money out of retirement savings.
    In connection with these concerns, a few commenters requested 
separate exemptions for rollover and distribution recommendations, and 
services recommendations. One commenter asked the Department to create 
an exemption for rollovers subject only to the condition that the 
Adviser act in the Retirement Investor's Best Interest. Another 
commenter suggested an exemption based on disclosure, signed by the 
participant, of the options associated with a rollover. Others 
requested a safe harbor for rollovers based on the Financial Industry 
Regulatory Authority's (FINRA's) Regulatory Notice 13-45 (``Rollovers 
to Individual Retirement Accounts'').\16\ Commenters also requested 
separate exemptions for advice programs, managed accounts and Advisers 
who would receive level fees after being hired.
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    \16\ FINRA is registered with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (SEC) as a national securities association and is a self-
regulatory organization, as those terms are defined in the Exchange 
Act, which operates under SEC oversight.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Citing the critical importance of the decision to rollover plan 
assets or take a distribution, other commenters asserted that the 
protections of the exemption would be especially important in the 
rollover and distribution context, and could even be strengthened. 
Advisers and Financial Institutions frequently stand to earn 
compensation as a result of a rollover that they would not be able to 
earn if the money remains invested in an ERISA plan. In addition, 
rollovers from an ERISA plan to an IRA can involve the entirety of 
workers' savings over a lifetime of work. Because large and 
consequential sums are often involved, bad advice on rollovers or 
distributions can have catastrophic consequences with respect to such 
workers' financial security in retirement.
    The Department has considered these comments and questions. Rather 
than adopt separate exemptions, as requested by some commenters, the 
approach taken in the final exemption is to retain the proposed 
exemption's core protections, while revising the exemption to reduce 
burden and facilitate compliance in a wide variety of contexts. 
Accordingly, as described in more detail below, the Department revised 
the disclosure and data retention requirements in this final exemption. 
The exemption does not require a pre-transaction disclosure that 
includes projections of the total costs of the investment over time, 
and no longer includes the proposed annual disclosure or data 
collection requirements. Rather than require up-front highly-customized 
disclosure, the exemption requires a more general statement of the Best 
Interest standard of care and the Advisers' and Financial Institutions' 
Material Conflicts of Interest, and related disclosures, with the 
provision of more specific, customized disclosure, only upon the 
Retirement Investor's request. The exemption also expressly clarifies 
that the parties involved in the transaction are generally free not to 
enter into an arrangement involving ongoing monitoring, so that a 
discrete rollover or distribution recommendation, or services 
recommendation, without further involvement by an Adviser or Financial 
Institution, does not necessarily create an ongoing monitoring 
obligation. As a result of these changes, Advisers and Financial 
Institutions can satisfy the disclosure conditions of the exemption 
with respect to transactions involving rollovers, distributions and 
services.\17\
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    \17\ The Department notes that the exemption's relief applies to 
investment advice, but not to discretionary asset management. 
Accordingly, the exemption would provide relief for a recommendation 
on how plan or IRA assets should be managed, but would not extend 
relief to an investment manager's exercise of investment discretion 
over the assets. This is particularly relevant to ``Level Fee 
Fiduciaries'' as discussed in the next section.
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b. Level Fee Fiduciaries
    The final exemption provides streamlined conditions for ``Level Fee 
Fiduciaries.'' A Financial Institution and Adviser are Level Fee 
Fiduciaries if the only fee or compensation received by the Financial 
Institution, Adviser and any Affiliate in connection with the advisory 
or investment management services is a ``Level Fee'' that is disclosed 
in advance to the Retirement Investor. A Level Fee is defined in the 
exemption as a fee or compensation that is provided on the basis of a 
fixed percentage of the value of the assets or a set fee that does not 
vary with the particular investment recommended, rather than a 
commission or other transaction-based fee.
    In this regard, the Department believes that, by itself, the 
ongoing receipt of a Level Fee such as a fixed percentage of the value 
of a customer's assets under management, where such values are 
determined by readily available independent sources or independent 
valuations, typically would not raise prohibited transaction concerns 
for the Adviser or Financial Institution. Under these circumstances, 
the compensation amount depends solely on the value of the investments 
in a client account, and ordinarily the interests of the Adviser in 
making prudent investment recommendations, which could have an effect 
on compensation received, are aligned with the Retirement Investor's 
interests in increasing and protecting account investments. However, 
there is a clear and substantial conflict of interest when an Adviser 
recommends that a participant roll money out of a plan into a fee-based 
account that will generate ongoing fees for the Adviser that he would 
not otherwise receive, even if the fees going-forward do not vary with 
the assets recommended or invested. Similarly, the prohibited 
transaction rules could be implicated by a recommendation to switch 
from a low activity commission-based account to an account that charges 
a fixed percentage of assets under management on an ongoing basis.
    Because the prohibited transaction in these examples is relatively 
discrete and the provision of advice thereafter generally does not 
involve prohibited transactions, the final exemption includes 
streamlined conditions to cover the discrete advice that requires the 
exemption.\18\ This streamlined

[[Page 21012]]

exemption is broadly available for Advisers and Financial Institutions 
that give advice on a Level Fee basis, and focuses on the discrete 
recommendation that requires an exemption. Although ``robo-advice 
providers'' \19\ are generally carved out of the Best Interest Contract 
Exemption, this streamlined exemption is available to them too to the 
extent they satisfy the definition of Level Fee Fiduciary and comply 
with the exemption's conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ In general, after the rollover, the ongoing receipt of 
compensation based on a fixed percentage of the value of assets 
under management does not require a prohibited transaction 
exemption. However, certain practices involve violations that would 
not be eligible for the relief granted in this Best Interest 
Contract Exemption. For instance, if an Adviser compensated in this 
manner engaged in ``reverse churning,'' or recommended holding an 
asset solely to generate more fees for the Adviser, the Adviser's 
behavior would constitute a violation of ERISA section 406(b)(1) 
that is not covered by the Best Interest Contract Exemption or its 
Level Fee provisions. In its ``Report on Conflicts of Interest'' 
(Oct. 2013), p. 29, FINRA suggests a number of circumstances in 
which Advisers may recommend inappropriate commission- or fee-based 
accounts as means of promoting the Adviser's compensation at the 
expense of the customer (e.g., recommending a fee-based account to 
an investor with low trading activity and no need for ongoing 
monitoring or advice; or first recommending a mutual fund with a 
front-end sales load, and shortly later, recommending that the 
customer move the shares into an advisory account subject to asset-
based fees). Such abusive conduct, which is designed to enhance the 
Adviser's compensation at the Retirement Investor's expense, would 
violate the prohibition on self-dealing in ERISA section 406(b)(1) 
and Code section 4795(c)(1)(E), and fall short of meeting the 
Impartial Conduct Standards required for reliance on the Best 
Interest Contract Exemption and other exemptions.
    \19\ Robo-advice providers furnish investment advice to a 
Retirement Investor generated solely by an interactive Web site in 
which computer software-based models or applications make investment 
recommendations based on personal information each investor supplies 
through the Web site without any personal interaction or advice from 
an individual Adviser.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section II(h) establishes the conditions of the exemption for Level 
Fee Fiduciaries. It requires that the Financial Institution give the 
Retirement Investor the written fiduciary statement described in 
Section II(b) and that both the Financial Institution and any Adviser 
comply with the Impartial Conduct Standards described in Section II(c). 
Additionally, when recommending a rollover from an ERISA plan to an 
IRA, a rollover from another IRA, or a switch from a commission-based 
account to a fee-based account, the Level Fee Fiduciary must document 
the reasons why the level fee arrangement was considered to be in the 
Best Interest of the Retirement Investor.
    When Level Fee Fiduciaries recommend rollovers from an ERISA plan, 
they must document their consideration of the Retirement Investor's 
alternatives to a rollover, including leaving the money in his or her 
current employer's plan, if permitted. Specifically, the documentation 
must take into account the fees and expenses associated with both the 
plan and the IRA; whether the employer pays for some or all of the 
plan's administrative expenses; and the different levels of services 
and different investments available under each option. In this regard, 
Advisers and Financial Institutions should consider the Retirement 
Investor's individual needs and circumstances, as described in FINRA 
Regulatory Notice 13-45. If a Level Fee arrangement is recommended as 
part of a rollover from another IRA, or a switch from a commission-
based account, the Level Fee Fiduciary's documentation must include the 
reasons that the arrangement is considered in the Retirement Investor's 
Best Interest, including, specifically, the services that will be 
provided for the fee. The exemption does not specify any particular 
format or method for generating or retaining the documentation, which 
could be paper or electronic, but rather gives the Level Fee Fiduciary 
flexibility to determine what works best for its business model, so 
long as it meets the exemption's conditions.
    It is important to note that the definition of Level Fee explicitly 
excludes receipt by the Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate 
of commissions or other transaction-based payments. Accordingly, if 
either the Financial Institution or the Adviser or their Affiliates, 
receive any other remunerations (e.g., commissions, 12b-1 fees or 
revenue sharing), beyond the Level Fee in connection with investment 
management or advisory services with respect to, the plan or IRA, the 
Financial Institution and Adviser will not be able to rely on these 
streamlined conditions in Section II(h). They will, however, be able to 
rely on the general conditions described in Sections II-V.\20\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \20\ Robo-advice providers, however, are carved out of the rest 
of the Best Interest Contract Exemption and could not rely upon 
Sections II-V.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As noted above, a number of commenters requested separate 
exemptions for fiduciaries that would only receive level fees after 
being retained. Some of these commenters indicated that more 
streamlined conditions would promote the receipt of rollover advice by 
plan participants. The commenters suggested a variety of conditions, 
including a contract, a best interest standard, and disclosure of 
compensation.
    The provisions for Level Fee Fiduciaries in this exemption respond 
to those commenters by streamlining the conditions applicable to 
fiduciaries that provide advice on a Level Fee basis. Thus, for 
example, the exemption does not require Level Fee Fiduciaries to make 
the warranties required of other Advisers whose Financial Institutions 
will continue to receive compensation that varies with their investment 
recommendations. Similarly, because the most common scenario in which 
Level Fee Fiduciaries need an exemption is when they make a 
recommendation to rollover assets from an ERISA plan to an IRA, the 
final exemption does not require Level Fee Fiduciaries to enter into a 
contract. Instead, such Retirement Investors would be able to rely on 
their statutory rights under ERISA in the event the applicable 
standards are not met.
    The Department did not adopt other streamlined or separate 
exemptions as requested by other commenters. In general, these separate 
exemptions suggested by commenters were not premised on the receipt of 
truly level fees, but would have permitted some variable compensation 
to occur based on the Retirement Investor's investment decisions after 
the fiduciary was retained. The Department determined that these 
transactions should occur in accordance with the general conditions of 
this exemption which provide additional safeguards for Retirement 
Investors in the context of such variable payments.
 2. Relief Limited to Advice to ``Retirement Investors''
    This exemption is designed to promote the provision of investment 
advice to retail investors that is in their Best Interest and untainted 
by conflicts of interest. The exemption permits receipt by Advisers and 
Financial Institutions, and their Affiliates and Related Entities, of 
compensation commonly received in the retail market, such as 
commissions, 12b-1 fees, and revenue sharing payments, subject to 
conditions specifically designed to protect the interests of retail 
investors. For consistency with these objectives, the exemption applies 
to the receipt of such compensation by Advisers, Financial 
Institutions, and their Affiliates and Related Entities, only when 
advice is provided to ``Retirement Investors,'' defined as participants 
and beneficiaries of a plan subject to Title I of ERISA or described in 
Code section 4975(e)(1)(A); IRA owners; and ``Retail Fiduciaries'' of 
plans or IRAs to the extent they act as fiduciaries with authority to 
make investment decisions for the plan. Unlike the proposed exemption, 
Retail Fiduciaries can include the fiduciaries of both participant-
directed and non-participant directed plans. The Department also 
confirms that Retirement Investors can include plan participants and 
beneficiaries who invest through a self-directed brokerage window.

[[Page 21013]]

    The definition of Retail Fiduciary dovetails with provisions in the 
Regulation that permit persons to avoid fiduciary status when they 
provide advice to independent fiduciaries with financial expertise 
(described in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of the Regulation) under certain 
conditions.\21\ As defined in the Regulation, such independent 
fiduciaries are financial institutions (including banks, insurance 
carriers, registered investment advisers and broker dealers) or persons 
that otherwise hold or have under management or control, total assets 
of $50 million or more. Retail Fiduciaries, by contrast, are 
fiduciaries that do not meet these characteristics.\22\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \21\ 29 CFR 2510.3-21(c)(1)(i). In addition, the Regulation 
provides that persons do not act as fiduciaries simply by marketing 
or making available platforms of investment vehicles to participant-
directed plans, without regard to the individualized needs of the 
plan or its participants and beneficiaries. See 29 CFR 2510.3-
21(b)(2)(i).
    \22\ The $50 million threshold established in the Regulation is 
based, in part, on the definition of ``institutional account'' in 
FINRA Rule 4512(c)(3) to which the suitability rules of FINRA rule 
2111 apply, and responds to the requests of commenters that the test 
for sophistication be based on market concepts that are well 
understood by brokers and advisors. Specifically, FINRA rule 2111(b) 
on suitability and FINRA's ``books and records'' Rule 4512(c) both 
use a definition of ``institutional account,'' which means the 
account of a bank, savings and loan association, insurance company, 
registered investment company, registered investment adviser or any 
other person (whether a natural person, corporation, partnership, 
trust or otherwise) with total assets of at least $50 million. Id. 
at Q&A 8.1. In addition, the FINRA rule, but not this exemption, 
requires: (1) That the broker have ``a reasonable basis to believe 
the institutional customer is capable of evaluating investment risks 
independently, both in general and with regard to particular 
transactions and investment strategies involving a security or 
securities'' and (2) that ``the institutional customer affirmatively 
indicates that it is exercising independent judgment.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The exemption's definition of ``Retail Fiduciary'' is intended to 
work with the definition of independent fiduciary in the Regulation, so 
that if a person providing advice in the retail market cannot avoid 
fiduciary status under the Regulation because the advice recipient 
fails to meet the conditions for advice to independent fiduciaries 
under paragraph (c)(1)(i) of the rule, the person can rely on this 
exemption for advice to a Retirement Investor, if the conditions are 
satisfied.
    As initially proposed, the definition of Retirement Investor was 
much more limited. It included only plan sponsors (and employees, 
officers and directors thereof) of non-participant directed plans with 
fewer than 100 participants. The proposal did not extend to small 
participant-directed plans, although the Department specifically sought 
comment on whether the exemption should be expanded in that respect. 
The definition of ``Retail Fiduciary'' in the final exemption 
effectively eliminates this limitation by covering the fiduciaries of 
such plans (including plan sponsors, employees, officers, and 
directors), unless they are institutional fiduciaries or fiduciaries 
that hold, manage, or control $50 million or more in assets.
    The final exemption, like the proposal, is limited to retail 
investors, subject to the definitional changes described above. Persons 
making recommendations to independent institutional fiduciaries and 
large money managers in arm's length transactions have a ready means to 
avoid fiduciary status, and correspondingly less need for the 
exemption. Moreover, investment advice fiduciaries with respect to 
large ERISA plans have long acknowledged fiduciary status and operated 
within the constraints of prohibited transaction rules. As a result, 
extending this Best Interest Contract Exemption to such fiduciaries, 
and facilitating their receipt of otherwise prohibited compensation, 
could result in the promotion, rather than reduction, of conflicted 
investment advice.
    Comments on the definition of Retirement Investor, and the 
Department's responses, are discussed in the next sections of this 
preamble.
a. Participant-Directed Plans
    Commenters generally indicated that the exemption should extend to 
participant-directed plans. Many commenters expressed concern that 
excluding such plans as Retirement Investors would leave them without 
sufficient access to much needed investment advice, particularly on 
choosing the menu of investment options available to participants and 
beneficiaries, and might even discourage employers from adopting ERISA-
covered plans. The U.S. Small Business Administration Office of 
Advocacy (SBA Office of Advocacy) commented that, according to the 
reports from small business owners, most small plans are participant-
directed, and suggested that the exclusion of participant-directed 
plans would result in small business advisers to small plans being 
prevented from taking advantage of the exemption all together. 
Commenters noted that advisers to these plan fiduciaries could not 
avoid fiduciary status under the proposed Regulation's provision on 
counterparty transactions (the Seller's Exception), and the ``carve-
out'' for platform providers in the Regulation did not permit 
individualized advice. While one commenter acknowledged that 
fiduciaries of participant-directed plans could receive investment 
advice under compensation arrangements that do not raise prohibited 
transactions issues, the commenter nevertheless supported extending the 
exemption to participant-directed plans to facilitate access to advice 
under a variety of compensation arrangements.
    The Department also received comments on the aspect of the proposal 
that limited Retirement Investors to plan sponsors (and employees, 
officers and directors thereof) of plans. A few commenters asserted 
that all types of plan fiduciaries should be able to receive advice 
under the exemption. One commenter specifically identified ``trustees, 
fiduciary committees and other fiduciaries.''
    The Department's expanded definition of Retail Fiduciaries in the 
final exemption applies generally to all fiduciaries who are not 
institutional fiduciaries or large money managers, regardless of 
whether they are fiduciaries of participant-directed plans or other 
plans. In addition, the exemption extends coverage to advice to all 
plan fiduciaries, not just plan sponsors and their employees, officers 
and directors. As noted above, the Department intends to cover all 
advisers, regardless of plan-type, who cannot avail themselves of the 
Regulation's exception for fiduciaries with financial expertise (i.e. 
independent institutional fiduciaries and fiduciaries holding, 
managing, or controlling $50 million or more in assets). These changes 
respond to the comments described above, including the comment from the 
SBA Office of Advocacy.
    However, while the Department has expanded the exemption to cover 
Retail Fiduciaries with respect to participant-directed plans, it 
believes the commenters' concerns about a significant loss of advice 
and services to participant-directed plans were overstated. Investment 
advice providers who became fiduciaries under the Regulation would have 
been able to provide investment advice to all plans, as long as they 
did so under an arrangement that does not raise prohibited transactions 
issues, including by offsetting Third Party Payments against level 
fees.\23\ In addition, under the Regulation, all plans can receive non-
fiduciary education and services. Moreover, the exemption as proposed 
(and, of course, as finalized) covered advice to participants and

[[Page 21014]]

beneficiaries of participant-directed plans.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \23\ See Advisory Opinion 97-15A (May 22, 1997).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Nevertheless, the conditions of this final exemption have been 
carefully crafted to protect retail investors, including small, 
participant-directed plans. After considering the comments, the 
Department agrees that small plans would benefit from the protections 
of the exemption, and that expanding the scope of this exemption to all 
Retail Fiduciaries, including such fiduciaries of participant-directed 
plans, would better promote the provision of best interest advice to 
all retail Retirement Investors.
b. Plan Size
    The Department also received comments regarding the proposed 100-
participant threshold for plans to qualify as Retirement Investors. 
Some commenters requested that the Retirement Investor definition 
include fiduciaries of plans with more than 100 participants. These 
commenters saw no reason to distinguish between small and large plans, 
since ERISA applies equally to both. One commenter requested that the 
Department use an asset-based test rather than a test based on number 
of participants, as a method of determining which plans should be 
Retirement Investors under the exemption. The commenter expressed the 
view that plan size might not be a proxy for sophistication, as many 
large employers have multiple plans, some of which may have fewer than 
100 participants. Other commenters asserted that it could be difficult 
for Advisers and Financial Institutions to keep track of the number of 
plan participants to determine whether a particular plan satisfied the 
Retirement Investor definition.
    Other commenters supported the limitation to smaller plans, writing 
that larger plans have other means of access to high-quality advice, 
including the provision in the proposed Regulation for counterparties 
in arm's length transactions with an independent fiduciary with 
financial expertise, and so did not need the protections and 
constraints of the exemption.
    One commenter suggested that the exemption be available for advice 
to IRAs only, because the exemption would reduce the existing 
protections for ERISA plans of all sizes. According to the commenter, 
investment advice fiduciaries to ERISA plans should rely instead on the 
statutory exemption in ERISA section 408(b)(14) for ``eligible 
investment advice arrangements'' as described in ERISA section 408(g). 
In the commenter's view, this exemption would undermine the protections 
of that exemption and the regulations thereunder. In the Department's 
judgment, however, the exemption's conditions strike an appropriate 
balance for small plan investors by facilitating the continued 
provision of advice in reliance on common fee structures, while 
mitigating the impact of the conflicts of interest on the quality of 
the advice.
    The final exemption retains the limitation for advice to retail 
Retirement Investors. In determining whether a plan fiduciary is a 
Retirement Investor, however, the Department has revised the exemption 
to focus on characteristics of the advice recipient rather than plan 
size for determining whether a plan fiduciary is a Retirement Investor. 
As discussed above, the definition of Retail Fiduciary, therefore, 
generally focuses on the fiduciary's status as a financial institution 
or the amount of its assets under management.
    This approach in effect still limits the exemption to smaller 
plans, as fiduciaries that hold, manage, or control $50 million or more 
in assets will generally be excluded as Retirement Investors. In many 
cases, persons making recommendations to large plans can avoid 
fiduciary status by availing themselves of the Rule's exception for 
transactions with sophisticated investor counterparties. But when they 
instead act as investment advice fiduciaries, the Department believes 
they are appropriately excluded from the scope of this exemption, which 
was designed for retail Retirement Investors. As discussed above, 
including larger plans within the definition of Retirement Investor 
could have the undesirable consequence of reducing protections provided 
under existing law to these investors, without offsetting benefits. In 
particular, it could have the undesirable effect of increasing the 
number and impact of conflicts of interest, rather than reducing or 
mitigating them. Accordingly the final exemption was not expanded to 
include larger plans as Retirement Investors.
c. SEPs, SIMPLEs, and Keogh Plans
    Several commenters asked for clarification of the types of plans 
that could be represented by fiduciaries that are Retirement Investors. 
A few commenters requested that the exemption extend to Simplified 
Employee Pensions (SEPs) and Savings Incentive Match Plans for 
Employees (SIMPLEs). In the final exemption, the definition of Retail 
Fiduciary includes a fiduciary with respect to both ERISA plans and 
plans described in Code section 4975(e)(1)(A). This definition includes 
SEPs and SIMPLEs.\24\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \24\ In addition to covering advice to these fiduciaries of SEPs 
and SIMPLEs, the exemption also covers advice to the participants 
and beneficiaries of such plans. ERISA plan participants and 
beneficiaries are uniformly treated as covered Retirement Investors 
under the terms of the exemption.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Other commenters observed that Keogh plans were excluded from the 
proposed definition of Retirement Investor. While these plans are not 
subject to Title I of ERISA, they are defined in Code section 
4975(e)(1)(A) and are covered under the prohibited transaction 
provisions of Code section 4975. The definition of Retail Fiduciary 
covers a fiduciary with respect to a plan described in Code section 
4975(e)(1)(A). In addition, the Department has revised the definition 
of Retirement Investor to include participants and beneficiaries of 
plans described in Code section 4975(e)(1)(A). Conflicts of interest 
pose similar dangers to all retail investors, and the Department, 
accordingly, believes that all retail investors would benefit from the 
protections set forth in this Best Interest Contract Exemption.
3. No Limited Definition of ``Asset''
    The final exemption does not limit the types of investments that 
can be recommended by Advisers and Financial Institutions. The 
exemption is significantly broader in this respect than the proposal, 
which would have limited the investments that could be recommended as 
covered ``Assets.'' Although the definition in the proposed exemption 
was quite expansive, it did not cover all ``securities or other 
investment property'' that could be the subject of an investment 
recommendation under the Regulation.
    As proposed, the definition of Asset included the following 
investment products:

    Bank deposits, certificates of deposit (CDs), shares or 
interests in registered investment companies, bank collective funds, 
insurance company separate accounts, exchange-traded REITs, 
exchange-traded funds, corporate bonds offered pursuant to a 
registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, agency debt 
securities as defined in FINRA Rule 6710(l) or its successor, U.S. 
Treasury securities as defined in FINRA Rule 6710(p) or its 
successor, insurance and annuity contracts, guaranteed investment 
contracts, and equity securities within the meaning of 17 CFR 
230.405 that are exchange-traded securities within the meaning of 17 
CFR 242.600. Excluded from this definition is any equity security 
that is a security future or a put, call, straddle, or other option 
or privilege of buying an equity security from or selling an equity 
security to another without being bound to do so.


[[Page 21015]]


    The Department viewed the limited definition of Asset in the 
proposal as part of the protective framework of the exemption. The 
intent in proposing a limited definition of Asset was to permit 
investment advice on of the types of investments that Retirement 
Investors typically rely on to build a basic diversified portfolio, 
under a uniform set of protective conditions, while avoiding potential 
issues with less common investments that may possess unusual 
complexity, illiquidity, risk, lack of transparency, high fees or 
commissions, or illusory tax ``efficiencies.'' In the context of some 
of these investments, Retirement Investors may be less able to police 
the conduct of their Adviser or assess whether they are getting a good 
or bad deal. Accordingly, the Asset limitation was intended to work 
with the other safeguards in the exemption to ensure investment advice 
is provided in Retirement Investors' Best Interest.
    Commenters representing the industry strenuously objected to the 
limited definition of ``Asset.'' Commenters took the position that the 
limited definition would be inconsistent with the Department's 
historical approach of declining to create a ``legal list'' of 
investments for plan fiduciaries. Some commenters argued that Congress 
imposed only very narrow limits on the types of investments IRAs may 
make, and therefore the Department should not impose other limitations 
in an exemption.
    Many commenters viewed the proposed limited definition of Asset as 
the Department substituting its judgment for that of the Adviser and 
stating which investments are permissible or ``worthy.'' Some 
commenters believed that the Best Interest standard alone should guide 
the recommendations of specific investments. Some asserted that the 
limitations could even undermine Advisers' obligation to act in the 
best interest of Retirement Investors.
    In the event that the Department determined to proceed with the 
limited definition of Asset, commenters argued that it should be 
expanded to include specific additional investments. Some examples of 
such additional investments include: Non-traded business development 
companies, cleared swaps and cleared security-based swaps, commodities, 
direct participation programs, energy and equipment leasing programs, 
exchange traded options, federal agency and government sponsored 
enterprise guaranteed mortgage-backed securities, foreign bonds, 
foreign currency, foreign equities, futures (including exchange-traded 
futures), hedge funds, limited partnerships, market linked CDs, 
municipal bonds, non-traded REITs, over-the-counter equities, precious 
metals, private equity, real estate, stable value wrap contracts, 
structured notes, structured products, and non-U.S. funds that are 
registered or listed on an exchange in their home jurisdiction.
    Some commenters also asked how the exemption would be updated to 
accommodate new investments over time. One commenter suggested that, as 
an alternative to the definition of Asset, the exemption should 
establish a series of principles governing the types of investments 
that could be recommended. The principles suggested by the commenter 
included transparent pricing, sufficient liquidity, lack of excessive 
complexity and leverage, a sufficient track record to demonstrate its 
utility, and not providing a redundant or illusory tax benefit inside a 
retirement account.
    Other commenters argued for an expansion of the types of 
investments that could be recommended to sophisticated investors. 
Commenters indicated that the definition of Asset could be expanded or 
eliminated entirely for these Retirement Investors, on the basis that 
alternative investments could be appropriate for them. These commenters 
suggested the Department could rely on the securities laws, 
specifically the accredited investor rules, to make sure that investors 
could bear the potential losses of their investments.
    However, the Department also received comments supporting the 
proposed definition of Asset as an appropriate safeguard of the 
exemption. These commenters expressed the view that the list was 
sufficiently broad to allow an Adviser to meet a Retirement Investor's 
needs, while limiting the risks of other types of investments. 
Retirement Investors would still have access to these excluded 
investments under either pooled investment vehicles such as mutual 
funds, or pursuant to compensation models that do not involve 
conflicted advice. Some commenters expressed support for exclusion of 
specific investment products, such as non-traded Real Estate Investment 
Trusts (REITs), private placements, and other complex products, 
indicating these investments may be associated with extremely high 
fees. A commenter asserted that there have been significant problems 
with recommendations of non-traded REITs and private placements in 
recent years. Another commenter urged that the exemption not provide 
relief for the recommendation of variable annuity contracts, although 
they were in the proposed definition of Asset.
    Likewise, some commenters opposed any different treatment of 
sophisticated investors. The commenters said that net worth of an 
individual is not a reliable measure of financial knowledge, and the 
thresholds under securities law may be too low to identify those who 
can risk substantial portions of their retirement savings.
    After careful consideration of these comments, the Department 
eliminated the definition of Asset in the final exemption. In this 
regard, the Department ultimately determined that the other safeguards 
adopted in the final exemption--in particular, the requirement that 
Advisers and Financial Institutions provide investment advice in 
accordance with the Impartial Conduct Standards, the requirement that 
Financial Institutions adopt anti-conflict policies and procedures and 
the requirement that Financial Institutions disclose their Material 
Conflicts of Interest--were sufficiently protective to allow the 
exemption to apply more broadly to all securities and other investment 
property. If adhered to, these conditions should be protective with 
respect to all investments. It is not the Department's intent to 
foreclose fiduciaries, adhering to the exemption's standards, from 
recommending such investments if they prudently determine that they are 
the right investments for the particular customer and circumstances. 
For these same reasons, the Department has decided not to limit the 
exemption to investments meeting certain principles, as suggested by a 
commenter.
    However, the fact that the exemption was broadened does not mean 
the Department is no longer concerned about some of the attributes of 
the investments that were not initially included in the proposed 
definition of Asset, such as unusual complexity, illiquidity, risk, 
lack of transparency, high fees or commissions, or tax benefits that 
are generally unnecessary in these tax preferred accounts. This 
broadening of the exemption for products with these attributes must be 
accompanied by particular care and vigilance on the part of Financial 
Institutions responsible for overseeing Advisers' recommendations of 
such products. Moreover, the Department intends to pay special 
attention to recommendations involving such products after the 
Applicability Date to ensure adherence to the Impartial Conduct 
Standards and verify that the exemption is sufficiently protective.
    The Department expects that Advisers and Financial Institutions 
providing

[[Page 21016]]

advice will exercise special care when assets are hard to value, 
illiquid, complex, or particularly risky. Financial Institutions 
responsible for overseeing recommendations of these investments must 
give special attention to the policies and procedures surrounding such 
investments and their oversight of Advisers' recommendations, if they 
are to properly discharge their fiduciary responsibilities. Financial 
Institutions should identify such investments and ensure that their 
policies and procedures are reasonably and prudently designed to ensure 
Advisers' compliance with the Impartial Conduct Standards when 
recommending them. In particular, Financial Institutions must ensure 
that Advisers are provided with information and training to fully 
understand all investment products being sold, and must similarly 
ensure that customers are fully advised of the risks. Additionally, 
when recommending such products, the Financial Institution and Adviser 
should take special care to prudently document the bases for their 
recommendation and for their conclusions that their recommendations 
satisfy the Impartial Conduct Standards.
    Further, when determining the extent of the monitoring to be 
provided, as disclosed in the contract pursuant to Section II(e) of the 
exemption, such Financial Institutions should carefully consider 
whether certain investments can be prudently recommended to the 
individual Retirement Investor, in the first place, without a mechanism 
in place for the ongoing monitoring of the investment. This is 
particularly a concern with respect to investments that possess unusual 
complexity and risk, and that are likely to require further guidance to 
protect the investor's interests. Without an accompanying agreement to 
monitor certain recommended investments, or at least a recommendation 
that the Retirement Investor arrange for ongoing monitoring, the 
Adviser may be unable to satisfy the exemption's Best Interest 
obligation with respect to such investments. Similarly, the added cost 
of monitoring such investments should be considered by the Adviser and 
Financial Institution in determining whether the recommended 
investments are in the Retirement Investors' Best Interest.
4. Riskless Principal Transactions
    The final exemption extends to compensation received in 
transactions that are ``riskless principal transactions.'' A riskless 
principal transaction is defined in Section VIII(p) as ``a transaction 
in which a Financial Institution, after having received an order from a 
Retirement Investor to buy or sell an investment product, purchases or 
sells the same investment product for the Financial Institution's own 
account to offset the contemporaneous transaction with the Retirement 
Investor.''
    Apart from riskless principal transactions, Section I(c)(2) of the 
final exemption, which sets forth the exclusions from relief, states 
that the exemption does not apply to compensation that is received as a 
result of a principal transaction. A ``principal transaction'' is 
defined in Section VIII(k) as ``a purchase or sale of an investment 
product if an Adviser or Financial Institution is purchasing from or 
selling to a Plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA on behalf 
of the Financial Institution's own account or the account of a person 
directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, 
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Financial 
Institution.'' The definition further states that a principal 
transaction does not include a riskless principal transaction as 
defined in Section VIII(p). Thus, the exemption draws a distinction 
between principal transactions and riskless principal transactions.
    In the Department's view, principal transactions pose especially 
acute conflicts of interest because the investment advice fiduciary and 
Retirement Investor are on opposite sides of the transaction. As a 
result of the special risks posed by such transactions, the Department 
has proposed a separate exemption for investment advice fiduciaries to 
engage in principal transactions involving specified investments, but 
subject to additional protective conditions. That exemption is also 
adopted today, as published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register.
    Commenters on the proposed Best Interest Contract Exemption and the 
proposed Principal Transactions Exemption asked about the treatment of 
riskless principal transactions. Some commenters asked the Department 
to expand the scope of the Best Interest Contract Exemption to include 
all riskless principal transactions. Commenters argued that riskless 
principal transactions are the functional equivalent of agency 
transactions. A commenter asserted that for this reason, riskless 
principal transactions would not involve the incentive to ``dump'' 
unwanted investments on Retirement Investors, which was one of the 
Department's concerns. The commenters indicated that many investment 
transactions occur on a ``riskless principal'' basis rather than a pure 
agency basis. One commenter stated that this is because counterparties 
may not want to assume settlement risk with an investor.
    The commenters indicated that the proposed restriction in the Best 
Interest Contract Exemption applicable to all principal transactions, 
in conjunction with the limited scope of the Principal Transactions 
Exemption, as proposed, would cause valuable investments to be 
unavailable to plans and IRAs as a practical matter. Commenters also 
asked the Department to confirm that riskless principal transactions 
were covered within the scope of the Principal Transactions Exemption.
    In response to comments, the Department has determined to provide 
broader relief with respect to recommended riskless principal 
transactions. The scope of the Best Interest Contract Exemption is 
expanded to extend to riskless principal transactions involving all 
investments. The Department accepts commenters' representations that 
the lack of broader relief for riskless principal transactions would 
result in unnecessarily limited investment choices for Retirement 
Investors. In addition, the Department also confirmed in the Principal 
Transactions Exemption that riskless principal transactions are 
included in the scope of that exemption as well for the specific 
investments covered therein.
    This approach results in some overlap between coverage of riskless 
principal transactions in this Best Interest Contract Exemption and the 
Principal Transactions Exemption. With respect to a recommended 
purchase of an investment that occurs in a riskless principal 
transaction, the Principal Transactions Exemption is available for the 
specified investments that are covered in that exemption. The Best 
Interest Contract Exemption, however, provides broader relief for all 
recommended purchases. In addition, sales from a plan or IRA in 
riskless principal transactions can occur under either exemption.
    This approach is intended to provide flexibility to Financial 
Institutions relying on the exemptions. The Department believes that 
some Financial Institutions have business models that involve only 
riskless principal transactions. These Financial Institutions may not, 
as a general matter, hold investments in inventory to sell in principal 
transactions, but they may execute certain transactions as riskless 
principal transactions. Financial Institutions that do not engage in 
principal transactions, as defined in the

[[Page 21017]]

exemptions, do not have to rely on the Principal Transactions Exemption 
at all, and can organize their practices to comply with this Best 
Interest Contract Exemption alone.
    On the other hand, Financial Institutions that engage in principal 
transactions may want to organize their practices to comply with the 
Principal Transactions Exemption. They may not be certain at the outset 
whether a particular purchase by a plan or IRA will be executed as a 
principal transaction or a riskless principal transaction. Those 
Financial Institutions can rely on the Principal Transactions Exemption 
for the specified assets that may be sold to plans and IRAs without 
concern whether the transaction is, in fact a riskless principal 
transaction or a principal transaction.
    A discussion of comments on the treatment of specific investments 
as Principal Transactions is included in a later section of this 
preamble, explaining the definitions used in this exemption.
5. Indexed and Variable Annuities
    The Department received many comments on the proposed exemption's 
approach to annuity contracts. The final exemption was not revised from 
the proposal with respect to the coverage of insurance and annuity 
products, although a number of changes were made to the exemption to 
make it more readily usable with respect to these products, as 
discussed below. Advisers and Financial Institutions are permitted to 
receive compensation in connection with the sale of all insurance and 
annuity contracts under the exemption.
    However, in a companion Notice published elsewhere in this issue of 
the Federal Register, the Department limited relief available in 
another exemption, PTE 84-24,\25\ to ``fixed rate annuity contracts,'' 
defined in the exemption as fixed annuity contracts issued by an 
insurance company that are either immediate annuity contracts or 
deferred annuity contracts that (i) satisfy applicable state standard 
nonforfeiture laws at the time of issue, or (ii) in the case of a group 
fixed annuity, guarantee return of principal net of reasonable 
compensation and provide a guaranteed declared minimum interest rate in 
accordance with the rates specified in the standard nonforfeiture laws 
in that state that are applicable to individual annuities; in either 
case, the benefits of which do not vary, in part or in whole, based on 
the investment experience of a separate account or accounts maintained 
by the insurer or the investment experience of an index or investment 
model. Fixed rate annuity contracts do not include variable annuities 
or indexed annuities or similar annuities. As a result, investment 
advice fiduciaries will generally rely on this Best Interest Contract 
Exemption for compensation received for the recommendation of variable 
annuities, indexed annuities, similar annuities, and any other 
annuities that do not satisfy the definition of fixed rate annuity 
contracts.
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    \25\ Class Exemption for Certain Transactions Involving 
Insurance Agents and Brokers, Pension Consultants, Insurance 
Companies, Investment Companies and Investment Company Principal 
Underwriters, 49 FR 13208 (April 3, 1984), as amended, 71 FR 5887 
(February 3, 2006), as amended elsewhere in this issue of the 
Federal Register.
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    In response to the proposal, some commenters, expressing concern 
about the risks associated with variable annuities, commended the 
Department for proposing that they should be recommended under the 
conditions of this exemption rather than PTE 84-24. One commenter cited 
the provision of FINRA's Investor Alert, ``Variable Annuities: Beyond 
the Hard Sell,'' which says:

    Investing in a variable annuity within a tax-deferred account, 
such as an individual retirement account (IRA) may not be a good 
idea. Since IRAs are already tax-advantaged, a variable annuity will 
provide no additional tax savings. It will, however, increase the 
expense of the IRA, while generating fees and commissions for the 
broker or salesperson.\26\
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    \26\ ``Variable Annuities: Beyond the Hard Sell,'' available at 
https://www.finra.org/sites/default/files/InvestorDocument/p125846.pdf. FINRA also has special suitability rules for certain 
investment products, including variable annuities. See FINRA Rule 
2330 (imposing heightened suitability, disclosure, supervision and 
training obligations regarding variable annuities); see also FINRA 
rule 2360 (options) and FINRA rule 2370 (securities futures).

    Other commenters wrote that fixed annuities, particularly indexed 
annuities, should also be subject to the requirements of this Best 
Interest Contract Exemption rather than PTE 84-24. One commenter 
indicated that indexed and variable annuities raise similar issues with 
respect to conflicted compensation, and that different treatment of the 
two would create incentives to sell more indexed annuities subject to 
the less restrictive regulation.
    Other commenters urged that Advisers and Financial Institutions 
should be able to rely on PTE 84-24 for all insurance products, rather 
than bifurcating relief between two exemptions. Commenters emphasized 
the benefit, for compliance purposes, of one exemption for all 
insurance products. These commenters highlighted the importance of 
lifetime income options, and the ways the Department, the Treasury 
Department and the IRS have worked to make annuities more accessible to 
Retirement Investors. They expressed concern that the approach to 
annuity contracts in the proposals could undermine those efforts.
    In this regard, many commenters expressed concern that the 
disclosure requirements proposed in this exemption were inapplicable to 
insurance products and that they would not be able to satisfy the Best 
Interest and other Impartial Conduct Standards, or provide a 
sufficiently broad range of Assets to satisfy the conditions of Section 
IV of this exemption, as proposed. Several raised questions about how 
the proposed definition of ``Financial Institution'' would apply to 
insurance companies. According to these commenters, the conditions 
proposed for this exemption would be so difficult and costly that 
broker-dealers would stop selling variable annuities to certain IRA 
customers and retirement plans rather than comply.
    Both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff and FINRA 
have issued guidance on indexed annuities. In its 2010 Investor Alert, 
``Equity-Indexed Annuities: A Complex Choice,'' FINRA explained the 
need for an Alert, as follows:

    Sales of equity-indexed annuities (EIAs) . . . have grown 
considerably in recent years. Although one insurance company at one 
time included the word `simple' in the name of its product, EIAs are 
anything but easy to understand. One of the most confusing features 
of an EIA is the method used to calculate the gain in the index to 
which the annuity is linked. To make matters worse, there is not 
one, but several different indexing methods. Because of the variety 
and complexity of the methods used to credit interest, investors 
will find it difficult to compare one EIA to another.'' \27\
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    \27\ ``Equity-Indexed Annuities: A Complex Choice'' available at 
https://www.finra.org/investors/alerts/equity-indexed-annuities_a-complex-choice

    FINRA also explained that equity-indexed annuities ``give you more 
risk (but more potential return) than a fixed annuity but less risk 
(and less potential return) than a variable annuity.'' \28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \28\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Similarly, in its 2011 ``Investor Bulletin: Indexed Annuities,'' 
the SEC staff stated ``You can lose money buying an indexed annuity. If 
you need to cancel your annuity early, you may have to pay a 
significant surrender charge and tax penalties. A surrender charge may 
result in a loss of principal, so that

[[Page 21018]]

an investor may receive less than his original purchase payments. Thus, 
even with a specified minimum value from the insurance company, it can 
take several years for an investment in an indexed annuity to `break 
even.' '' \29\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \29\ SEC Office of Investor Education and Advocacy Investor 
Bulletin: Indexed Annuities, available at https://www.sec.gov/investor/alerts/secindexedannuities.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Given the risks and complexities of these investments, the 
Department has determined that indexed annuities are appropriately 
subject to the same protective conditions of the Best Interest Contract 
Exemption that apply to variable annuities. These are complex products 
requiring careful consideration of their terms and risks. Assessing the 
prudence of a particular indexed annuity requires an understanding, 
inter alia, of surrender terms and charges; interest rate caps; the 
particular market index or indexes to which the annuity is linked; the 
scope of any downside risk; associated administrative and other 
charges; the insurer's authority to revise terms and charges over the 
life of the investment; the specific methodology used to compute the 
index-linked interest rate; and any optional benefits that may be 
offered, such as living benefits and death benefits. In operation, the 
index-linked interest rate can be affected by participation rates; 
spread, margin or asset fees; interest rate caps; the particular method 
for determining the change in the relevant index over the annuity's 
period (annual, high water mark, or point-to-point); and the method for 
calculating interest earned during the annuity's term (e.g., simple or 
compounded interest). Investors can all too easily overestimate the 
value of these contracts, misunderstand the linkage between the 
contract value and the index performance, underestimate the costs of 
the contract, and overestimate the scope of their protection from 
downside risk (or wrongly believe they have no risk of loss). As a 
result, Retirement Investors are acutely dependent on sound advice that 
is untainted by the conflicts of interest posed by Advisers' incentives 
to secure the annuity purchase, which can be quite substantial. Both 
categories of annuities, variable and indexed annuities, are 
susceptible to abuse, and Retirement Investors would equally benefit in 
both cases from the protections of this exemption, including the 
conditions that clearly establish the enforceable standards of 
fiduciary conduct and fair dealing as applicable to Advisers and 
Financial Institutions.
    In response to comments, however, the final exemption has been 
revised so that the conditions identified by commenters are less 
burdensome and more readily complied with by all Financial 
Institutions, including insurance companies and distributors of 
insurance products. In particular, the Department has revised the pre-
transaction disclosure so that it does not require a projection of the 
total cost of the recommended investment, which commenters indicated 
would be difficult to provide in the insurance context. The Department 
also did not adopt the proposed data collection requirement, which also 
posed problems for insurance products, according to commenters.
    Further, the Department adjusted the language of the exemption in 
other places and addressed interpretive issues in the preamble to 
address the particular questions and concerns raised by the insurance 
industry. For example, the Department revised the ``reasonable 
compensation'' standard throughout the exemption to address comments 
from the insurance industry regarding the application of the standard 
to insurance transactions. Additionally, guidance is provided further 
in this preamble regarding the treatment of insurers as Financial 
Institutions, within the meaning of the exemption. Finally, the 
Department provided specific guidance in Section IV of the exemption on 
satisfaction of the Best Interest standard by Proprietary Product 
providers.
    The Department notes that many insurance industry commenters 
stressed a desire for one exemption covering all insurance and annuity 
products. The Department agrees that efficient compliance with 
fiduciary norms could be promoted by a common set of requirements, but 
concludes, for the reasons set forth above, that this exemption is best 
suited to address the conflicts of interest associated with variable 
annuities, indexed annuities, and similar investments, rather than the 
less stringent PTE 84-24. Accordingly, the Department has limited the 
availability of PTE 84-24 to ``fixed rate annuity contracts,'' while 
requiring Advisers recommending variable and indexed annuities to rely 
on this Best Interest Contract Exemption, which is broadly available 
for any kind of annuity or asset, subject to its specific conditions. 
In this manner, the final exemption creates a level playing field for 
variable annuities, indexed annuities, and mutual funds under a common 
set of requirements, and avoids creating a regulatory incentive to 
preferentially recommend indexed annuities.
    The Department did, however, leave PTE 84-24 available for 
recommendations involving ``fixed rate annuity contracts.'' The 
Department concluded that this approach in the final exemption and 
final amendment to PTE 84-24 draws the correct lines, applying 
protective conditions to particularly complex annuities while leaving 
in place a somewhat more streamlined exemption that would remain 
applicable to the recommendation of relatively simpler annuity 
products, which promote lifetime income. To illustrate the features of 
these products, the Department prepared a chart comparing fixed rate 
annuities, fixed indexed annuities and variable annuities, which is 
included as Appendix I.
    A few commenters expressed concern that the requirements of this 
exemption, as proposed, would interfere with state insurance regulatory 
programs, which would lead to litigation. Commenters asserted that the 
Department's proposal ignored the role of state insurance regulators in 
providing consumer protections. The Department does not agree with 
these comments. In addition to meeting with and consulting with state 
insurance regulators and the NAIC as part of this project, the 
Department has also reviewed NAIC model laws and regulations and state 
reactions to those models in order to ensure that the requirements of 
this exemption work cohesively with the requirements currently in 
place. For example, in 2010 the NAIC adopted the Suitability in Annuity 
Transactions Model Regulation to establish suitability standards in 
annuity transactions. According to the NAIC, this regulation was 
adopted specifically to establish a framework under which insurance 
companies, not just the agent or broker, are ``responsible for ensuring 
that the annuity transactions are suitable.'' \30\ Much like the 
policies and procedures requirement of this exemption, the NAIC 
requires insurance companies to develop a system of supervision 
designed to achieve compliance with the suitability obligations.\31\ 
This is not to say that the

[[Page 21019]]

requirements of this exemption are identical to those included in 
NAIC's model regulation. However, the Department has crafted the 
exemption so that it will work with, and complement, state insurance 
regulations. In addition, the Department confirms that it is not its 
intent to preempt or supersede state insurance law and enforcement, and 
that state insurance laws remain subject to the ERISA section 
514(b)(2)(A) savings clause.\32\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \30\ NAIC, Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation, 
Executive Summary--https://www.naic.org/documents/committees_a_suitability_reg_guidance.pdf.
    \31\ NAIC Model Regulations, section 6(F)(1) (``An insurer shall 
establish a supervision system that is reasonably designed to 
achieve the insurer's and its insurance producers' compliance with 
this regulations including, but not limited to the following: . . . 
(d) The insurer shall maintain procedures for review of each 
recommendation prior to issuance of an annuity that designed to 
ensure that there is a reasonable basis to determine that a 
recommendation is suitable. . . .'') (2010); NAIC, Suitability in 
Annuity Transactions Model Regulation, Executive Summary,--https://www.naic.org/documents/committees_a_suitability_reg_guidance.pdf. 
Most states--35 states and the District of Columbia--have adopted 
some form of the NAIC's model regulations regarding suitability.
    \32\ A few commenters raised questions about the role of the 
McCarran-Ferguson Act and the Department's authority to regulate 
insurance products. The McCarran-Ferguson Act states that federal 
laws do not preempt state laws to the extent they relate to or are 
enacted for the purpose of regulating the business of insurance; it 
does not, however, prohibit federal regulation of insurance. See 
John Hancock Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Harris Trust & Sav. Bank, 510 
U.S. 86, 97-101 (1993) (holding that ``ERISA leaves room for 
complementary or dual federal or state regulation, and calls for 
federal supremacy when the two regimes cannot be harmonized or 
accommodated''). The Department has designed the exemption to work 
with and complement state insurance laws, not to invalidate, impair, 
or preempt state insurance laws. See BancOklahoma Mortg. Corp. v. 
Capital Title Co., Inc., 194 F.3d 1089 (10th Cir. 1999) (stating 
that McCarran-Ferguson Act bars the application of a federal statute 
only if (1) the federal statute does not specifically relate to the 
business of insurance; (2) a state statute has been enacted for the 
purpose of regulating the business of insurance; and (3) the federal 
statute would invalidate, impair, or supersede the state statute); 
Prescott Architects, Inc. v. Lexington Ins. Co., 638 F. Supp. 2d 
1317 (N.D. Fla. 2009); see also U.S. v. Rhode Island Insurers' 
Insolvency Fund, 80 F.3d 616 (1st Cir. 1996). Specifically, the 
Supreme Court has made it clear that ``the McCarran-Ferguson Act 
does not surrender regulation exclusively to the States so as to 
preclude the applicable of ERISA to an insurer's actions.'' John 
Hancock, 510 U.S. at 98.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Types of Compensation Covered by the Exemption
a. General
    Further addressing the scope of the exemption, a number of 
commenters requested clear confirmation of the types of payments the 
exemption would permit. As the commenters requested, the Department 
confirms that this exemption provides relief for commissions paid 
directly by the plan or IRA, as well as commissions, trailing 
commissions, sales loads, 12b-1 fees, revenue sharing payments, and 
other payments by investment product manufacturers or other third 
parties to Advisers and Financial Institutions. The exemption also 
covers other compensation received by the Adviser, Financial 
Institution or their Affiliates and Related Entities as a result of an 
investment by a plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA, such 
as investment management fees and administrative services fees from an 
investment vehicle in which the plan, participant or beneficiary 
account, or IRA invests, and account type fees earned as a result of 
the Adviser's or Financial Institution's recommendations.
    A few comments suggested that the Department should grant a more 
limited exemption with respect to certain fees, including 12b-1 fees 
and account maintenance fees. One commenter asserted that account 
maintenance fees tend to exceed reasonable compensation and should be 
further constrained by a condition requiring the terms of the 
transaction to be arm's length. The Department has not adopted this 
requirement, but rather has sought to draft conditions, including the 
reasonable compensation conditions, which should be broadly protective, 
without regard to the particular type of payment or business model.
b. Referral Fees Pursuant to Bank Networking Arrangements
    The exemption also provides relief for referral fees received by 
banks and bank employees, pursuant to ``Bank Networking Arrangements.'' 
A Bank Networking Arrangement is defined in Section VIII(c) of the 
exemption as an arrangement for the referral of retail non-deposit 
investment products that satisfies applicable federal banking, 
securities and insurance regulations, under which bank employees refer 
bank customers to an unaffiliated investment adviser registered under 
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or under the laws of the state in 
which the adviser maintains its principal office and place of business, 
insurance company qualified to do business under the laws of a state, 
or broker or dealer registered under the Exchange Act, as amended. The 
exemption provides relief for the receipt of compensation by an Adviser 
who is a bank employee, and a Financial Institution that is a bank or 
similar financial institution supervised by the United States or state, 
or a savings association (as defined in section 3(b)(1) of the Federal 
Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(b)(1)) (a bank), pursuant to a 
Bank Networking Arrangement in connection with their provision of 
investment advice to a Retirement Investor, provided the investment 
advice adheres to the Impartial Conduct Standards set forth in Section 
II(c).
    The exemption's provisions regarding such payments were developed 
in response to a comment from the American Bankers Association (ABA) 
regarding such arrangements. The ABA stated that bank employees are 
permitted to receive a fee for referring bank customers to the bank's 
brokerage unit or unaffiliated third party under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley 
Act (GLBA), and indicated that such referrals could result in 
prohibited transactions if the employees are deemed fiduciaries. The 
ABA requested that the Department clarify in the final Regulation that 
referrals permitted under applicable federal banking and securities 
regulations do not result in fiduciary status in order to avoid 
potential prohibited transaction liability for an activity that is 
expressly permitted under federal banking laws.
    The Department has considered the ABA's comment and has reviewed 
related banking, insurance and securities regulations regarding bank 
referral of retail nondeposit investment products.\33\ It is the 
Department's understanding that bank employees may receive a fee that 
is generally limited to a nominal one-time cash fee of a fixed dollar 
amount for referring bank customers to retail non-deposit investment 
products, which include not only securities products but also insurance 
and investment advice services. Under the exception from federal 
securities laws registration created by GLBA, bank employees must 
perform only clerical or ministerial functions in connection with 
brokerage transactions including scheduling appointments with the 
associated persons of a broker or dealer, except that bank employees 
may forward customer funds or securities and may describe in general 
terms the types of investment vehicles available from the bank and 
broker-dealer under the arrangement.\34\ Bank employees referring a 
customer to a broker-dealer under the exception may not provide 
investment advice concerning securities or make specific securities 
recommendations to the customer under OCC guidance.\35\

[[Page 21020]]

Similar compensation restrictions exist with respect to bank employees' 
referrals regarding insurance products \36\ and investment 
advisers.\37\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \33\ See Interagency Statement on Retail Sales of Nondeposit 
Investment Products (Feb. 1994); 15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(4)(B) (Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 exception from the term ``broker'' for certain 
bank activities); Regulation R, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 
34-56501 (September 24, 2007), 72 FR 56514 (Oct. 3, 2007), 
www.sec.gov/rules/final/2007/34-56501.pdf and Securities Exchange 
Act Release No. 34-56502 (Sept. 24, 2007) 72 FR 56562 (Oct. 3, 
2007), www.sec.gov/rule/final/2007/34-56502.pdf; 12 CFR parts 14, 
208, 343 and 536 (Consumer Protection in Sales of Insurance); OCC 
Comptroller's Handbook, Retail Nondeposit Investment Products 
(January 2015); Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ``Uninsured 
Investment Products: A Pocket Guide for Financial Institutions,'' 
available at: https://www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/financial/.
    \34\ 15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(4)(B)(i)(I)-(V).
    \35\ See Federal Reserve Board and Securities Exchange 
Commission Release, Definitions of Terms and Exemptions Relating to 
the ``Broker'' Exceptions for Banks, 72 FR 56514 (Oct. 3, 2007); see 
also OCC Comptroller's Handbook, Retail Nondeposit Investment 
Products (January 2015).
    \36\ See 12 CFR parts 14, 208, 343 and 536 (Consumer Protection 
in Sales of Insurance).
    \37\ See OCC Comptroller's Handbook, Retail Nondeposit 
Investment Products (``While the provision of financial planning 
services and investment advice to bank customers is not a sale of an 
RNDIP, the OCC treats these services as if they were the sale of 
RNDIPs if provided to bank customers outside of a bank's trust 
department. Therefore, if a bank chooses to provide financial 
planning or investment advice through an RIA or other provider, in 
order to provide a high level of customer protection, the bank 
should meet all of the risk management standards contained in the 
Interagency Statement [on Retail Sales of Nondeposit Investment 
Products] and third-party relationship guidance contained in OCC 
Bulletin 2013-29, `Third-Party Relationships: Risk Management 
Guidance.' '') (citing OCC Interpretive Letter #850, January 27, 
1999).
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    Because of the limitations on the activities of bank employees in 
making referrals, the Department believes in most cases such referrals 
will not constitute fiduciary investment advice because they will not 
constitute a ``recommendation'' within the meaning of the Regulation or 
because they will not involve a covered recommendation to hire a non-
affiliated third party. However, to the extent banks do not choose to 
structure their operations to avoid providing fiduciary investment 
advice, the Department concurs with commenters that relief for bank 
referral compensation is appropriate as long as the arrangement 
satisfies applicable banking, securities and insurance regulations and 
the advice is provided in accordance with the Impartial Conduct 
Standards. In general, the Department is of the view that the existing 
regulatory structure governing referrals of retail nondeposit 
investment products provides significant protections to Retirement 
Investors.
    However, should banks choose to provide investment advice within 
the meaning of the Regulation, the exemption requires that the advice 
satisfy the core fiduciary standards required under this exemption for 
conflicted investment advice--they must give prudent advice that is in 
the customer's best interest, avoid misleading statements, and receive 
no more than reasonable compensation.\38\
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    \38\ National banks are currently expected to implement an 
effective initial due diligence process when selecting a third party 
for the bank's networking sales programs, as well as adopt an 
effective ongoing due diligence process to monitor the third party's 
activities, which may include requiring the third party to provide 
various reports and provide access to the third party's sales 
program records. See OCC Comptroller's Handbook, Retail Nondeposit 
Investment Products; OCC Bulletin 2013-29. In addition, a bank's 
management is responsible for overseeing its vendors regardless of 
whether they are operating on or off-site. Typical oversight would 
include reviewing: (1) The types and volume of products being sold; 
(2) the number of opened and closed accounts; (3) new products being 
offered; (4) discontinued products; and (5) customer complaints and 
their resolution. See Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 
``Uninsured Investment Products: A Pocket Guide for Financial 
Institutions,'' available at: https://www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/financial/.
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B. Conditions of the Exemption

    Section I, discussed above, establishes the scope of relief 
provided by this Best Interest Contract Exemption. Sections II-V of the 
exemption set forth the conditions applicable to the exemption 
described in Section I. All applicable conditions must be satisfied in 
order to avoid application of the specified prohibited transaction 
provisions of ERISA and the Code. The Department finds that, subject to 
these conditions, the exemption is administratively feasible, in the 
interests of plans and of their participants and beneficiaries, and IRA 
owners and protective of the rights of the participants and 
beneficiaries of such plans and IRA owners. Under ERISA section 408(a), 
and Code section 4975(c)(2), the Secretary may not grant an exemption 
without making such findings. The conditions of the exemption, comments 
on those conditions, and the Department's responses, are described 
below.
1. Enforceable Right to Best Interest Advice (Section II)
    Section II of the exemption sets forth the requirements that 
establish the Retirement Investor's enforceable right to adherence to 
the Impartial Conduct Standards and related conditions. For advice to 
certain Retirement Investors--specifically, advice regarding 
investments in IRAs, and plans that are not covered by Title I of ERISA 
(``non-ERISA plans''), such as Keogh plans--Section II(a) requires the 
Financial Institution and Retirement Investor to enter into a written 
contract that includes the provisions described in Section II(b)-(d) of 
the exemption and that also does not include any of the ineligible 
provisions described in Section II(f) of the exemption. Financial 
Institutions additionally must provide the disclosures set forth in 
Section II(e). As discussed further below, pursuant to Section II(g) of 
the exemption, advice to Retirement Investors regarding ERISA plans 
does not have to be subject to a written contract, but Advisers and 
Financial Institutions must comply with the substantive standards 
established in Section II(b)-(e) to avoid liability for a non-exempt 
prohibited transaction. Likewise, in Section II(h), Level Fee 
Fiduciaries do not have to provide a contract but must provide the 
written fiduciary acknowledgment, satisfy the Impartial Conducts and 
document the specific reasons for a recommendation of the level fee 
arrangement.
    The contract with Retirement Investors regarding IRAs and non-ERISA 
plans must include the Financial Institution's acknowledgment of its 
fiduciary status and that of its Advisers, as required by Section 
II(b); the Financial Institution's agreement that it and its Advisers 
will adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards, including a Best 
Interest standard, as required by Section II(c); the Financial 
Institution's warranty that it has adopted and will comply with anti-
conflict policies and procedures reasonably and prudently designed to 
ensure that Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct standards, as 
required by Section II(d); and the Financial Institution's disclosure 
of information about its services and applicable fees and compensation, 
as required by Section II(e). Section II(f) generally provides that the 
exemption is unavailable if the contract includes exculpatory 
provisions or provisions waiving the rights and remedies of the plan, 
IRA or Retirement Investor, including their right to participate in a 
class action in court. The contract may, however, provide for binding 
arbitration of individual claims, and may waive contractual rights to 
punitive damages or rescission.
    Of course, Advisers and Financial Institutions are not required to 
enter into the contract contemplated by this exemption in order to 
provide investment advice to these Retirement Investors. Advisers and 
Financial Institutions may always provide advice and receive 
compensation without the contract requirement if they work with IRAs 
and non-ERISA plans under circumstances that do not give rise to a 
prohibited transaction. The contract is required so that Advisers and 
Financial Institutions can receive the types of compensation as a 
result of their advice, such as commissions, that are otherwise 
prohibited by ERISA and the Code due to the significant conflicts of 
interest they create. To appropriately offset these conflicts, the 
Department has determined that the enforceable right to adherence to 
the Impartial Conduct Standards is a critical safeguard with respect to 
investments in IRAs and non-ERISA plans.
    The contract between the IRA or non-ERISA plan, and the Financial 
Institution, forms the basis of the IRA's or non-ERISA plan's 
enforcement rights. The Department intends that all the contractual 
obligations imposed on the

[[Page 21021]]

Financial Institution (the Impartial Conduct Standards and warranties) 
will be actionable by the IRAs and non-ERISA plans. Because these 
standards are contractually imposed, an IRA or non-ERISA plan has a 
contract claim if, for example, its Adviser recommends an investment 
product that is not in the Best Interest of the IRA or other non-ERISA 
plan.
    In the Department's view, these contractual rights serve a critical 
function for IRA owners and participants and beneficiaries of non-ERISA 
plans. Unlike participants and beneficiaries in plans covered by Title 
I of ERISA, IRA owners and participants and beneficiaries in non-ERISA 
plans do not have an independent statutory right to bring suit against 
fiduciaries for violation of the prohibited transaction rules. Nor can 
the Secretary of Labor bring suit to enforce the prohibited 
transactions rules on their behalf.\39\ Thus, for investors in IRAs and 
plans not covered by Title I of ERISA, the contractual requirement 
creates a mechanism for investors to enforce their rights and ensures 
that they will have a remedy for misconduct. In this way, the exemption 
creates a powerful incentive for Financial Institutions and Advisers 
alike to oversee and adhere to basic fiduciary standards, without 
requiring the imposition of unduly rigid and prescriptive rules and 
conditions.
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    \39\ An excise tax does apply in the case of a violation of the 
prohibited transaction provisions of the Code, generally equal to 
15% of the amount involved. The excise tax is generally self-
enforced; requiring parties not only to realize that they've engaged 
in a prohibited transaction but also to report it and pay the tax. 
Parties who have participated in a prohibited transaction for which 
an exemption is not available must pay the excise tax and file Form 
5330 with the Internal Revenue Service.
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    Under Section II(g), however, the written contract requirement does 
not apply to advice to Retirement Investors regarding investments in 
plans that are covered by Title I of ERISA (``ERISA plans'') in light 
of the existing statutory framework which provides a pre-existing 
enforcement mechanism for these investors and the Department. Instead, 
Advisers and Financial Institutions must simply satisfy the provisions 
in Section II(b)-(e) as conditions of the exemption when transacting 
with such Retirement Investors. Under the terms of the exemption, the 
Financial Institution must provide an acknowledgment of its and its 
Advisers fiduciary status, although it does not have to be part of a 
contract, as required by Section II(b); the Financial Institution and 
its Advisers must comply with the Impartial Conduct Standards, as 
required by Section II(c); the Financial Institutions must establish 
and comply with anti-conflict policies and procedures, as required by 
Section II(d); and they must provide the disclosures required by 
Section II(e).
    If these conditions are not satisfied with respect to an ERISA plan 
in a transaction in which an Adviser or Financial Institution received 
prohibited compensation, the Adviser and Financial Institution would be 
unable to rely on the exemption for relief from ERISA's prohibited 
transactions restrictions. An Adviser's failure to comply with the 
exemption would result in a non-exempt prohibited transaction under 
ERISA section 406 and would likely constitute a fiduciary breach under 
ERISA section 404. As a result, a plan, plan participant or beneficiary 
would be able to sue under ERISA section 502(a)(2) or (3) to recover 
any loss in value to the plan (including the loss in value to an 
individual account), or to obtain disgorgement of any wrongful profits 
or unjust enrichment. In addition, the Secretary of Labor can enforce 
ERISA's prohibited transaction and fiduciary duty provisions with 
respect to these ERISA plans, and an excise tax under the Code, as 
described above, applies.
    In this regard, under Section II(g)(5) of the exemption, the 
Financial Institution and Adviser may not rely on the exemption if, in 
any contract, instrument, or communication they purport to disclaim any 
responsibility or liability for any responsibility, obligation, or duty 
under Title I of ERISA to the extent the disclaimer would be prohibited 
by ERISA section 410, waive or qualify the right of the Retirement 
Investor to bring or participate in a class action or other 
representative action in court in a dispute with the Adviser or 
Financial Institution, or require arbitration or mediation of 
individual claims in locations that are distant or that otherwise 
unreasonably limit the ability of the Retirement Investors to assert 
the claims safeguarded by this exemption. The exemption's 
enforceability, and the potential for liability, are critical to 
ensuring adherence to the exemption's stringent standards and 
protections, notwithstanding the competing pull of the conflicts of 
interest associated with the covered compensation structures.
    The Department expects claims of Retirement Investors regarding 
investments in ERISA plans to be brought under ERISA's enforcement 
provisions, discussed above. In general, Section 410 of ERISA 
invalidates instruments purporting to relieve a fiduciary from 
responsibility or liability for any responsibility, obligation, or duty 
under ERISA. Accordingly, provisions purporting to waive fiduciary 
obligations under ERISA serve only to mislead Retirement Investors 
about the scope of their rights. Additionally, the legislative intent 
of ERISA was, in part, to provide for ``ready access to federal 
courts.'' Accordingly, any recommended transaction covered by a 
contract or other instrument that waives or qualifies the right of the 
Retirement Investor to bring or participate in a class action or other 
representative action in court will not be eligible for relief under 
this exemption.
    A number of comments were received on the contract requirement as 
it was proposed. The comments, and the Department's responses, are 
discussed below.
a. Contract Requirement Applicable to IRAs and Non-ERISA Plans
    A number of commenters took the position that the consumer 
protections afforded by the contract requirement are an essential 
feature of the exemption, particularly in the IRA market. Commenters 
indicated that enforceability is critical in the IRA market because of 
IRA owners' lack of a statutory right to enforce prohibited 
transactions provisions. Commenters said that, in order to achieve the 
goal of providing meaningful new protections to Retirement Investors, 
the exemption must provide a mechanism by which Advisers and Financial 
Institutions can be held legally accountable for the retirement 
recommendations they make. More than one commenter specifically stated 
that due to the broad relief provided in the exemption, the contract 
requirement is necessary for the Department to make the required 
findings under ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c)(2) that 
the exemption is in the interests of and protective of Retirement 
Investors.
    Many other commenters, however, raised significant objections to 
the contract requirement. Commenters pointed to certain conditions of 
the exemption that they found ambiguous or subjective and indicated 
that these conditions could form the basis of class action lawsuits by 
disappointed investors. Some commenters said the contract requirement 
and associated litigation exposure would cause investment advice 
providers to stop serving Retirement Investors or provide only fee-
based accounts that do not vary on the basis of the advice provided, 
resulting in the loss of services to Retirement Investors with smaller 
account balances. These commenters stated that investment advice 
fiduciaries

[[Page 21022]]

would not risk the anticipated legal liability for Retirement 
Investors, particularly with respect to small accounts.
    In the final exemption, the Department retained the contract 
requirement with respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans. The contractual 
commitment provides an administrable means of ensuring fiduciary 
conduct, eliminating ambiguity about the fiduciary nature of the 
relationship, and enforcing the exemption's conditions, thereby 
assuring compliance. The existence of enforceable rights and remedies 
gives Financial Institutions and Advisers a powerful incentive to 
comply with the exemption's standards, implement effective anti-
conflict policies and procedures, and carefully police conflicts of 
interest. The enforceable contract gives clarity to the fiduciary 
nature of the undertaking, and ensures that Advisers and Financial 
Institutions do not subordinate the interests of the Retirement 
Investor to their own competing financial interests. The contract 
effectively aligns the interests of Retirement Investor, Advisers, and 
the Financial Institution, and gives the Retirement Investor the means 
to redress injury when violations occur.
    Without a contract, the possible imposition of an excise tax 
provides an additional, but inadequate, incentive to ensure compliance 
with the exemption's standards-based approach. This is particularly 
true because imposition of the excise tax critically depends on 
fiduciaries' self-reporting of violations, rather than independent 
investigations and litigation by the IRS. In contrast, contract 
enforcement does not rely on conflicted fiduciaries' assessment of 
their own adherence to fiduciary norms or require the creation and 
expansion of a government enforcement apparatus. The contract provides 
an administrable way of ensuring adherence to fiduciary standards, 
broadly applicable to an enormous range of investments and advice 
relationships.
    The enforceability of the exemption's provisions enables the 
Department to grant exemptive relief based upon broad protective 
standards, applicable to a wide range of investments and compensation 
structures, rather than rely exclusively upon highly prescriptive 
conditions applicable only to tightly-specified investments and 
compensation structures. In the context of this exemption, the risk of 
litigation and enforcement serves many of the same functions that it 
has for hundreds of years under the law of trust and agency. It gives 
fiduciaries a powerful incentive to adhere to broad, flexible, and 
protective standards applicable to an enormous range of transactions by 
imposing liability and providing a remedy when fiduciaries fail to 
comply with those standards.
    In addition, a number of features of this final exemption, 
discussed more fully below, should temper concerns about the risk of 
excessive litigation. In particular, the exemption permits Advisers and 
Financial Institutions to require mandatory arbitration of individual 
claims, so that claims that do not involve systemic abuse or entire 
classes of participants can be resolved outside of court. Similarly, 
the exemption permits waivers of the right to obtain punitive damages 
or rescission based on violation of the contract. In the Department's 
view, make-whole compensatory relief is sufficient to incentivize 
compliance and redress injury caused by fiduciary misconduct.
    The Department has also clarified a number of the exemption's 
conditions and simplified the disclosure and compliance obligations to 
facilitate adherence to the exemption's terms. The core principles of 
the exemption are well-established under trust law, ERISA and the Code, 
and have a long history of interpretations in court. Moreover, the 
Impartial Conduct standards are measured based on the circumstances 
existing at the time of the recommendation, not based on the ultimate 
performance of the investment with the benefit of hindsight. It is well 
settled as a legal matter that fiduciary advisers are not guarantors of 
the success of investments under ERISA or the Code, and this exemption 
does nothing to change that fact. Finally, the Department added several 
provisions enabling Advisers and Financial Institutions to correct good 
faith errors in disclosure, without facing loss of the exemption. These 
factors should ease commenters' concerns about loss of services to 
Retirement Investors with smaller account balances.\40\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \40\ See Regulatory Impact Analysis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    One commenter asked the Department to address the interaction of 
the contract cause of action and state securities laws. In this 
connection, the Department confirms that it is not its intent to 
preempt or supersede state securities law and enforcement, and that 
state securities laws remain subject to the ERISA section 514(b)(2)(A) 
savings clause.
b. No Contract Requirement Applicable to ERISA Plans
    Under Section II(g) of the exemption, there is no contract 
requirement for transactions involving ERISA plans, but Financial 
Institutions and their Advisers must satisfy the conditions of Section 
II(b)-(e), including the conditions requiring written fiduciary 
acknowledgment, adherence to Impartial Conduct Standards, anti-conflict 
policies and procedures, and disclosures. Likewise, in Section II(h), 
Level Fee Fiduciaries do not have to enter into a contract but must 
provide the written fiduciary acknowledgment, adhere to the Impartial 
Conduct Standards and document the specific reason or reasons for a 
recommendation to enter into the level fee arrangement.
    The Department eliminated the proposed contract requirement with 
respect to ERISA plans in this final exemption in response to public 
comment on this issue. A number of commenters indicated that the 
contract requirement was unnecessary for ERISA plans due to the 
statutory framework that already provides enforcement rights to such 
plans, their participants and beneficiaries, and the Secretary of 
Labor. Some commenters additionally questioned the extent to which the 
contract provided additional rights or remedies, and whether state-law 
contract claims would be pre-empted under ERISA's pre-emption 
provisions.
    In the Department's view, the requirement that a Financial 
Institution provide written acknowledgement of fiduciary status for 
itself and its Advisers provides protections in the ERISA plan context 
that are comparable to the contract requirement for IRAs and non-ERISA 
plans. As a result of the written acknowledgment of fiduciary status, 
the fiduciary nature of the relationship will be clear to the parties 
both at the time of the investment transaction, and in the event of 
subsequent disputes over the conduct of the Advisers or Financial 
Institutions. There will be far less cause for the parties to litigate 
disputes over fiduciary status, as opposed to the substance of the 
fiduciaries' recommendations and conduct.
2. Contract Operational Issues--Section II(a)
    Section II(a) specifies the mechanics of entering into the contract 
and provides that the contract must be enforceable against the 
Financial Institution. In addition, the section provides that the 
contract may be a master contract covering multiple recommendations, 
and that it may cover advice rendered prior to execution of the 
contract as long as the contract is entered into prior to or at the 
same time as the execution of the recommended transaction.

[[Page 21023]]

    Section II(a)(1) further describes the methods for obtaining 
customer assent to the contract. For ``new contracts,'' the Retirement 
Investor's assent must be demonstrated through a written or electronic 
signature. The exemption provides flexibility by permitting the 
contract terms to be set forth in a standalone document or in an 
investment advisory agreement, investment program agreement, account 
opening agreement, insurance or annuity contract or application, or 
similar document, or amendment thereto.
    For Retirement Investors with ``existing contracts,'' the exemption 
permits assent to be evidenced either by affirmative consent, as 
described above, or by a negative consent procedure. Under the negative 
consent procedure, the Financial Institution delivers a proposed 
contract amendment along with the disclosure required in Section II(e) 
to the Retirement Investor prior to January 1, 2018, and if the 
Retirement Investor does not terminate the amended contract within 30 
days, the amended contract is effective. If the Retirement Investor 
does terminate the contract within that 30-day period, this exemption 
will provide relief for 14 days after the date on which the termination 
is received by the Financial Institution. In that event, the Retirement 
Investor's account generally should be able to fall within the 
provisions of Section VII for pre-existing transactions. An existing 
contract is defined in the exemption as ``an investment advisory 
agreement, investment program agreement, account opening agreement, 
insurance contract, annuity contract, or similar agreement or contract 
that was executed before the Applicability Date and remains in 
effect.'' If the Financial Institution elects to use the negative 
consent procedure, it may deliver the proposed amendment by mail or 
electronically, but it may not impose any new contractual obligations, 
restrictions, or liabilities on the Retirement Investor by negative 
consent.
    The final exemption additionally provides a method of complying 
with the exemption in the event that the Retirement Investor does not 
open an account with the Adviser but nevertheless acts on the advice 
through other channels. In some circumstances, Retirement Investors 
could receive fee-generating advice, fail to open an account with the 
particular Adviser or Financial Institution, and nevertheless follow 
the advice in a way that generates additional compensation for the 
Financial Institution or an Affiliate or Related Entity. Commenters 
expressed concern that this could result in a prohibited transaction 
for which there was no relief because the Financial Institution would 
have been unable to execute the required contract with the Retirement 
Investor. Generally, commenters raised the issue in the context of 
mutual funds. For example, an Adviser affiliated with the mutual fund 
could recommend investment in that fund, which the Retirement Investor 
followed by executing the transaction through a separate institution 
unaffiliated with the mutual fund.
    To address this concern, Section II(a)(1)(iii) provides conditions 
under which the exemption will continue to be available notwithstanding 
the Financial Institution's failure to affirmatively enter into a 
contract with a Retirement Investor who does not have an existing 
contract. These conditions are designed to ensure that the Financial 
Institution does not use Section II(a)(1)(iii) to evade the contract 
requirement. First, the individual Adviser making the recommendation 
may not receive compensation, directly or indirectly, as a result of 
the recommendation or the Retirement Investor's investment transaction. 
This means that the individual Adviser may not receive transaction-
specific compensation, such as a commission or 12b-1 fee, that is tied 
to the particular Retirement Investor's investment. Second, the 
Financial Institution's policies and procedures must prohibit the 
Financial Institution and its Affiliates and Related Entities from 
providing compensation to the Adviser, in this circumstance, in lieu of 
compensation that is reasonably attributable to the Retirement 
Investor's investment transaction, including, but not limited to 
bonuses or prizes or other incentives, and the Financial Institution 
has to reasonably monitor such policies and procedures. Thus, the 
Financial Institution may not compensate Advisers, directly or 
indirectly, for providing advice as part of a scheme to avoid the 
contract requirement with respect to Retirement Investors. Third, the 
Adviser and Financial Institution must comply with the Impartial 
Conduct Standards set forth in Section II(c), the policies and 
procedures requirements of Section II(d) (except for the requirement of 
a warranty with respect to those policies procedures), the web 
disclosure requirements of Section III(b) and, as applicable, the 
conditions of Section IV(b)(3)-(6) (Conditions for Advisers and 
Financial Institution that restrict recommendations, in whole or part, 
to Proprietary Products or to investments that generate Third Party 
Payments) with respect to the recommendation. Finally, the Financial 
Institution's failure to enter into the contract must not be part of an 
effort, attempt, agreement, arrangement or understanding designed by 
the Adviser or the Financial Institution to avoid compliance with the 
exemption or enforcement of its conditions, including the contractual 
conditions set forth in subsections (i) and (ii). This provision of the 
exemption is intended for the narrow circumstances in which an Adviser 
and Financial Institution provide advice that comports with the 
conditions of the exemption but, due to circumstances generally outside 
of their control, the Financial Institution did not have the 
opportunity to enter into a contract with the Retirement Investor.
    Finally, Section II(a)(2) of the exemption requires the Financial 
Institution to provide an electronic copy of the Retirement Investor's 
contract on its Web site that is accessible by the Retirement Investor. 
The condition ensures that the Retirement Investor has ready access to 
the terms of the contract, and reinforces the exemption's goals of 
clearly establishing the fiduciary status of the Adviser and Financial 
Institution and ensuring their adherence to the exemption's conditions.
    Comments on specific contract operational issues are discussed 
below.
a. Contract Timing
    As proposed, Section II(a) required that, ``[p]rior to recommending 
that the plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA purchase, 
sell or hold the Asset, the Adviser and Financial Institution enter 
into a written contract with the Retirement Investor that incorporates 
the terms required by Section II(b)-(e).'' A large number of commenters 
responded to various aspects of this proposed requirement.
    Many commenters objected to the timing of the contract requirement. 
They said that requiring execution of a contract ``prior to'' any 
recommendations would be contrary to existing industry practices. The 
commenters indicated that preliminary discussions may evolve into 
recommendations before a Retirement Investor has decided to work with a 
particular Adviser and Financial Institution. Requiring a contract 
upfront could chill such preliminary discussions, unduly complicate the 
relationship between the Adviser and the Retirement Investor, and 
interfere with an investor's ability to shop around. Many commenters 
suggested that it would be better to time the requirement so that the 
contract would

[[Page 21024]]

have to be entered into prior to the execution of the actual investment 
transaction, or even later, rather than before any advice was rendered. 
While some other commenters supported the proposed timing, noting the 
benefit of allowing Retirement Investors the chance to carefully review 
the contract prior to engaging in transactions, several commenters that 
strongly supported the contract requirement agreed that the timing 
could be adjusted without loss of protection to the Retirement 
Investor.
    In the Department's view, the precise timing of the contract is not 
critical to the exemption, provided that the parties enter into a 
contract covering the advice (subject to the narrow exception above). 
The Department did not intend to chill developing advice relationships 
or limit investors' ability to shop around. Therefore, the Department 
adjusted the exemption on this point by deleting the proposed 
requirement that the contract be entered into prior to the advice 
recommendation. Instead, the exemption generally provides that the 
advice must be subject to an enforceable written contract entered into 
prior to or at the same time as the execution of the recommended 
transaction. However, in order for the exemption to be available to 
recommendations made prior to the contract's formation, the contract's 
terms must cover the prior recommendations.
    A few commenters suggested that the Department require the contract 
to be a separate document, not combined with any other document. 
However, other commenters requested that the Department allow Financial 
Institutions to incorporate the contract terms into other account 
documents. While the Department believes the contract is critical to 
IRA and non-ERISA plan investors, the Department recognizes the need 
for flexibility in its implementation. Therefore, the exemption 
contemplates that the contract may be incorporated into other documents 
to the extent desired by the Financial Institution. Additionally, as 
requested by commenters, the Department confirms that the contract 
requirement may be satisfied through a master contract covering 
multiple recommendations and does not require execution prior to each 
additional recommendation.
b. Contract Parties
    A number of commenters also questioned the necessity of the 
proposed requirement that Advisers be parties to the contract. These 
commenters indicated that the proposed requirement posed significant 
logistical challenges. For example, commenters stated that Advisers 
often work in teams and it would be difficult to obtain signatures from 
all such Advisers. Similarly, if call center representatives made 
recommendations, it could be hard to cover them under a contract. Over 
the course of a Retirement Investor's relationship with a Financial 
Institution, he or she could receive advice from a number of persons 
concerning a wide variety of transactions. Requiring that each such 
person execute a contract could prove difficult and unwieldy.
    Based upon these objections, the Department has deleted the 
requirement that individual Advisers be parties to the contract. The 
Financial Institution must be a party to the contract and assume 
responsibility for advice provided by any of its Advisers. Such 
Advisers include call center representatives who provide investment 
advice within the meaning of the Regulation.
    Several commenters asked about the circumstance in which two 
entities could satisfy the definition of Financial Institution with 
respect to the same Adviser and same transaction. This largely came up 
in the context of an insurance product that is offered by an insurance 
company but sold by a representative of a broker-dealer. Commenters 
asked whether multiple Financial Institutions would be required to be 
parties to the contract.
    In response, the Department notes that there must always be a 
Financial Institution, as defined in the exemption, that is a party to 
the contract. That Financial Institution must take responsibility for 
satisfying the exemption's conditions, including the obligation to have 
policies and procedures reasonably and prudently designed to ensure 
that individual Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards, and 
the obligation to insulate the Adviser from incentives to violate the 
Best Interest Standard.\41\ If these conditions are not satisfied, the 
Adviser and Financial Institution are liable for a non-exempt 
prohibited transaction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \41\ See Section II(c)(1), setting forth the Best Interest 
standard, which specifically indicates that the interests of 
Affiliates, Related Entities and other parties may not be considered 
by the Adviser in making a recommendation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some commenters suggested that the Department provide additional 
flexibility and allow the individual Adviser to be obligated under the 
contract instead of the Financial Institution. The Department has not 
adopted that suggestion. To ensure operation of the exemption as 
intended, the Financial Institution should be a party to the contract. 
The supervisory responsibility and liability of the Financial 
Institution is important to the exemption's protections. In particular, 
the exemption contemplates that the Financial Institution will adopt 
and monitor stringent anti-conflict policies and procedures; avoid 
financial incentives that undermine Advisers' compliance with the 
Impartial Conduct standards; and take appropriate measures to ensure 
that it and its representatives adhere to the exemption's conditions. 
The contract provides both a mechanism for imposing these obligations 
on the Financial Institution and creates a powerful incentive for the 
Financial Institution to take the obligations seriously in the 
management and supervision of investment recommendations.
c. Contract Signatures
    Section II(a) of the exemption provides that the contract must be 
enforceable against the Financial Institution. As long as that is the 
case, the Financial Institution is not required to sign the contract. 
Section II(a) of the exemption further describes the methods through 
which customer assent may be achieved, and reflects commenters' 
requests for greater specificity on this point.
    With respect to new contracts, a few commenters asked the 
Department to confirm that electronic execution by the Retirement 
Investor is sufficient. Another commenter asked about telephone assent. 
In the final exemption, the Department specifically permits electronic 
execution as a form of customer assent. The Department has not 
permitted telephone assent, however, because of the potential issues of 
proof regarding the existence and terms of a contract executed in that 
manner. It is the Department's goal that Retirement Investors obtain 
clear evidence of the contract terms and their applicability to the 
Retirement Investor's own account or contract. The exemption will best 
serve its purpose if the contractual commitments are clear to all the 
parties, and if ancillary disputes about the fiduciary nature of the 
advice relationship are avoided. For this same reason, the exemption 
requires that a copy of the applicable contract be maintained on a Web 
site accessible to the investor.
    Commenters also asked for the ability to use a negative consent 
procedure with respect to existing customers to avoid the expense and 
difficulty associated with obtaining a large number of client 
signatures. The Department adjusted the exemption on

[[Page 21025]]

this point to permit amendment of existing contracts by negative 
consent. The negative consent procedure involves delivery of an amended 
contract to the Retirement Investor with clear notice that the 
Retirement Investor's failure to terminate the relationship within 30 
days constitutes assent. As this approach will still result in the 
Retirement Investor receiving clear evidence of the contract terms and 
their applicability to the Retirement Investor's own account or 
contract, the Department concurred with commenters on its use.
    Treating the Retirement Investor's silence as consent after 30 days 
provides the Retirement Investor a reasonable opportunity to review the 
new terms and to reject them. The Financial Institution may not use the 
negative consent procedure, however, to impose new obligations, 
restrictions or liabilities on the Retirement Investor in connection 
with the Best Interest Contract. Any attempt by the Financial 
Institution to impose additional obligations, restrictions, or 
liabilities on the Retirement Investor must receive affirmative consent 
from the Retirement Investor, and cannot violate Section II(f).
    A number of commenters also asked that the exemption authorize 
Financial Institutions to satisfy the contract requirement for all 
Retirement Investors--including new customers after the Applicability 
Date--through unilateral contracts or implied or negative consent. Some 
commenters suggested that the Department should not require a contract 
at all, but only a ``customer bill of rights'' or similar disclosure, 
without any additional signature requirement. Some commenters suggested 
that the requirement of obtaining signatures could delay execution of 
time sensitive investment strategies.
    Although the final exemption accommodates a wide variety of 
concerns regarding contract operational issues, the Department did not 
adopt the alternative approaches suggested by some commenters, such as 
merely requiring delivery of a customer bill of rights, broader 
reliance on a unilateral contract approach, or increased reliance on 
negative consent. The Department intends that Retirement Investors that 
are new customers of the Financial Institution should enter into an 
enforceable contract under Section II(a)(1)(i). Consistent with the 
Department's goal that Retirement Investors obtain clear evidence of 
the contract terms and their applicability to the Retirement Investor's 
own account or contract, the exemption limits the negative consent 
option to existing customers as a form of transitional relief, so that 
Financial Institutions can avoid the burdens associated with obtaining 
signatures from a large number of already-existing customers.
    Apart from this transitional relief, the Department does not 
believe it is appropriate to dispense with the clarity, enforceability 
and legal protections associated with an affirmative contract. 
Contracts are commonplace in a wide range of commercial transactions 
occurring in person, on the web, and elsewhere. The Department has 
facilitated the process by providing that Financial Institutions can 
incorporate the contract terms into commonplace account opening or 
similar documents that they already use; by permitting electronic 
signatures; and by revising the timing rules, so that the contract's 
execution can follow the provision of advice, as long as it precedes or 
occurs at the same time as the execution of the recommended 
transaction.
3. Fiduciary Acknowledgment--Section II(b)
    Section II(b) of the exemption requires the Financial Institution 
to affirmatively state in writing that it and its Adviser(s) act as 
fiduciaries under ERISA or the Code, or both, with respect to the 
investment advice subject to the contract or, in the case of an ERISA 
plan, with respect to any investment advice regarding the plan or 
beneficiary or participant account.
    With respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans, if this acknowledgment of 
fiduciary status does not appear in a contract with a Retirement 
Investor, the exemption is not satisfied with respect to transactions 
involving that Retirement Investor. With respect to ERISA plans, this 
acknowledgment must be provided to the Retirement Investor prior to or 
at the same time as the execution of the recommended transaction, but 
not as part of a contract. This fiduciary acknowledgment is critical to 
ensuring clarity and certainty with respect to the fiduciary status of 
both the Adviser and Financial Institution under ERISA and the Code 
with respect to that advice.
    The fiduciary acknowledgment provision received significant support 
from some commenters. Commenters described it as a necessary protection 
and noted that it would clarify the obligations of the Adviser. One 
commenter said that facilitating proof of fiduciary status should 
enhance investors' ability to obtain a remedy for Adviser misconduct in 
arbitration by eliminating ancillary litigation over fiduciary status. 
Rather than litigate over fiduciary status, the fiduciary 
acknowledgment would help ensure that such proceedings focused on the 
Advisers' compliance with fundamental fiduciary norms.
    Some commenters opposed the fiduciary acknowledgment requirement in 
the proposal, as applicable to Financial Institution, on the basis that 
it could force Financial Institutions to take on fiduciary 
responsibilities, even if they would not otherwise be functional 
fiduciaries under ERISA or the Code. The commenters pointed out that, 
under the proposed Regulation, the acknowledgment of fiduciary status 
would have been a factor in imposing fiduciary status on a party. 
Therefore, Financial Institutions could become fiduciaries by virtue of 
the fiduciary acknowledgment. To address these concerns, a few 
commenters suggested language under which a Financial Institution would 
only be considered a fiduciary to the extent that it is ``an affiliate 
of the Adviser within the meaning of 29 CFR 2510.3-21(f)(7) that, with 
the Adviser, functions as a fiduciary.''
    The Department has not adjusted the exemption as these commenters 
requested. The exemption requires as a condition of relief that a 
sponsoring Financial Institution accept fiduciary responsibility for 
the recommendations of its Adviser(s). The Financial Institution's role 
in supervising individual Advisers and overseeing their adherence to 
the Impartial Conduct Standards is a key safeguard of the exemption. 
The exemption's success critically depends on the Financial 
Institution's careful implementation of anti-conflict policies and 
procedures, avoidance of Adviser incentives to violate the Impartial 
Conduct Standards, and broad oversight of Advisers. Accordingly, 
Financial Institutions that wish to receive compensation streams that 
would otherwise be prohibited under ERISA and the Code must agree to 
take on these responsibilities as a condition of relief under the 
exemption. To the extent Financial Institutions do not wish to take on 
this role with its associated responsibilities and liabilities, they 
may structure their operations to avoid prohibited transactions and the 
resultant need of the exemption.
    A commenter requested clarification of the circumstances in which a 
credit union shares employees with a broker-dealer. The commenter 
requested confirmation that the credit union would not have to comply 
with the exemption merely because it shared employees. Consistent with 
the approach set forth above, the

[[Page 21026]]

Department responds that the credit union would not have to act as the 
Financial Institution under the exemption but the broker-dealer would.
    Other commenters expressed the view that the fiduciary 
acknowledgement would potentially require broker-dealers to satisfy the 
requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. As described by 
commenters, the Act does not require broker-dealers to register as 
investment advisers if they provide advice that is solely incidental to 
their brokerage services. Commenters expressed concern that 
acknowledging fiduciary status and providing advice in satisfaction of 
the Impartial Conduct Standards could call into question whether the 
advice provided was solely incidental.
    The Department does not, however, require the Adviser or Financial 
Institution to acknowledge fiduciary status under the securities laws, 
but rather under ERISA or the Code or both. Neither does the Department 
require Advisers to agree to provide advice on an ongoing, rather than 
transactional, basis. An Adviser's status as an ERISA fiduciary is not 
dispositive of its obligations under the securities laws, and 
compliance with the exemption does not trigger an automatic loss of the 
broker-dealer exception under the separate requirements of those laws. 
A broker-dealer who provides investment advice under the Regulation is 
an ERISA fiduciary; acknowledgment of ERISA fiduciary status would not, 
by itself, cause the Adviser to lose the broker-dealer exception. Under 
the Regulation and this exemption, the primary import of fiduciary 
status is that the broker has to act in the customer's best interest 
when making recommendations; receive no more than reasonable 
compensation; and refrain from making misleading statements. Certainly, 
nothing in the securities laws precludes brokers from adhering to these 
basic standards, or forbids them from working for firms that implement 
appropriate policies and procedures to ensure that these standards are 
met.
    The Department changed the fiduciary acknowledgment provision in 
response to several comments requesting revisions to clarify the 
required extent of the fiduciary acknowledgment. Accordingly, the 
Department has clarified that the acknowledgment can be limited to 
investment recommendations subject to the contract or, in the case of 
an ERISA plan, any investment recommendations regarding the plan or 
beneficiary or participant account. As discussed in more detail below, 
the exemption (including the required fiduciary acknowledgment) does 
not in and of itself, impose an ongoing duty to monitor on the Adviser 
or Financial Institution. However, there may be some investments which 
cannot be prudently recommended to the individual Retirement Investor, 
in the first place, without a mechanism in place for the ongoing 
monitoring of the investment.
4. Impartial Conduct Standards--Section II(c)
    Section II(c) of the exemption requires that the Adviser and 
Financial Institution comply with fundamental Impartial Conduct 
Standards. Generally stated, the Impartial Conduct Standards require 
that Advisers and Financial Institutions provide investment advice in 
the Retirement Investor's Best Interest, not recommend transactions 
that they anticipate will result in more than reasonable compensation, 
and not make misleading statements to the Retirement Investor about 
recommended transactions. As defined in the exemption, a Financial 
Institution and Adviser act in the Best Interest of a Retirement 
Investor when they provide investment advice ``that reflects the care, 
skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing 
that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such 
matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character 
and with like aims, based on the investment objectives, risk tolerance, 
financial circumstances, and needs of the Retirement Investor, without 
regard to the financial or other interests of the Adviser, Financial 
Institution or any Affiliate, Related Entity, or other party.''
    The Impartial Conduct Standards represent fundamental obligations 
of fair dealing and fiduciary conduct. The concepts of prudence, 
undivided loyalty and reasonable compensation are all deeply rooted in 
ERISA and the common law of agency and trusts.\42\ These longstanding 
concepts of law and equity were developed in significant part to deal 
with the issues that arise when agents and persons in a position of 
trust have conflicting loyalties, and accordingly, are well-suited to 
the problems posed by conflicted investment advice. The phrase 
``without regard to'' is a concise expression of ERISA's duty of 
loyalty, as expressed in section 404(a)(1)(A) of ERISA and applied in 
the context of advice. It is consistent with the formulation stated in 
the common law, and it is consistent with the language used by Congress 
in Section 913(g)(1) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer 
Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act),\43\ and cited in the Staff of U.S. 
Securities and Exchange Commission ``Study on Investment Advisers and 
Broker-Dealers, As Required by Section 913 of the Dodd-Frank Wall 
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act'' (Jan. 2011) \44\ (SEC staff 
Dodd-Frank Study). The Department notes, however, that the standard is 
not intended to outlaw Financial Institutions' provision of advice from 
investment menus that are restricted on the basis of Proprietary 
Products or generation of Third Party Payments; accordingly, in Section 
IV, the Department specifically operationalizes how such Financial 
Institutions can comply with the standard in those circumstances. 
Finally, the ``reasonable compensation'' obligation is already required 
under ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2)of service 
providers, including financial services providers, whether fiduciaries 
or not.\45\
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    \42\ See generally ERISA sections 404(a), 408(b)(2); Restatement 
(Third) of Trusts section 78 (2007), and Restatement (Third) of 
Agency section 8.01.
    \43\ Section 913(g) governs ``Standard of Conduct'' and 
subsection (1) provides that ``The Commission may promulgate rules 
to provide that the standard of conduct for all brokers, dealers, 
and investment advisers, when providing personalized investment 
advice about securities to retail customers (and such other 
customers as the Commission may by rule provide), shall be to act in 
the best interest of the customer without regard to the financial or 
other interest of the broker, dealer, or investment adviser 
providing the advice.''
    \44\ Available at https://www.sec.gov/news/studies/2011/913studyfinal.pdf.
    \45\ ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2) exempt 
certain arrangements between ERISA plans, IRAs, and non-ERISA plans, 
and service providers, that otherwise would be prohibited 
transactions under ERISA section 406 and Code section 4975. 
Specifically, ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2) 
provide relief from the prohibited transaction rules for service 
contracts or arrangements if the contract or arrangement is 
reasonable, the services are necessary for the establishment or 
operation of the plan or IRA, and no more than reasonable 
compensation is paid for the services.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c)(2), the 
Department cannot grant an exemption unless it first finds that the 
exemption is administratively feasible, in the interests of plans and 
their participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners, and protective of 
the rights of participants and beneficiaries of plans and IRA owners. 
An exemption permitting transactions that violate the Impartial Conduct 
Standards would fail these standards.
    The Impartial Conduct Standards are conditions of the exemption for 
the provision of advice with respect to all Retirement Investors. For 
advice to Retirement Investors on investments in IRAs and non-ERISA 
plans, the Impartial Conduct Standards must also

[[Page 21027]]

be included as contractual commitments on the part of the Financial 
Institution and its Advisers. As noted above, there is no contract 
requirement for advice to Retirement Investors with respect to 
investments in ERISA plans or for Level Fee Fiduciaries.
    Comments on each of the Impartial Conduct Standards are discussed 
below. Additionally, in response to commenters' assertion that the 
exemption is not administratively feasible due to uncertainty regarding 
some terms and requests for additional clarity, the Department has 
clarified some key terms in the text and provides additional 
interpretative guidance in the preamble discussion that follows. 
Finally, the Department discusses comments on whether the Impartial 
Conduct Standards should serve as both exemption conditions for all 
Retirement Investors as well as contractual representations with 
respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans.
a. Best Interest Standard
    Under Section II(c)(1), the Financial Institution must state that 
it and its Advisers will comply with a Best Interest standard when 
providing investment advice to the Retirement Investor, and, in fact, 
adhere to the standard. Advice in the Retirement Investor's Best 
Interest means advice that, at the time of the recommendation reflects:

the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances 
then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and 
familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise 
of a like character and with like aims, based on the investment 
objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and needs of 
the Retirement Investor, without regard to the financial or other 
interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate, 
Related Entity, or other party.

    The Best Interest standard set forth in the final exemption is 
based on longstanding concepts derived from ERISA and the law of 
trusts. It is meant to express the concept, set forth in ERISA section 
404, that a fiduciary is required to act ``solely in the interest of 
the participants . . . with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence 
under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent man acting in a 
like capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct 
of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims.'' Similarly, 
both ERISA section 404(a)(1)(A) and the trust-law duty of loyalty 
require fiduciaries to put the interests of trust beneficiaries first, 
without regard to the fiduciaries' own self-interest. Under this 
standard, for example, an Adviser, in choosing between two investments, 
could not select an investment because it is better for the Adviser's 
or Financial Institution's bottom line, even though it is a worse 
choice for the Retirement Investor.\46\
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    \46\ The standard does not prevent Advisers and Financial 
Institutions from restricting their recommended investments to 
Proprietary Products or products that generate Third Party Payments. 
Section IV of the exemption specifically addresses how the standard 
may be satisfied under such circumstances.
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    A wide range of commenters indicated support for a broad ``best 
interest'' standard. Some comments indicated that the best interest 
standard is consistent with the way advisers provide investment advice 
to clients today. However, a number of these commenters expressed 
misgivings as to the definition used in the proposed exemption, in 
particular, the ``without regard to'' formulation. The commenters 
indicated uncertainty as to the meaning of the phrase, including: 
Whether it permitted the Adviser and Financial Institution to be paid 
and whether it permitted investment advice on Proprietary Products.
    Other commenters asked the Department to use a different definition 
of Best Interest, or simply use the exact language from ERISA's section 
404 duty of loyalty. Others suggested definitional approaches that 
would require that the Adviser and Financial Institution ``not 
subordinate'' their customers' interests to their own interests, or 
that the Adviser and Financial Institution ``put their customers' 
interests ahead of their own interests,'' or similar constructs.\47\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \47\ The alternative approaches are discussed in a separate 
section of the preamble, below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    FINRA suggested that the federal securities laws should form the 
foundation of the Best Interest standard. Specifically, FINRA urged 
that the Best Interest definition in the exemption incorporate the 
``suitability'' standard applicable to investment advisers and broker 
dealers under federal securities laws. According to FINRA, this would 
facilitate customer enforcement of the Best Interest standard by 
providing adjudicators with a well-established basis on which to find a 
violation.
    Other commenters found the Best Interest Standard to be an 
appropriate statement of the obligations of a fiduciary investment 
advice provider and believed it would provide concrete protections 
against conflicted recommendations. These commenters asked the 
Department to maintain the Best Interest definition as proposed. One 
commenter wrote that the term ``best interest'' is commonly used in 
connection with a fiduciary's duty of loyalty and cautioned the 
Department against creating an exemption that failed to include the 
duty of loyalty. Others urged the Department to avoid definitional 
changes that would reduce current protections to Retirement Investors. 
Some commenters also noted that the ``without regard to'' language is 
consistent with the recommended standard in the SEC staff Dodd-Frank 
Study, and suggested that it had the added benefit of potentially 
harmonizing with a future securities law standard for broker-dealers.
    The final exemption retains the Best Interest definition as 
proposed, with minor adjustments. The first prong of the standard was 
revised to more closely track the statutory language of ERISA section 
404(a), and, is consistent with the Department's intent to hold 
investment advice fiduciaries to a prudent investment professional 
standard. Accordingly, the definition of Best Interest now requires 
advice that ``reflects the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under 
the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a 
like capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct 
of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims, based on the 
investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and 
needs of the Retirement Investor . . .'' The exemption adopts the 
second prong of the proposed definition, ``without regard to the 
financial or other interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution or 
any Affiliate, Related Entity, or other party,'' without change. The 
Department continues to believe that the ``without regard to'' language 
sets forth the appropriate, protective standard under which a fiduciary 
investment adviser should act. Although the exemption provides broad 
relief for Advisers and Financial Institutions to receive commissions 
and other payments based on their advice, the standard ensures that the 
advice will not be tainted by self-interest. Many of the alternative 
approaches suggested by commenters pose their own ambiguities and 
interpretive challenges, and lower standards run the risk of 
undermining this regulatory initiative's goal of reducing the impact of 
conflicts of interest on Retirement Investors.
    The Department has not specifically incorporated the suitability 
obligation as an element of the Best Interest standard, as suggested by 
FINRA but many aspects of suitability are also elements of the Best 
Interest standard. An investment recommendation that is not suitable 
under the securities laws would not meet the Best Interest standard.

[[Page 21028]]

Under FINRA's rule 2111(a) on suitability, broker-dealers ``must have a 
reasonable basis to believe that a recommended transaction or 
investment strategy involving a security or securities is suitable for 
the customer.'' The text of rule 2111(a), however, does not do any of 
the following: Reference a best interest standard, clearly require 
brokers to put their client's interests ahead of their own, expressly 
prohibit the selection of the least suitable (but more remunerative) of 
available investments, or require them to take the kind of measures to 
avoid or mitigate conflicts of interests that are required as 
conditions of this exemption.
    The Department recognizes that FINRA issued guidance on rule 2111 
in which it explains that ``in interpreting the suitability rule, 
numerous cases explicitly state that a broker's recommendations must be 
consistent with his customers' best interests,'' and provided examples 
of conduct that would be prohibited under this standard, including 
conduct that this exemption would not allow.\48\ The guidance goes on 
to state that ``[t]he suitability requirement that a broker make only 
those recommendations that are consistent with the customer's best 
interests prohibits a broker from placing his or her interests ahead of 
the customer's interests.'' The Department, however is reluctant to 
adopt as an express standard such guidance, which has not been 
formalized as a clear rule and that may be subject to change. 
Additionally, FINRA's suitability rule may be subject to 
interpretations which could conflict with interpretations by the 
Department, and the cases cited in the FINRA guidance, as read by the 
Department, involved egregious fact patterns that one would have 
thought violated the suitability standard, even without reference to 
the customer's ``best interest.'' The scope of the guidance also is 
different than the scope of this exemption. For example, insurance 
providers who decide to accept conflicted compensation will need to 
comply with the terms of this exemption, but, in many instances, may 
not be subject to FINRA's guidance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \48\ FINRA Regulatory Notice 12-25, p. 3 (2012).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Moreover, suitability under SEC practice differs somewhat from the 
FINRA approach. According to the SEC staff Dodd-Frank Study, the SEC 
requirements are based on the anti-fraud provisions of the Securities 
Act Section 17(a), the Exchange Act Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 
thereunder.\49\ As a general matter, SEC Rule 10b-5 prohibits any 
person, directly or indirectly, from: (a) Employing any device, scheme, 
or artifice to defraud; (b) making untrue statements of material fact 
or omitting to state a material fact necessary in order to make the 
statements made, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading; or 
(c) engaging in any act or practice or course of business which 
operates or that would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person in 
connection with the purchase or sale of any security. FINRA does not 
require scienter, but the weight of authority holds that violations of 
the Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) rules, standing alone, do not 
give right to a private cause of action. Courts, however, allow private 
claims for violations of SEC Rule 10b-5 for fraud claims, including, 
among others unsuitable recommendations. The private plaintiff must 
establish that the broker's unsuitable recommendation involved a 
misrepresentation (or material omission) made with scienter. 
Accordingly, after review of the issue, the Department has decided not 
to accept the comment. The Department has concluded that its 
articulation of a clear loyalty standard within the exemption, rather 
than by reference to the FINRA guidance, will provide clarity and 
certainty to investors and better protect their interests.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \49\ SEC staff Dodd-Frank Study at 61.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Best Interest standard, as set forth in the exemption, is 
intended to effectively incorporate the objective standards of care and 
undivided loyalty that have been applied under ERISA for more than 
forty years. Under these objective standards, the Adviser must adhere 
to a professional standard of care in making investment recommendations 
that are in the Retirement Investor's Best Interest. The Adviser may 
not base his or her recommendations on the Adviser's own financial 
interest in the transaction. Nor may the Adviser recommend the 
investment, unless it meets the objective prudent person standard of 
care. Additionally, the duties of loyalty and prudence embodied in 
ERISA are objective obligations that do not require proof of fraud or 
misrepresentation, and full disclosure is not a defense to making an 
imprudent recommendation or favoring one's own interests at the 
Retirement Investor's expense.
    A few commenters also questioned the requirement in the Best 
Interest standard that recommendations be made without regard to the 
interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution, Affiliates, Related 
Entities, or ``other parties.'' The commenters indicated they did not 
know the purpose of the reference to ``other parties'' and asked that 
it be deleted. The Department intends the reference to make clear that 
an Adviser and Financial Institution operating within the Impartial 
Conduct Standards should not take into account the interests of any 
party other than the Retirement Investor--whether the other party is 
related to the Adviser or Financial Institution or not--in making a 
recommendation. For example, an entity that may be unrelated to the 
Adviser or Financial Institution but could still constitute an ``other 
party,'' for these purposes, is the manufacturer of the investment 
product being recommended.
    Other commenters asked for confirmation that the Best Interest 
standard is applied based on the facts and circumstances as they 
existed at the time of the recommendation, and not based on hindsight. 
Consistent with the well-established legal principles that exist under 
ERISA today, the Department confirms that the Best Interest standard is 
not a hindsight standard, but rather is based on the facts as they 
existed at the time of the recommendation. Thus, the courts have 
evaluated the prudence of a fiduciary's actions under ERISA by focusing 
on the process the fiduciary used to reach its determination or 
recommendation--whether the fiduciary, ``at the time they engaged in 
the challenged transactions, employed the proper procedures to 
investigate the merits of the investment and to structure the 
investment.'' \50\ The standard does not measure compliance by 
reference to how investments subsequently performed or turn Advisers 
and Financial Institutions into guarantors of investment performance, 
even though they gave advice that was prudent and loyal at the time of 
transaction.\51\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \50\ Donovan v. Mazzola, 716 F.2d 1226, 1232 (9th Cir. 1983).
    \51\ One commenter requested an adjustment to the ``prudence'' 
component of the Best Interest Standard, under which the standard 
would be that of a ``prudent person serving clients with similar 
retirement needs and offering a similar array of products.'' In this 
way, the commenter sought to accommodate varying perspectives and 
opinions on particular investment products and business practices. 
The Department disagrees with the comment, which could be read as 
qualifying the stringency of the prudence obligation based on the 
Financial Institution's or Adviser's independent decisions on which 
products to offer, rather than on the needs of the particular 
Retirement Investor. Therefore, the Department did not adopt this 
suggestion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This is not to suggest that the ERISA section 404 prudence 
standard, or Best Interest standard, are solely procedural standards. 
Thus, the prudence standard, as incorporated in the Best Interest 
standard, is an objective standard of care that requires investment 
advice fiduciaries to investigate and evaluate

[[Page 21029]]

investments, make recommendations, and exercise sound judgment in the 
same way that knowledgeable and impartial professionals would. ``[T]his 
is not a search for subjective good faith--a pure heart and an empty 
head are not enough.'' \52\ Whether or not the fiduciaries is actually 
familiar with the sound investment principles necessary to make 
particular recommendations, the fiduciary must adhere to an objective 
professional standard. Additionally, fiduciaries are held to a 
particularly stringent standard of prudence when they have a conflict 
of interest.\53\ For this reason, the Department declines to provide a 
safe harbor based on ``procedural prudence'' as requested by a 
commenter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \52\ Donovan v. Cunningham, 716 F.2d 1455, 1467 (5th Cir. 1983), 
cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1251 (1984); see also DiFelice v. U.S. 
Airways, Inc., 497 F.3d 410, 418 (4th Cir. 2007) (``Good faith does 
not provide a defense to a claim of a breach of these fiduciary 
duties; 'a pure heart and an empty head are not enough.'').
    \53\ Donovan v. Bierwirth, 680 F.2d 263, 271 (2d Cir. 1982) 
(``the[] decisions [of the fiduciary] must be made with an eye 
single to the interests of the participants and beneficiaries'') see 
also Bussian v. RJR Nabisco, Inc., 223 F.3d 286, 298 (5th Cir. 
2000); Leigh v. Engle, 727 F.2d 113, 126 (7th Cir. 1984).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department additionally confirms its intent that the phrase 
``without regard to'' be given the same meaning as the language in 
ERISA section 404 that requires a fiduciary to act ``solely in the 
interest of'' participants and beneficiaries, as such standard has been 
interpreted by the Department and the courts. Therefore, the standard 
would not, as some commenters suggested, foreclose the Adviser and 
Financial Institution from being paid. In response to concerns about 
the satisfaction of the standard in the context of Proprietary Product 
recommendations or investment menus limited to Proprietary Products 
and/or investments that generate Third Party Payments, the Department 
has revised Section IV of the exemption to provide additional clarity 
and specific guidance on this issue.
    Section IV specifically provides that Financial Institutions and 
Advisers that restrict their recommendations, in whole or in part, to 
Proprietary Products or to investments that generate Third Party 
Payments may rely on the exemption provided that the recommendation is 
prudent, the fees reasonable, the conflicts disclosed (so that the 
customer can fairly be said to have knowingly assented to the 
compensation arrangement), and the conflicts are managed through 
stringent policies and procedures that keep the Adviser's focus on the 
customer's Best Interest, rather than any competing financial interest 
of the Adviser or others.
    In response to commenter concerns, the Department also confirms 
that the Best Interest standard does not impose an unattainable 
obligation on Advisers and Financial Institutions to somehow identify 
the single ``best'' investment for the Retirement Investor out of all 
the investments in the national or international marketplace, assuming 
such advice were even possible. Instead, as discussed above, the best 
interest standard set out in the exemption, incorporates two 
fundamental and well-established fiduciary obligations: The duties of 
prudence and loyalty. Thus, the advice fiduciary's obligation under the 
Best Interest standard is to give advice that adheres to professional 
standards of prudence, and to put the Retirement Investor's financial 
interests in the driver's seat, rather than the competing interests of 
the Adviser or other parties.
    Finally, in response to questions regarding the extent to which the 
Best Interest standard or other provisions of the exemption impose an 
ongoing monitoring obligation on Advisers or Financial Institutions, 
the Department has added specific language in Section II(e) regarding 
monitoring. The text does not impose a monitoring requirement, but 
instead requires clarity. As suggested by FINRA, Section II(e) requires 
Advisers and Financial Institutions to disclose whether or not they 
will monitor the Retirement Investor's investments and alert the 
Retirement Investor to any recommended changes to those investments 
and, if so, the frequency with which the monitoring will occur and the 
reasons for which the Retirement Investor will be alerted. This is 
consistent with the Department's interpretation of an investment advice 
fiduciary's monitoring responsibility as articulated in the preamble to 
the Regulation.
    The terms of the contract or disclosure along with other 
representations, agreements, or understandings between the Adviser, 
Financial Institution and Retirement Investor, will govern whether the 
nature of the relationship between the parties is ongoing or not. The 
preamble to the proposed exemption stated that adherence to a Best 
Interest standard did not mandate an ongoing or long-term relationship, 
but instead left that the determination of whether to enter into such a 
relationship to the parties.\54\ The final exemption builds upon this 
and requires that the contract clearly state the nature of the 
relationship and whether there is any duty to monitor on the part of 
the Adviser or Financial Institution. Whether the Adviser and Financial 
Institution, in fact, have an obligation to monitor the investment and 
provide long-term advice depends on the parties' reasonable 
understandings, arrangements, and agreements in that regard.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \54\ 80 FR 21969 (Apr. 20, 2015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

b. Reasonable Compensation
    The Impartial Conduct Standards also include the reasonable 
compensation standard, set forth in Section II(c)(2). Under this 
standard, the Financial Institution and its Advisers must not recommend 
a transaction that will cause the Financial Institution, Adviser, or 
their Affiliates or Related Entities, to receive, directly or 
indirectly, compensation for their services that is in excess of 
reasonable compensation within the meaning of ERISA section 408(b)(2) 
and Code section 4975(d)(2).
    The obligation to pay no more than reasonable compensation to 
service providers is long recognized under ERISA and the Code. ERISA 
section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2) require that services 
arrangements involving plans and IRAs result in no more than reasonable 
compensation to the service provider. Accordingly, Advisers and 
Financial Institutions--as service providers--have long been subject to 
this requirement, regardless of their fiduciary status. At bottom, the 
standard simply requires that compensation not be excessive, as 
measured by the market value of the particular services, rights, and 
benefits the Adviser and Financial Institution are delivering to the 
Retirement Investor. Given the conflicts of interest associated with 
the commissions and other payments covered by the exemption, and the 
potential for self-dealing, it is particularly important that Advisers 
and Financial Institutions adhere to these statutory standards, which 
are rooted in common law principles.\55\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \55\ See generally Restatement (Third) of Trusts section 38 
(2003).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Several commenters supported this standard. The requirement that 
compensation be limited to what is reasonable is an important 
protection of the exemption and a well-established standard, they said. 
One commenter made the point that the reasonable compensation standard 
is particularly important in this exemption because it provides relief 
for Third Party Payments which may not be transparent to Retirement 
Investors. The commenter asserted that under current market

[[Page 21030]]

conditions, there can be large differences in compensation for 
identical services.
    A number of other commenters requested greater specificity as to 
the meaning of the reasonable compensation standard. As proposed, the 
standard stated:

    When providing investment advice to the Retirement Investor 
regarding the Asset, the Adviser and Financial Institution will not 
recommend an Asset if the total amount of compensation anticipated 
to be received by the Adviser, Financial Institution, Affiliates and 
Related Entities in connection with the purchase, sale or holding of 
the Asset by the Plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA, 
will exceed reasonable compensation in relation to the total 
services they provide to the Retirement Investor.

    Some commenters stated that the proposed reasonable compensation 
standard was too vague. Because the language of the proposal did not 
reference ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2), 
commenters asked whether the standard differed from those statutory 
provisions. In particular, some commenters questioned the meaning of 
the proposed language ``in relation to the total services they provide 
to the Retirement Investor.'' The commenters indicated that the 
proposal did not adequately explain this formulation of the reasonable 
compensation standard.
    There was concern that the standard could be applied retroactively 
rather than based on the parties' reasonable beliefs as to the 
reasonableness of the compensation at the time of the recommendation. 
Commenters also indicated uncertainty as to how to comply with the 
condition and asked whether it would be necessary to survey the market 
to determine market rates. Some commenters requested that the 
Department include the words ``and customary'' in the reasonable 
compensation definition, to specifically permit existing compensation 
arrangements. One commenter raised the concern that the reasonable 
compensation determination raised antitrust concerns because it would 
require investment advice fiduciaries to agree upon a market rate and 
result in anti-competitive behavior.
    Commenters also asked the Department to provide examples of 
scenarios that met the reasonable compensation standard and safe 
harbors and others requested examples of scenarios that would fail to 
meet these standards. FINRA and other commenters suggested that the 
Department incorporate existing FINRA rules 2121 and 2122, and NASD 
rule 2830 regarding the reasonableness of compensation for broker-
dealers.\56\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \56\ FINRA's comment letter described NASD rule 2830 as imposing 
specific caps on compensation with respect to investment company 
securities that broker-dealers may sell. While the Department views 
this cap as an important protection of investors, it establishes an 
outside limit rather than a standard of reasonable compensation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Commenters also asked how the standard would be satisfied for 
Proprietary Products, particularly insurance and annuity contracts. In 
such a case, commenters indicated, the Retirement Investor is not only 
paying for a service, but also for insurance guarantees; a standard 
that appeared to focus solely on services appeared inapposite. 
Commenters asked about the treatment of the insurance company's spread, 
which was described, in the case of a fixed annuity, or the fixed 
component of a variable annuity, as the difference between the fixed 
return credited to the contract holder and the insurer's general 
account investment experience. One commenter indicated that the 
calculation should not include affiliates' or related entities' 
compensation as this would appear to put them at a comparative 
disadvantage.
    Finally, a few commenters took the position that the reasonable 
compensation determination should not be a requirement of the exemption 
(or the contract). In their view, a plan fiduciary that is not the 
Adviser or Financial Institution should decide the reasonableness of 
the compensation. Another commenter suggested that if an independent 
plan fiduciary sets the menu this should be sufficient to comply with 
the reasonable compensation standard.
    In response to comments on this requirement, the Department has 
retained the reasonable compensation standard as a condition of the 
exemption, and requires Financial Institutions to include the standard 
in their contracts with IRA and non-ERISA plan Retirement Investors. As 
noted above, the ``reasonable compensation'' obligation is a feature of 
ERISA and the Code under current law that has long applied to financial 
services providers, whether fiduciaries or not. The standard is also 
applicable to fiduciaries under the common law of agency and trusts. It 
is particularly important that Advisers and Financial Institutions 
adhere to these standards when engaging in the transactions covered 
under this exemption, so as to avoid exposing Retirement Investors to 
harms associated with conflicts of interest.
    Although some commenters suggested that the reasonable compensation 
determination be made by another plan fiduciary, the contractual 
commitment (like the statutory obligation) obligates investment advice 
fiduciaries to avoid overcharging their Retirement Investor customers, 
despite the conflicts of interest associated with their compensation. 
Fiduciaries and other services providers may not charge more than 
reasonable compensation regardless of whether another fiduciary has 
signed off on the compensation. Nothing in the exemption, however, 
precludes Financial Institutions or others from seeking impartial 
review of their fee structures to safeguard against abuse, and they may 
well want to include such reviews in their policies and procedures.
    Further, the Department disagrees that the requirement is 
inconsistent with antitrust laws. Nothing in the exemption contemplates 
or requires that Advisers or Financial Institutions agree upon a price 
with their competitors. The focus of the reasonable compensation 
condition is on preventing overcharges to Retirement Investors, not 
promoting anti-competitive practices. Indeed, if Advisers and Financial 
Institutions consulted with competitors to set prices, the agreed-upon 
prices could well violate the condition.
    In response to comments, however, the operative text of the final 
exemption was clarified to adopt the well-established reasonable 
compensation standard, as set out in ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code 
section 4975(d)(2), and the regulations thereunder. The reasonableness 
of the fees depends on the particular facts and circumstances at the 
time of the recommendation. Several factors inform whether compensation 
is reasonable including, inter alia, the market pricing of service(s) 
provided and the underlying asset(s), the scope of monitoring, and the 
complexity of the product. No single factor is dispositive in 
determining whether compensation is reasonable; the essential question 
is whether the charges are reasonable in relation to what the investor 
receives. Consistent with the Department's prior interpretations of 
this standard, the Department confirms that an Adviser and Financial 
Institution do not have to recommend the transaction that is the lowest 
cost or that generates the lowest fees without regard to other relevant 
factors. In this regard, the Department declines to specifically 
reference FINRA's standard in the exemption, but rather relies on 
ERISA's own longstanding reasonable compensation formulation.
    In response to concerns about application of the standard to 
investment products that bundle together services and investment

[[Page 21031]]

guarantees or other benefits, such as annuities, the Department 
responds that the reasonable compensation condition is intended to 
apply to the compensation received by the Financial Institution, 
Adviser, Affiliates, and Related Entities in same manner as the 
reasonable compensation condition set forth in ERISA section 408(b)(2) 
and Code section 4975(d)(2). Accordingly, the exemption's reasonable 
compensation standard covers compensation received directly from the 
plan or IRA and indirect compensation received from any source other 
than the plan or IRA in connection with the recommended 
transaction.\57\ In the case of a charge for an annuity or insurance 
contract that covers both the provision of services and the purchase of 
the guarantees and financial benefits provided under the contract, it 
is appropriate to consider the value of the guarantees and benefits in 
assessing the reasonableness of the arrangement, as well as the value 
of the services. When assessing the reasonableness of a charge, one 
generally needs to consider the value of all the services and benefits 
provided for the charge, not just some. If parties need additional 
guidance in this respect, they should refer to the Department's 
interpretations under ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code section 
4975(d)(2) and the Department will provide additional guidance if 
necessary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \57\ Such compensation includes, for example charges against the 
investment, such as commissions, sales loads, sales charges, 
redemption fees, surrender charges, exchange fees, account fees and 
purchase fees, as well as compensation included in operating 
expenses and other ongoing charges, such as wrap fees, mortality, 
and expense fees. For purposes of this exemption, the ``spread'' is 
not treated as compensation. A commenter described the ``spread,'' 
in the case of a fixed annuity, or the fixed component of a variable 
annuity, as the difference between the fixed return credited to the 
contract holder and the insurer's general account investment 
experience.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A commenter urged the Department to provide that compensation 
received by an Affiliate or Related Entity would not have to be 
considered in applying the reasonable compensation standard. According 
to the commenter, including such compensation in the assessment of 
reasonable compensation would place Proprietary Products at a 
disadvantage. The Department disagrees with the proposition that a 
Proprietary Product would be disadvantaged merely because more of the 
compensation goes to affiliated parties than in the case of competing 
products, which allocate more of the compensation to non-affiliated 
parties. The availability of this Best Interest Contract Exemption, 
however, does not turn on how compensation is allocated between 
affiliates and non-affiliates. Certainly, the Department would not 
expect that a Proprietary Product would be at a disadvantage in the 
marketplace because it carefully ensures that the associated 
compensation is reasonable. As part of this exemption, the Department 
has provided specific provisions describing how Proprietary Products 
can meet the Best Interest standard. Assuming the Best Interest 
standard is satisfied and the compensation is reasonable, the exemption 
should not impede the recommendation of proprietary products. 
Accordingly, the Department disagrees with the commenter. The 
Department declines suggestions to provide specific examples of 
``reasonable'' amounts or specific safe harbors. Ultimately, the 
``reasonable compensation'' standard is a market based standard. As 
noted above, the standard incorporates the familiar ERISA section 
408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2) standards. The Department is 
unwilling to condone all ``customary'' compensation arrangements and 
declines to adopt a standard that turns on whether the agreement is 
``customary.'' For example, it may in some instances be ``customary'' 
to charge customers fees that are not transparent or that bear little 
relationship to the value of the services actually rendered, but that 
does not make the charges reasonable. Finally, the Department notes 
that all recommendations are subject to the overarching Best Interest 
standard, which incorporates the fundamental fiduciary obligations of 
prudence and loyalty. An imprudent recommendation for an investor to 
overpay for an investment transaction would violate that standard, 
regardless of whether the overpayment was attributable to compensation 
for services, a charge for benefits or guarantees, or something else.
c. Misleading Statements
    The final Impartial Conduct Standard, set forth in Section 
II(c)(3), requires that statements by the Financial Institution and its 
Advisers to the Retirement Investor about the recommended transaction, 
fees and compensation, Material Conflicts of Interest, and any other 
matters relevant to a Retirement Investor's investment decisions, may 
not be materially misleading at the time they are made. In response to 
commenters, the Department adjusted the text to clarify that the 
standard is measured at the time of the representations, i.e., the 
statements must not be misleading ``at the time they are made.'' 
Similarly, the Department added a materiality standard in response to 
comments.
    The Department did not accept certain other comments, however. One 
commenter requested that the Department add a qualifier providing that 
the standard is violated only if the statement was ``reasonably 
relied'' on by the Retirement Investor. The Department rejected the 
comment. The Department's aim is to ensure that Financial Institutions 
and Advisers uniformly adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards, 
including the obligation to avoid materially misleading statements, 
when they give advice. Whether a Retirement Investor relied on a 
particular statement may be relevant to the question of damages in 
subsequent arbitration or court proceedings, but it is not and should 
not be relevant to the question of whether the advice fiduciary 
violated the exemption's standards in the first place. Moreover, 
inclusion of a ``reasonable reliance'' standard runs the risk of 
inviting boilerplate disclaimers of reliance in contracts and 
disclosure documents precisely so the Adviser can assert that any 
reliance is unreasonable.
    One commenter asked the Department to require only that the Adviser 
``reasonably believe'' the statements are not misleading. The 
Department is concerned that this standard too could undermine the 
protections of this condition, by requiring Retirement Investors or the 
Department to prove the Adviser's actual belief rather than focusing on 
whether the statement is objectively misleading. However, to address 
commenters' concerns about the risks of engaging in a prohibited 
transaction, as noted above, the Department has clarified that the 
standard is measured at the time of the representations and has added a 
materiality standard.
    The Department believes that Retirement Investors are best served 
by statements and representations that are free from material 
misstatements. Financial Institutions and Advisers best avoid 
liability--and best promote the interests of Retirement Investors--by 
ensuring that accurate communications are a consistent standard in all 
their interactions with their customers.
    A commenter suggested that the Department adopt FINRA's 
``Frequently Asked Questions regarding Rule 2210'' in this 
connection.\58\ FINRA's Rule 2210, Communications with the Public, sets 
forth a number of procedural rules and standards that are designed to,

[[Page 21032]]

among other things, prevent broker-dealer communications from being 
misleading. The Department agrees that adherence to FINRA's standards 
can promote materially accurate communications, and certainly believes 
that Financial Institutions and Advisers should pay careful attention 
to such guidance documents. After review of the rule and FAQs, however, 
the Department declines to simply adopt FINRA's guidance, which 
addresses written communications, since the condition of the exemption 
is broader in this respect. In the Department's view, the meaning of 
the standard is clear, and is already part of a plan fiduciary's 
obligations under ERISA. If, however, issues arise in implementation of 
the exemption, the Department will consider requests for additional 
guidance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \58\ Currently available at https://www.finra.org/industry/finra-rule-2210-questions-and-answers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

d. Other Interpretive Issues
    Some commenters asserted that some of the exemption's terms were 
too vague and would result in the exemption failing to meet the 
``administratively feasible'' requirement under ERISA section 408(a) 
and Code section 4975(c)(2). The Department disagrees with these 
commenters' suggestion that ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 
4975(c)(2) fail to be satisfied by this exemption's principles-based 
approach, or that the exemption's standards are unduly vague. It is 
worth repeating that the Impartial Conduct Standards are built on 
concepts that are longstanding and familiar in ERISA and the common law 
of trusts and agency. Far from requiring adherence to novel standards 
with no antecedents, the exemption primarily requires adherence to 
basic, well-established obligations of fair dealing and fiduciary 
conduct. Moreover, as discussed above, the exemption's reliance on 
these familiar fiduciary standards is precisely what enables the 
Department to apply the exemption to the wide variety of investment and 
compensation practices that characterize the market for retail 
retirement advice, rather than to a far narrower category of 
transactions subject to much more detailed and highly-proscriptive 
conditions.
    This section is designed to provide specific interpretations and 
responses to a number of specific issues raised in connection with a 
number of the Impartial Conduct Standards. In response to commenters, 
the Department specifically notes that the Impartial Conduct Standards 
(either as proposed or finalized) are not properly interpreted to 
foreclose the recommendation of Proprietary Products. The Department 
has revised Section IV of the exemption, in particular, as discussed 
below, to specifically address the application of the Best Interest 
Standard in the context of Proprietary Products and products that 
generate Third Party Payments. As Section IV makes clear, the exemption 
is fully available to such recommendations, provided that the Financial 
Institutions and Advisers adhere to appropriate standards and implement 
specified safeguards.
    The Impartial Conduct Standards also are not properly interpreted 
to foreclose the receipt of commissions or other transaction-based 
payments. To the contrary, a significant purpose of granting this 
exemption is to continue to permit such payments, as long as Financial 
Institutions and Advisers are willing to adhere to Best Interest 
standards. The discussion of the policies and procedures in Section 
II(d) provides guidance on satisfying the exemption while preserving 
differential payments structures. In particular, the Department 
confirms that the receipt of a commission on an annuity product does 
not result in a per se violation of any of the Impartial Conduct 
Standards, or warranties or other conditions of the exemption, even 
though such a commission may be greater than the commission on a mutual 
fund purchase of the same amount as long as the commission meets the 
requirement of ``reasonable compensation'' and other applicable 
conditions.
    One commenter asked that the Department make an explicit statement 
that ``offering products on which there are varying opinions within the 
industry (e.g., variable annuities) does not violate the best interest 
standard.'' In response, the Department notes that it has not specified 
that any particular investment product or category is illegal or per se 
imprudent, or otherwise violates the Best Interest standard in the 
exemption. This includes, but is not limited to, the recommendation of 
a variable annuity. Instead, each recommendation is measured by the 
Impartial Conduct Standards set forth in the exemption.
    Finally, the Department notes that the exemption, and in particular 
the requirement to adhere to a Best Interest Standard, does not mandate 
an ongoing or long-term advisory relationship, but rather leaves the 
duration of the relationship to the parties. The terms of the contract 
(if applicable), along with other representations, agreements, or 
understandings between the Adviser, Financial Institution and 
Retirement Investor, will govern whether the relationship between the 
parties is ongoing or not. Additionally, compliance with the 
exemption's conditions is necessary only with respect to transactions 
that otherwise would constitute prohibited transactions under ERISA and 
the Code. The exemption does not purport to impose conditions on the 
management of investments held outside of plans or IRAs covered by 
ERISA and defined in the Code. Accordingly, the conditions in the 
exemption are mandatory only with respect to investments held by ERISA 
plans, IRAs and non-ERISA plans.
e. Contractual Representation Versus Exemption Condition
    Commenters expressed a variety of views on whether violations of 
the Impartial Conduct Standards with respect to advice to Retirement 
Investors regarding IRAs and non-ERISA plans should result in loss of 
the exemption, violation of the contract, or both.\59\ Some commenters 
objected to the incorporation of the Impartial Conduct Standards as 
contract terms, generally, on the basis that the requirement would 
contribute to litigation risk. Some commenters preferred that the 
Impartial Conduct Standards only be required as a condition of the 
exemption, and not give rise to contract claims.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \59\ Commenters also asserted that the Department did not have 
the authority to condition the exemption on the Impartial Conduct 
Standards. Comments on the Department's jurisdiction are discussed 
in a separate Section E. of this preamble.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Other commenters advocated for the opposite result, asserting that 
the Impartial Conduct Standards should be required for contractual 
promises only, and not treated as exemption conditions. These 
commenters asserted that the Impartial Conduct Standards are too vague 
and would result in uncertainty as to whether an excise tax under the 
Code, which is self-assessed, is owed. There were also suggestions to 
limit the contractual representation to the Best Interest standard 
alone. One commenter asserted that the reasonable compensation 
requirement and the obligation not to make misleading statements fall 
within a Best Interest standard, and do not need to be stated 
separately. There were also suggestions that the Impartial Conduct 
Standards not apply to ERISA plans because fiduciaries to these plans 
already are required to adhere to similar statutory fiduciary 
obligations. In these commenters' view, requiring these standards in an 
exemption is redundant and inappropriately increases the consequences 
of any fiduciary breach by imposing an excise tax.
    In response to comments, the Department has revised the language of 
the Impartial Conduct Standards and provided interpretive guidance to

[[Page 21033]]

alleviate the commenters' concerns about uncertainty and litigation 
risk. However, the Department has concluded that failure to adhere to 
the Impartial Conduct Standards should be both a violation of the 
contract (where required) and the exemption. Accordingly, the 
Department has not eliminated any of the conduct standards or, for IRAs 
and non-ERISA plans, restricted them just to conditions of the 
exemption. In the Department's view, all the Impartial Conduct 
Standards form the baseline standards that should be applicable to 
fiduciaries relying on the exemption; therefore, the Department has not 
accepted comments suggesting that the contract representation be 
limited to the Best Interest standard. Making all the Impartial Conduct 
Standards required contractual promises for dealings with IRAs and 
other non-ERISA plans creates the potential for contractual liability, 
incentivizes Financial Institutions to comply, and gives injured 
Retirement Investors a remedy if those Financial Institutions do not 
comply. This enforceability is critical to the safeguards afforded by 
the exemption.
    As previously discussed, the Impartial Conduct Standards are not 
unduly vague or unknown, but rather track longstanding concepts in law 
and equity. In response to interpretive questions posed in the 
comments, the Department has provided a series of requested 
interpretations in the preceding preamble section. Also, the Department 
has simplified execution of the contract, streamlined disclosure, and 
made certain language changes, such as the revisions discussed above to 
the reasonable compensation standard, to address legitimate concerns.
    Similarly, the Department has not accepted the comment that the 
Impartial Conduct Standards should apply only to IRAs and non-ERISA 
plans. One of the Department's goals is to ensure equal footing for all 
Retirement Investors. The SEC staff Dodd-Frank Study found that 
investors were frequently confused by the differing standards of care 
applicable to broker-dealers and registered investment advisers. The 
Department hopes to minimize such confusion in the market for 
retirement advice by holding Advisers and Financial Institutions to 
similar standards, regardless of whether they are giving the advice to 
an ERISA plan, IRA, or a non-ERISA plan.
    Moreover, inclusion of the standards in the exemption's conditions 
adds an important additional safeguard for ERISA and IRA investors 
alike because the party engaging in a prohibited transaction has the 
burden of showing compliance with an applicable exemption, when 
violations are alleged.\60\ In the Department's view, this burden-
shifting is appropriate because of the dangers posed by conflicts of 
interest, as reflected in the Department's Regulatory Impact Analysis 
and because of the difficulties Retirement Investors have in 
effectively policing such violations.\61\ One important way for 
Financial Institutions to ensure that they can meet this burden is by 
implementing strong anti-conflict policies and procedures, and by 
refraining from creating incentives to violate the Impartial Conduct 
Standards. Thus, treating the Impartial Conduct Standards as exemption 
conditions creates an important incentive for Financial Institutions to 
carefully monitor and oversee their Advisers' conduct for adherence 
with fiduciary norms.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \60\ See e.g., Fish v. GreatBanc Trust Company, 749 F.3d 671 
(7th Cir. 2014).
    \61\ See Regulatory Impact Analysis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Moreover, as noted repeatedly, the language for the Impartial 
Conduct Standards borrows heavily from ERISA and the law of trusts, 
providing sufficient clarity to alleviate the commenters' concerns. 
Ensuring that fiduciary investment advisers adhere to the Impartial 
Conduct Standards and that all Retirement Investors have an effective 
legal mechanism to enforce the standards are central goals of this 
regulatory project.
5. Sales Incentives and Anti-Conflict Policies and Procedures--Section 
II(d)
    Under Section II(d) of the exemption, the Financial Institution is 
required to adopt and comply with certain anti-conflict policies and 
procedures and to insulate Advisers from incentives to violate the Best 
Interest standard. In order for relief to be available under the 
exemption, a Financial Institution that meets the definition set forth 
in the exemption must provide oversight of Advisers' recommendations, 
as described in this section.
    The Financial Institution must prepare a written document 
describing the Financial Institution's policies and procedures and make 
copies of the document readily available to Retirement Investors, free 
of charge, upon request as well as on the Financial Institution's Web 
site.\62\ The written description must accurately describe or summarize 
key components of the policies and procedures relating to conflict-
mitigation and incentive practices in a manner that permits Retirement 
Investors to make an informed judgment about the stringency of the 
Financial Institution's protections against conflicts of interest. The 
Department opted against requiring disclosure of the full policies and 
procedures to Retirement Investors to avoid giving them a potentially 
overwhelming amount of information that could run contrary to its 
purpose by alerting Advisers to the particular surveillance mechanisms 
employed by Financial Institutions. However, the exemption requires 
that the full policies and procedures must be made available to the 
Department upon request.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \62\ See Section III(b)(1)(iv) of the exemption.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The policies and procedures obligations have several important 
components. First, the Financial Institution must adopt and comply with 
written policies and procedures reasonably and prudently designed to 
ensure that its Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards set 
forth in Section II(c). Second, the Financial Institution in 
formulating its policies and procedures, must specifically identify and 
document its Material Conflicts of Interest; adopt measures reasonably 
and prudently designed to prevent Material Conflicts of Interest from 
causing violations of the Impartial Conduct Standards set forth in 
Section II(c); and designate a person or persons, identified by name, 
title or function, responsible for addressing Material Conflicts of 
Interest and monitoring Advisers' adherence to the Impartial Conduct 
Standards. For purposes of the exemption, a Material Conflict of 
Interest exists when an Adviser or Financial Institution has a 
financial interest that a reasonable person would conclude could affect 
the exercise of its best judgment as a fiduciary in rendering advice to 
a Retirement Investor.
    Finally, the Financial Institution's policies and procedures must 
require that neither the Financial Institution nor (to the best of its 
knowledge) its Affiliates or Related Entities use or rely on quotas, 
appraisals, performance or personnel actions, bonuses, contests, 
special awards, differential compensation or other actions or 
incentives that are intended or would reasonably be expected to cause 
Advisers to make recommendations that are not in the Best Interest of 
the Retirement Investor.
    In this respect, however, the exemption makes clear that that 
requirement does not prevent the Financial Institution or its 
Affiliates, or Related Entities from providing Advisers with 
differential compensation (whether in type or amount, and including, 
but not limited to, commissions) based on investment

[[Page 21034]]

decisions by plans, participant or beneficiary accounts, or IRAs, to 
the extent that the Financial Institution's policies and procedures and 
incentive practices, when viewed as a whole, are reasonably and 
prudently designed to avoid a misalignment of the interests of Advisers 
with the interests of the Retirement Investors they serve as 
fiduciaries.
    The anti-conflict policies and procedures will safeguard the 
interests of Retirement Investors by causing Financial Institutions to 
consider the conflicts of interest affecting the provision of advice to 
Retirement Investors and to take action to mitigate the impact of such 
conflicts. In particular, under the final exemption, Financial 
Institutions must not use compensation and other employment incentives 
to the extent they are intended to or would reasonably be expected to 
cause Advisers to make recommendations that are not in the Best 
Interest of the Retirement Investor. Financial Institutions must also 
establish a supervisory structure reasonably and prudently designed to 
ensure the Advisers will adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards. 
This includes consideration of the incentives of branch managers and 
supervisors and their potential effect on Advisers' recommendations. 
Mitigating conflicts of interest by requiring greater alignment of the 
interests of the Adviser and Financial Institution, and the Retirement 
Investor, is necessary for the Department to make the findings under 
ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c)(2) that the exemption is 
in the interests of, and protective of, Retirement Investors. This 
warranty gives the Financial Institution a powerful incentive to ensure 
advice is provided in accordance with fiduciary norms, rather than risk 
litigation, including class litigation and liability.
    Like the proposal, the final exemption does not specify the precise 
content of the anti-conflict policies and procedures, but rather sets 
out the overarching standards for assessing their adequacy. This 
flexibility is intended to allow Financial Institutions to develop 
policies and procedures that are effective for their particular 
business models, while prudently ensuring compliance with their and 
their Advisers' fiduciary obligations and the Impartial Conduct 
Standards. The policies and procedures requirement, if taken seriously, 
can also reduce Financial Institutions' litigation risk by minimizing 
incentives for Advisers to provide advice that is not in Retirement 
Investors' Best Interest.
    As adopted in the final exemption, the policies and procedures 
requirement is a condition of the exemption for all Retirement 
Investors--in ERISA plans, IRAs and non-ERISA plans. Failure to comply 
could result in liability under ERISA for engaging in a prohibited 
transaction and the imposition of an excise tax under the Code, payable 
to the Treasury. Additionally, with respect to Retirement Investors in 
IRAs and non-ERISA plans, the requirement takes the form of a 
contractual warranty. The Financial Institution must warrant that it 
has adopted and will comply with the anti-conflict policies and 
procedures (including the obligation to avoid misaligned incentives). 
Failure to comply with the warranty could result in contractual 
liability.
    Comments on the proposed policies and procedures requirement are 
discussed below.
a. Policies and Procedures Requirement Generally
    Under the policies and procedures requirement, described in greater 
detail above, Financial Institutions must adopt and comply with anti-
conflict policies and procedures. In addition, neither the Financial 
Institution nor (to the best of its knowledge) its Affiliates or 
Related Entities may use or rely on quotas, appraisals, performance or 
personnel actions, bonuses, contests, special awards, differential 
compensation or other actions or incentives that are intended or would 
reasonably be expected to cause Advisers to make recommendations that 
are not in the Best Interest of the Retirement Investor.
    Some commenters were extremely supportive of the policies and 
procedures requirement as proposed. They expressed the view that the 
policies and procedures requirement, and in particular the restrictions 
on compensation and other employment incentives, was one of the most 
critical investor protections in the proposal because it would cause 
Financial Institutions to make specific and necessary changes to their 
compensation arrangements that would result in significant protections 
to Retirement Investors.
    Some commenters believed the Department did not go far enough. 
These commenters indicated that flat compensation arrangements should 
be required, or at least that the rules applicable to differential 
compensation arrangements should be more specific and stringent. A few 
commenters also indicated that, in addition to focusing on the Adviser, 
the Financial Institution's policies and procedures need to consider 
the impact of compensation practices on branch managers. A commenter 
indicated that branch managers have responsibilities under FINRA's 
supervisory rules to ensure suitability and possibly approve individual 
transactions. The commenter asserted that branch managers financially 
benefit from Advisers' recommendations and have a variety of methods of 
influencing Adviser behavior.
    Many others objected to the policies and procedures warranty, and 
requested that it be eliminated in the final exemption. Some commenters 
believed that compliance would require drastic changes to current 
compensation arrangements or could possibly result in the complete 
prohibition of commissions and other transaction-based compensation. 
Other commenters suggested that the requirement should be eliminated as 
it would be unnecessary in light of the exemption's Best Interest 
standard, and because it would unnecessarily increase litigation risk 
to Financial Institutions. Alternatively, there were requests to 
clarify specific provisions and provide safe harbors in the policies 
and procedures requirement.
    In the final exemption, the Department has retained the general 
approach of the proposal. The Department concurs with commenters who 
view the policies and procedures requirement as an important safeguard 
for Retirement Investors, and as a necessary condition for the 
Department to make the findings under ERISA section 408(a) and Code 
section 4975(c)(2) that the exemption is in the interests of, and 
protective of, Retirement Investors. This provision will require 
Financial Institutions to take concrete and specific steps to ensure 
that its individual Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards, 
and in particular, forego compensation practices and employment 
incentives (quotas, appraisals, performance or personnel actions, 
bonuses, contests, special awards, differential compensation or other 
actions or incentives) that are intended or would reasonably be 
expected to cause Advisers to make recommendations that are not in the 
Best Interest of the Retirement Investor. Strong policies and 
procedures reduce the temptation (conscious or unconscious) to violate 
the Best Interest standard in the first place by ensuring that the 
Advisers' incentives are appropriately aligned with the interests of 
the customers they serve, and by ensuring appropriate monitoring and 
supervision of individual Advisers' conduct. While the Department views

[[Page 21035]]

the Best Interest standard as critical to the protections of the 
exemption, the policies and procedures requirement is equally critical 
as a means of supporting Best Interest advice and protecting Retirement 
Investors from having to enforce the Best Interest standard after the 
advice has already been rendered and the damage done.
    The Department has not made the requirements more stringent, as 
suggested by some commenters, so as to require completely level 
compensation. Different payments for different classes of investments 
may be appropriate based on differences in the time and expertise 
necessary to recommend them. Similarly, transaction-based compensation 
can be more cost effective for some investors who do not trade 
frequently. The exemption was designed to preserve commissions and 
other transaction-based compensation structures, thereby allowing 
Retirement Investors to choose the payment structure that works best 
for them.
    In response to commenters who expressed the view that the exemption 
did not provide a clear path for the payment of differential 
compensation, the Department has elaborated below on its example of 
policies and procedures and compensation practices that could satisfy 
the requirement. In addition, the examples address branch manager 
incentives.
    The Department also adopted the suggestion of one commenter that 
the exemption require the Financial Institution to designate a specific 
person to address Material Conflicts of Interest and monitor Advisers' 
adherence to the Impartial Conduct Standards.\63\ In the proposal, the 
Department had already suggested that Financial Institutions consider 
this approach; however, the commenter suggested that it should be a 
specific requirement and indicated that most Financial Institutions 
already have a designated compliance officer. The Department concurs 
with the commenter and has included that requirement in the final 
exemption, based on the view that formalizing the process for 
identifying and monitoring these issues will result in increased 
protections to Retirement Investors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \63\ One important consideration in addressing conflicts of 
interest is the Financial Institution's attentiveness to the 
qualifications and disciplinary history of the persons it employs to 
provide such advice. See Egan, Mark, Gregor Matvos and Amit Seru, 
The Market for Financial Adviser Misconduct, at 3 (February 26, 
2016) (``Past offenders are five times more likely to engage in 
misconduct than the average adviser, even compared with other 
advisers in the same firm at the same point in time. The large 
presence of repeat offenders suggests that consumers could avoid a 
substantial amount of misconduct by avoiding advisers with 
misconduct records.'').
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b. Specific Language of Policies and Procedures Requirement
    There were also questions and comments on the specific language of 
the proposed policies and procedures requirement. As proposed, the 
components of the policies and procedures requirement read as follows:

     The Financial Institution has adopted written policies 
and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate the impact of 
Material Conflicts of Interest and ensure that its individual 
Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards set forth in 
Section II(c);
     In formulating its policies and procedures, the 
Financial Institution has specifically identified Material Conflicts 
of Interest and adopted measures to prevent the Material Conflicts 
of Interest from causing violations of the Impartial Conduct 
Standards set forth in Section II(c); and
     Neither the Financial Institution nor (to the best of 
its knowledge) any Affiliate or Related Entity uses quotas, 
appraisals, performance or personnel actions, bonuses, contests, 
special awards, differential compensation or other actions or 
incentives to the extent they would tend to encourage individual 
Advisers to make recommendations that are not in the Best Interest 
of the Retirement Investor.

    A few commenters asked the Department to explain the difference 
between the first and second prongs of the policies and procedures 
requirement, as proposed. In response, the first prong of the 
requirement was intended to establish a general standard, while the 
second (and third) prongs provided specific rules regarding the 
policies and procedures requirement. This approach was also adopted in 
the final exemption. In addition, the language of Section II(d)(3) 
specifically provides that the third prong of the requirement, 
requiring Financial Institutions to insulate Advisers from incentives 
to violate the Best Interest standard, is part of the policies and 
procedures requirement.
    There were also comments on (i) the definition and use of the term 
``Material Conflicts of Interest;'' (ii) the language requiring the 
policies and procedures to be ``reasonably designed'' to mitigate the 
impact of such conflicts of interest, and (iii) the meaning of 
incentives that ``tend to encourage'' individual Advisers to make 
recommendations that are not in the Best Interest of the Retirement 
Investor. In addition, comments from the insurance industry requested 
guidance on certain industry practices regarding employee benefits for 
statutory employees. These comments are discussed below.
i. Materiality
    A number of commenters focused on the definition of Material 
Conflict of Interest used in the proposal. Under the definition as 
proposed, a Material Conflict of Interest exists when an Adviser or 
Financial Institution ``has a financial interest that could affect the 
exercise of its best judgment as a fiduciary in rendering advice to a 
Retirement Investor.'' Some commenters took the position that the 
proposal did not adequately explain the term ``material'' or 
incorporate a ``materiality'' standard into the definition. A commenter 
wrote that the proposed definition was so broad that it would be 
difficult for Financial Institutions to comply with the various aspects 
of the exemption related to Material Conflicts of Interest, such as 
provisions requiring disclosures of Material Conflicts of Interest.
    Another commenter indicated that the Department should not use the 
term ``material'' in defining conflicts of interest. The commenter 
believed that it could result in a standard that was too subjective 
from the perspective of the Adviser and Financial Institution, and 
could undermine the protectiveness of the exemption.
    After consideration of the comments, the Department adjusted the 
definition of Material Conflict of Interest. In the final exemption, a 
Material Conflict of Interest exists when an Adviser or Financial 
Institution has a ``financial interest that a reasonable person would 
conclude could affect the exercise of its best judgment as a fiduciary 
in rendering advice to a Retirement Investor.'' This language responds 
to concerns about the breadth and potential subjectivity of the 
standard. The Department did not, as some commenters suggested, include 
the word ``material'' in the definition of Material Conflict of 
Interest, to avoid the potential circularity of that approach.
ii. ``Reasonably Designed''
    One commenter asked that the Department more broadly use the 
modifier ``reasonably designed'' in describing the standard the 
policies and procedures must meet so as to avoid a construction that 
required standards that ensured perfect compliance, a potentially 
unattainable standard. The Department has accepted the comment and 
adjusted the language in Sections II(d)(1) and (2) to generally use the 
phrase ``reasonably and prudently designed.'' Other commenters asked 
for guidance on the proposed phrasing ``reasonably designed to 
mitigate'' the impact of Material Conflicts of Interest.

[[Page 21036]]

The Department provides additional guidance in this respect in this 
preamble, which gives examples of some possible approaches to policies 
and procedures.
iii. ``Tend to Encourage''
    A number of commenters asked for clarification or revision of the 
proposed exemption's prohibition of incentives that ``tend to 
encourage'' violation of the Best Interest standard, generally to 
require a tight link between the incentives and the Advisers' 
recommendations. Commenters argued that the ``tend to encourage'' 
language established a standard that could be impossible to meet in the 
context of differential compensation. Accordingly, they requested that 
the Department use language such as ``intended to encourage,'' ``does 
encourage'' ``causes,'' or similar formulations.
    In response to these commenters the Department has adjusted the 
condition's language as follows:

    The Financial Institution's policies and procedures require that 
neither the Financial Institution nor (to the best of its knowledge) 
any Affiliate or Related Entity use or rely on quotas, appraisals, 
performance or personnel actions, bonuses, contests, special awards, 
differential compensation or other actions or incentives that are 
intended or would reasonably be expected to cause Advisers to make 
recommendations that are not in the Best Interest of the Retirement 
Investor (emphasis added).

    This language more accurately captures the Department's intent, 
which was to require that procedures reasonably address Advisers' 
incentives, not guarantee perfection. The Department disagrees, 
however, with the suggestion that Financial Institutions should be 
permitted to tolerate or create incentives that would ``reasonably be 
expected to cause such violations'' unless the Retirement Investor can 
actually prove the Financial Institution's intent to cause violations 
of the standard or the Adviser's improper motivation in making the 
recommendation. The aim of the policies and procedures requirement is 
to require the Financial Institution to take prophylactic measures to 
ensure that Retirement Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct 
Standards, a goal completely at odds with the creation of incentives to 
violate the Best Interest Standard. In exchange for its continuing 
receipt of compensation that would otherwise be prohibited by ERISA and 
the Code, the Financial Institution's responsibility under the 
exemption is to protect Retirement Investors from conflicts of 
interest, not to promote or continue to offer incentives to violate the 
Best Interest standard. Moreover, absent extensive discovery or the 
ability to prove the motivations of individual Advisers, Retirement 
Investors would generally be in a poor position to prove such ill 
intent.
    Similar adjustments were made to the language of the proposal that 
provided that the policies and procedures requirement does not:

    [P]revent the Financial Institution or its Affiliates and 
Related Entities from providing Advisers with differential 
compensation based on investments by Plans, participant or 
beneficiary accounts, or IRAs, to the extent such compensation would 
not encourage advice that runs counter to the Best Interest of the 
Retirement Investor (e.g., differential compensation based on such 
neutral factors as the difference in time and analysis necessary to 
provide prudent advice with respect to different types of 
investments would be permissible).

    Accordingly, in this final exemption, the language now provides 
that the policies and procedures requirement does not:

    [P]revent the Financial Institution or its Affiliates or Related 
Entities from providing Advisers with differential compensation 
(whether in type or amount, and including, but not limited to, 
commissions) based on investment decisions by Plans, participant or 
beneficiary accounts, or IRAs, to the extent that the Financial 
Institution's policies and procedures and incentive practices, when 
viewed as a whole, are reasonably and prudently designed to avoid a 
misalignment of the interests of Advisers with the interests of the 
Retirement Investors they serve as fiduciaries (such compensation 
practices can include differential compensation paid based on 
neutral factors tied to the differences in the services delivered to 
the investor with respect to the different types of investments, as 
opposed to the differences in the amounts of Third Party Payments 
the Financial Institution Receives in connection with particular 
investment recommendations).

    This language is designed to make clear that differential 
compensation is permitted but only if the Financial Institution's 
policies and procedures, as a whole are reasonably designed to avoid a 
misalignment of interests between Advisers and Retirement Investors. As 
discussed in greater detail below, the Financial Institution's payment 
of differential compensation should be based only on neutral factors.
iv. Insurance Company Statutory Employees
    A number of commenters from the insurance industry asked for 
clarification or revision of the policies and procedures provision as 
applicable to statutory employees of insurance companies. Insurance 
companies explained that they often rely on the statutory employee 
rules of the Internal Revenue Code, specifically Code section 3121 and 
the regulations thereunder. Under these rules, an independent 
contractor is treated as a full-time employee if that individual ``is 
devoted to the solicitation of life insurance or annuity contracts, or 
both, primarily for one life insurance company.'' \64\ Insurance 
companies indicated that they often look at an agent's sales of 
Proprietary Products to determine whether the agent is acting primarily 
for one company, which in turn determines whether the agent is eligible 
for certain tax-qualified employee benefits, such as health insurance 
and access to retirement plans. Insurance companies were concerned that 
these benefits would be considered impermissible incentives under the 
Best Interest Contract Exemption.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \64\ 26 CFR 31.3121(d)-1(d)(3)(ii).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    These commenters requested clarification that the provision of 
employee benefits based on status as a statutory employee under the 
Internal Revenue Code (which, as explained, may involve evaluation of 
the amount of Proprietary Products sold) would not violate the 
exemption, and in particular, the policies and procedures requirement. 
The Department did not intend the exemption to effectively prohibit the 
receipt of these benefits. Accordingly, the Department confirms that 
the receipt by an Adviser who is an insurance agent of reasonable and 
customary deferred compensation or subsidized health or pension benefit 
arrangements such as typically provided to an ``employee'' as defined 
in Code section 3121(d)(3) does not, in and of itself, violate the 
policies and procedures requirement or the Impartial Conduct Standards. 
However, consistent with the standard, such Financial Institutions must 
ensure that their policies and procedures and incentive practices, when 
viewed as a whole, are reasonably and prudently designed to avoid a 
misalignment of the interests of Advisers with the interests of the 
Retirement Investors they serve as fiduciaries. In the Department's 
view, the satisfaction of the requirement involves an evaluation of the 
relevant facts and circumstances.
c. Substance of the Policies and Procedures Requirement
    Under the exemption, a Financial Institution must have policies and 
procedures in place that are reasonably and prudently designed to 
ensure compliance with the Impartial Conduct Standards, and the 
Financial Institution is prohibited from relying on incentive 
structures that are intended or would

[[Page 21037]]

reasonably be expected to cause Advisers to make recommendations that 
are not in the Best Interest of the Retirement Investor. Consistent 
with the general approach outlined in the proposal, the exemption does 
not mandate level fees or require any particular compensation or 
employment structure, as long as the Financial Institution complies 
with these overarching standards. Certainly, one approach to satisfying 
the exemption's requirements would be to adopt a compensation 
structure, in which Advisers' compensation does not vary based on the 
Adviser's particular investment recommendation. Under this approach, 
even if the Financial Institution received varying payments for 
different investment recommendations, individual Advisers could, for 
example, be compensated by a salary or on an hourly basis. The 
exemption is not limited to this one approach, however. Instead, it 
permits a wide range of practices, subject to the overarching 
obligation to comply with the Impartial Conduct Standards and to avoid 
misaligned incentives that are intended or could reasonably be expected 
to cause violations of the Best Interest standard.
    Despite the Department's intent to permit a variety of commission 
and compensation structures many commenters questioned how a 
compensation structure that permitted differential compensation could 
be in compliance with the exemption's standards as proposed. For 
example, insurance industry commenters questioned whether Advisers 
could continue to receive different (typically higher) commissions for 
annuity contracts than for comparable mutual funds, which do not have 
an insurance component. The exemption was not intended to bar 
commissions or all forms of differential compensation. Accordingly, the 
Department has specifically revised the exemption's text to make clear 
that differential compensation is permissible, and has changed the 
prohibition on incentive structures that would ``tend to encourage'' 
violations of the Best Interest Standard to a prohibition on incentive 
structures ``intended'' or ``reasonably expected'' to cause such 
violations.
    Thus, the final exemption specifically states that differential 
compensation is permissible, subject to policies and procedures 
``reasonably and prudently designed to prevent Material Conflicts of 
Interest from causing violations of the Impartial Conduct Standards,'' 
and subject to the requirement that the differentials are not 
``intended'' and would not ``reasonably be expected to cause Advisers 
to make recommendations that are not in the Best Interest of the 
Retirement Investor. Compensation structures should be prudently 
designed to avoid a misalignment if the interests of Advisers and the 
Retirement Investors they serve, but may nevertheless provide for 
differential compensation. The exemption's goal is not to wring out 
every potential conflict, no matter how slight, but rather to ensure 
that Financial Institutions and Advisers put Retirement Investors' 
interests first, take care to minimize incentives to act contrary to 
investors' interests, and carefully police those conflicts that remain. 
Within this best interest framework, the exemption is designed to 
preserve commissions and other transaction-based compensation 
structures, thereby allowing Retirement Investors to choose the payment 
structure that works best for them.
    The Department intends that Financial Institutions will identify 
Material Conflicts of Interest applicable to its and its Advisers' 
provision of investment advice and reasonably and prudently design 
policies and procedures to prevent those particular conflicts from 
causing violations of the Impartial Conduct Standards. The extent and 
contours of the policies and procedures will depend on the type of and 
pervasiveness of the conflicts in the Financial Institution's business. 
If, for example, the chief conflict of interest is a discrete conflict 
associated with advice on the rollover or distribution of plan assets, 
the Financial Institution's policies and procedures should focus on 
that conflict. In that context, the Financial Institution would 
exercise special care to ensure that the Adviser gives sufficient 
weight to consideration and documentation of any factors supporting 
leaving the investments in the plan, and not just any benefits of 
taking the distribution, which would generate fees for the Financial 
Institution and Adviser. On the other hand, a Financial Institution 
that compensates Advisers through a wide variety of commissions and 
other transaction-based payments and incentives would need to exercise 
great care in designing and policing the differential compensation 
structure. For example, the Financial Institution should give special 
attention to ensuring that supervisory mechanisms and procedures 
protect investors from recommendations to make excessive trades, or to 
buy investment products, annuities, or riders that are not in the 
customer's best interest or that tie up too much of the customer's 
wealth in illiquid or risky investments. In general, Financial 
Institutions should carefully focus on the particular aspects of their 
business model that potentially create misaligned incentives.
    Accordingly, a Financial Institution could retain a structure in 
which Advisers receive differential compensation for different 
categories of investments, but are subject to policies and procedures 
that safeguard against the conflicts caused by the differential 
categories. For example, in many circumstances, it may require more 
time to explain the features of a complex annuity product than a 
relatively simpler mutual fund investment. Based on such neutral 
considerations, the Financial Institution's policies and procedures 
could permit the payment of greater commissions in connection with 
annuity sales, subject to appropriate controls and oversights as 
described below, including that the neutral factors be neutral in 
operation as well as selection. Differential compensation between 
categories of investments could be permissible as long as the 
compensation structure and lines between categories were drawn based on 
neutral factors that were not tied to the Financial Institution's own 
conflicts of interest, such as the time or complexity of the advisory 
work, rather than on promoting sales of the most lucrative products. In 
such cases, the policies and procedures would focus with particular 
care on adopting supervisory and monitoring mechanisms to police 
adviser's recommendations as they relate to investment products in 
differential categories, but the exemption would not prohibit the 
differentials. The Department also expects that Advisers and Financial 
Institutions providing advice will exercise special care when assets 
are hard to value, illiquid, complex, or particularly risky. Financial 
Institutions responsible for overseeing recommendations of these 
investments must give special attention to the policies and procedures 
surrounding such investments and their oversight of Advisers' 
recommendations.
    As noted above, Financial Institutions also must pay attention to 
the incentives of branch managers and supervisors, and how the 
incentives potentially impact Adviser recommendations. Certainly, 
Financial Institutions must not provide incentives to branch managers 
or other supervisors that are intended to, or would reasonably be 
expected to cause such entities, in turn, to incentivize Advisers to 
make recommendations that do not meet the Best Interest standard. 
Financial

[[Page 21038]]

Institutions, therefore, should not compensate branch managers and 
other supervisors, or award bonuses or trips to such entities based on 
sales of certain investments, if such awards could not be made directly 
to Advisers under the standards set forth in the exemption. But even in 
the absence of such incentives, the standards of reasonableness and 
prudence set forth in the policies and procedures condition require the 
Financial Institution to affirmatively oversee the incentives that may 
be placed on Advisers by such entities to ensure that they do not 
undermine the protections of the exemption.
i. Examples
    The examples set forth below are intended to illustrate some 
possible approaches that Financial Institutions could take to managing 
Adviser incentives. They are not intended to provide detailed 
descriptions of all the attributes of strong and effective policies and 
procedures, but rather to describe broad approaches to mitigating 
conflicts of interest. The examples are not intended to be an 
exhaustive list of permissible approaches or mutually exclusive, and 
range from examples that focus on eliminating or nearly eliminating 
compensation differentials to examples that permit, but police, the 
differentials. Moreover, these examples and the policies and procedures 
are not intended as mere ``check the box'' exercises, but rather must 
involve the adoption and monitoring of meaningful policies and 
procedures reasonably and prudently designed to ensure Advisers' 
adherence to the Impartial Conduct Standards. While the examples are 
intended to provide guidance regarding the design of policies and 
procedures, whether a specific set of policies and procedures is 
sufficient will depend on the specific facts and circumstances.
    The preamble to the proposed exemption also included a series of 
examples. A number of commenters requested additional specificity, more 
examples and safe harbors with respect to the policies and procedures 
requirement. A few commenters made specific suggestions for safe 
harbors or additional examples. For example, one commenter suggested 
that compliance with policies and procedures requirements under 
existing securities laws should suffice. Another suggested a series of 
components of a safe harbor approach, based on controls and parameters 
to limit conflicts of interest (including a potential cap on fees for 
different product types) and other supervisory oversight. Another 
offered an example under which the Financial Institution would permit 
Advisers to receive either a commission that generally did not exceed 
the average commission for similar products, or asset-based 
compensation, but not both, with respect to any investment product, 
with additional limitations and requirements. Another offered an 
example focused on compliance with the terms of the exemption, but did 
not offer any specific provisions addressing compensation and other 
employment incentives.
    The Department considered all the requests for additional examples 
and safe harbors. The Department views commenters' suggestions as 
outlining useful components of a Financial Institution's policies and 
procedures. However, the Department views the limitations on 
compensation and other employments incentives as a critical aspect of a 
Financial Institution's policies and procedures, and the examples 
offered by commenters generally did not demonstrate, in and of 
themselves, sufficient mitigation of Adviser-level conflicts of 
interest. Therefore, the Department did not adopt them as additional 
examples or safe harbors.
    To the extent Financial Institutions decide they need additional 
guidance as to the adequacy of their policies and procedures as they 
move forward with implementation of the exemption's requirements, the 
Department is available to provide guidance on particular approaches. 
Each of the examples below assumes that the Financial Institution 
otherwise complies with all of the exemption's requirements; ensures 
that any compensation paid to the Firm and the Adviser (whether 
directly by the investor or indirectly by third parties) is reasonable 
in relation to the services delivered to the investor; and that it 
carefully supervises and oversees its Advisers' compliance with the 
Impartial Conduct Standards, disclosure obligations, and other 
requirements of the exemption.

    Example 1:  Independently certified computer models. The Adviser 
interacts directly with the Retirement Investor, but makes 
investment recommendations in accordance with an unbiased computer 
model created by an independent third party. Under this example, the 
Adviser could receive any form or amount of compensation so long as 
the advice is rendered in strict accordance with the model.\65\
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    \65\ As previously noted, this exemption is not available for 
advice generated solely by a computer model and provided to the 
Retirement Investor electronically without live advice. 
Nevertheless, this exemption remains available in the hypothetical 
because the advice is delivered by a live Adviser. This example 
should not be read as retracting views the Department expressed in 
prior Advisory Opinions regarding how an investment advice fiduciary 
could avoid prohibited transactions that might result from 
differential compensation arrangements. Specifically, in Advisory 
Opinion 2001-09A, the Department concluded that the provision of 
fiduciary investment advice would not result in prohibited 
transactions under circumstances where the advice provided by the 
fiduciary is the result of the application of methodologies 
developed, maintained and overseen by a party independent of the 
fiduciary in accordance with the conditions set forth in the 
Advisory Opinion. A computer model also can be used as part of an 
advice arrangement that satisfies the conditions under the 
prohibited transaction exemption in ERISA section 408(b)(14) and 
(g), described above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Example 2: Asset-based compensation. The Financial Institution 
accepts differential compensation but pays the Adviser a percentage, 
which does not vary based on the types of investments, of the dollar 
amount of assets invested by the plans, participant and beneficiary 
accounts, and IRAs with the Adviser. The Adviser earns the same 
percentage on the same payment schedule, regardless of how the 
Retirement Investor's assets are allocated between different 
investments (e.g., equity securities, proprietary mutual funds, and 
bonds underwritten by non-Related Entities), and the Financial 
Institution gives particular attention to recommendations that 
increase the Adviser's base (e.g., advice to roll money out of a 
plan into IRA investments that generate fees for the Adviser).
    Example 3:  Fee offset. The Financial Institution establishes a 
fee schedule for its services and the services of its Advisers. The 
fees are competitive and reasonable in relation to the services 
provided to the Retirement Investor and are not themselves intended 
to nor would they reasonably be expected to cause Advisers to 
violate the Impartial Conduct Standards. The Financial Institution 
accepts transaction-based payments directly from the plan, 
participant or beneficiary account, or IRA, and/or from third party 
investment providers. To the extent the payments from third party 
investment providers exceed the established fee, the additional 
amounts are rebated to the plan, participant or beneficiary account, 
or IRA. To the extent Third Party Payments do not satisfy the 
established fee, the plan, participant or beneficiary account, or 
IRA is charged directly for the remaining amount due.\66\ Regardless 
of the investment chosen, the Financial Institution and the Adviser 
retain only the compensation set forth in the fee schedule, which is 
not in excess of reasonable compensation.
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    \66\ Certain types of fee-offset arrangements may result in 
avoidance of prohibited transactions altogether. In Advisory Opinion 
Nos. 97-15A and 2005-10A, the Department explained that a fiduciary 
investment adviser could provide investment advice to a plan with 
respect to investment funds that pay it or an affiliate additional 
fees without engaging in a prohibited transaction if those fees are 
offset against fees that the plan otherwise is obligated to pay to 
the fiduciary.
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    Example 4: Commissions and stringent supervisory structure.\67\ 
The Financial

[[Page 21039]]

Institution establishes a commission-based compensation schedule for 
Advisers in which all variation in commissions is eliminated for 
recommendations of investments within reasonably designed 
categories.\68\ The Financial Institution establishes supervisory 
mechanisms to protect against conflicts of interest created by the 
transaction-based model and takes special care to ensure that any 
differentials that are retained are based on neutral factors, such 
as the time or complexity of the work involved, and that the 
differentials do not incentivize Advisers to violate the Impartial 
Conduct Standards or operate to transmit firm-level conflicts of 
interest to the Adviser (e.g., by increasing compensation based on 
how much revenue or profits the investment products generate for the 
Financial Institution).\69\ Accordingly, the Financial Institution 
does not provide an incentive for the Adviser to recommend one 
mutual fund over another, or to recommend one category of 
investments over another, based on the greater compensation the 
Financial Institution would receive. But it might, for example, draw 
a distinction between variable annuities and mutual funds based on 
the additional time it has determined is necessary for client 
communications and oversight with respect to these annuities. The 
Financial Institution adopts a stringent supervisory structure to 
ensure that Advisers' recommendations are based on the customer's 
financial interest, and not on the additional compensation the 
Adviser stands to make by recommending, for example, more frequent 
transactions or products for which greater compensation is provided. 
Examples of components of a prudent supervisory structure include:
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    \67\ All three of the examples above could be used in connection 
with commission-based payment structures, as well as in connection 
with other compensation arrangements.
    \68\ As noted in the text, none of these examples are meant to 
be exclusive. For example, the exemption might also be satisfied if 
a Financial Institution adopted an arrangement under which Advisers 
are compensated by commissions with no variation at all, regardless 
of the category of investment.
    \69\ FINRA's ``Report on Conflicts of Interest'' (Oct. 2013) 
suggested that firms could use `neutral compensation grids.' In 
constructing such grids, however, the firm would need to be careful 
to ensure that it was not simply transmitting firm-level conflicts 
to the Adviser by tying the Adviser's compensation directly to the 
profitability of a recommendation to the firm. Under the terms of 
this exemption, the firm may not use compensation practices that a 
reasonable person would view as encouraging persons to violate the 
best interest standard by, for example, favoring the firm's 
financial interest at the customers' expense.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Establishment of a comprehensive system to monitor and 
supervise Adviser recommendations, evaluate the quality of the 
advice individual customers receive, properly train Advisers, and 
correct any identified problems. Particular attention is given to 
recommendations associated with higher compensation and 
recommendations at key liquidity events of an investor (e.g., 
rollovers).
     Systems to evaluate whether Advisers recommend 
imprudent reliance on investment products sold by or through the 
Financial Institution. If the conditions of section IV(b)(3) of the 
exemption apply (relating to Proprietary Products and Third Party 
Payments), systems to assess the validity of any assumptions 
underlying the required written determination and mechanisms to 
ensure that Advisers provide advice consistent with the analysis, 
with particular attention to any assumptions or conclusions about 
how much money a prudent investor would invest in particular classes 
of products or products with certain features.
     The use of metrics for behavior (e.g., red flags), 
comparing an Adviser's behavior against those metrics, and basing 
compensation in part on them. These metrics include measures aimed 
at preventing conflicts from transaction-based fees from biasing 
advice (e.g., churning measures).
     Penalizing Advisers and supervisors (including the 
branch manager) by reducing compensation based on the receipt of 
customer complaints or indications that conflicts are not being 
carefully managed, and/or using clawback provisions to revoke some 
or all of deferred compensation based on the failure to properly 
manage conflicts of interest.
     Appointment of a committee to assess the risks and 
conflicts associated with new investment products, determine the 
prudence of the products for retirement investors, and assess the 
adequacy of the Financial Institution's procedures to police any 
associated conflicts of interest.
     Ensuring that no Adviser nor any supervisor (including 
the branch manager) participates in any revenue sharing from a 
``preferred provider,'' earns more for the sale of a product issued 
by a ``preferred provider,'' or earns more for the sale of a 
Proprietary Product over other comparable products, and ensuring 
that the Adviser discloses to customers the payments that the 
Financial Institution and its Affiliates have received from a 
preferred provider or for a Proprietary Product.
     The Financial Institution periodically reviews, and 
revises as necessary, the policies and procedures to ensure that 
they are appropriately safeguarding proper fiduciary conduct, and 
that the factors used to justify any compensation differentials 
(e.g., time) remain appropriate, that they reflect neutral factors 
tied to differences in the services delivered to the investor (as 
opposed to differences in the amounts paid to the Financial 
Institution by different mutual fund complexes), and that they are 
neutral in application as well as selection. In this regard, the 
Financial Institution needs to take special care in defining the 
categories to ensure that they reflect the application of such 
neutral factors to genuine differences in the nature of the advice 
relationship.
    Example 5: Rewards for Best Interest Advice. The Financial 
Institution's policies and procedures establish a compensation 
structure that is reasonably designed to reward Advisers for giving 
advice that adheres to the Impartial Conduct Standards. For example, 
this might include compensation that is primarily asset-based, as 
discussed in Example 2, with the addition of bonuses and other 
incentives paid to promote advice that is in the Best Interest of 
the Retirement Investor. While the compensation would be variable, 
it would align with the customer's best interest.

    As indicated above, these examples are meant to be illustrative, 
not exhaustive, and many other compensation and employment arrangements 
may satisfy the contractual warranties. The exemption imposes a broad 
standard for the warranty and policies and procedures requirement, not 
an inflexible and highly-prescriptive set of rules. The Financial 
Institution retains the latitude necessary to design its compensation 
and employment arrangements, provided that those arrangements promote, 
rather than undermine, the Best Interest and other Impartial Conduct 
Standards. Whether a Financial Institution adopts one of the specific 
approaches taken in the examples above or a different approach, the 
Department expects that it will engage in a prudent process to 
establish and oversee policies and procedures that will effectively 
mitigate conflicts of interest and ensure adherence to the Impartial 
Conduct Standards. It is important that the Financial Institution 
carefully monitor whether the policies and procedures are, in fact, 
working to prevent the provision of biased advice. The Financial 
Institution must correct isolated or systemic violations of the 
Impartial Conduct Standards and reasonably revise policies and 
procedures when failures are identified.
ii. Neutral Factors
    A number of commenters addressed Example 4 in the preamble to the 
proposed exemption, which, like Example 4 above, illustrated a 
compensation structure for differential payments, such as commissions. 
In the proposal the example suggested a model permitting payment of 
differential compensation based on neutral factors, such as ``a 
reasonable assessment of the time and expertise necessary to provide 
prudent advice on the product or other reasonable and objective neutral 
factors.'' \70\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \70\ See Preamble to the proposed Best Interest Contract 
Exemption, 80 FR at 21971 (April 20, 2015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some commenters expressed significant support for this approach and 
urged the Department to clearly limit the receipt of differential 
compensation in the final exemption to differential compensation based 
only on neutral factors. A commenter stated that a limitation to 
differential compensation based on neutral factors would be a 
significant improvement over the status quo. Other commenters indicated 
the

[[Page 21040]]

view that differential compensation based on non-neutral factors would 
be likely to encourage advice that is not in Retirement Investors' Best 
Interest. Some of these commenters urged that the exemption explicitly 
prohibit differential compensation based on non-neutral factors, and 
that the Department make clear that the neutral factors had to be based 
on empirical assessments so as to ensure that the exemption afforded 
the desired protections to Retirement Investors.
    Some industry commenters took issue with the neutral factors 
example. FINRA and other commenters asserted that while the exemption 
applied to differential compensation such as trailing commissions, 12b-
1 fees and revenue sharing, it would not be easy for Financial 
Institutions to demonstrate that such payments are based on neutral 
factors. Commenters expressed the view that the example appeared to 
establish a subjective standard that could expose them to class action 
litigation, and there were requests for more certainty or a safe harbor 
regarding the compliance with the exemption for differential 
compensation. One commenter stated that prices are established by third 
party product manufacturers and the neutral factors analysis would 
require a complete overhaul of existing practices. The commenter 
indicated there might be antitrust concerns with such an approach. 
FINRA further suggested that the proposal permit Financial Institutions 
to choose between adopting stringent policies and procedures that 
address the conflicts of interest arising from differential 
compensation, or pay only neutral compensation to Advisers.
    The Department has considered these competing comments and 
determined for purposes of this preamble to limit the example regarding 
differential compensation to one based on neutral factors. The 
Department agrees with the commenters that suggested that differential 
compensation based on non-neutral factors is likely to encourage advice 
that is not in Retirement Investors' Best Interest. While the policies 
and procedures requirement is intended to give necessary flexibility to 
Financial Institutions, the Department emphasizes that the policies 
must be reasonably and prudently designed to ensure that Advisers 
adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards, and the compensation 
structures must be prudently designed to avoid an inappropriate 
misalignment of the Advisers' interests with the interests of the 
Retirement Investors they serve a fiduciaries. Thus, for example, it 
would be impermissible for a Financial Institution to use or permit 
ratcheted compensation thresholds that enable an Adviser to 
disproportionately increase the amount of his or her compensation based 
on a specific recommendation to an individual investor. Similarly, the 
Financial Institution and related parties could not use or permit the 
use of bonuses, prizes, travel, entertainment, cash or noncash 
compensation that a reasonable person would expect to cause the 
preferential recommendation of a specific investment product or 
feature, without regard to the best interest of the Retirement Investor 
(e.g., by setting quotas or awarding trips or prizes for the sale of 
particular products or of investments in a particular mutual fund 
complex). After consideration, the Department does not agree that 
differential compensation based on neutral factors raises antitrust 
concerns. Such a compensation structure does not restrict the amount 
that a Financial Institution may receive from a third party product 
manufacturer, only the manner in which the Financial Institution 
compensates its Advisers. Nothing would require third party product 
manufacturers to collude, or even to pay Financial Institutions 
identically. Financial Institutions may pick different neutral factors 
as compared to other Financial Institutions, and may weigh such factors 
differently. Such unilateral business decisions do not require 
Financial Institutions to violate antitrust laws.
    While differential payments are permitted, the differentials must 
reflect neutral factors, not the higher compensation the Financial 
Institution stands to gain by recommending one investment rather than 
another. Therefore, while pure mathematical precision is not necessary 
to justify differential payments, it would not be permissible to draw 
categories based on the differential compensation the Financial 
Institution receives from different mutual fund complexes, or 
differences in the amounts paid to the firm for different annuities or 
riders. Financial Institutions should be prepared to justify the 
reasons for differential payments to Advisers, to demonstrate that they 
are not based on what is more lucrative to the Financial Institution. 
In addition, the neutral factors must be neutral in application as well 
as in selection. Differentials based on neutral factors that operate in 
practice to encourage Advisers to violate the Impartial Conduct 
Standards are not permissible.
    In addition to basing differential compensation on neutral factors, 
it is important for Financial Institutions that pay differential 
compensation to employ supervisory oversight structures. This is 
particularly necessary to ensure that Advisers are making 
recommendations between different categories based on the customer's 
financial interest, and not on the differential compensation the 
Adviser stands to make. But more fundamentally, Financial Institutions 
will not be able to ensure that their Advisers are providing advice in 
accordance with the Impartial Conduct Standards without appropriate 
supervision. Accordingly, the final exemption does not adopt FINRA's 
suggestion that the proposal permit Financial Institutions to choose 
between adopting stringent policies and procedures that address the 
conflicts of interest arising from differential compensation, or pay 
only neutral compensation to Advisers. Both are required.
d. Contractual Warranty Versus Exemption Condition
    In the proposal, both the Adviser and Financial Institution had to 
give a warranty to the Retirement Investor about the adoption and 
implementation of anti-conflict policies and procedures. A few 
commenters indicated that the Adviser should not be required to give 
the warranty, and questioned whether the Adviser would always be in a 
position to speak to the Financial Institution's incentive and 
compensation arrangements. The Department agrees that the Financial 
Institution has the primary responsibility for design and 
implementation of the policies and procedures requirement and, 
accordingly, has limited the warranty requirement to the Financial 
Institution.
    Some commenters believed that even if the Department included a 
policies and procedure requirement in the exemption, it should not 
require a warranty on implementation and compliance with the 
requirement. According to some of these commenters the warranty was 
unnecessary in light of the Best Interest standard, and would unduly 
contribute to litigation risk. A few commenters also suggested that a 
Financial Institution's failure to comply with the contractual warranty 
could give rise to a cause of action to Retirement Investors who had 
suffered no injuries from failure to implement or comply with 
appropriate policies and procedures. A few other commenters expressed 
concern that the provision of a ``warranty'' could result in tort 
liability, rather than just contractual liability.
    Other commenters argued that the Department should require 
Financial Institutions not only to make an enforceable warranty as a 
condition of

[[Page 21041]]

the exemption, but also require actual compliance with the warranty as 
a condition of the exemption. One such commenter argued that it would 
be difficult for Retirement Investors to prove that policies and 
procedures were not ``reasonably designed'' to achieve the required 
purpose.
    As noted above, the final exemption adopts the required policies 
and procedures as a condition of the exemption. The policies and 
procedures requirement is a critical part of the exemption's 
protections. The risk of liability associated with a non-exempt 
prohibited transaction gives Financial Institutions a strong incentive 
to design protective policies and procedures in a way that is 
consistent with the purposes and requirements of this exemption.
    In addition, the final exemption requires the Financial Institution 
to make a warranty regarding the policies and procedures in contracts 
with Retirement Investors regarding IRAs and other non-ERISA plans. The 
warranty, and potential liability associated with that warranty, gives 
Financial Institutions both the obligation and the incentive to tamp 
down harmful conflicts of interest and protect Retirement Investors 
from misaligned incentives that encourage Advisers to violate the Best 
Interest standard and other fiduciary obligations and ensures that 
there is a means to redress the failure to do so. While the warranty 
exposes Financial Institutions and Advisers to litigation risk, these 
risks are circumscribed by the availability of binding arbitration for 
individual claims and the legal restrictions that courts generally use 
to police class actions.
    The Department does not share a commenter's view that it would be 
too difficult for Retirement Investors to prove that the policies and 
procedures were not ``reasonably designed'' to achieve the required 
purpose. The final exemption requires the Financial Institution to 
disclose Material Conflicts of Interest to Retirement Investors and to 
describe its policies and procedures for safeguarding against those 
conflicts of interest. These disclosures should assist Retirement 
Investors in assessing the care with which Financial Institutions have 
designed their procedures, even if they are insufficient to fully 
convey how vigorously the Financial Institution implements the 
protections. In some cases, a systemic violation, or the possibility of 
such a violation, may be apparent on the face of the policies. In other 
cases, normal discovery in litigation may provide the information 
necessary. Certainly, if a Financial Institution were to provide 
significant prizes or bonuses for Advisers to push investments that 
were not in the Best Interest of Retirement Investors, Retirement 
Investors would often be in a position to pursue the claim. Most 
important, however, the enforceable obligation to maintain and comply 
with the policies and procedures as set forth herein, and to make 
relevant disclosures of the policies and procedures and of Material 
Conflicts of Interest, should create a powerful incentive for Financial 
Institutions to carefully police conflicts of interest, reducing the 
need for litigation in the first place.
    In response to commenters that expressed concern about the specific 
use of the term ``warranty,'' the Department intends the term to have 
its standard meaning as a ``promise that something in furtherance of 
the contract is guaranteed by one of the contracting parties.'' \71\ 
The Department merely requires that the contract with IRA and non-ERISA 
plan investors include an express enforceable promise of compliance 
with the policies and procedures condition. As previously discussed, 
the potential liability for violation of the warranty is cabined by the 
availability of non-binding arbitration in individual claims, and the 
ability to waive claims for punitive damages and rescission to the 
extent permitted by applicable law.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \71\ Black's Law Dictionary 10th ed. 2014.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additionally, although the policies and procedure requirement 
applies equally to ERISA plans, the final exemption does not require 
Financial Institutions to make a warranty with respect to ERISA plans, 
just as it does not require the execution of a contract with respect to 
ERISA plans. For these plans, a separate warranty is unnecessary 
because Title I of ERISA already provides an enforcement mechanism for 
failure to comply with the policies and procedures requirement. Under 
ERISA sections 502(a), plan participants, fiduciaries, and the 
Secretary of Labor have ready means to enforce any failure to meet the 
conditions of the exemption, including a failure to comply with the 
policies and procedure requirement. A Financial Institution's failure 
to comply with the exemption's policies and procedure requirements 
would result in a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA section 
406 and would likely constitute a fiduciary breach under ERISA section 
404. As a result, a plan participant or beneficiary, plan fiduciary, 
and the Secretary would be able to sue under ERISA section 502(a) to 
recover any loss in value to the plan (including the loss in value to 
an individual account), or to obtain disgorgement of any wrongful 
profits or unjust enrichment. Accordingly, the warranty is unnecessary 
in the context of ERISA plans.
e. Compliance With Laws Proposed Warranty
    The proposed exemption also contained a requirement for the Adviser 
and Financial Institution to warrant that they and their Affiliates 
would comply with all applicable federal and state laws regarding the 
rendering of the investment advice, the purchase, sale or holding of 
the Asset and the payment of compensation related to the purchase, sale 
and holding. While the Department did receive some support for this 
condition in comments, several commenters opposed this warranty 
proposal as being overly broad, and urged that it be deleted. These 
commenters argued that the warranty could create contract claims based 
on a wide variety of state and federal laws, without regard to the 
limitations imposed on individual actions under those laws. In 
addition, commenters suggested that many of the violations associated 
with these laws could be quite minor or unrelated to the Department's 
concerns about conflicts of interest. In response to these concerns, 
the Department has eliminated this warranty from the final exemption.
6. Ineligible Provisions--Section II(f)
    Under Section II(f) of the final exemption, relief is not available 
if a Financial Institution's contract with Retirement Investors 
regarding investments in IRAs and non-ERISA plans contains the 
following:

    (1) Exculpatory provisions disclaiming or otherwise limiting 
liability of the Adviser or Financial Institution for a violation of 
the contract's terms;
    (2) Except as provided in paragraph (f)(4), a provision under 
which the Plan, IRA or Retirement Investor waives or qualifies its 
right to bring or participate in a class action or other 
representative action in court in a dispute with the Adviser or 
Financial Institution, or in an individual or class claim agrees to 
an amount representing liquidated damages for breach of the 
contract; provided that, the parties may knowingly agree to waive 
the Retirement Investor's right to obtain punitive damages or 
rescission of recommended transactions to the extent such a waiver 
is permissible under applicable state or federal law; or
    (3) Agreements to arbitrate or mediate individual claims in 
venues that are distant or that otherwise unreasonably limit the 
ability of the Retirement Investors to assert the claims safeguarded 
by this exemption.

    Section II(f)(4), provides that, in the event the provision on pre-
dispute

[[Page 21042]]

arbitration agreements for class or representative claims in paragraph 
(f)(2) is ruled invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the 
provision shall not be a condition of the exemption with respect to 
contracts subject to the court's jurisdiction unless and until the 
court's decision is reversed, but all other terms of the exemption 
shall remain in effect.
    The purpose of Section II(f) is to ensure that Retirement Investors 
receive the full benefit of the exemption's protections by preventing 
them from being contracted away. If an Adviser makes a recommendation, 
for a fee or other compensation, within the meaning of the Regulation, 
he or she may not disclaim the duties or liabilities that flow from the 
recommendation. For similar reasons, the exemption is not available if 
the contract includes provisions that purport to waive a Retirement 
Investor's right to bring or participate in class actions. However, 
contract provisions in which Retirement Investors agree to arbitrate 
any individual disputes are allowed to the extent permitted by 
applicable state law. Moreover, Section II(f) does not prevent 
Retirement Investors from voluntarily agreeing to arbitrate class or 
representative claims after the dispute has arisen.
    The Department's approach in this respect is consistent with 
FINRA's rules permitting mandatory pre-dispute arbitration for 
individual claims, but not for class action claims.\72\ This rule was 
adopted in 1992, in response to a directive, articulated by former SEC 
Chairman David Ruder, that investors have access to courts in 
appropriate cases.\73\ Section 12000 of the FINRA manual establishes a 
Code of Arbitration Procedure for Customer Disputes which sets forth 
rules on, inter alia, filing claims, amending pleadings, prehearing 
conferences, discovery, and sanctions for improper behavior.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \72\ FINRA Rule 12204(a) provides that class actions may not be 
arbitrated under the FINRA Code of Arbitration Procedures. FINRA 
Rule 2268(d)(3) provides that no predispute arbitration agreement 
may limit the ability of a party to file any claim in court 
permitted to be filed in court under the rules of the forums in 
which a claim may be filed under the agreement. The FINRA Board of 
Governors has ruled that a broker's predispute arbitration agreement 
with a customer may not include a waiver of the right to file or 
participate in a class action in court. In Dept. of Enforcement v. 
Charles Schwab & Co., Complaint No. 2011029760201 (Apr. 24, 2014).
    \73\ NASD Notice 92-65 SEC Approval of Amendments Concerning the 
Exclusion of Class-Action Matters from Arbitration Proceedings and 
Requiring that Predispute Arbitration Agreements Include a Notice 
That Class-Action Matters May Not Be Arbitrated, available at https://finra.complinet.com/en/display/display_main.html?rbid=2403&element_id=1660.
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    A number of commenters addressed the proposed approach to 
arbitration and the other ineligible provisions in Section II(f). A 
discussion of the comments and the Department's responses follow.
a. Exculpatory Provisions
    The Department included Section II(f)(1) in the final exemption 
without changes from the proposal. Commenters did, however, raise a few 
questions on the provision. In particular, commenters asked whether the 
contract could disclaim liability for acts or omissions of third 
parties, and whether there could be venue selection clauses. In 
addition, commenters asked whether the contract could require 
exhaustion of arbitration or mediation before filing in court.
    Section II(f)(1) does not prevent a Financial Institution's 
contract with IRA and non-ERISA plan investors from disclaiming 
liability for acts or omissions of third parties to the extent 
permissible under applicable law. In addition, for individual claims, 
reasonable arbitration and mediation requirements are not prohibited. 
In response to questions about venue selection, the final exemption 
includes a new Section II(f)(3), which provides that investors may not 
be required to arbitrate or mediate their individual claims in 
unreasonable or distant venues that are distant or that otherwise 
unreasonably limit their ability to assert the claims safeguarded by 
this exemption.
    The Department has not revised Section II(f) to address every 
provision that may or may not be included in the contract. While some 
commenters submitted specific requests regarding specific contract 
language, and others suggested the Department provide model contracts 
for Financial Institutions to use, the Department has declined to make 
these changes in the exemption. The Department notes that Section 
II(f)(1) prohibits all exculpatory provisions disclaiming or otherwise 
limiting liability of the Adviser or Financial Institution for a 
violation of the contract's terms, and Section II(g)(5) prohibits 
Financial Institutions and Advisers from purporting to disclaim any 
responsibility or liability for any responsibility, obligation, or duty 
under Title I of ERISA to the extent the disclaimer would be prohibited 
by Section 410 of ERISA. Therefore, in response to comments regarding 
choice of law provisions, modifying ERISA's statute of limitations, and 
imposing obligations on the Retirement Investor, the Financial 
Institutions must determine whether their specific provisions are 
exculpatory and would disclaim or limit their liability under ERISA, or 
that of their Advisers. If so, they are not permitted. The Department 
will provide additional guidance in response to questions and 
enforcement proceedings.
b. Arbitration
    Section II(f)(2) of the final exemption adopts the approach, as 
proposed, that individual claims may be the subject of contractual pre-
dispute binding arbitration. Class or other representative claims, 
however, must be allowed to proceed in court. The final exemption also 
provides that contract provisions may not limit recoveries to an amount 
representing liquidated damages for breach of the contract. However, 
the final exemption expressly permits Retirement Investors to knowingly 
waive their rights to obtain punitive damages or rescission of 
recommended transactions to the extent such waivers are permitted under 
applicable law.
    Commenters on the proposed exemption were divided on the approach 
taken in the proposal, as discussed below. Some commenters objected to 
limiting Retirement Investors' right to sue in court on individual 
claims and specifically focused on FINRA's arbitration procedures. 
These commenters described FINRA's arbitration as an unequal playing 
field, with insufficient protections for individual investors. They 
asserted that arbitrators are not required to follow federal or state 
laws, and so would not be required to enforce the terms of the 
contract. In addition, commenters complained that the decision of an 
arbitrator generally is not subject to appeal and cannot be overturned 
by any court. According to these commenters, even when the arbitrators 
find in favor of the consumer, the consumers often receive 
significantly smaller recoveries than they deserve. Moreover, some 
asserted that binding pre-dispute arbitration may be contrary to the 
legislative intent of ERISA, which provides for ``ready access to 
federal courts.''
    Some commenters opposed to arbitration indicated that preserving 
the right to bring or participate in class actions in court would not 
give Retirement Investors sufficient access to courts. According to 
these commenters, allowing Financial Institutions to require resolution 
of individual claims by arbitration would impose additional and 
unnecessary hurdles on investors seeking to enforce the Best Interest 
standard. One commenter warned that the Regulation would make it more 
difficult for Retirement Investors to pursue class actions because the

[[Page 21043]]

individualized requirements for proving fiduciary status could 
undermine any claims about commonality. Commenters said that class 
action lawsuits tend to be expensive and protracted, and even where 
successful, investors often recover only a small portion of their 
losses.
    Other commenters just as forcefully supported pre-dispute binding 
arbitration agreements. Some asserted that arbitration is generally 
quicker and less costly than judicial proceedings. They argued that 
FINRA has well-developed protections in place to protect the interests 
of aggrieved investors. One commenter pointed out that FINRA requires 
that the arbitration provisions of a contract be highlighted and 
disclosed to the customer, and that customers be allowed to choose an 
``all-public'' panel of arbitrators.\74\ FINRA rules also impose larger 
filing fees on the industry party than on the investor. Commenters also 
cited evidence that investors are as likely to prevail in arbitration 
proceedings as they are in court, and even argued that permitting 
mandatory arbitration for all disputes would be in investors' best 
interest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \74\ The term ``Public Arbitrator'' is defined in FINRA Rule 
12100(u). According to FINRA, non-``Public Arbitrators'' are often 
referred to as ``industry'' arbitrators. See Final Report and 
Recommendations of the FINRA Dispute Resolution Task Force, released 
December 16, 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A number of commenters argued that arbitration should be available 
for all disputes that may arise under the exemption, including class or 
representative claims. Some of these commenters favored arbitration of 
class claims due to concerns about costs and potentially greater 
liability associated with class actions brought in court. Some 
commenters took the position that the ability of the Retirement 
Investor to participate in class actions could deter Financial 
Institutions from relying on the exemption at all.
    After consideration of the comments on this subject, the Department 
has decided to adopt the general approach taken in the proposal. 
Accordingly, contracts with Retirement Investors may require pre-
dispute binding arbitration of individual disputes with the Adviser or 
Financial Institution. The contract, however, must preserve the 
Retirement Investor's right to bring or participate in a class action 
or other representative action in court in such a dispute in order for 
the exemption to apply.
    The Department recognizes that for many claims, arbitration can be 
more cost-effective than litigation in court. Moreover, the exemption's 
requirement that Financial Institutions acknowledge their own and their 
Advisers' fiduciary status should eliminate an issue that frequently 
arises in disputes over investment advice. In addition, permitting 
individual matters to be resolved through arbitration tempers the 
litigation risk and expense for Financial Institutions, without 
sacrificing Retirement Investors' ability to secure judicial relief for 
systemic violations that affect numerous investors through class 
actions.
    On the other hand, the option to pursue class actions in court is 
an important enforcement mechanism for Retirement Investors. Class 
actions address systemic violations affecting many different investors. 
Often the monetary effect on a particular investor is too small to 
justify pursuit of an individual claim, even in arbitration. Exposure 
to class claims creates a powerful incentive for Financial Institutions 
to carefully supervise individual Advisers, and ensure adherence to the 
Impartial Conduct Standards. This incentive is enhanced by the 
transparent and public nature of class proceedings and judicial 
opinions, as opposed to arbitration decisions, which are less visible 
and pose less reputational risk to firms or Advisers found to have 
violated their obligations.
    The ability to bar investors from bringing or participating in such 
claims would undermine important investor rights and incentives for 
Advisers to act in accordance with the Best Interest standard. As one 
commenter asserted, courts impose significant hurdles for bringing 
class actions, but where investors can surmount these hurdles, class 
actions are particularly well suited for addressing systemic breaches. 
Although by definition communications to a specific investor generally 
must have a degree of specificity in order to constitute fiduciary 
advice, a class of investors should be able to satisfy the requirements 
of commonality, typicality and numerosity where there is a systemic or 
wide-spread problem, such as the adoption or implementation of non-
compliant policies and procedures applicable to numerous Retirement 
Investors, the systematic use of prohibited or misaligned financial 
incentives, or other violations affecting numerous Retirement Investors 
in a similar way. Moreover, the judicial system ensures that disputes 
involving numerous retirement investors and systemic issues will be 
resolved through a well-established framework characterized by 
impartiality, transparency, and adherence to precedent. The results and 
reasoning of court decisions serve as a guide for the consistent 
application of that law in future cases involving other Retirement 
Investors and Financial Institutions.
    This is consistent with the approach long adopted by FINRA and its 
predecessor self-regulatory organizations. FINRA Arbitration rule 12204 
specifically bars class actions from FINRA's arbitration process and 
requires that pre-dispute arbitration agreements between brokers and 
customers contain a notice that class action matters may not be 
arbitrated. In addition, it provides that a broker may not enforce any 
arbitration agreement against a member of certified or putative class 
action, until the certification is denied, the class action is 
decertified, the class member is excluded from, or elects not 
participate in, the class. This rule was adopted by the National 
Association of Securities Dealers and approved by the SEC in 1992.\75\ 
In the release announcing this decision, the SEC stated:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \75\ SEC Release No. 34-31371 (Oct. 28, 1992), 1992 WL 324491.

    [T]he NASD believes, and the Commission agrees, that the 
judicial system has already developed the procedures to manage class 
action claims. Entertaining such claims through arbitration at the 
NASD would be difficult, duplicative and wasteful. . . . The 
Commission agrees with the NASD's position that, in all cases, class 
actions are better handled by the courts and that investors should 
have access to the courts to resolve class actions efficiently.\76\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \76\ Id.

In 2014, the FINRA Board of Governors upheld this rule in reviewing an 
enforcement action.\77\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \77\ FINRA Decision, Department of Enforcement v. Charles Schwab 
& Co. (Complaint 2011029760201), p. 14 (Apr. 24, 2014).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Protections
    One commenter suggested that if the Department preserved the 
ability of a Financial Institution to require arbitration of claims, it 
should consider requiring a series of additional safeguards for 
arbitration proceedings permitted under the exemption. The commenter 
suggested that the conditions could state that (i) the arbitrator must 
be qualified and independent; (ii) the arbitration must be held in the 
location of the person challenging the action; (iii) the cost of the 
arbitration must be borne by the Financial Institution; (iv) the 
Financial Institution's attorneys' fees may not be shifted to the 
Retirement Investor, even if the challenge is unsuccessful; (v) 
statutory remedies may not be limited or altered by the contract; (vi) 
access to adequate discovery must be permitted; (vii) there must be a 
written record and a written decision; (viii) confidentiality

[[Page 21044]]

requirements and protective orders which would prohibit the use of 
evidence in subsequent cases must be prohibited. The commenter said 
that some, but not all, of these procedures are currently required by 
FINRA.
    The Department declines to mandate additional procedural safeguards 
for arbitration beyond those already mandated by other applicable 
federal and state law, or self-regulatory organizations. In the 
Department's view, the FINRA arbitration rules, in particular, provide 
significant safeguards for fair dispute resolution, notwithstanding the 
concerns raised by some commenters. FINRA's Code of Arbitration 
Procedures for Customer Disputes applies when required by written 
agreement between the FINRA member and the customer, or if the customer 
requests arbitration. The rules cover any dispute between the member 
and the customer that arises from the member's business activities, 
except for disputes involving insurance business activities of a member 
that is an insurance company.\78\ FINRA's code of procedures also 
provide detailed instructions for initiating and pursuing an 
arbitration, including rules for selection of arbitrators (Rule 12400), 
for discovery of evidence (Rule 12505), and expungement of customer 
dispute information (Rule 12805), which are designed to allow access by 
investors and preserve fairness for the parties. In addition, Rule 
12213 specifies that FINRA will generally select the hearing location 
closest to the customer. To the extent that the contracts provide for 
binding arbitration in individual claims, the Department defers to the 
judgment of FINRA and other regulatory bodies, such as state insurance 
regulators, responsible for determining the safeguards applicable to 
arbitration proceedings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \78\ FINRA Rule 12200.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    One commenter focused on dispute resolution processes engaged in by 
entities licensed as fraternal benefit societies under the laws of a 
State and exempt from federal income taxation under code section 
501(c)(8). The commenter requested that these entities be carved out 
from the prohibitions of Section II(f) if they provided laws or rules 
for grievance or complaint procedures for members. The Department has 
declined to provide special provisions for specific parties based on 
mission or tax exempt status. Nothing in the legal structure relating 
to such organizations uniformly requires that their dispute-resolution 
processes adhere to stringent protective standards. Nevertheless, the 
Department notes that as long as Section II(f) and Section II(g)(5) are 
satisfied, the exemption would not be violated by a Financial 
Institution's adoption of additional protections for customers beyond 
the requirements of applicable regulators, such as payment of 
administrative costs of mediation and/or arbitration, as is the 
practice of some fraternal benefit societies.
Federal Arbitration Act
    Some commenters asserted that the Department does not have the 
authority to include the exemption's provisions on class action waivers 
under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), which they said protects 
enforceable arbitration agreements and expresses a federal policy in 
favor of arbitration over litigation. Without clear statutory authority 
to restrict arbitration, these commenters said, the Department cannot 
include the provisions on class action waivers.
    These comments misconstrue the effect of the FAA on the 
Department's authority to grant exemptions from prohibited 
transactions. The FAA protects the validity and enforceability of 
arbitration agreements. Section 2 of the FAA states: ``[a] written 
provision in any . . . contract . . . to settle by arbitration a 
controversy thereafter arising out of such contract . . . shall be 
valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at 
law or in equity for the revocation of any contract.'' \79\ This Act 
was intended to reverse judicial hostility to arbitration and to put 
arbitration agreements on an equal footing with other contracts.\80\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \79\ 9 U.S.C. 2.
    \80\ See AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, 563 U.S. 333, 342 
(2011).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section II(f)(2) of the exemption is fully consistent with the FAA. 
The exemption does not purport to render an arbitration provision in a 
contract between a Financial Institution and a Retirement Investor 
invalid, revocable, or unenforceable. Nor, contrary to the concerns of 
one commenter, does Section II(f)(2) prohibit such waivers. Both 
Institutions and Advisers remain free to invoke and enforce arbitration 
provisions, including provisions that waive or qualify the right to 
bring a class action or any representative action in court. Instead, 
such a contract simply does not meet the conditions for relief from the 
prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the Code. As a result, 
the Financial Institution and Adviser would remain fully obligated 
under both ERISA and the Code to refrain from engaging in prohibited 
transactions. In short, Section II(f)(2) does not affect the validity, 
revocability, or enforceability of a class-action waiver in favor of 
individual arbitration. This regulatory scheme is thus a far cry from 
the State judicially created rules that the Supreme Court has held 
preempted by the FAA,\81\ and the National Labor Relations Board's 
attempt to prohibit class-action waivers as an ``unfair labor 
practice.'' \82\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \81\ See American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Restaurant, 133 
S. Ct. 2304 (2013); AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, 563 U.S. 333 
(2011).
    \82\ See D.R. Horton, Inc. v. NLRB, 737 F.3d 344 (5th Cir. 
2013).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department has broad discretion to craft exemptions subject to 
its overarching obligation to ensure that the exemptions are 
administratively feasible, in the interests of plan participants, 
beneficiaries, and IRA owners, and protective of their rights. In this 
instance, the Department has concluded that the enforcement rights and 
protections associated with class action litigation are important to 
safeguarding the Impartial Conduct Standards and other anti-conflict 
provisions of the exemption. If a Financial Institution enters into a 
contract requiring binding arbitration of class claims, the Department 
would not purport to invalidate the provision, but rather would insist 
that the Financial Institution fully comply with statutory provisions 
prohibiting conflicted fiduciary transactions in its dealings with its 
Retirement Investment customers. The FAA is not to the contrary. It 
neither limits the Department's express grant of discretionary 
authority over exemptions, nor entitles parties that enter into 
arbitration agreements to a pass from the prohibited transaction rules.
    While the Department is confident that its approach in the 
exemption does not violate the FAA, it has carefully considered the 
position taken by several commenters that the Department exceeded its 
authority in including provisions in the exemption on waivers of class 
and representative claims, and the possibility that a court might rule 
that the condition regarding arbitration of class claims in Section 
II(f)(2) of the exemption is invalid based on the FAA. Accordingly, in 
an abundance of caution, the Department has specifically provided that 
Section II(f)(2) can be severable if a court finds it invalid based on 
the FAA. Specifically, Section II(f)(4) provides that:

    In the event that the provision on pre-dispute arbitration 
agreements for class or representative claims in paragraph (f)(2) of 
this Section is ruled invalid by a court of

[[Page 21045]]

competent jurisdiction, this provision shall not be a condition of 
this exemption with respect to contracts subject to the court's 
jurisdiction unless and until the court's decision is reversed, but 
all other terms of the exemption shall remain in effect.

    The Department is required to find that the provisions of an 
exemption are administratively feasible, in the interests of plans and 
their participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners, and protective of 
the rights of participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners. The 
Department finds that the exemption with Section II(f)(2) satisfies 
these requirements. The Department believes, consistent with the 
position of the SEC and FINRA, that the courts are generally better 
equipped to handle class claims than arbitration procedures and that 
the prohibition on contractual provisions mandating arbitration of such 
claims helps the Department makes the requisite statutory findings for 
granting an exemption.
    Nevertheless, the Department has determined that, based on all the 
exemption's other conditions, it can still make the necessary findings 
to grant the exemption even without the condition prohibiting pre-
dispute agreements to arbitrate class claims. In particular, if a court 
were to invalidate the condition, the Department would still find that 
the exemption is administratively feasible, in the interests of plans 
and their participants and beneficiaries, and protective of the rights 
of the participants and beneficiaries. It would be less protective, but 
still sufficient to grant the exemption.
    The Department's adoption of the specific severability provision in 
Section II(f)(4) of the exemption should not be viewed as evidence of 
the Department's intent that no other conditions of this or the other 
exemptions granted today are severable if a court were to invalidate 
them. Instead, the Department intends that invalidated provisions of 
the rule and exemptions may be severed when the remainder of the rule 
and exemptions can function sensibly without them.\83\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \83\ See Davis County Solid Waste Management v. United States 
Environmental Protection Agency, 108 F.3d 1454, 1459 (D.C. Cir. 
1997) (finding that severability depends on an agency's intent and 
whether the provisions can operate independently of one another).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

c. Remedies
    Some commenters asked whether the proposal's prohibition of 
exculpatory clauses would affect the parties' ability to limit remedies 
under the contract, particularly regarding liquidated damages, punitive 
damages, consequential damages and rescission. In response, the 
Department has added text to Section II(f)(2) in the final exemption 
clarifying that the parties, in an individual or class claim, may not 
agree to an amount representing liquidated damages for breach of the 
contract. However, the exemption, as finalized, expressly permits the 
parties to knowingly agree to waive the Retirement Investor's right to 
obtain punitive damages or rescission of recommended transactions to 
the extent such a waiver is permissible under applicable state or 
federal law.
    In the Department's view, it is sufficient to the exemptions' 
protective purposes to permit recovery of actual losses. The 
availability of such a remedy should ensure that plaintiffs can be made 
whole for any losses caused by misconduct, and provide an important 
deterrent for future misconduct. Accordingly, the exemption does not 
permit the contract to include liquidated damages provisions, which 
could limit Retirement Investors' ability to obtain make-whole relief.
    On the other hand, the exemption permits waiver of punitive damages 
to the extent permissible under governing law. Similarly, rescission 
can result in a remedy that's disproportionate to the injury. In cases 
where an advice fiduciary breached its obligations, but there was no 
injury to the participant, a rescission remedy can effectively make the 
fiduciary liable for losses caused by market changes, rather than its 
misconduct. These new provisions in section II(f)(2) only apply to 
waiver of the contract claims; they do not qualify or limit statutory 
enforcement rights under ERISA. Those statutory remedies generally 
provide for make-whole relief and to rescission in appropriate cases, 
but they do not provide for punitive damages.
7. Disclosure Requirements
    The exemption requires disclosure of Material Conflicts of Interest 
and basic information relating to those conflicts and the advisory 
relationship in Sections II and III. The exemption requires contract 
disclosures (Section II(e)), pre-transaction (or point of sale) 
disclosures (Section III(a)), and web-based disclosures (Section 
III(b)). One of the chief aims of the disclosures is to ensure that the 
Retirement Investor is fairly informed of the Adviser's and Financial 
Institution's conflicts of interest. The final exemption adopts a 
tiered approach, generally providing for automatic disclosure of basic 
information on conflicts of interest and the advisory relationship, but 
requiring more detailed disclosure, free of charge, upon request. As 
discussed below, the final exemption requires disclosure of the 
information Retirement Investors need to assess conflicts of interest 
and compensation structures, while reducing compliance burden.
    Section II(e) obligates the Financial Institution to make specified 
disclosures to Retirement Investors. For advice to Retirement Investors 
regarding investments in IRAs and non-ERISA plans, the disclosures must 
be provided prior to or at the same time as the execution of the 
recommended transaction, either as part of the contract or in a 
separate written disclosure provided to the Retirement Investor with 
the contract. For advice to Retirement Investors regarding investments 
in ERISA plans, the disclosures must be provided prior to or at the 
same time as the execution of the recommended transaction. The 
disclosures require the provision of more general information upfront 
to the Retirement Investor accompanied by notice that more specific 
information is available free of charge, upon request. If the 
Retirement Investor makes a request for more specific information prior 
to the transaction, the information must be provided prior to the 
transaction. For requests made after the transaction, the information 
must be provided within 30 business days. Although the contract 
disclosure is a one-time disclosure, the Financial Institution must 
also post model disclosures on its Web site, and on a quarterly basis 
review and update the model disclosures as necessary for accuracy.
    The pre-transaction disclosure in Section III(a) supplements the 
contract disclosure, and must be provided to all Retirement Investors 
(whether regarding an ERISA plan, non-ERISA plan or IRA) prior to or at 
the same time as the execution of a recommended transaction. The pre-
transaction disclosure repeats certain information in the contract 
disclosure to ensure that the Retirement Investor has received the 
information sufficiently close to the time of the transaction, when the 
information is most relevant. Such disclosure is particularly important 
when the advisory relationship extends over time. To minimize burden, 
however, the Financial Institution does not need to repeat the pre-
transaction disclosure more frequently than annually after the initial 
contract disclosure, or other transaction disclosures, with respect to 
additional recommendations regarding the same investment product.
    The web-based disclosure in Section III(b) is intended to provide 
information about the Financial Institutions' arrangements with product

[[Page 21046]]

manufacturers and other parties for Third Party Payments in connection 
with specific investments or classes of investments that are 
recommended to Retirement Investors, as well as a description of the 
Financial Institution's business model and its compensation and 
incentive arrangements with Advisers. The web disclosure is not limited 
to individual Retirement Investors with whom the Financial Institution 
has a contractual relationship, but rather is publicly available to 
promote comparison shopping and the overall transparency of the 
marketplace for retirement investment advice. Thus, financial services 
companies, consultants, and intermediaries may analyze the information 
and provide information to plan and IRA investors comparing the 
practices of different Financial Institutions.
    The Department significantly revised the disclosures from the 
proposed exemption. Commenters responded to the Department's disclosure 
proposals and specific requests for comment with feedback on the cost, 
feasibility and utility of the proposed disclosures. The Department 
carefully considered the comments in order to formulate an approach in 
the final exemption that responded to commenters' legitimate concerns, 
while ensuring fair disclosure of important information to Retirement 
Investors.
    In broad outline, the final exemption takes a ``two-tier'' 
approach, as suggested by some commenters,\84\ under which the 
Financial Institution automatically gives simple disclosures of basic 
information with more specific information available on the web or upon 
request. Retirement Investors will be provided with information about 
their Advisers' and Financial Institutions' Material Conflicts of 
Interest both upon entering into an advisory relationship, and again, 
prior to or at the same time as, the execution of recommended 
transactions. They will not be overwhelmed by the amount of disclosure 
provided, which can render the disclosure ineffective. To the extent 
individual Retirement Investors wish to review additional information, 
the details will be available to them. This approach minimizes the 
burden on both the Financial Institution and the Retirement Investor, 
without reducing the protections of the disclosure.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \84\ See Financial Services Institute, Fidelity Investments, and 
the Consumer Federation of America.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The specific content requirements of the disclosure provisions, 
comments received on the proposals and the Department's responses are 
discussed below.
a. Contractual Disclosures--Section II(e)
    Under Section II(e) of the exemption, the Financial Institution 
must clearly and prominently, in a single written disclosure:

    (1) State the Best Interest standard of care owed by the Adviser 
and Financial Institution to the Retirement Investor; inform the 
Retirement Investor of the services provided by the Financial 
Institution and the Adviser; and describe how the Retirement 
Investor will pay for services, directly or through Third Party 
Payments. If, for example, the Retirement Investor will pay through 
commissions or other forms of transaction-based payments, the 
contract or writing must clearly disclose that fact;
    (2) Describe Material Conflicts of Interest; disclose any fees 
or charges the Financial Institution, its Affiliates, or the Adviser 
imposes upon the Retirement Investor or the Retirement Investor's 
account; and state the types of compensation that the Financial 
Institution, its Affiliates, and the Adviser expect to receive from 
third parties in connection with investments recommended to 
Retirement Investors;
    (3) Inform the Retirement Investor that the Investor has the 
right to obtain copies of the Financial Institution's written 
description of its policies and procedures adopted in accordance 
with Section II(d), as well as specific disclosure of costs, fees, 
and compensation, including Third Party Payments regarding 
recommended transactions, as set forth in Section III(a) of the 
exemption, described in dollar amounts, percentages, formulas or 
other means reasonably designed to present materially accurate 
disclosure of their scope, magnitude, and nature in sufficient 
detail to permit the Retirement Investor to make an informed 
judgment about the costs of the transaction and about the 
significance and severity of the Material Conflicts of Interest, and 
describe how the Retirement Investor can get the information, free 
of charge; provided that if the Retirement Investor's request is 
made prior to the transaction, the information must be provided 
prior to the transaction, and if the request is made after the 
transaction, the information must be provided within 30 business 
days after the request;
    (4) Include a link to the Financial Institution's Web site as 
required by Section III(b), and inform the Retirement Investor that: 
(i) The model contract disclosures updated as necessary on a 
quarterly basis for accuracy are maintained on the Web site, and 
(ii) the Financial Institution's written description of its policies 
and procedures adopted in accordance with Section II(d) are 
available free of charge on the Web site;
    (5) Disclose to the Retirement Investor whether the Financial 
Institution offers Proprietary Products or receives Third Party 
Payments with respect to any recommended transaction; and to the 
extent the Financial Institution or Adviser limits investment 
recommendations, in whole or part, to Proprietary Products or 
investments that generate Third Party Payments, notify the 
Retirement Investor of the limitations placed on the universe of 
investments that the Adviser may offer for purchase, sale, exchange, 
or holding by the Retirement Investor. The notice is insufficient if 
it merely states that the Financial Institution or Adviser ``may'' 
limit investment recommendations based on whether the investments 
are Proprietary Products or generate Third Party Payments, without 
specific disclosure of the extent to which recommendations are, in 
fact, limited on that basis.
    (6) Provide contact information (telephone and email) for a 
representative of the Financial Institution that the Retirement 
Investor can use to contact the Financial Institution with any 
concerns about the advice or service they have received; and, if 
applicable, a statement explaining that the Retirement Investor can 
research the Financial Institution and its Advisers using FINRA's 
BrokerCheck database or the Investment Adviser Registration 
Depository (IARD), or other database maintained by a governmental 
agency or instrumentality, or self-regulatory organization; and
    (7) Describe whether or not the Adviser and Financial 
Institution will monitor the Retirement Investor's investments and 
alert the Retirement Investor to any recommended change to those 
investments and, if so, the frequency with which the monitoring will 
occur and the reasons for which the Retirement Investor will be 
alerted.

    By ``clearly and prominently in a single written disclosure,'' the 
Department means that the Financial Institution may provide a document 
prepared for this purpose containing only the required information, or 
include the information in a specific section of the contract in which 
the disclosure information is provided, rather than requiring the 
Retirement Investor to locate the relevant information in several 
places throughout a larger disclosure or series of disclosures.
    Section II(e)(8) provides a mechanism for correcting disclosure 
errors, without losing the exemption. It provides that the Financial 
Institution will not fail to satisfy Section II(e), or violate a 
contractual provision based thereon, solely because it, acting in good 
faith and with reasonable diligence, makes an error or omission in 
disclosing the required information, provided the Financial Institution 
discloses the correct information as soon as practicable, but not later 
than 30 days after the date on which it discovers or reasonably should 
have discovered the error or omission. Section II(e)(8) further 
provides that to the extent compliance with the contract disclosure 
requires Advisers and Financial Institutions to obtain information from 
entities that are not closely affiliated with them, they may rely in 
good faith on information

[[Page 21047]]

and assurances from the other entities, as long as they do not know 
that the materials are incomplete or inaccurate. This good faith 
reliance applies unless the entity providing the information to the 
Adviser and Financial Institution is (1) a person directly or 
indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled 
by, or under common control with the Adviser or Financial Institution; 
or (2) any officer, director, employee, agent, registered 
representative, relative (as defined in ERISA section 3(15)), member of 
family (as defined in Code section 4975(e)(6)) of, or partner in, the 
Adviser or Financial Institution.
    The proposal contained three elements of the contractual disclosure 
set forth in Section II(e). The Financial Institution would have been 
required to: Identify and disclose any Material Conflicts of Interest; 
inform the Retirement Investor of his or her right to obtain complete 
information about all the fees currently associated with Assets in 
which he or she is invested; and disclose to the Retirement Investor 
whether the Financial Institution offers Proprietary Products or 
receives Third Party Payments with respect to the purchase, sale or 
holding of any Asset, and of the address of the required Web site that 
discloses the Financial Institutions' and Advisers' compensation 
arrangements.
    Several commenters supported the proposed disclosures. Commenters 
recognized that well-designed disclosure can serve multiple purposes, 
including facilitating informed investment decisions. However, even if 
investors do not carefully review the disclosures they receive, 
commenters perceived a benefit to investors from the greater 
transparency of public disclosure. For example, firms may change 
practices that run contrary to Retirement Investors' interests rather 
than disclose them publicly. The Department received a few questions 
and requests for clarification of these proposed disclosure 
requirements. One commenter requested that the Department clarify that, 
for purposes of the disclosure provisions, ``direct'' and ``indirect'' 
compensation had the same meanings as they did in ERISA section 
408(b)(2). Several other commenters suggested that the Department rely 
to a greater extent on existing conflicts disclosure requirements 
applicable to investment advisers registered under the Investment 
Advisers Act of 1940. Additionally, there were questions as to how the 
information in the contractual disclosure should be updated.
    As noted above, the Department modeled the final exemption's 
disclosure provisions, in part, on comments suggesting adoption of a 
``two-tier'' approach, under which an investor would receive a ``first 
tier'' disclosure at the time of account opening, with a ``second 
tier'' of more in-depth information available on the Financial 
Institution's Web site and in other formats upon request. The 
Department adopted a number of these commenters' suggestions as part of 
the contractual disclosure set forth in Section II(e), viewing the 
contractual disclosure as similar to the first tier approach suggested 
by the commenters.
    Specifically, the Department adopted commenters' suggestions that 
the disclosures: State the standard of care owed to the Retirement 
Investor; inform the Retirement Investor of the services to be 
provided; and inform the Retirement Investor of how he or she will pay 
for services. A commenter also suggested that the disclosure include 
any significant limitations on services provided by the Financial 
Institution, such as the sale of only propriety products. The 
suggestion was adopted in Section II(e)(5).
    A commenter further suggested that the disclosure provide 
information on a representative of the Financial Institution that the 
Retirement Investor can contact with complaints, and a statement 
explaining that the Retirement Investor can research the Financial 
Institution and its Advisers using FINRA's BrokerCheck database or the 
Investment Adviser Registration Depository (IARD). The Department 
incorporated this suggestion in Section II(e)(6). Further, the 
commenter's suggestion that Retirement Investors should be informed of 
their ability to obtain additional more detailed information, free of 
charge, was adopted in Section II(e)(3).
    FINRA's suggestion that the parties agree on the extent of 
monitoring of the Retirement Investor's investments was adopted, in 
Section II(e)(7). In making this determination, Financial Institutions 
should carefully consider whether certain investments can be prudently 
recommended to the individual Retirement Investor, in the first place, 
without a mechanism in place for the ongoing monitoring of the 
investment. Finally, a number of commenters requested relief for good 
faith inadvertent failures to comply with the exemption. A specific 
provision applicable to the Section II(e) disclosures is included in 
Section II(e)(8).
    In response to a commenter's question regarding the meaning of 
direct versus indirect expenses, the Department has generally revised 
the exemption to refer to ``Third Party Payments,'' rather than 
indirect expenses. The phrase ``Third Party Payments'' is a defined 
term in the exemption.
    The Department has also addressed how the contractual disclosure 
must be updated. Under the exemption, the contract provides one-time 
disclosure, but the information must be maintained on the Web site and 
updated quarterly as necessary for accuracy. Additionally, the 
transaction disclosure required under Section III(a) must be accurate 
at the time it is provided, which will serve to provide the Retirement 
Investor with the most current information prior to or at the same time 
as the execution of a recommended transaction, essentially updating the 
contractual disclosure.
b. Transaction Disclosure
    Section III(a) of the exemption requires that, prior to or at the 
same time as the execution of a recommended investment transaction, the 
Financial Institution must provide the Retirement Investor a disclosure 
that clearly and prominently, in a single written document:

    (1) States the Best Interest standard of care owed by the 
Adviser and Financial Institution to the Retirement Investor; and 
describes any Material Conflicts of Interest;
    (2) Informs the Retirement Investor that the Retirement Investor 
has the right to obtain copies of the Financial Institution's 
written description of its policies and procedures adopted in 
accordance with Section II(d), as well as specific disclosure of 
costs, fees and other compensation including Third Party Payments 
regarding recommended transactions. The costs, fees, and other 
compensation may be described in dollar amounts, percentages, 
formulas, or other means reasonably designed to present materially 
accurate disclosure of their scope, magnitude, and nature in 
sufficient detail to permit the Retirement Investor to make an 
informed judgment about the costs of the transaction and about the 
significance and severity of the Material Conflicts of Interest. The 
information required under this section must be provided to the 
Retirement Investor prior to the transaction, if requested prior to 
the transaction, and if the request occurs after the transaction, 
the information must be provided within 30 business days after the 
request; and
    (3) Includes a link to the Financial Institution's Web site as 
required by Section III(b), and informs the Retirement Investor 
that: (i) Model contract disclosures updated as necessary on a 
quarterly basis are maintained on the Web site, and (ii) the 
Financial Institution's written description of its policies and 
procedures adopted in accordance with Section II(d) are available 
free of charge on the Web site.

    This disclosure is required only at the time an investment is made, 
and does not have to be repeated if there is a recommendation to hold 
or sell the

[[Page 21048]]

investment. By ``clearly and prominently, in a single written 
document,'' the Department means that the Financial Institution must 
provide the information in a single document prepared for this purpose 
with only the required information, or a specific section in a larger 
document, in which the disclosure information is provided, rather than 
requiring the Retirement Investor to locate the relevant information in 
several places throughout a larger disclosure or series of disclosures.
    To reduce compliance burden, Section III(a)(4) provides that these 
disclosures do not have to be repeated for subsequent recommendations 
by the Adviser and Financial Institution of the same investment product 
within one year after the provision of the contract disclosure required 
by Section II(e) or a prior disclosure required by Section III(a), 
unless there are material changes in the subject of the disclosure. 
Additionally, in the final exemption, the Department makes clear that 
the Financial Institution is responsible for the required disclosures. 
This is consistent with a commenter that indicated that it is not 
industry practice for individual Advisers to prepare disclosures.
    The Department revised the transaction disclosure in the final 
exemption based on input from commenters. In the proposed exemption, 
the transaction disclosure in Section III(a) would have required the 
provision to the Retirement Investor of a chart setting forth the 
``total cost'' of the recommended investment for 1-, 5- and 10-year 
periods, expressed as a dollar amount, assuming an investment of the 
dollar amount recommended by the Adviser and reasonable assumptions 
about investment performance. In addition, an annual disclosure 
proposed under Section III(b) would have required an annual disclosure 
of investments purchased during the year, the total dollar amount of 
all fees and expenses paid by the investor and the total dollar amount 
of all compensation received by the Adviser and Financial Institution, 
directly or indirectly, from any party as a result of the investments. 
The disclosure was to be provided within 45 days of the end of the 
applicable year.
    A few commenters indicated their support for a point of sale 
disclosure to Retirement Investors, which the commenters said is not 
currently required in many cases. Some commenters highlighted the 
importance of alerting Retirement Investors to the costs of an 
investment over time, which was the intent of the proposed transaction 
disclosure. Other commenters described the benefit of the annual 
disclosure as a means of showing actual costs paid, rather than the 
projections provided in the proposed transaction disclosure. 
Nonetheless, many supporters of the disclosures took the position that 
the disclosure requirements would be secondary in importance to the 
Impartial Conduct Standards and policies and procedures requirement set 
forth in Section II.
    A number of other commenters raised significant objections to the 
disclosures proposed in Section III(a) and (b). These commenters 
generally indicated the disclosures would be costly to implement and 
Financial Institutions would need an extensive transition period in 
order to comply. In this vein, several commenters stated that Financial 
Institutions do not currently assemble or maintain all of the required 
information and that current systems could not deliver the disclosures. 
Commenters expressed concerns that the logistics of providing the 
disclosures were unduly burdensome. These logistics included the 
application of the disclosure provisions to all investment products, 
including annuities and insurance products, the specific formatting and 
wording of the disclosure, the acceptable means of providing the 
disclosure (whether verbal or electronic communications would be 
permitted), and the allocation of responsibilities between the 
Financial Institution and Adviser. One commenter stated that the burden 
was so great that only very large Financial Institutions would be able 
to continue to provide investment advice to Retirement Investors.
    Some commenters questioned the substance of the proposed disclosure 
requirements. According to some commenters, it would be difficult to 
provide specific dollar amounts of indirect compensation received on an 
account or transaction level. Comments from the insurance industry 
stated that the transactional disclosures were a poor fit for insurance 
transactions, in particular. Commenters also specifically objected to 
the obligation to project investment performance for purposes of 
calculating costs over 1-, 5-, and 10-year holding periods. Commenters, 
including FINRA, stated that requirement would conflict with FINRA Rule 
2210, which generally prohibits broker-dealers from including 
projections of performance in communications with the public. A few 
comments suggested that the Department could instead proceed with the 
proposed point of sale disclosure using hypothetical amounts that would 
comply with the FINRA rule.
    A number of commenters urged the Department to rely on existing 
disclosure requirements, including required disclosures under ERISA 
sections 404 and 408(b)(2), state insurance law, the SEC's Form ADV for 
registered investment advisers, or product-specific information such as 
a prospectus or summary prospectus. Several commenters observed that 
the Department recently implemented a series of disclosure requirements 
under ERISA sections 404 and 408(b)(2), and relying on these 
disclosures would avoid additional investment in costly technology and 
procedures.
    Other commenters suggested specific alternative disclosures that 
are not currently required by law. For example, a commenter suggested a 
so-called ``20/20 disclosure,'' showing the effect of fees on a $20,000 
initial investment over a 20-year period. The commenter further 
suggested an ``annual retirement receipt,'' that indicates the 
percentage and dollar amount of fees by fund in addition to 
compensation received.\85\ Another commenter suggested the Department 
rely on a ``consumer warning'' and short form disclosure. Another 
offered disclosure of direct compensation, a narrative disclosure of 
indirect compensation and a cigarette-style warning (discussed below).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \85\ This same commenter suggested the disclosures should be 
required for all retirement savings products, even beyond the scope 
of the Regulation and this exemption. As explained above, the 
Department selected the two-tier approach to appropriately allow the 
Retirement Investor to focus on the most important information about 
the Financial Institution's and Adviser's conflicts of interest in a 
way that is neither too technical nor overwhelming. The commenter's 
suggestion to expand the disclosures beyond the exemption is beyond 
the scope of this project.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Other commenters took the position that the disclosures would not 
be helpful to Retirement Investors or would contribute to information 
overload. In this connection, one commenter noted the Department's own 
skepticism in its Regulatory Impact Analysis of the effectiveness of 
disclosure. According to one commenter, regarding the annual 
disclosure, customers' accounts typically include a mix of investments 
and reflect a range of transactions, only some of which are the result 
of a recommendation, and it may not be possible to distinguish the two. 
Therefore, the annual statement would reflect all transactions in the 
account, and would not provide meaningful information about 
compensation or Material Conflicts of Interest with respect to 
investment advice.

[[Page 21049]]

    Several commenters raised questions about the timing of the 
disclosures. Some commenters argued that transaction disclosure should 
be provided sufficiently in advance of the transaction (or before 
entering into the relationship at all) so that the Retirement Investor 
has the time needed to review the materials provided. Other commenters 
expressed concern that the proposal would have required the disclosure 
to be provided too early; as a result, the transaction disclosure 
requirements could the delay the investment or cause the Retirement 
Investor to miss the opportunity entirely. Some commenters warned that 
the specific prices required to be disclosed may not be knowable at the 
time of the required disclosure. Regarding the annual disclosure, 
commenters were also concerned that 45 days following the end of the 
applicable year was not enough time to collect a detailed accounting of 
the dollars attributable to each asset and prepare the disclosure.
    In response to commenters, the Department has significantly revised 
the disclosure requirements to reduce the burden, focus on pre-
transaction disclosure of the most salient information about the 
contractual relationship and conflicts of interest, and facilitate more 
detailed disclosure, upon request, to Retirement Investors specifically 
interested in more detail. The contract and transaction disclosures 
provide basic information that is critical to the Retirement Investor's 
understanding of the nature of the relationship and the scope of the 
conflicts of interest. Without these disclosures, it cannot be fairly 
said that the Investor has entered into the investment or the advisory 
relationship with eyes open.
    It is true that the final exemption does not chiefly rely on 
disclosure as a means of protection, but rather on the imposition of 
fiduciary standards of conduct, anti-conflict policies and procedures, 
and the prohibition of misaligned incentive structures. Nevertheless, 
disclosure can serve a salutary purpose in the right circumstances and 
is critical to obtaining the Retirement Investor's knowing assent to 
the conflicted advisory relationship. In addition, the public web 
disclosure is intended as much for intermediaries, consumer watchdogs, 
and other third parties who can use it to force competitive forces to 
work on conflicted structures. Similarly, the Department has calibrated 
the contract and transaction disclosures to focus on the most important 
information about conflicts of interest and the contractual 
relationship in a way that is neither too technical nor overwhelming. 
Thus, more detailed information is available upon request for consumers 
who are interested in digging deeper and who are presumably better able 
to use the information.
    In this regard, the Department has limited the individual 
disclosures under Section III to a transaction-based disclosure, 
focusing on the Financial Institution's Material Conflicts of Interest 
with respect to the recommended transaction, and the availability upon 
request, free of charge, of more specific information about the costs, 
fees and other compensation associated with the investment. The 
Department has intentionally provided flexibility on the timing of 
disclosure, as long as it is provided prior to or at the same time as 
the execution of the recommended investment. Similarly, while the 
Department proposed a specific model form for the transaction 
disclosure, in this final exemption it has determined to provide 
flexibility on the format. In response to concerns about burden, cost, 
and utility, discussed above, the Department did not adopt the annual 
disclosure requirement in the final exemption.
    The Department did not attempt to revise the transaction disclosure 
to use hypotheticals, permitted under FINRA rule 2210, because such 
disclosure would not achieve the desired goal of informing Retirement 
Investors in a specific way of the costs of the investment over time. 
The Department also declined to merely duplicate existing disclosure 
requirements under ERISA sections 404 and 408(b)(2), but rather to 
focus on the specific disclosures related to the anti-conflict goals of 
this project. The Department also did not adopt the other specific 
disclosure suggestions by commenters, as it was persuaded that the two-
tier approach most efficiently achieved the Department's objectives. As 
noted above, the disclosure requirements in the final exemption 
minimize the burden on both the Financial Institution and the 
Retirement Investor, without reducing the protections of the 
disclosure. Additionally, in response to commenters, the Department has 
included a good faith compliance provision applicable to the Section 
III disclosures. Section III(c) provides that the Financial Institution 
will not fail to satisfy the transaction disclosure requirement if, 
acting in good faith and with reasonable diligence, it makes an error 
or omission in disclosing the required information, provided the 
Financial Institution discloses the correct information as soon as 
practicable, but not later than 30 days after the date on which it 
discovers or reasonably should have discovered the error or omission. 
This approach enables and incentivizes the Financial Institution to 
correct good faith errors without losing the benefit of the exemption.
    Section III(c) further provides that, to the extent compliance with 
the Section III disclosures requires Advisers and Financial 
Institutions to obtain information from entities that are not closely 
affiliated with them, they may rely in good faith on information and 
assurances from the other entities, as long as they do not know that 
the materials are incomplete or inaccurate. This good faith reliance 
applies unless the entity providing the information to the Adviser and 
Financial Institution is (1) a person directly or indirectly through 
one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common 
control with the Adviser or Financial Institution; or (2) any officer, 
director, employee, agent, registered representative, relative (as 
defined in ERISA section 3(15)), member of family (as defined in Code 
section 4975(e)(6)) of, or partner in, the Adviser or Financial 
Institution.
    Some commenters also responded to the suggestion in the proposal 
that the transaction disclosure could be replaced with a ``cigarette 
warning''-style disclosure, such as the following:

    Investors are urged to check loads, management fees, revenue-
sharing, commissions, and other charges before investing in any 
financial product. These fees may significantly reduce the amount 
you are able to invest over time and may also determine your 
adviser's take-home pay. If these fees are not reported in marketing 
materials or made apparent by your investment adviser, do not forget 
to ask about them.

    Several commenters wrote that this, perhaps in combination with an 
existing disclosure, would be preferable to the specific proposed 
requirements. Other commenters opposed the proposal. Some were 
concerned that such a general disclosure would not provide Retirement 
Investors with the information they needed to understand their 
investments. The Department is similarly skeptical about the utility of 
such a general warning, and believes that the goals of the warning are 
better served by the contract and transaction disclosures contained in 
the final exemption. Accordingly, the Department declines to mandate 
the additional disclosure.

[[Page 21050]]

c. Web Disclosure
    Under Section III(b) of the exemption, the Financial Institution is 
required to maintain a Web site, freely accessible to the public and 
updated no less than quarterly, which contains:

    (i) A discussion of the Financial Institution's business model 
and the Material Conflicts of Interest associated with that business 
model;
    (ii) A schedule of typical account or contract fees and service 
charges;
    (iii) A model contract or other model notice of the contractual 
terms (if applicable) and required disclosures described in Section 
II(b)-(e), which are reviewed for accuracy no less frequently than 
quarterly and updated within 30 days if necessary;
    (iv) A written description of the Financial Institution's 
policies and procedures that accurately describes or summarizes key 
components of the policies and procedures relating to conflict-
mitigation and incentive practices in a manner that permits 
Retirement Investors to make an informed judgment about the 
stringency of the Financial Institution's protections against 
conflicts of interest;
    (v) To the extent applicable, a list of all product 
manufacturers and other parties with whom the Financial Institution 
maintains arrangements that provide Third Party Payments to either 
the Adviser or the Financial Institution with respect to specific 
investment products or classes of investments recommended to 
Retirement Investors; a description of the arrangements, including a 
statement on whether and how these arrangements impact Adviser 
compensation, and a statement on any benefits the Financial 
Institution provides to the product manufacturers or other parties 
in exchange for the Third Party Payments; and
    (vi) Disclosure of the Financial Institution's compensation and 
incentive arrangements with Advisers including, if applicable, any 
incentives (including both cash and non-cash compensation or awards) 
to Advisers for recommending particular product manufacturers, 
investments or categories of investments to Retirement Investors, or 
for Advisers to move to the Financial Institution from another firm 
or to stay at the Financial Institution, and a full and fair 
description of any payout or compensation grids, but not including 
information that is specific to any individual Adviser's 
compensation or compensation arrangement.

    Section III(b)(1)(vii) clarifies that the Web site may describe the 
above arrangements with product manufacturers, Advisers, and others by 
reference to dollar amounts, percentages, formulas, or other means 
reasonably calculated to present a materially accurate description of 
the arrangements. Similarly, the Web site may group disclosures based 
on reasonably defined categories of investment products or classes, 
product manufacturers, Advisers, and arrangements, and it may disclose 
reasonable ranges of values, rather than specific values, as 
appropriate. By permitting Financial Institutions to present 
information in reasonably-defined categories and in reasonable ranges 
of values, the Department does not intend to permit disclosures that 
are so broad as to obscure significant conflicts of interest. A broad 
category covering all mutual funds, or insurance products, for example, 
would not be sufficiently detailed unless the Financial Institution 
maintained the same compensation arrangement with all such mutual funds 
or insurance products. Likewise, disclosing a very broad range of 
compensation structures applicable to all the Financial Institution's 
Advisers would not be sufficient if in fact there are material 
differences among adviser compensation. However constructed, the Web 
site must fairly disclose the scope, magnitude, and nature of the 
compensation arrangements and Material Conflicts of Interest in 
sufficient detail to permit visitors to the Web site to make an 
informed judgment about the significance of the compensation practices 
and Material Conflicts of Interest with respect to transactions 
recommended by the Financial Institution and its Advisers. Section 
III(b)(1)(vi) clarifies that the disclosure also must include 
incentives the Financial Institution offers to Advisers to move to or 
stay the firm. These disclosures need not contain amounts paid to 
specific individuals, but instead should be a reasonable description of 
the incentives paid and factors considered by the Financial 
Institution. This change is intended to clarify and narrow the 
requirement in the proposal that the Web site include ``indirect 
material compensation payable to the Adviser.''
    Additionally, Section III(b)(2) makes clear that, to the extent the 
information required by this section is provided in other disclosures 
which are made public, including those required by the SEC and/or the 
Department such as a Form ADV, Part II, the Financial Institution may 
satisfy Section III(b) by posting such disclosures to its Web site with 
an explanation that the information can be found in the disclosures and 
a link to precisely where it can be found. Further, Section III(b)(3) 
provides that the Financial Institution is not required to disclose 
information on the web if such disclosure is otherwise prohibited by 
law. Section III(b)(4) requires that, in addition to providing the 
written descriptions of the Financial Institution's policies and 
procedures on its Web site, as required by under Section III(b)(1)(iv), 
Financial Institutions must provide their complete policies and 
procedures, adopted pursuant to Section II(d), to the Department upon 
request. Finally, Section III(b)(5) requires that, in the event that a 
Financial Institution determines to group disclosures as described 
above, it must retain the data and documentation supporting the group 
disclosure during the time that it is applicable to the disclosure on 
the Web site, and 6 years after that, and make the data and 
documentation available to the Department within 90 days of the 
Department's request.
    Finally, Section III(c) contains a good faith exception in the 
event of an error or omission in disclosing the required information, 
or if the Web site is temporarily inaccessible. The Financial 
Institution will not fail to satisfy the exemption provided it 
discloses the correct information as soon as practicable, but, in the 
case of an error or omission on the web, not later than 7 days after 
the date on which it discovers or reasonably should have discovered the 
error or omission, and in the case of an error or omission with respect 
to the transaction disclosure, not later than 30 days after the date on 
which it discovers or reasonably should have discovered the error or 
omission. The periods differ because of the likelihood that errors or 
omissions on the Web site will have a greater impact than an error in 
an individual disclosure, due to the wider audience. Moreover, the Web 
site should be able to be updated more quickly than an individual 
disclosure; the 30-day period for correction of transaction disclosures 
builds in time to provide the corrected disclosure to the Retirement 
Investor through a variety of means, including mailing.
    In addition, to the extent compliance with the disclosure requires 
Advisers and Financial Institutions to obtain information from entities 
that are not closely affiliated with them, the exemption provides that 
they may rely in good faith on information and assurances from the 
other entities, as long as they do not know that the materials are 
incomplete or inaccurate. This good faith reliance applies unless the 
entity providing the information to the Adviser and Financial 
Institution is (1) a person directly or indirectly through one or more 
intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common control 
with the Adviser or Financial Institution; or (2) any officer, 
director, employee, agent, registered representative, relative (as 
defined in ERISA section 3(15)), member of family (as defined in Code 
section 4975(e)(6))

[[Page 21051]]

of, or partner in, the Adviser or Financial Institution.
    The good faith provisions apply to the requirement that the 
Financial Institution retain the data and documentation supporting the 
disclosure during the time that it is applicable to the disclosure on 
the Web site and provide it to the Department upon request. In 
addition, if such records are lost or destroyed due to circumstances 
beyond the control of the Financial Institution, then no prohibited 
transaction will be considered to have occurred solely on the basis of 
the unavailability of those records; and no party, other than the 
Financial Institution responsible for complying with subsection 
(b)(1)(vii) will be subject to the civil penalty that may be assessed 
under ERISA section 502(i) or the taxes imposed by Code section 4975(a) 
and (b), if applicable, if the records are not maintained or provided 
to the Department within the required timeframes.
    In the proposed exemption, the Web site disclosure focused on the 
direct and indirect material compensation payable to the Adviser, 
Financial Institution and any Affiliate for services provided in 
connection with recommended investments available for purchase, holding 
or sale within the last 365 days, as well as the source of the 
compensation, and how the compensation varied within and among Assets. 
The proposal indicated that the compensation disclosure could be 
expressed as a monetary amount, formula or percentage of the assets 
involved in the purchase, sale or holding. Under the proposal, the 
Financial Institution's Web site was required to provide access to the 
information in a machine readable format.
    The Department's intent in proposing the web disclosure was to 
provide broad transparency about the pricing and compensation 
structures adopted by Financial Institutions and Advisers. The 
Department contemplated that the data could be used by financial 
information companies to analyze and provide information comparing the 
practices of different Advisers and Financial Institutions. This 
information would allow Retirement Investors to evaluate and compare 
the practices of particular Advisers and Financial Institutions. A few 
commenters expressed support for the proposed web disclosure as an 
effort to increase transparency and use market forces to positively 
affect industry practices.
    A number of other commenters viewed the proposed web disclosure as 
too costly, burdensome, and unlikely to be used by individual 
Retirement Investors, or expressed confidentiality and privacy 
concerns. In particular, commenters opposed disclosure of Adviser-level 
compensation. A few commenters misinterpreted the proposal to require 
disclosure of the precise total compensation amounts earned by each 
individual Adviser, and strongly opposed such disclosure. Other 
commenters took the position that the requirements of the proposed web 
disclosure would violate other legal or regulatory requirements 
applicable to advertising and antitrust law.
    Other commenters expressed concerns about the logistics of the Web 
site. For example, they argued that the requirement that the Financial 
Institution describe compensation received in connection with each 
asset available for purchase, holding or sale within the past 365 days 
could require constant updating. Some commenters also raised questions 
about the meaning of the requirement that the data on the site be 
``machine readable,'' although others expressed support for the 
requirement, which could have made the information more easily 
accessible to the public.
    In the final exemption, the web disclosure requirement has been 
reworked as a more principles-based approach to avoid commenters' 
concerns. The Department accepted the suggestion of a commenter that 
the web disclosure should contain: A schedule of typical account or 
contract fees and service charges, and a list of product manufacturers 
with whom the Financial Institution maintains arrangements that provide 
payments to the Adviser and Financial Institution, including whether 
the arrangements impact Adviser compensation. Another commenter 
suggested that the Department require disclosure of the Financial 
Institution's business model and the Material Conflicts of Interest 
associated with the model. The commenter further suggested the 
Department should require disclosure of the Financial Institution's 
compensation practices with respect to Advisers, including payout grids 
and non-cash compensation and rewards. The Department has adopted these 
suggestions as well. However, with respect to the level of detail 
required, the Department has qualified the requirements of Section 
III(b) by giving the Financial Institution considerable flexibility on 
how best to present the information subject to the following principle: 
The Web site must ``fairly disclose the scope, magnitude, and nature of 
the compensation arrangements and Material Conflicts of Interest in 
sufficient detail to permit visitors to the Web site to make an 
informed judgment about the significance of the compensation practices 
and Material Conflicts of Interest with respect to transactions 
recommended by the Financial Institution and its Advisers.''
    The approach in the final exemption addresses many of the 
commenters' concerns about the burdens of the proposed web disclosure. 
To that end, the Department made the changes described above and also 
eliminated the proposed requirement that the information on the web be 
made available in machine readable format. However, the Department did 
not accept comments that suggested only general information be required 
on the web, or that no information on Adviser compensation arrangements 
should be provided. Certainly, the Financial Institution need not 
itemize or otherwise disclose the specific compensation it pays to an 
individual Adviser on its public Web site. However, the information on 
the Financial Institution's arrangements, including its compensation 
arrangements with Advisers, should be provided with enough specificity 
to inform users of the significance of these arrangements with respect 
to the transactions recommended by the Financial Institution and its 
Advisers. Consistent with the Department's initial goals, the web 
disclosure in the final exemption will create a mechanism for 
Retirement Investors and financial information companies to evaluate 
and compare compensation practices and Material Conflicts of Interests 
among different Financial Institutions and Advisers.
    The final disclosure requirement responds to other comments as 
well. Permitting Financial Institutions to rely on other public 
disclosures, as set forth in Section III(b)(2), responds to several 
requests that the Department incorporate existing disclosures to ease 
the burden on the Financial Institutions. These commenters argued that 
the information required to be disclosed as part of the exemption may 
already be part of other existing disclosures, such as those provided 
pursuant to ERISA sections 404(a)(5) and 408(b)(2) and the SEC's 
required mutual fund summary prospectuses and Form ADV. The Department 
has accepted these comments insofar as the information required 
disclosed pursuant to other requirements also satisfies the conditions 
of the exemption, and so long as the Financial Institution provides an 
explanation that the information can be found in the

[[Page 21052]]

disclosures and a link to where it can be found.
    Other commenters were concerned that these Web sites would be 
considered advertising, and therefore become subject to additional 
requirements under other federal and state laws, or that disclosure of 
certain arrangements would violate antitrust laws. Section III(b)(3) of 
the exemption provides that the Financial Institution is not required 
to disclose information on the web if such disclosure is otherwise 
prohibited by law. However, this provision does not excuse a Financial 
Institution from seeking approval from a regulator under established 
procedures for such approval, such as for review of advertising 
material, if such procedures exist.
    Commenters also raised antitrust concerns, specifically with regard 
to the information that the proposed exemptions required Financial 
Institutions to post on their Web site. The Department believes that 
the Web site disclosure requirements of the final exemption avoids 
these concerns by providing Financial Institutions considerable 
flexibility as to how the information is published on the Web site as 
long as the Financial Institutions compensation arrangements are 
described in sufficient detail to allow visitors to the Web site to 
make an informed judgment about the significance of compensation 
practice and Material Conflicts of Interest. Additionally, this 
exemption permits the Financial Institution to group disclosures based 
on reasonable-defined categories and to disclose reasonable range of 
values rather than specific numbers. The purpose of the information on 
the Web site is to allow investors to make informed decisions about 
their advisers, not to promote anticompetitive arrangements. Moreover, 
the exemption makes clear that Financial Institutions are not required 
to disclose information if such disclosure is otherwise prohibited by 
law.
    A commenter also asked for clarification on the requirement that 
the Web site be ``freely accessible to the public,'' and whether a Web 
site that requires a visitor to create a user name and password to gain 
access would comply. The Department clarifies that such requirements 
are permissible assuming that they impose no additional constraints or 
conditions on free public access to the Web site, so that the site can 
serve its purpose of providing transparency in the marketplace, 
promoting competition, and facilitating the work of financial 
information companies to review and analyze such information. Another 
commenter cautioned that many small financial advisers do not maintain 
a Web site and this disclosure requirement would impose a significant 
burden on them. In the Department's view, however, the modest cost of 
maintaining a Web site is more than offset by the need to ensure that 
the information is freely and easily accessible to the general public, 
so that the disclosure can serve its competitive and protective 
purposes. Accordingly, the Department has decided to retain the 
requirement to provide disclosures through a Web site.
    Finally, the correction procedure in Section III(c) addresses the 
risk to the Financial Institution, raised by commenters, that minor 
mistakes in the published disclosures could cause large numbers of 
transactions to become non-exempt prohibited transactions subject to 
excise tax and rescission.
8. Proprietary Products and Third Party Payments (Section IV)
    Section IV of the exemption applies to Financial Institutions that 
restrict their Advisers' investment recommendations, in whole or in 
part, to investments that are Proprietary Products or that generate 
Third Party Payments. Section IV is intended to clarify that such 
Financial Institutions and Advisers may rely on the exemption. This 
responds to a number of comments asking the Department to provide 
certainty as to the treatment of Proprietary Products and limited 
menus.
    Specifically, Section IV(a) of the final exemption provides that a 
Financial Institution that at the time of the transaction restricts its 
Advisers' investment recommendations, in whole or in part, to 
Proprietary Products or to investments that generate Third Party 
Payments, may rely on the exemption provided all of the applicable 
conditions are satisfied. Proprietary Products are defined in the 
exemption as products that are managed, issued or sponsored by the 
Financial Institution or any of its Affiliates. Third Party Payments 
are defined to include sales charges that are not paid directly by the 
plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA; gross dealer 
concessions; revenue sharing payments; 12b-1 fees; distribution, 
solicitation or referral fees; volume-based fees; fees for seminars and 
educational programs; and any other compensation, consideration or 
financial benefit provided to the Financial Institution or an Affiliate 
or Related Entity by a third party as a result of a transaction 
involving a plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA.
    Section IV(b) describes how a Financial Institution that limits its 
Advisers' investment recommendations, in whole or part, based on 
whether the investments are Proprietary Products or generate Third 
Party Payments, and an Adviser making recommendations subject to such 
limitations, will be deemed to satisfy the Best Interest standard. 
Some, but not all, of the conditions are already applicable to 
Financial Institutions and Advisers under other provisions of the 
exemption. Nevertheless, the text sets out each condition in detail 
rather than by reference so that the section provides a clear statement 
in one place of the components of the Best Interest standard for such 
Financial Institutions and Advisers.
    Section IV does contain additional conditions for such Financial 
Institutions, however. In particular, as described in greater detail 
below, under Section IV(b)(3), Financial Institutions must document the 
limitations they place on their Advisers' investment recommendations, 
the Material Conflicts of Interest associated with proprietary or third 
party arrangements, and the services that will be provided both to 
Retirement Investors as well as third parties in exchange for payments. 
Such Financial Institutions must then reasonably conclude that the 
limitations will not cause the Financial Institution or its Advisers to 
receive compensation in excess of reasonable compensation, and, after 
consideration of their policies and procedures, reasonably determine 
that the limitations and associated conflicts of interest will not 
cause the Financial Institution or its Advisers to recommend imprudent 
investments. Financial Institutions must document the bases for their 
conclusions in these respects and retain the documentation pursuant to 
the recordkeeping requirements in Section V of the exemption, for 
examination upon request by the Department and other parties set forth 
in that section.
    The condition in Section IV(b)(3) reflects the Departments' deep 
and continuing concern regarding the Financial Institutions' own 
conflicts of interest in limiting products available for investment 
recommendations. The purpose of Section IV(b)(3) is to require 
Financial Institutions to carefully consider their business models and 
form a reasonable conclusion about the impact of conflicts of interest 
associated with these particular limitations on Advisers' advice. The 
exemption will be available only if the Financial Institution 
reasonably concludes that these limitations, in conjunction with the 
anti-conflict policies and

[[Page 21053]]

procedures, will not result in advice that violates the standards set 
forth in the exemption. Of course, the Adviser and the Financial 
Institution must also comply with the other conditions of the exemption 
as well.
    Specifically, under Section IV(b) such Financial Institutions and 
Advisers shall be deemed to satisfy the Best Interest standard of 
Section VIII(d) if:

    (1) Prior to or at the same time as the execution of a 
transaction based on the advice, the Retirement Investor is clearly 
and prominently informed in writing that the Financial Institution 
offers Proprietary Products or receives Third Party Payments with 
respect to the purchase, sale, exchange, or holding of recommended 
investments; and the Retirement Investor is informed in writing of 
the limitations placed on the universe of investments that the 
Adviser may recommend to the Retirement Investor. The notice is 
insufficient if it merely states that the Financial Institution or 
Adviser ``may'' limit investment recommendations based on whether 
the investments are Proprietary Products or generate Third Party 
Payments, without specific disclosure of the extent to which 
recommendations are, in fact, limited on that basis;
    (2) Prior to or at the same time as the execution of a 
recommended transaction, the Retirement Investor is fully and fairly 
informed in writing of any Material Conflicts of Interest that the 
Financial Institution or Adviser have with respect to the 
recommended transaction, and the Adviser and Financial Institution 
comply with the disclosure requirements set forth in Section III 
(providing for web and transaction-based disclosure of costs, fees, 
compensation, and Material Conflicts of Interest);
    (3) The Financial Institution documents in writing its 
limitations on the universe of recommended investments; documents in 
writing the Material Conflicts of Interest associated with any 
contract, agreement, or arrangement providing for its receipt of 
Third Party Payments or associated with the sale or promotion of 
Proprietary Products; documents any services it will provide to 
Retirement Investors in exchange for the Third Party Payments, as 
well as any services or consideration it will furnish to any other 
party, including the payor, in exchange for Third Party Payments; 
reasonably concludes that the limitations on the universe of 
recommended investments and Material Conflicts of Interest will not 
cause the Financial Institution or its Advisers to receive 
compensation in excess of reasonable compensation for Retirement 
Investors as set forth in Section II(c)(2); reasonably determines, 
after consideration of the policies and procedures established 
pursuant to Section II(d), that these limitations and Material 
Conflicts of Interest will not cause the Financial Institution or 
its Advisers to recommend imprudent investments; and documents the 
bases for its conclusions;
    (4) The Financial Institution adopts, monitors, implements, and 
adheres to policies and procedures and incentive practices that meet 
the terms of Section II(d)(1) and (2); and, in accordance with 
Section II(d)(3), neither the Financial Institution nor (to the best 
of its knowledge) any Affiliate or Related Entity uses or relies 
upon quotas, appraisals, performance or personnel actions, bonuses, 
contests, special awards, differential compensation or other actions 
or incentives that are intended or would reasonably be expected to 
cause the Adviser to make imprudent investment recommendations, to 
subordinate the interests of the Retirement Investor to the 
Adviser's own interests, or to make recommendations based on the 
Adviser's considerations of factors or interests other than the 
investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and 
needs of the Retirement Investor;
    (5) At the time of the recommendation, the amount of 
compensation and other consideration reasonably anticipated to be 
paid, directly or indirectly, to the Adviser, Financial Institution, 
or their Affiliates or Related Entities for their services in 
connection with the recommended transaction is not in excess of 
reasonable compensation within the meaning of ERISA section 
408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2); and
    (6) The Adviser's recommendation with respect to the transaction 
reflects the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the 
circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like 
capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of 
an enterprise of a like character and with like aims, based on the 
investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and 
needs of the Retirement Investor; and the Adviser's recommendation 
is not based on the financial or other interests of the Adviser or 
on the Adviser's consideration of any factors or interests other 
than the investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial 
circumstances, and needs of the Retirement Investor.

    The purpose of Section IV, as proposed, was to establish conditions 
that help ensure that the particular conflicts of interest associated 
with proprietary business models or the receipt of Third Party Payments 
did not undermine Advisers' ability to provide advice in Retirement 
Investors' Best Interest.
    Some commenters on Section IV of the proposed exemption focused in 
large part on the structure of the section. In the proposal, Section 
IV(a) provided a general requirement that the Financial Institution 
offer a ``range of Assets that is broad enough to enable the Adviser to 
make recommendations with respect to all of the asset classes 
reasonably necessary to serve the Best Interests of the Retirement 
Investor in light of its investment objectives, risk tolerance, and 
specific financial circumstances.'' Section IV(b) then provided 
specific conditions for Financial Institutions that could not satisfy 
Section IV(a).
    Commenters expressed uncertainty as to the meaning of proposed 
Section IV(a). They requested clarity on the terms ``asset classes'' 
and ``range of Assets.'' Some pointed out that all Financial 
Institutions limit their products in some ways, and so it may be that 
no Financial Institution would be able to satisfy Section IV(a). A few 
commenters described this requirement as a penalty for certain 
investment specialists who offer only a limited set of investments. 
Particular concerns were raised by insurance companies, many of which 
sell Proprietary Products.
    Several commenters were concerned that Section IV would prohibit 
advice relating to Proprietary Products. Some commenters requested that 
Section IV be replaced with a disclosure requirement, so that any 
Financial Institution which disclosed its Proprietary Products could 
provide advice relating to those products without satisfying the other 
conditions of the exemption. Some commenters raised specific concerns 
about insurance products and fraternal organizations, and whether they 
would be able to continue to sell their Proprietary Products.
    In response to all of these comments, the Department has revised 
Section IV(a) to clarify that Financial Institutions may limit the 
products their Advisers offer to Proprietary Products and those that 
generate Third Party Payments. The Department has revised Section IV(b) 
to clarify how a Financial Institution that limits its products in this 
way, in whole or in part, can be deemed to satisfy the Best Interest 
standard, in light of concerns that the Financial Institutions and 
their Advisers would otherwise be held to violate the Best Interest 
standard's requirement that recommendations be made ``without regard to 
the financial or other interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution, 
or any Affiliate, Related Entity, or other party.'' The standard 
provides that such Financial Institutions and Advisers are deemed to 
meet the Best Interest standard if they satisfy the particular 
requirements set forth in Section IV(b), which require, inter alia, 
full disclosure of the restrictions on investment recommendations and 
associated conflicts of interest, the adoption of specified measures to 
protect investors from conflicts of interest, prudent investment 
recommendations, and insulation of the Adviser from conflicts of 
interest when making recommendations from the restricted menu.
    In response to a commenter that indicated that the proprietary 
status of products can change over time, the Department notes that the 
conditions of Section IV must be satisfied at the time of the 
transaction with the Retirement

[[Page 21054]]

Investor. Subsequent changes in the status of products to non-
proprietary, or vice versa, will not cause the exemption to fail to 
apply.
    The sections below discuss the conditions of Section IV and the 
comments that the Department received on the proposal, including (a) 
the general conditions, (b) the written findings, (c) the reasonable 
compensation condition, and (d) the notification condition.
a. Best Interest Conditions Common to All Financial Institutions and 
Advisers
    Section IV responds to concerns expressed by Financial Institutions 
that limit Advisers' recommendations to Proprietary Products or to 
products that generate Third Party Payments, as to whether they could 
ever be said to act ``without regard to'' their own interests, as 
required by the general definition of ``Best Interest.'' This section 
makes clear that such Financial Institutions can satisfy the standard, 
provided that the recommendation is prudent, the fees reasonable, the 
conflicts disclosed (so that the customer can fairly be said to have 
knowingly assented to them) and the conflicts managed through stringent 
policies and procedures that keep the Adviser's focus on the customer's 
Best Interest.
    Commenters on this issue expressed significant concern about their 
ability to recommend Proprietary Products under the exemption. They 
asked for assurance that the ``without regard to'' language would not 
effectively prohibit advice regarding Proprietary Products because of 
an implication that the Financial Institution could not have any 
interest in the transaction. As a result, the commenters feared that 
the exemption effectively foreclosed proprietary investment providers 
from receiving compensation under the exemption.
    As noted above, Section IV has been crafted to provide a specific 
definition of Best Interest applicable to Financial Institutions and 
Advisers that recommend investments from a restricted menu that 
includes Proprietary Products or investments that generate Third Party 
Payments, while protecting Retirement Investors from the harmful impact 
of conflicts of interest. A number of the conditions of this specific 
definition are already required elsewhere in the exemption, and should 
not impose any special or additional burden beyond what is required of 
all Advisers and Financial Institutions subject to the exemption. Thus, 
Section IV(b)(1) requires that, prior to or at the same time as the 
execution of a recommended transaction, the Financial Institution 
provide notice to the Retirement Investor that it offers Proprietary 
Products or receives Third Party Payments, and inform the Retirement 
Investor of the limitations placed on the universe of investments 
available for Advisers to recommend, in accordance with the required 
contractual disclosure in Section II(e)(5). The notice to the 
Retirement Investor regarding Proprietary Products must inform the 
Retirement Investor that a Proprietary Product is a product managed, 
issued or sponsored by the Financial Institution and that the Adviser 
or Financial Institution may have a greater conflict of interest when 
recommending Proprietary Products due to the benefit to the Financial 
Institution.
    Section IV(b)(2) requires that, prior to or at the same time as the 
execution of the recommended transaction, the Retirement Investor be 
informed of Material Conflicts of Interest with respect to the 
recommended transaction, in accordance with the requirements of Section 
III. Section IV(b)(4) generally requires that the Financial Institution 
adopt, implements and adhere to policies and procedures that meet the 
terms of Section II(d). When Advisers make recommendations from a 
restricted menu, the Financial Institution may not incentivize Advisers 
to preferentially recommend those products on the menu that are most 
lucrative to the Financial Institution.
    Section IV(b)(6) places a requirement on the Adviser to recommend 
investments that are prudent. In addition, when making recommendations 
from the universe of investments offered by the Financial Institution, 
the Adviser's recommendations may not be based on the financial or 
other interests of the Adviser or on the Adviser's consideration of any 
factors or interests other than the investment objectives, risk 
tolerance, financial circumstances, and needs of the Retirement 
Investor. This is an articulation of the Adviser's Best Interest 
obligation in the context of Proprietary Products or investments that 
generate Third Party Payments.
b. Written Finding and Documentation
    In addition to the sections described above, Section IV(b)(3) 
retains a requirement of a written finding regarding the effect of 
these arrangements on advice to Retirement Investors. Some commenters 
on the proposal objected to a similar provision in proposed Section 
IV(b)(1) that a Financial Institution which offered a limited range of 
investment options make a specific written finding that the limitations 
it has placed would not prevent the Adviser from providing advice that 
is the Best Interest of the Retirement Investor or otherwise adhering 
to the Impartial Conduct Standards. A few commenters questioned whether 
the written finding, as proposed, had to be made with respect to each 
Retirement Investor individually. A number of commenters more generally 
objected to the requirement as overly burdensome and of questionable 
protective value to Retirement Investors.
    After consideration of the comments, the Department has restated 
the condition in Section IV(b)(3) and included specific documentation 
requirements. The written documentation required in this condition is 
not individualized and does not have to be provided to Retirement 
Investors, addressing commenters' concerns that the written finding 
might have to be made on an individual Retirement Investor basis. But 
the Department remains convinced of the importance of ensuring that the 
Financial Institution safeguard against conflicts in the manner 
proposed. While other provisions of the definition and the exemption 
create strong limitations on conflicted conduct by individual Advisers, 
this condition focuses specifically on firm-level conflicts, and for 
that reason is important to protecting Retirement Investors from harm. 
As revised, the exemption now imposes the following condition:

    (3) The Financial Institution documents in writing its 
limitations on the universe of recommended investments; documents in 
writing the Material Conflicts of Interest associated with any 
contract, agreement, or arrangement providing for its receipt of 
Third Party Payments or associated with the sale or promotion of 
Proprietary Products; documents any services it will provide to 
Retirement Investors in exchange for Third Party Payments, as well 
as any services or consideration it will furnish to any other party, 
including the payor, in exchange for Third Party Payments; 
reasonably concludes that the limitations on the universe of 
recommended investments and Material Conflicts of Interest will not 
cause the Financial Institution or its Advisers to receive 
compensation in excess of reasonable compensation for Retirement 
Investors as set forth in Section II(c)(2); reasonably determines, 
after consideration of the policies and procedures established 
pursuant to Section II(d), that these limitations and Material 
Conflicts of Interest will not cause the Financial Institution or 
its Advisers to recommend imprudent investments; and documents the 
bases for its conclusions;

    The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that the Financial 
Institution reasonably safeguards Retirement Investors from dangerous 
conflicts of

[[Page 21055]]

interest, notwithstanding its decision to provide a restricted menu of 
investment options. Accordingly, the Financial Institution must 
carefully evaluate and document the conflicts of interest associated 
with the limited menu; reasonably conclude that the practices will not 
cause the payment of excess compensation to the Advisers or the 
Financial Institution; reasonably determine, in light of the Financial 
Institution's policies and procedures, that the limitations will not 
cause Advisers to make imprudent recommendations; and document the 
reasoning for all its conclusions. These documents must be retained 
under the recordkeeping provisions of the exemption discussed below, 
and would be available to the Department and Retirement Investors.
    These requirements of Section IV(b)(3), together with the 
disclosure and other requirements of Section IV(b) and the rest of the 
exemption, were carefully crafted to protect the interests of 
Retirement Investors. The Department has made the requirements more 
specific in response to comments, but it declines requests to provide 
greater exemptive relief to Financial Institutions that make conflicted 
recommendations of Proprietary Products or investments that generate 
Third Party Payments. In such cases, it is particularly important that 
conflicts of interest be carefully addressed at the level of the 
Financial Institution, not just at the level of the Adviser. Section 
IV(b)(3) adds clarity and substance to the Financial Institutions' 
important obligations to their Retirement Investor customers.
c. Reasonable Compensation
    Section IV(b)(5) retains a reasonable compensation requirement for 
Financial Institutions that fall within the parameters of Section IV. 
The proposal had departed, in some respects, from the formulation of 
the reasonable compensation standard under ERISA section 408(b)(2) and 
in Section II(c)(2) of the exemption. In particular, rather than 
looking at the reasonableness of the aggregate compensation for all of 
the services to the Retirement Investor, the test required that each 
instance of compensation be reasonable in relation to the fair market 
value of the specific service that generated the compensation. The 
Department's intent in this regard was to ensure that any additional 
payments, such as Third Party Payments, received in connection with 
advice, where advice is limited to certain products, were tied to 
specific services of equivalent value.
    Some commenters questioned the need for a special reasonable 
compensation standard in this context. In particular, they complained 
that it would be difficult to comply with the test, or to match up 
particular payments with particular investors. A commenter explained 
that some investors may pay slightly more due to the funds they select 
while others may pay slightly less even though the services are 
basically the same. In addition, higher net-worth clients with larger 
account balances subsidize those with more modest lower account 
balances, according to the commenter. Another commenter described the 
requirement as a departure from prior Department guidance, which 
focused on the reasonableness of compensation in the aggregate, and did 
not require that each stream of compensation be determined to be 
reasonable in relation to the specific services provided.
    After considering the comments, the Department has decided to use 
the same reasonable compensation standard throughout the exemption as 
set forth in Section II(c)(2), rather than a special standard for 
Financial Institutions making recommendations from a limited menu. 
Accordingly, Section IV(b)(5) now states the following condition:

    At the time of the recommendation, the amount of compensation 
and other consideration reasonably anticipated to be paid, directly 
or indirectly, to the Adviser, Financial Institution, or their 
Affiliates or Related Entities for their services in connection with 
the recommended transaction is not in excess of reasonable 
compensation within the meaning of ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code 
section 4975(d)(2);

    This condition, used throughout the exemption, applies the familiar 
reasonable compensation standard applicable to service providers 
(fiduciary or non-fiduciary) under ERISA and the Code. Although the 
standard is a fair market standard, there is no requirement to allocate 
specific compensation to specific services.
    The Department stresses the importance of Financial Institutions' 
obligations in this regard, particularly when limiting their 
recommendations to Proprietary Products or products that generate Third 
Party Payments. In such cases, the Financial Institution's conflicts of 
interest are acute, and the additional compensation generated by their 
recommendations often are not transparent to the Retirement Investor. 
Accordingly, Financial Institutions should give special care to meeting 
their obligations under Section IV(b)(3) to reasonably conclude that 
the limitations and conflicts of interest associated with Proprietary 
Products and Third Party Payments will not cause the Financial 
Institution or its Advisers to receive compensation in excess of 
reasonable compensation, and to document the bases for their findings.
d. Notification
    Section IV(b)(4) of the proposal contained a provision requiring 
the Adviser to notify the Retirement Investor if the Adviser does not 
recommend a sufficiently broad range of Assets to meet the Retirement 
Investor's needs. Some commenters requested that the Department clarify 
the purpose of the notice, in part to confirm that it is not punitive. 
Others asked about the specifics of the wording of the notice and 
whether it could be phrased to emphasize what is offered instead of 
what is not. A commenter also suggested it was unnecessary in light of 
some of the initial disclosures regarding the limitations placed on 
recommendations.
    As explained above, Section IV was re-worked in the final exemption 
to clarify that Financial Institutions and Advisers may limit the 
products they offer to Proprietary Products and those that generate 
Third Party Payments and to specify how a Financial Institution that 
limits its products in this way, in whole or in part, can satisfy the 
Best Interest standard. After consideration of the comments, the 
Department has deleted the specific disclosure provision from the text 
of the exemption condition. It should be emphasized, however, that an 
Adviser must take special care to comply with the exemption's 
conditions when making recommendations from a very limited menu. The 
fact that the menu does not offer an investment that meets the prudence 
and loyalty standards with respect to the particular customer, and in 
light of that customer's needs, is not a basis for ignoring those 
standards. Moreover, Advisers that recommend a limited set of products 
must consider the share of the portfolio that such products account 
for, when recommending them to a Retirement Investor. If another type 
of investment would be in the Retirement Investor's Best Interest, the 
Adviser may not, consistent with the Best Interest obligation, 
recommend a product from its limited menu.
9. Disclosure to the Department and Recordkeeping (Section V)
    Section V of the exemption establishes record retention and 
disclosure conditions that a Financial Institution must satisfy for the

[[Page 21056]]

exemption to be available for compensation received in connection with 
recommended transactions.
a. EBSA Notice
    Before receiving compensation in reliance on the exemption, the 
Financial Institution must notify the Employee Benefits Security 
Administration (EBSA) of the Department of Labor of its intention to 
rely on the exemption. The notice will remain in effect until revoked 
in writing by the Financial Institution. The notice need not identify 
any plan or IRA.
    The Department received several requests to delete the EBSA notice 
requirement. One commenter complained this would be a ``foot fault'' 
for Financial Institutions trying to comply, placing a burden on the 
Financial Institutions without adding significant protections for the 
Retirement Investors. According to the comment, the EBSA notice would 
not be useful for Retirement Investors or the Department because almost 
all Financial Institutions would make the one-time filing. The 
commenter also raised questions about the logistics of the notice; 
whether each separate legal entity would be required to file the notice 
and if Financial Institutions would be required to amend their notices 
when restructuring operations.
    The Department has retained the notice requirement in the final 
exemption. The EBSA notice, while imposing a minimal obligation on the 
Financial Institution, serves a valuable function by enabling the 
Department to determine which and which type of Financial Institutions 
intend to rely on the exemption, and by facilitating the Department's 
audit and compliance assistance programs. These efforts promote 
compliance with the exemption's terms and redound to the benefit of 
Retirement Investors. The Department has kept the notice requirement 
simple to avoid placing an undue burden on Financial Institutions, but 
it confirms that each Financial Institution relying on the exemption 
must file the notice, and, if operations are restructured and a new 
legal entity becomes the Financial Institution, the new entity must 
file prior to reliance on the exemption.
    The Department has clarified the manner of service in response to 
comments. The notice must be provided by email to the Department of 
Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Office of Exemption 
Determinations at e-BICE@dol.gov. One commenter suggested that the 
Department should create an online submission form with mandatory 
identification fields and a web address for submitting the form. The 
Department has not accepted this comment, but notes that the 
notification need not contain much detailed information. It must simply 
identify the Financial Institution and its intent to rely on the 
exemption.
    The same commenter also suggested that the notices be provided to 
the Employee Benefits Security Administration, Office of Enforcement, 
to allow the Department's investigators to target those Financial 
Institutions for compliance evaluations. The Department has rejected 
this comment, however, because the notice serves broader purposes than 
just enforcement, and the information will be readily available to 
EBSA's Office of Enforcement regardless of the initial recipient of the 
information within EBSA.
    Other commenters suggested the Department share the information 
more broadly. One commenter requested that the Department create a 
mechanism to share the notices with other regulators, including the 
states, the SEC and FINRA to promote investor protection. Another 
suggested a publicly accessible registry where filings could be 
electronically verified and viewed. In addition to providing increased 
transparency, this would also provide a way for Financial Institutions 
to confirm that their notification has been received. The Department 
has declined to accept these comments. This is a notice provision only 
and the Department does not intend to require any approval or finding 
by the Department that the Financial Institution is eligible for the 
exemption. As in the proposal, once a Financial Institution has sent 
the notice, it can immediately begin to rely on the exemption, provided 
the conditions are satisfied. However, the Department notes that 
Financial Institutions should retain documentation of having provided 
the notification in accordance with Section V(b) discussed below.
    One commenter requested a change in the timing of the notification, 
so that it would be required at the time an investment advice program 
is implemented, rather than before implementation. The Department has 
not made this change in the text, but notes that the notification need 
not be provided significantly in advance of any recommendations and 
that it is effective upon sending. Therefore, a Financial Institution 
could send the Department its notice immediately prior to receiving 
compensation in reliance on the Best Interest Contract Exemption and 
this condition would be satisfied.
b. Data Request
    Section V(b) of the proposal would have required the Financial 
Institution to collect and maintain data relating to inflows, outflows, 
holdings, and returns for retirement investments for six years from the 
date of the applicable transactions and to provide that data to the 
Department upon request within six months. The Department reserved the 
right to publicly disclose the information provided on an aggregated 
basis, although it made clear it would not disclose any individually 
identifiable financial information regarding Retirement Investor 
accounts.
    The Department eliminated the data request in its entirety in 
response to comments. While the Department received some comments 
supporting the requirement, a large number of commenters requested 
elimination of the requirement. Commenters expressed concerned about 
the burden and costs of maintaining the necessary materials and 
responding to the Department within the timeframe. They also raised 
concerns about coordinating with other regulatory requirements, as well 
as privacy and security, including trade secrets, especially in light 
of the provision that would potentially have allowed the Department to 
make portfolio returns and other information public. One commenter 
asserted that the provision may violate federal banking law. Still 
other commenters raised questions regarding the purpose and necessity 
of the requirement, and the consequences of failure to comply.
    While the proposed data collection requirement was not adopted as 
part of the final exemption, the separate proposed general 
recordkeeping requirement was adopted, with some modifications, as 
Section V(b) and (c). The requirement to maintain the records necessary 
to determine compliance with the exemption both encourages thoughtful 
compliance and provides an important means for the Department and 
Retirement Investors to assess whether Financial Institutions and their 
Advisers are, in fact, complying with the exemption's conditions and 
fiduciary standards. Although the requirement does not lend itself to 
the same sorts of statistical and quantitative analyses that would have 
been promoted by the data collection requirement, it too assists the 
Department and Retirement Investors in evaluating compliance with the 
exemption, but at substantially less cost.
c. General Recordkeeping
    Under Section V(b) and (c) of the exemption, the Financial 
Institution

[[Page 21057]]

must maintain for six years records necessary for the Department and 
certain other entities, including plan fiduciaries, participants, 
beneficiaries and IRA owners, to determine whether the conditions of 
the exemption have been satisfied. These records would include, for 
example, records concerning the Financial Institution's incentive and 
compensation practices for its Advisers, the Financial Institution's 
policies and procedures, any documentation governing the application of 
the policies and procedures, the documents prepared under Section IV 
(Proprietary Products and Third Party Payments), contracts entered into 
with Retirement Investors, and disclosure documentation.
    Some commenters objected that these proposed recordkeeping 
requirements were too burdensome, and expressed concern about required 
disclosure of trade secrets. One commenter indicated that the exemption 
should not allow parties such as plan fiduciaries, participants, 
beneficiaries and IRA owners, to obtain information about a transaction 
involving another plan or IRA. Another raised concerns that the 
Department's right to review a bank's records could conflict with 
federal banking laws that prohibit agencies other than the Office of 
the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) from exercising ``visitorial'' 
powers over national banks and federal savings associations. The 
commenter asserted that such visitorial powers, governed by 12 U.S.C. 
484, include the power of a regulator to inspect, examine, supervise, 
and regulate the affairs of an entity.
    After consideration of the comments, the Department has modified 
the recordkeeping provision in the following ways. The Department has 
clarified which parties may view the records that are maintained by the 
Financial Institution. Plan fiduciaries, participants, beneficiaries, 
contributing employers, employee organizations with members covered by 
the plan, and IRA owners are not authorized to examine records 
regarding a recommended transaction involving another Retirement 
Investor. Financial Institutions are not required to disclose 
privileged trade secrets or privileged commercial or financial 
information to any of the parties other than the Department, as was 
also true of the proposal. Financial Institutions are also not required 
to disclose records if such disclosure would be precluded by 12 U.S.C. 
484. As revised, the exemption requires the records be ``reasonably'' 
available, rather than ``unconditionally'' available.
    The recordkeeping provision in the exemption is necessary to 
demonstrate compliance with the terms of the exemption and therefore 
should represent prudent business practices in any event. The 
Department notes that similar language is used in many other exemptions 
and has been the Department's standard recordkeeping requirement for 
exemptions for some time.

C. Exclusions (Section I(c))

    Although Section I(b) broadly permits the receipt of compensation 
resulting from investment advice within the meaning of ERISA section 
3(21)(A)(ii) and Code section 4975(e)(3)(B) to a Retirement Investor, 
the exemption is subject to some specific exclusions, as discussed 
below.
1. In-House Plans
    Section I(c)(1) provides that the exemption does not apply to the 
receipt of compensation from a transaction involving an ERISA plan if 
the Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate is the employer of 
employees covered by the plan. Industry commenters requested 
elimination of this exclusion. In particular, they said that Financial 
Institutions in the business of providing investment advice should not 
be compelled to hire a competitor to provide services to the Financial 
Institution's own plan. They warned that the exclusion could 
effectively prevent these Financial Institutions from providing any 
investment advice to their employees. Some commenters additionally 
stated that for compliance reasons, employees of a Financial 
Institution are often required to maintain their financial assets with 
that firm. As a result, they argued employees of Financial Institutions 
could be denied access to investment advice on their retirement 
savings.
    In general, the Department has not scaled back the exclusion. The 
Department continues to be concerned that the danger of abuse is 
compounded when the advice recipient receives recommendations from the 
employer, upon whom he or she depends for a job, to make investments in 
which the employer has a financial interest. To protect employees from 
abuse, employers generally should not be in a position to use their 
employees' retirement benefits as potential revenue or profit sources, 
without stringent safeguards. See, e.g., ERISA section 403(c)(1) 
(generally providing that ``the assets of a plan shall never inure to 
the benefit of any employer''). Employers can always render advice and 
recover their direct expenses in transactions involving their employees 
without need of an exemption. In addition, ERISA section 408(b)(5) 
provides a statutory exemption for the purchase of life, health 
insurance, or annuities provided that the plan pays no more than 
adequate consideration.
    In accordance with this condition, the exemption is not available 
for compensation received in a rollover from such a plan to an IRA, 
where the compensation is derived from transactions involving the plan, 
not the IRA. Additionally, the exclusion in Section I(c) does not apply 
in the case of an IRA or other similar plan that is not covered by 
Title I of ERISA. The decision to open an IRA account or obtain IRA 
services from the employer is much more likely to be entirely voluntary 
on the employees' part than would be true of their interactions with 
the retirement plan sponsored and designed by their employer for its 
employee benefit program. Accordingly, an Adviser or Financial 
Institution may provide advice to the beneficial owner of an IRA who is 
employed by the Adviser, its Financial Institution or an Affiliate, and 
receive prohibited compensation as a result, provided the IRA is not 
covered by Title I of ERISA, and the conditions of this exemption are 
satisfied.
    Section I(c)(1) further provides that the exemption is unavailable 
if the Adviser or Financial Institution is a named fiduciary or plan 
administrator, as defined in ERISA section 3(16)(A)) with respect to an 
ERISA plan, or an affiliate thereof, that was selected to provide 
advice to the plan by a fiduciary who is not independent of them. This 
provision is intended to disallow the selection of Advisers and 
Financial Institutions by named fiduciaries or plan administrators that 
have a significant financial stake in the selection and was adopted in 
the final exemption unchanged from the proposal.\86\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \86\ The definition of ``independent'' was adjusted in response 
to comments, as discussed below, to permit circumstances in which 
the person selecting the Adviser and Financial Institution could 
receive no more than 2% of its compensation from the Financial 
Institution.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Principal Transactions
    Section I(c)(2) excludes compensation earned in ``principal 
transactions'' from the scope of the exemption. In a ``principal 
transaction,'' the Financial Institution engages in a purchase or sale 
transaction with a Retirement Investor for the Financial Institution's 
own account (or for the account of a person directly or indirectly, 
through one or more intermediaries, controlling,

[[Page 21058]]

controlled by, or under common control with the Financial Institution). 
As discussed above, this restriction does not include riskless 
principal transactions. In addition, the exemption does not treat sales 
of insurance or annuity contracts, or mutual fund shares, as principal 
transactions.
    In the proposal for this Best Interest Contract Exemption, the 
Department stated that principal transactions would be excluded from 
the relief provided, but did not define the term ``principal 
transaction.'' The Department received several requests for 
clarification of the term, particularly with respect to recommendations 
of proprietary insurance products. After considering the comments, the 
Department defined ``principal transaction'' to clarify that purchases 
and sales of insurance and annuity contracts will not be treated as 
principal transactions.
    Other commenters asked about the treatment of unit investment 
trusts (UITs). UITs are generally traded on a principal basis, 
according to commenters, but are sold in ways that are similar to 
mutual funds sales. Commenters noted that in the proposal, the 
Department specifically indicated that mutual fund transactions were 
not treated as excluded principal transactions because they are traded 
on a riskless principal basis. Commenters asked for confirmation that 
UITs would receive the same treatment. The Department concurs that to 
the extent UITs are sold in riskless principal transactions, they can 
be recommended under this exemption. They are also included within the 
types of investments that can be recommended under the Principal 
Transactions Exemption.
3. ``Robo-Advice''
    Section I(c)(3) generally provides that the exemption does not 
cover compensation that is received as a result of investment advice 
generated solely by an interactive Web site in which computer software-
based models or applications provide investment advice to Retirement 
Investors based on personal information the investor supplies through 
the Web site without any personal interaction or advice from an 
individual Adviser. Such computer derived advice is often referred to 
as ``robo-advice.'' A statutory prohibited transaction exemption at 
ERISA section 408(b)(14) covers computer-generated investment advice 
and is available for robo-advice involving prohibited transactions if 
its conditions are satisfied. See 29 CFR 2550.408g-1.
    The exclusion does not apply, however, to robo-advice providers 
that are Level Fee Fiduciaries. Such providers may rely on the 
exemption with respect to investment advice to engage the robo-advice 
provider for advisory or investment management services with respect to 
the Plan or IRA assets, provided they comply with the conditions 
applicable to Level Fee Fiduciaries.
    The Department received several requests to include robo-advice in 
this exemption or provide a separate streamlined exemption for robo-
advice. Commenters argued that all advice should be treated the same, 
regardless of whether it is provided through a computer or through a 
human Adviser. Some commenters thought that by excluding robo-advice 
from the exemption, the Department was limiting options for Retirement 
Investors. In addition, some commenters stated that robo-advice can be 
difficult to define, and many Financial Institutions and Advisers may 
use hybrid programs that rely on both computer software-based models 
and personal advice. One commenter was concerned that excluding robo-
advice from the exemption could leave Retirement Investors who rely on 
robo-advice without any legal remedy, and may force more Retirement 
Investors to rely on an untested alternative.
    The Department is of the view that the marketplace for robo-advice 
is still evolving in ways that both appear to avoid conflicts of 
interest that would violate the prohibited transaction rules and 
minimize cost. Therefore, the Department included robo-advice in the 
exemption only if the advice is provided by a Level Fee Fiduciary to 
enter into the arrangement for robo-advice, including by means of a 
rollover from an ERISA plan to an IRA, and if the conditions applicable 
to Level Fee Fiduciaries are satisfied. Accordingly, the fiduciary and 
its Affiliates must receive only a Level Fee, as defined in the 
exemption. In addition, the Department notes that hybrid programs in 
which the Adviser relies upon or works in tandem with such interactive 
materials are not excluded under the language of Section I(c)(3), 
regardless if they utilize a level fee arrangement. However, the 
Department determined against providing relief for robo-advice 
providers acting purely through the web to receive non-level 
compensation after being retained by the Retirement Investor. Including 
such relief in this exemption could adversely affect the incentives 
currently shaping the market for robo-advice.
    The Department further notes that to the extent robo-advice is not 
covered under exemption, it does not mean that Retirement Investors 
have no protections with respect to their interactions with such advice 
providers; to the contrary, it means that the robo-advice providers 
that are fiduciaries under the Regulation must provide advice under 
circumstances that do not constitute a prohibited transaction, or rely 
on another exemption, including ERISA section 408(g).
 4. Discretion
    Finally, Section I(c)(4) provides that the exemption is not 
available if the Adviser has or exercises any discretionary authority 
or discretionary control with respect to the recommended transaction. 
This has been revised from the proposal in response to comments. Under 
the proposal, relief would not have been available if an Adviser 
exercised discretionary authority or control respecting management of 
the plan or IRA assets involved in the transaction, exercised any 
authority or control respecting management or disposition of the 
assets, or had any discretionary authority or responsibility in the 
administration of the Plan or IRA. Commenters expressed concern that 
the exclusion was too broad. For example, some commenters asserted that 
it could be read to exclude an Adviser who had no discretionary or 
authority with respect to the assets at the time of the transaction, 
but subsequently acquired such control (e.g., an Adviser who 
recommended that the investor roll the money out of an IRA into an 
account to be managed by the Adviser). This was not the Department's 
intent, and the Department has revised the provision to make clear that 
the Adviser must have had or exercised discretionary authority to 
engage in the recommended transaction.
    Commenters additionally requested that the exemption apply to 
discretionary asset management, as well as advice, so that Financial 
Institutions offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services 
could comply with the same set of rules. The commenters stated that, as 
part of this regulatory package, there were proposed amendments that 
would change some prohibited transaction class exemptions previously 
relied on by discretionary managers.
    The Department has considered these comments but has determined not 
to broaden the exemption to include relief for fiduciaries with 
investment discretion over the recommended transactions. These 
fiduciaries are currently subject to a robust regulatory regime, 
developed over decades, which specifically addresses the issues raised

[[Page 21059]]

when a fiduciary is given the discretionary authority to manage assets. 
Including discretionary fiduciaries in the relief provided by the 
exemption would expose discretionary fiduciaries--and the Retirement 
Investors they serve as fiduciaries--to conflicts that they are 
currently not exposed to. The conditions of this exemption are tailored 
to the conflicts that arise in the context of the provision of 
investment advice, not the conflicts that could arise with respect to 
discretionary money managers. Moreover, the Department's decision to 
amend other exemptions that are applicable to discretionary managers 
does not alter the Department's view of the proper scope of this Best 
Interest Contract Exemption. The amendments to other exemptions 
applicable to discretionary fiduciaries, also published in this issue 
of the Federal Register, are limited; they primarily incorporate the 
Impartial Conduct Standards as conditions of those exemptions and 
clarify issues of scope. The purpose of those amendments too is to 
reduce the harmful impact of conflicts of interest, not expand the 
scope of their operation.

D. Good Faith Compliance

    Commenters requested that the exemption continue to apply in the 
event of a Financial Institution's or Adviser's good faith failure to 
comply with one or more of the conditions. In the commenters' views, 
the exemption was sufficiently complex and the implementation timeline 
sufficiently short to justify such a provision. For example, FINRA 
suggested that the Department include a provision for continued 
application of the exemption despite a failure to comply with ``any 
term, condition or requirement of this exemption . . . if the failure 
to comply was insignificant and a good faith and reasonable attempt was 
made to comply with all applicable terms, conditions and 
requirements.'' Several commenters specifically supported FINRA's 
suggestion.
    There were other specific suggestions regarding good faith 
compliance. For example, one commenter suggested that there be a 
provision to bar litigation concerning ``de minimis'' claims, including 
accounts of $5,000 or less, if the Adviser and Financial Institution 
acted in good faith. Another suggested the Department adopt a 
``Compliance Program Safe Harbor,'' which would provide a safe harbor 
from litigation if the Financial Institution adopted and implemented a 
compliance program. The suggested compliance program included, among 
other features, diligence, training, oversight, annual certification of 
the compliance program by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Financial 
Institution or a Related Entity, and an annual audit (by internal or 
external auditors) of the operation of the compliance program. Other 
commenters were less specific. One suggested a ``principles-based 
approach'' to the penalties and corrections to match the principles-
based approach to the conditions. Several other commenters pointed to 
other good faith compliance provisions in the Department's regulations 
under ERISA sections 404 and 408(b)(2).
    The Department has reviewed the exemption's requirements with these 
comments in mind and has included a good faith correction mechanism for 
the disclosure requirements in Section II(e) and Section III. These 
provisions take a similar approach to the provisions in the 
Department's regulations under ERISA sections 404 and 408(b)(2). In 
addition, as discussed above, the Department has eliminated a condition 
requiring compliance with other federal and state laws, which many 
commenters had argued could expose them to loss of the exemption based 
on small or technical violations. The Department has also facilitated 
compliance by streamlining the contracting process (and eliminating the 
contract requirement for ERISA plans), reducing the disclosure burden, 
expanding the scope of the grandfather provision, and extending the 
time for compliance with many of the exemption's conditions. These and 
other changes should reduce the need for a self-correction process for 
excusing violations.
    The Department declines to permanently adopt a broader unilateral 
good faith provision for Financial Institutions and their Advisers 
because it could undermine fiduciaries' long-run incentive to comply 
with the fundamental standards imposed by the exemption. The 
exemption's primary purpose is to combat harmful conflict of interest. 
If the exemption is too forgiving of abusive conduct, however, it runs 
the risk of permitting those same conflicts of interest to play a role 
in the design of policies and procedures, the use and oversight of 
adviser-incentives, the supervision of Adviser conduct, and the 
substance of investment recommendations. At the very least, it could 
encourage Financial Institutions and Advisers to resolve doubts on such 
questions in favor of their own financial interests rather than the 
interests of the Retirement Investor. Given the dangers posed by 
conflicts, the Department has deliberately structured this exemption to 
provide a strong counter-incentive to such conduct.
    Additionally, many of the exemption's standards, such as the Best 
Interest standard and the reasonable compensation standard, already 
have a built-in reasonableness or prudence standard governing 
compliance. It would be inappropriate, in the Department's view, to 
create a self-correction mechanism for conduct that was imprudent or 
unreasonable. For example, the Best Interest standard requires that the 
Adviser and Financial Institution providing the advice act with the 
care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then 
prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar 
with such matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like 
character and with like aims, based on the investment objectives, risk 
tolerance, financial circumstances, and needs of the Retirement 
Investor, without regard to the financial or other interests of the 
Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate, Related Entity, or 
other party. Similarly, the policies and procedures requirement under 
Section II(d) turns to a significant degree on adherence to standards 
of prudence and reasonableness. Thus, under Section II(d)(1), the 
Financial Institution is required to adopt and comply with written 
policies and procedures reasonably and prudently designed to ensure 
that its individual Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards 
set forth in Section II(c).
    The considerations above apply to large and small investor accounts 
alike. The Department does not intend for Financial Institutions be 
less sensitive or careful about adherence to fiduciary norms with 
respect to small investors, and declines the suggestion that it adopt a 
special provision to bar litigation for ``de minimis'' claims. 
Additionally, the provision allowing mandatory arbitration of 
individual claims is also responsive to the practicalities of resolving 
disputes over small claims. The Department also stresses that 
violations of the exemption's conditions with respect to a particular 
Retirement Investor or transaction, eliminates the availability of the 
exemption for that investor or transaction. Such violations do not 
render the exemption unavailable with respect to other Retirement 
Investors or other transactions.

E. Jurisdiction

    The Department received a number of comments questioning the 
Department's jurisdiction and legal authority to proceed with the 
proposal. A number of commenters focused on the Department's authority 
to impose

[[Page 21060]]

certain conditions as part of this exemption, specifically including 
the contract requirement and the Impartial Conduct Standards.
    Some commenters asserted that by requiring a contract for all 
Retirement Investors, and thereby facilitating contract claims by such 
parties, the proposal would expand upon the remedies established by 
Congress under ERISA and the Code. Commenters stated that ERISA 
preempts state law actions, including breach-of-contract actions. With 
respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans, commenters stated that Congress 
provided that the enforcement of the prohibited transaction rules 
should be carried out by the Internal Revenue Service, not private 
plaintiffs. These commenters argued that the Department's proposal 
would impermissibly create a private right of action in violation of 
Congressional intent.
    Commenters' arguments regarding the Impartial Conduct Standards 
were based generally on the fact that the standards, as noted above, 
are consistent with longstanding principles of prudence and loyalty set 
forth in ERISA section 404, but which have no counterpart in the Code. 
Commenters took the position that because Congress did not choose to 
impose the standards of prudence and loyalty on fiduciaries with 
respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans, the Department exceeded its 
authority in proposing similar standards as a condition of relief in a 
prohibited transaction exemption.
    With respect to ERISA plans, commenters stated that Congress' 
separation of the duties of prudence and loyalty (in ERISA section 404) 
from the prohibited transaction provisions (in ERISA section 406), 
showed an intent that the two should remain separate. Commenters 
additionally questioned why the conduct standards were necessary for 
ERISA plans, when such plans already have an enforceable right to 
fiduciary conduct that is both prudent and loyal. Commenters asserted 
that imposing the Impartial Conduct Standards as conditions of the 
exemption improperly created strict liability for prudence violations.
    Some commenters additionally took the position that Congress, in 
the Dodd-Frank Act, gave the SEC the authority to establish standards 
for broker-dealers and investment advisers and therefore, the 
Department did not have the authority to act in that area.
    The Department disagrees that the exemption exceeds its authority. 
The Department has clear authority under ERISA section 408(a) and the 
Reorganization Plan \87\ to grant administrative exemptions from the 
prohibited transaction provisions of both ERISA and the Code. Congress 
gave the Department broad discretion to grant or deny exemptions and to 
craft conditions for those exemptions, subject only to the overarching 
requirement that the exemption be administratively feasible, in the 
interests of plans, plan participants and beneficiaries and IRA owners, 
and protective of their rights.\88\ Nothing in ERISA or the Code 
suggests that, in exercising its express discretion to fashion 
appropriate conditions, the Department cannot condition exemptions on 
contractual terms or commitments, or that, in crafting exemptions 
applicable to fiduciaries, the Department is forbidden to borrow from 
time-honored trust-law standards and principles developed by the courts 
to ensure proper fiduciary conduct.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \87\ See fn. 1, supra, discussing of Reorganization Plan No. 4 
of 1978 (5 U.S.C. app. at 214 (2000)).
    \88\ See ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c)(2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, this exemption does not create a cause of action for 
plan fiduciaries, participants or IRA owners to directly enforce the 
prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the Code in a federal or 
state-law contract action. Instead, with respect to ERISA plans and 
participants and beneficiaries, the exemption facilitates the existing 
statutory enforcement framework by requiring Financial Institutions to 
acknowledge in writing their fiduciary status and the fiduciary status 
of their Advisers. With respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans, the 
exemption requires Advisers and Financial Institutions to make certain 
enforceable commitments to the advice recipient. Violation of the 
commitments can result in contractual liability to the Adviser and 
Financial Institution separate and apart from the legal consequences of 
a non-exempt prohibited transaction (e.g., an excise tax).
    There is nothing new about a prohibited transaction exemption 
requiring certain written documentation between the parties. The 
Department's widely-used exemption for Qualified Professional Asset 
Managers (QPAM), requires that an entity acting as a QPAM acknowledge 
in a written management agreement that it is a fiduciary with respect 
to each plan that has retained it.\89\ Likewise, PTE 2006-16, an 
exemption applicable to compensation received by fiduciaries in 
securities lending transactions, requires the compensation to be paid 
in accordance with the terms of a written instrument.\90\ Surely, the 
terms of these documents can be enforced by the parties. In this 
regard, the statutory authority permits, and in fact requires, that the 
Department incorporate conditions in administrative exemptions designed 
to protect the interests of plans, participants and beneficiaries, and 
IRA owners. The Department has determined that the contract requirement 
in the final exemption serves a critical protective function.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \89\ See Section VI(a) of PTE 84-14, 49 FR 9494, March 13, 1984, 
as amended at 70 FR 49305 (August 23, 2005) and as amended at 75 FR 
38837 (July 6, 2010).
    \90\ See Section IV(c) of PTE 2006-16, 71 FR 63786 (Oct. 31, 
2006).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Likewise, the Impartial Conduct Standards represent, in the 
Department's view, baseline standards of fundamental fair dealing that 
must be present when fiduciaries make conflicted investment 
recommendations to Retirement Investors. After careful consideration, 
the Department determined that broad relief should be provided to 
investment advice fiduciaries receiving conflicted compensation only if 
such fiduciaries provided advice in accordance with the Impartial 
Conduct Standards--i.e., if they provided prudent advice without regard 
to the interests of such fiduciaries and their Affiliates and Related 
Entities, in exchange for reasonable compensation and without 
misleading investors. These Impartial Conduct Standards are necessary 
to ensure that Advisers' recommendations reflect the best interest of 
their Retirement Investor customers, rather than the conflicting 
financial interests of the Advisers and their Financial Institutions. 
As a result, Advisers and Financial Institutions bear the burden of 
showing compliance with the exemption and face liability for engaging 
in a non-exempt prohibited transaction if they fail to provide advice 
that is prudent or otherwise in violation of the standards. The 
Department does not view this as a flaw in the exemption, as commenters 
suggested, but rather as a significant deterrent to violations of 
important conditions under an exemption that accommodates a wide 
variety of potentially dangerous compensation practices.
    The Department similarly disagrees that Congress' directive to the 
SEC in the Dodd-Frank Act limits its authority to establish appropriate 
and protective conditions in the context of a prohibited transaction 
exemption. Section 913 of that Act directs the SEC to conduct a study 
on the standards of care applicable to brokers-dealers and investment 
advisers, and issue a report containing, among other things:


[[Page 21061]]


an analysis of whether [sic] any identified legal or regulatory 
gaps, shortcomings, or overlap in legal or regulatory standards in 
the protection of retail customers relating to the standards of care 
for brokers, dealers, investment advisers, persons associated with 
brokers or dealers, and persons associated with investment advisers 
for providing personalized investment advice about securities to 
retail customers.\91\

    \91\ Dodd-Frank Act section 913(d)(2)(B).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 913 authorizes, but does not require, the SEC to issue 
rules addressing standards of care for broker-dealers and investment 
advisers for providing personalized investment advice about securities 
to retail customers.\92\ Nothing in the Dodd-Frank Act indicates that 
Congress meant to preclude the Department's regulation of fiduciary 
investment advice under ERISA or its application of such a regulation 
to securities brokers or dealers. To the contrary, Dodd-Frank in 
directing the SEC study specifically directed the SEC to consider the 
effectiveness of existing legal and regulatory standards of care under 
other federal and state authorities.\93\ The Dodd-Frank Act did not 
take away the Department's responsibility with respect to the 
definition of fiduciary under ERISA and in the Code; nor did it qualify 
the Department's authority to issue exemptions that are 
administratively feasible, in the interests of plans, participants and 
beneficiaries, and IRA owners, and protective of the rights of 
participants and beneficiaries of the plans and IRA owners. If the 
Department were unable to rely on contract conditions and trust-law 
principles, it would be unable to grant broad relief under this 
exemption from the rigid application of the prohibited transaction 
rules. This enforceable standards-based approach enabled the Department 
to grant relief to a much broader range of practices and compensation 
structures than would otherwise have been possible.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \92\ 15 U.S.C. 80b-11(g)(1).
    \93\ Dodd-Frank Act section 913(b)(1) and (c)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additionally, the Department notes that nothing in ERISA or the 
Code requires any Adviser or Financial Institution to use this 
exemption. Exemptions, including this class exemption, simply provide a 
means to engage in a transaction otherwise prohibited by the statutes. 
The conditions to an exemption are not equivalent to a regulatory 
mandate that conflicts with or changes the statutory remedial scheme. 
If Advisers or Financial Institutions do not want to be subject to 
contract claims, they can (1) change their compensation structure and 
avoid committing a prohibited transaction, (2) use the statutory 
exemptions in ERISA section 408(b)(14) and section 408(g), or Code 
section 4975(d)(17) and (f)(8), or (3) apply to the Department for 
individual exemptions tailored to their particular situations.

F. Alternatives

    A number of commenters suggested complete alternatives to the 
approach taken in the proposed exemption. As an initial matter, some 
suggestions were aimed at streamlining and simplifying the exemption to 
reduce compliance burdens. The Department reviewed the exemption with 
these comments in mind and has made changes to reduce complexity and 
compliance burden without sacrificing significant protections. For 
example, the Department eliminated the proposed contract requirement 
for advice to Retirement Investors regarding investments in ERISA 
plans, adopted a less burdensome approach to disclosure, and eliminated 
the proposed annual disclosure and the proposed data collection 
requirement.
    For all the reasons set forth in the preceding sections, however, 
the Department remains convinced of the critical importance of the core 
requirements of the exemption, including an up-front commitment to act 
as a fiduciary; enforceable adherence to the Impartial Conduct 
Standards; the adoption of policies and procedures to reasonably assure 
compliance with the Impartial Conduct Standards; a prohibition on 
incentives to violate the Best Interest Standard; and fair disclosure 
of fees, conflicts of interest, and Material Conflicts of Interest. The 
Impartial Conduct Standards simply require adherence to basic fiduciary 
norms and standards of fair dealing--rendering prudent and loyal advice 
that is in the best interest of the customer, receiving no more than 
reasonable compensation, and refraining from making misleading 
statements. These fundamental standards enable the Department to grant 
an exemption that flexibly covers a broad range of compensation 
structures and business models, while safeguarding the interest of 
Retirement Investors against dangerous conflicts of interest. The 
conditions were critical to the Secretary of Labor's ability to make 
the required findings under ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 
4975(c)(2) that the exemption is in the interests of plans, their 
participants and beneficiaries, and IRAs, that the exemption is 
protective of their interests, and that the exemption is 
administratively feasible.
Alternative Best Interest Formulations
    Some commenters suggested alternative approaches that included a 
standard characterized as a ``best interest'' standard of conduct, 
combined with certain of the other safeguards that the Department had 
proposed, including reasonable compensation, disclosures, or anti-
conflict policies and procedures. As a general matter, however, none of 
the suggested alternative approaches incorporated all the components of 
the proposal that the Department viewed as essential to making the 
required findings for granting an exemption, or provided alternatives 
that included conditions that would appropriately safeguard the 
interests of Retirement Investors in light of the exemption's broad 
relief from the conflicts of interest and self-dealing prohibitions 
under ERISA and the Code.
    In some instances, commenters indicated that a different best 
interest standard would be appropriate but failed to provide an 
alternative to the Department's definition. Others suggested a 
definition of ``best interest'' that did not include a duty of loyalty 
constraining Advisers from making recommendations based on their own 
financial interests. Some of these definitions focused exclusively on 
the fiduciary obligation of prudence, while excluding the equally 
fundamental fiduciary duty of loyalty. A number of commenters expressed 
particular concern about the application of the Department's Best 
Interest requirement that the recommendation be made ``without regard 
to the financial or other interests of the Adviser, Financial 
Institution'' or other parties. Some of these commenters suggested that 
the Department use different formulations that were similar to the 
Department's, but might be construed to less stringently forbid the 
consideration of the financial interests of persons other than the 
Retirement Investor. For example, commenters suggested a standard 
providing that the Adviser and Financial Institution ``not 
subordinate'' their customers' interests to their own interests, or 
that the Adviser and Financial Institution put their customers' 
interests ahead of their own interests, or similar constructs.
    In response to commenter concerns, the Department created a 
specific ``Best Interest'' test for Advisers and Financial Institutions 
that make recommendations from a restricted range of investments, 
including Proprietary Products or investments that generate Third Party 
Payments. In that circumstance, the test ensures that the Retirement 
Investor receives full and fair disclosure of the

[[Page 21062]]

restricted menu and Material Conflicts of Interest: The Financial 
Institution takes specified steps to ensure advice is prudent, the 
compensation is reasonable, and the Adviser is appropriately insulated 
from conflicts of interest; and the Adviser makes recommendations that 
are prudent and that are not based upon factors other than the needs of 
the Retirement Investor. Outside of this context, the Department has 
retained the ``without regard to'' language as best capturing the 
exemption's intent that the Adviser's recommendations be based on the 
Investor's interest. This approach also accords with ERISA section 
404(a)(1)'s requirement that plan fiduciaries act ``solely in the 
interest'' of plan participants and beneficiaries.
    In addition, in many of the alternatives suggested by commenters, 
the Best Interest standard appeared to lack a clear means of 
enforcement. A number of commenters suggested they could abide by a 
Best Interest standard but at the same time objected to the enforcement 
mechanisms that the Department proposed, particularly in the IRA 
market. As discussed above, the Department does not believe that the 
exemption can serve its participant protective purposes, or that 
Financial Institutions and their Advisers will be properly incentivized 
to comply with its terms, if Retirement Investors do not have an 
enforceable entitlement to compliance.
Disclosure
    Other alternative approaches stressed disclosure as a means of 
protecting Retirement Investors. Some commenters indicated that 
additional disclosures, alone, would address many of the Department's 
concerns. Full and fair disclosure of material conflicts and informed 
consent are, in the Department's view, important elements of exemptive 
relief but are not sufficient on their own to form the basis of an 
exemption that is this broad and flexible.
    Disclosure alone has proven ineffective to mitigate conflicts in 
advice. Extensive research has demonstrated that most investors have 
little understanding of their advisers' conflicts of interest, and 
little awareness of what they are paying via indirect channels for the 
conflicted advice. Even if they understand the scope of the advisers' 
conflicts, many consumers are not financial experts and therefore, 
cannot distinguish good advice or investments from bad. The same gap in 
expertise that makes investment advice necessary and important 
frequently also prevents investors from recognizing bad advice or 
understanding advisers' disclosures. Indeed, some research suggests 
that even if disclosure about conflicts could be made simple and clear, 
it could be ineffective--or even harmful.\94\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \94\ See Regulatory Impact Analysis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Defer to the Securities and Exchange Commission
    Many commenters suggested that a uniform standard applicable to all 
retail accounts would be preferable to the Department's proposal, and 
that the Department should work with other regulators, such as the SEC 
and FINRA, to fashion such an approach. Others suggested that the 
Department should wait and defer to the SEC's determination of an 
appropriate standard for broker-dealers under the Dodd-Frank Act. Still 
others suggested that the Department should provide exemptions based on 
fiduciary status under securities laws, or based on compliance with 
other applicable laws or regulations. FINRA indicated that the proposal 
should be based on existing principles in federal securities laws and 
FINRA rules but acknowledged that additional rulemaking would be 
required.
    The Department disagrees with the commenters, and believes it is 
important to move forward with this proposal to remedy the ongoing 
injury to Retirement Investors as a result of conflicted advice 
arrangements. ERISA and the Code create special protections applicable 
to investors in tax qualified plans. The fiduciary duties established 
under ERISA and the Code are different from those applicable under 
securities laws, and would continue to differ even if both regimes were 
interpreted to attach fiduciary status to exactly the same parties and 
activities. Reflecting the special importance of plan and IRA 
investments to retirement and health security, this statutory regime 
flatly prohibits fiduciaries from engaging in transactions involving 
self-dealing and conflicts of interest unless an exemption applies. 
Under ERISA and the Code, the Department of Labor has the authority to 
craft exemptions from these stringent statutory prohibitions, and the 
Department is specifically charged with ensuring that any exemptions it 
grants are in the interests of Retirement Investors and protective of 
these interests. Moreover, the fiduciary provisions of ERISA and the 
Code broadly protect all investments by Retirement Investors, not just 
those regulated by the SEC. As a consequence, the Department uniquely 
has the ability to assure that these fiduciary rules work in harmony 
for all Retirement Investors, regardless of whether they are investing 
in securities, insurance products that are not securities, or others 
type of investment.
    The Department has taken very seriously its obligation to harmonize 
its regulation with other applicable laws, including the securities 
laws. In pursuing its consultations with other regulators, the 
Department aimed to coordinate and minimize conflicting or duplicative 
provisions between ERISA, the Code and federal securities laws. The 
Department has coordinated--and will continue to coordinate--its 
efforts with other federal agencies to ensure that the various legal 
regimes are harmonized to the fullest extent possible. The resulting 
exemption provides Advisers and Financial Institutions with a choice to 
provide advice that does not involve prohibited conflicted transactions 
or comply with this exemption or another exemption, which now all 
require advice to be provided in accordance with basic fiduciary norms. 
Likewise, the exemption preserves Retirement Investors' ability to 
choose the method of payment that works best for them. Far from 
confusing investors, the standards set forth in the exemption ensure 
that Retirement Investors can uniformly expect to receive advice that 
is in their best interest with respect to their retirement investments. 
Moreover, the best interest standard reflects what many investors have 
believed they were entitled to all along, even though it was not 
legally required.
    In this regard, waiting for the SEC to act, as some commenters 
suggested, would delay the implementation of these important, updated 
safeguards to plan and IRA investors investing in a wide variety of 
products, and impose substantial costs on them as current harms from 
conflicted advice would continue.
Provide No Additional Exemptions
    A few commenters opposed the grant of any exemption at all. One 
commenter suggested that the exemption sunset after 5 years, to permit 
a transition to investment advice that does not raise prohibited 
transaction issues at all. The Department did not accept these 
comments. The Department shares these commenters' concerns about 
conflicted advice, but nevertheless believes that simply banning all 
commissions, transaction-based payments, and other forms of conflicted 
payments could have serious adverse unintended consequences. These 
forms of compensation are commonplace in today's marketplace for 
retirement

[[Page 21063]]

advice, and often support beneficial advice arrangements. Accordingly, 
the Department is concerned about the disruptive impact of simply 
barring all conflicts after 5 years, assuming that were even possible, 
and about the potential impact that such dramatic action would have on 
the availability of advice. Instead, the Department has worked to 
fashion exemptions that mitigate conflicts of interest, and that ensure 
that Financial Institutions and Advisers adhere to fundamental 
fiduciary standards, while permitting a wide range of compensation 
practices and business models.
Special Exemptions
    Finally, the Department acknowledges requests for special, 
streamlined exemptions for certain circumstances or certain products. 
For example, some commenters requested special treatment for certain 
parties based on mission or tax-exempt status; certain products such as 
target date funds, employer securities, or products that qualify as 
default investment alternatives under 29 CFR 2550.404c-5; and 
circumstances in which investment advice to Retirement Investors is 
``ancillary'' to advice on non-investment insurance products. The 
Department has fashioned this exemption to apply broadly to advice 
arrangements in the retail market by taking a standards-based approach, 
rather than by focusing on particular highly-specific investments, 
advisory arrangements, or business models subject to highly-
proscriptive conditions. Additionally, as described in detail in 
preceding sections, the Department has carefully considered comments on 
how to make the exemption more workable and less burdensome. The 
Department's goal was to create an exemption that could broadly apply 
to a wide universe of investments and practices, rather than to write 
special rules for particular subcategories or special circumstances, 
such as those requested by these commenters in this class exemption. 
The fiduciary norms, standards, and conditions set forth in the 
exemption serve an important protective purpose, which should benefit 
investors across the board including the arrangements identified by the 
commenters. If, however, the commenters still believe additional relief 
is necessary for special categories of investments or practices, the 
Department invites the commenters to apply for an individual or 
additional class exemption.

G. Consideration of a Low-Fee Streamlined Exemption

    In the proposal, the Department indicated that it was considering a 
separate streamlined exemption that would allow compensation to be 
received in connection with recommendations of certain high-quality 
low-fee investments. The Department sought comments on how to 
operationalize such an exemption, which might minimize the compliance 
burdens for Advisers offering high-quality low-fee investment products 
with minimal potential for Material Conflicts of Interest. Products 
that met the conditions of the streamlined exemption could be 
recommended to plans, participants and beneficiaries, and IRA owners, 
and the Adviser could receive variable and third-party compensation as 
a result of those recommendations, without satisfying some or all of 
the conditions of this exemption. The streamlined exemption could 
reward and encourage best practices with respect to optimizing the 
quality, amount, and combined, all-in cost of recommended financial 
products, financial advice, and other related services. In particular, 
a streamlined exemption could be useful in enhancing access to quality, 
affordable financial products and advice by savers with smaller account 
balances. Additionally, because it would be premised on a fee 
comparison, it would apply only to investments with relatively simple 
and transparent fee structures.
    In the proposal, the Department noted that it had been unable to 
operationalize such an exemption in a way that would achieve the 
Department's Retirement Investor-protective objectives and therefore 
did not propose text for such an exemption. Instead, the Department 
sought public input to assist in the consideration of the merits and 
possible design of such an exemption. The Department asked a number of 
specific questions, including which products should be included, how 
the fee calculations should be established, performed, communicated and 
updated, what, if any additional conditions should apply, and how a 
streamlined exemption would affect the marketplace for investment 
products.
    The vast majority of commenters were opposed to creating a 
streamlined exemption for low-fee products. Commenters expressed the 
view that the approach over-emphasized the importance of fees, despite 
prior Department guidance noting that fees were not the sole factor for 
investors to consider. Commenters also raised many of the same 
operational concerns the Department had raised in the preamble, such as 
identifying the appropriate fee cut off, as well as the potential for 
undermining suitability and fiduciary obligations under securities 
laws, with a sole focus on products with low fees.
    The Department did receive a few comments in support of a low-fee 
streamlined exemption. These commenters generally recommended that the 
exemption be limited to certain investments, most commonly mutual 
funds, and perhaps just those with fees in the bottom five or ten 
percent. One commenter requested a carve-out from the Regulation's 
definition of ``fiduciary,'' or a streamlined exemption, for retirement 
investments in high-quality, low-cost financial institutions savings 
products, like CDs, when a direct fee is not charged and a commission 
is not earned by the bank employee. Other commenters were willing to 
consider a low fee streamlined exemption, but argued that more 
information was necessary and any such exemption would need to be 
proposed separately.
    The commenters' concerns as described above echoed the Department's 
concerns regarding the low-fee streamlined exemption. Despite some 
limited support, the Department has determined not to proceed with a 
low fee streamlined exemption. The Department did not receive enough 
information in the comments to address the significant conceptual and 
operational concerns associated with the approach. For example, after 
consideration of the comments, the Department was unable to conclude 
that the streamlined exemption would result in meaningful cost savings. 
Most Financial Institutions and Advisers would likely only be able to 
rely on such a streamlined exemption in part. They would still need to 
comply with this exemption for many of the investments recommended 
outside of the streamlined exemption. Many of the costs associated with 
this exemption are upfront costs (e.g., policies and procedures, 
contracts) that the Financial Institution would have to incur whether 
or not it used the streamlined exemption. As a result, the streamlined 
exemption may not have resulted in significant cost savings. In 
addition, the Department was unable to overcome the challenges it saw 
in using a low-fee threshold as a mechanism to jointly optimize 
quality, quantity, and cost. Fundamentally, it is unclear how to set a 
``low-fee'' threshold that achieves these all of aims. A single 
threshold could be too low for some investors' needs and too high for 
others'. Further,

[[Page 21064]]

any threshold might encourage the lowest existing prices to rise to the 
threshold, potentially harming investors.

H. Exemption for Purchases and Sales, Including Insurance and Annuity 
Contracts (Section VI)

    Section VI provides an exemption, which is supplemental to Section 
I, for certain prohibited transactions commonly associated with 
investment advice. Section I permits Advisers and Financial 
Institutions to receive compensation that would otherwise be prohibited 
by the self-dealing and conflicts of interest provisions of ERISA 
section 406(a)(1)(D) and 406(b), and Code section 4975(c)(1)(D)-(F). 
However, Section I does not extend to any other prohibited transaction 
sections of ERISA and the Code. ERISA section 406(a) and Code section 
4975(c)(1)(A)-(D) contain additional prohibitions on certain specific 
transactions between plans and IRAs and ``parties in interest'' and 
``disqualified persons,'' including service providers. These additional 
prohibited transactions include: (i) The purchase or sale of an asset 
between a plan/IRA and a party in interest/disqualified person, and 
(ii) the transfer of plan/IRA assets to a party in interest/
disqualified person. These prohibited transactions are subject to 
excise tax and personal liability for the fiduciary.
    A number of transactions that may occur as a result of an Adviser's 
or Financial Institution's advice involve a prohibited transaction 
under ERISA section 406(a)(1)(A) and Code section 4975(c)(1)(A). The 
entity that causes a plan or IRA to enter into the transaction would 
not be the Adviser or Financial Institution, but would instead be a 
plan fiduciary or IRA owner acting on the Adviser's or Financial 
Institution's advice. Because the party requiring relief for this 
prohibited transaction is separate from the Adviser and Financial 
Institution, the Department is granting this exemption subject to 
discrete conditions. As a result, the Adviser's or Financial 
Institution's failure to comply with any of the conditions of Section I 
would not result in the authorizing plan fiduciary or IRA owner having 
engaged in a non-exempt prohibited transaction.
    In this regard, a plan's or IRA's purchase of an insurance or 
annuity product would be a prohibited transaction if the insurance 
company is a service provider to the plan or IRA, or is otherwise a 
party in interest or disqualified person. A plan's or IRA's purchase of 
a security from a Financial Institution in a Riskless Principal 
Transaction would involve a prohibited transaction if the Financial 
Institution also provides advice to the plan or IRA. A plan's or IRA's 
purchase of a proprietary investment product from a Financial 
Institution also may involve this type of prohibited transaction. These 
prohibited transactions are not included in the exemption provided 
under Section I, which contains conditions that an Adviser and 
Financial Institution must follow. However, in the Department's view, 
these circumstances are common enough in connection with 
recommendations by Advisers and Financial Institutions to warrant a 
supplemental exemption for these types of transactions in conjunction 
with the relief provided in Section I. This Section VI establishes the 
conditions applicable to the entity that causes the plan or IRA to 
enter into the transaction.
    Therefore, relief is provided in Section VI for the purchase of an 
investment product by a plan, or a participant or beneficiary account, 
or IRA, from a Financial Institution that is a party in interest or 
disqualified person. Relief is provided solely from the prohibitions of 
ERISA section 406(a)(1)(A) and (D), and the sanctions imposed by Code 
section 4975(a) and (b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(A) and 
(D).
    This relief is particularly necessary as part of this exemption 
because of the amendment to and partial revocation of an existing 
exemption, PTE 84-24, elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. 
Pursuant to the final amendment and revocation, PTE 84-24 no longer 
provides relief for transactions involving the purchase of variable 
annuity contracts, or indexed annuity contracts or similar contracts. 
Therefore, to the extent relief is required from ERISA section 
406(a)(1)(A) and Code section 4975(c)(1)(A) for transactions involving 
such annuities, the relief is provided in Section VI.
    The conditions for the exemptions in this Section VI are that the 
transaction must be effected by the Financial Institution in its 
ordinary course of its business; the transaction may not result in 
compensation, direct or indirect, to the Financial Institution and its 
Affiliates that exceeds reasonable compensation within the meaning of 
ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2); and the terms of 
the transaction are at least as favorable to the Plan, participant or 
beneficiary account, or IRA as the terms generally available in an 
arm's length transaction with an unrelated party.
    The scope of the exemption in Section VI is broader than the 
proposal. The proposed exemption was limited to transactions involving 
insurance or annuity contracts. However, in connection with certain 
other changes made in the final exemption, the Department determined 
that broader relief in this area is necessary. In particular, the 
expansion beyond insurance or annuity contracts was necessary to 
provide relief for transactions involving investments not within the 
original definition of ``Asset'' that may be Proprietary Products 
purchased and sold with a Financial Institution, and to include 
investments purchased or sold in Riskless Principal Transactions with 
Financial Institutions. Of course, the exemption remains available for 
insurance and annuity products as well.
    One commenter requested broader supplemental relief for extensions 
of credit for bank deposits, certificates of deposit and debt 
instruments that may be recommended pursuant to Section I. The final 
exemption does not include such relief. The Department believes that 
the requested relief is generally available in existing statutory 
exemptions. For example, relief for extensions of credit in connection 
with bank deposits and CDs is available under ERISA section 408(b)(4) 
and Code section 4975(d)(4). Relief for extensions of credit in 
connection with a plan's or IRA's purchase of a debt security is 
available in ERISA section 408(b)(17) and Code section 4975(d)(20), 
provided that extension of credit is not from a fiduciary with respect 
to the plan or IRA. This would cover the circumstance in which a plan 
or IRA purchases a debt security, through the Financial Institution, if 
the issuer of the debt security is a party in interest or disqualified 
person with respect to the plan or IRA, but not a fiduciary. If relief 
is sought for the circumstance in which the issuer of the debt security 
is a fiduciary with respect to the plan or IRA, the Department believes 
that such transactions should be considered on an individual basis and 
invites Financial Institutions that wish to recommend their own debt 
securities to apply for an individual exemption.
    The Department made certain changes to the conditions proposed for 
this exemption, in response to comments. As proposed, the exemption in 
Section VI was limited to transactions for cash. A few commenters ask 
that the Department reconsider, and permit in-kind purchases, on the 
basis that these purchases can result in advantageous pricing to the 
investor. Other commenters expressed concern that the proposed 
restriction to cash transactions would exclude a purchase via rollover. 
The Department concurs with these

[[Page 21065]]

commenters, and the final exemption does not contain the limitation to 
cash transactions. The Department also confirms that the exemption 
covers transactions that occur through a rollover.
    In addition, the Department eliminated the approach in the proposed 
exemption that would have limited relief to small plans (in addition to 
IRAs, plan participants and beneficiaries). As explained above, under 
the companion amendment to and partial revocation of PTE 84-24, that 
exemption no longer provides relief from ERISA section 406(a)(1)(A) and 
Code section 4975(c)(1)(A) for transactions involving variable annuity 
contracts and indexed annuity contracts and similar contracts. In light 
of this restriction of PTE 84-24, there was a broader need for relief 
from ERISA section 406(a)(1)(A) and Code section 4975(c)(1)(A) for 
transactions involving plans of all sizes. The final exemption in 
Section VI provides such relief.
    A few commenters requested that Section VI be expanded to provide a 
broad exemption similar to Section I, that would be specifically 
tailored to insurance and annuity purchases but would provide relief 
for Advisers and Financial Institutions from the self-dealing and 
conflict of interests restrictions in ERISA section 406(b) and Code 
section 4975(c)(1)(E) and (F). The Department has declined to accept 
this suggestion, opting instead to make changes regarding insurance 
products to the various provisions of Section I. The Department is 
concerned about creating a special less-protective set of conditions 
available just for insurers with respect to transactions prohibited by 
ERISA section 406(b) and Code section 4975(c)(1)(E) and (F). Such an 
approach could encourage Advisers and Financial Institutions, for 
example, to potentially recommend variable or indexed annuities based 
on their preference for a less protective regulatory regime rather than 
on the basis of the Retirement Investor's Best Interest. However, in 
response to commenters, the Department has revised the reasonable 
compensation standard in accordance with Section II(c)(2) to avoid 
unnecessary complexity.

I. Exemption for Pre-Existing Transactions (Section VII)

    Section VII provides a supplemental exemption for pre-existing 
transactions. The exemption permits continued receipt of compensation 
based on investment transactions that occurred prior to the 
Applicability Date as well as receipt of compensation for 
recommendations to continue to adhere to a systematic purchase program 
established before the Applicability Date. The exemption also 
explicitly covers compensation received as a result of a recommendation 
to hold an investment that was entered into prior to the Applicability 
Date. In this regard, some Advisers and Financial Institutions did not 
consider themselves fiduciaries before the Applicability Date. Other 
Advisers and Financial Institutions entered into transactions involving 
plans, participant or beneficiary accounts, or IRAs before the 
Applicability Date, in accordance with the terms of a prohibited 
transaction exemption that has since been amended. The exemption 
provides relief from the restrictions of ERISA section 406(a)(1)(A), 
(D) and 406(b) and the sanctions imposed by Code section 4975(a) and 
(b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(A), (D), (E) and (F).
    This exemption is conditioned on the following:

    (1) The compensation is received pursuant to an agreement, 
arrangement or understanding that was entered into prior to the 
Applicability Date and that has not expired or come up for renewal 
post-Applicability Date;
    (2) The purchase, exchange, holding or sale of the securities or 
other investment property was not otherwise a non-exempt prohibited 
transaction pursuant to ERISA section 406 and Code section 4975 on 
the date it occurred;
    (3) The compensation is not received in connection with the 
plan's, participant or beneficiary account's or IRA's investment of 
additional amounts in the previously acquired investment vehicle; 
except that for avoidance of doubt, the exemption does apply to a 
recommendation to exchange investments within a mutual fund family 
or variable annuity contract pursuant to an exchange privilege or 
rebalancing program that was established before the Applicability 
Date, provided that the recommendation does not result in the 
Adviser and Financial Institution, or their Affiliates or Related 
Entities receiving more compensation (either as a fixed dollar 
amount or a percentage of assets) than they were entitled to receive 
prior to the Applicability Date;
    (4) The amount of the compensation paid, directly or indirectly, 
to the Adviser, Financial Institution, or their Affiliates or 
Related Entities in connection with the transaction is not in excess 
of reasonable compensation within the meaning of ERISA section 
408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2); and
    (5) Any investment recommendations made after the Applicability 
Date by the Financial Institution or Adviser with respect to the 
securities or other investment property reflect the care, skill, 
prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that 
a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such 
matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like 
character and with like aims, based on the investment objectives, 
risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and needs of the Retirement 
Investor, and are made without regard to the financial or other 
interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate, 
Related Entity, or other party.

    The Department's intent in proposing the exemption for pre-existing 
investments was to provide certainty that Advisers and Financial 
Institutions could continue to receive revenue streams based on 
transactions that occurred prior to the Applicability Date. Under the 
proposal, the relief for pre-existing transactions was limited, so that 
any additional advice would have had to occur under the conditions of 
Section I of the exemption. The Department also proposed that the pre-
existing transaction relief should be limited only to limited 
categories of Assets as defined in the proposed exemption.
    Commenters identified the need for broader grandfathering relief in 
these respects. They stated that limiting the relief to investments 
within the proposed definition of ``Asset'' and disallowing additional 
advice would cut off the ability of plans, participants and 
beneficiaries, and IRAs to receive advice on a broader range of 
investments that may already be held in their accounts. They reasoned 
that in many cases, an investor that has already purchased an 
investment may already be entitled to continued advice or services 
based on existing compensation arrangements.
    Commenters also indicated that the proposal's approach of 
restricting any additional advice for investments that were not on the 
list of Assets could, in some circumstances, create an especially 
difficult situation for Financial Institutions and Advisers regulated 
by FINRA. According to commenters, FINRA has been clear that ongoing 
advice may be a requirement of suitability. Thus, commenters asserted, 
Financial Institutions and Advisers could be faced with the decision to 
risk either a prohibited transaction or a suitability violation. 
Similarly, commenters expressed concern that Financial Institutions 
would require all Retirement Investors to invest through fee-based 
accounts--raising concerns about ``reverse churning''--if no 
differential payments with respect to existing investments could be 
received after the Applicability Date.
    The Department concurs with commenters that it is appropriate to 
provide broader grandfathering relief as a means of affording the 
industry time to transition to the new regulatory structure, and to 
minimize disruption of existing arrangements. Consistent with

[[Page 21066]]

the broadening of the scope of Section I to cover all investment 
products, not just those within the proposed definition of Asset, the 
final exemption also includes a grandfathering provision that it is not 
limited to Assets, and the provision permits additional advice on pre-
existing investments to be provided after the Applicability Date. The 
exemption specifically applies to a hold recommendation.
    The exemption does provide, however, that the compensation received 
must satisfy the reasonable compensations standard, and additional 
advice must reflect the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the 
circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like 
capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an 
enterprise of a like character and with like aims, based on the 
investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and 
needs of the Retirement Investor, and must be made without regard to 
the financial or other interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution 
or any Affiliate, Related Entity, or other party.
    The exemption is limited to compensation received as a result of 
investment advice on securities or other property purchased prior to 
the Applicability Date and as a result of investment advice to continue 
to adhere to a systematic purchase program established before the 
Applicability Date. Section VII(b)(3) provides that the compensation 
covered under the exemption may not be in connection with the 
Retirement Investor's investment of additional assets in the previously 
acquired investment vehicle. This is intended to preclude, for example, 
advice on additional contributions to a variable annuity product 
purchased prior to the Applicability Date, or recommending additional 
investments in a particular mutual fund or asset pool. Although 
commenters requested broader relief in this area, the Department has 
declined to permit advice on additional contributions to existing 
investments without compliance with the protective conditions 
applicable to Section I. The primary purpose of the exemption for pre-
existing investments is to preserve compensation for services already 
rendered and to permit orderly transition from past arrangements, not 
to exempt future advice and investments from the important protections 
of the Regulation and this Best Interest Contract Exemption. Permitting 
Advisers to recommend additional investments in an existing investment 
vehicle, without the safeguards provided by the fiduciary norms and 
other conditions of the exemption, would permit conflicts to flourish 
unchecked.
    Section VII(b)(3) makes clear that the exemption extends to 
exchanges of investments within a mutual fund family or variable 
annuity pursuant to exchange privileges or rebalancing programs 
established prior the Applicability Date.
    Several commenters requested even broader relief, asking that the 
Department grandfather all existing Retirement Investors or Retirement 
Investor accounts or all IRAs. Some argued that it would not be fair 
for Retirement Investors who entered into agreements with their 
Financial Institutions and Advisers that were compliant at the time to 
have the terms of those agreements change over the course of the 
investment. The Department declines to provide broader relief. When 
Advisers make recommendations to make new investments after the 
Applicability Date, Retirement Investors should be able to expect that 
the recommendations will adhere to the basic fiduciary standards and 
conditions set out in this exemption. The Retirement Investor who had a 
pre-existing relationship is no less in need of protection from 
conflicts of interest--and no less deserving of adherence to a best 
interest standard--than the investor who has no such pre-existing 
relationship. The failure to implement safeguards against conflicts of 
interest would result in the continued injury of these Retirement 
Investors, as they invested still more money based on recommendations 
subject to dangerous conflicts of interest.
    A few commenters requested clarification of the circumstances under 
which the relief in Section VII would be necessary. The fact that the 
Department proposed an exemption for compensation received in 
connection with pre-existing investments caused concern among some 
commenters that the Regulation might apply retroactively to 
circumstances that occurred prior to the Applicability Date. Therefore, 
the commenters sought confirmation that compliance with the exemption 
would not be necessary unless fiduciary investment advice is provided 
after the Applicability Date with respect to the pre-existing 
investments.
    In response, the Department confirms that the Regulation does not 
apply retroactively to circumstances that occurred before the 
Applicability Date. The exemption is only necessary for non-exempt 
prohibited transactions occurring after the Applicability Date. By 
providing an exemption for compensation received for investments made 
prior to the Applicability Date, the Department is not suggesting 
otherwise; the exemption merely provides transitional relief to avoid 
uncertainty relating to compensation received after the Applicability 
Date.

J. Definitions (Section VIII)

    Section VIII of the exemption provides definitions of the terms 
used in the exemption. The Department received comments on certain 
definitions and has addressed them as described below. Additional 
comments on definitions, such as ``Retirement Investor,'' ``Best 
Interest,'' and ``Material Conflict of Interest,'' are discussed above 
in their respective sections.
1. Adviser
    Section VIII(a) defines the term ``Adviser'' as an individual who:

    (1) is a fiduciary of the Plan or IRA solely by reason of the 
provision of investment advice described in ERISA section 
3(21)(A)(ii) or Code section 4975(e)(3)(B), or both, and the 
applicable regulations, with respect to the assets of the Plan or 
IRA involved in the recommended transaction;
    (2) is an employee, independent contractor, agent, or registered 
representative of a Financial Institution; and
    (3) satisfies the federal and state regulatory and licensing 
requirements of insurance, banking, and securities laws with respect 
to the covered transaction, as applicable.

    The Department received some comments on this definition, but has 
maintained the definition unchanged from the proposal. One commenter 
asked the Department to treat branch managers in the same manner as 
Advisers. The Department has declined to expand the definition of 
Adviser to cover branch managers, but notes that, as discussed above in 
Section II, the incentives of branch managers should generally be 
considered as part of the Financial Institution's policies and 
procedures. Another commenter expressed concern that, because of the 
requirement to satisfy applicable federal and state laws, call center 
employees might be required to register with the SEC as ``advisers'' 
under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Department notes that 
the requirement in Section VIII(a)(3) is limited to applicable 
regulatory and licensing requirements. Nothing in this exemption would 
require call center employees to register under the Investment Advisers 
Act of 1940 unless they would otherwise be required to do so.
2. Affiliate
    Section VIII(b) defines ``Affiliate'' of an Adviser or Financial 
Institution as:


[[Page 21067]]


    (1) any person directly or indirectly through one or more 
intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common control 
with the Adviser or Financial Institution. For this purpose, 
``control'' means the power to exercise a controlling influence over 
the management or policies of a person other than an individual;
    (2) any officer, director, partner, employee, or relative (as 
defined in ERISA section 3(15)), of the Adviser or Financial 
Institution; and
    (3) any corporation or partnership of which the Adviser or 
Financial Institution is an officer, director, or partner.

    The Department received a comment requesting that this definition 
adopt a securities law definition. The commenter expressed the view 
that use of a separate definition would make compliance more difficult 
for broker-dealers. The Department did not accept this comment. 
Instead, the Department made minor adjustments so that the definition 
is identical to the affiliate definition incorporated in prior 
exemptions under ERISA and the Code, that are applicable to broker 
dealers,\95\ as well as the definition that is used in the Regulation. 
Therefore, the definition should not be new to the broker-dealer 
community, and is consistent with other applicable laws. In addition, 
the Department notes that not all entities relying on this exemption 
are subject to securities laws.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \95\ See e.g., PTE 75-1, Part II, 40 FR 50845 (Oct. 31, 1975), 
as amended at 71 FR 5883 (Feb. 3, 2006).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Financial Institution
    Section VIII(e) defines ``Financial Institution'' as the entity 
that employs the Adviser or otherwise retains such individual as an 
independent contractor, agent or registered representative, and that is 
one of the following:

    (1) registered as an investment adviser under the Investment 
Advisers Act of 1940 or under the laws of the state in which the 
adviser maintains its principal office and place of business;
    (2) a bank or similar financial institution supervised by the 
United States or state, or a savings association (as defined in 
section 3(b)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act);
    (3) an insurance company qualified to do business under the laws 
of a state, provided that such insurance company: (i) Has obtained a 
Certificate of Authority from the insurance commissioner of its 
domiciliary state which has neither been revoked nor suspended, (ii) 
has undergone and shall continue to undergo an examination by an 
Independent certified public accountant for its last completed 
taxable year or has undergone a financial examination (within the 
meaning of the law of its domiciliary state) by the state's 
insurance commissioner within the preceding 5 years, and (iii) is 
domiciled in a state whose law requires that actuarial review of 
reserves be conducted annually by an Independent firm of actuaries 
and reported to the appropriate regulatory authority; or (4) a 
broker or dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934.

Congress identified these entities as advice providers in the statutory 
exemption for investment advice under ERISA section 408(g) and Code 
section 4975(f)(8).
    The Department received several comments on this definition and has 
made certain modifications. One commenter said that the proposed 
definition did not reflect the variety of channels in which financial 
products and services are marketed. The commenter, and a few other 
commenters, recommended that the Department delete the requirement in 
the proposed Section VIII(e)(2) that required that advice from banks 
and similar institutions be provided through a trust department. The 
Department has accepted this change in the final exemption.
    The Department also received several questions about the 
applicability of the exemption when more than one ``Financial 
Institution'' is involved in the sale of a financial product. This may 
occur, for example, if there is a product manufacturer that is an 
insurance company, and a broker-dealer or registered investment adviser 
recommending the product to clients. Commenters asked for assurances 
that the product manufacturer in that example would not have to satisfy 
the conditions of the exemption applicable to Financial Institutions. 
As explained earlier, under the exemption, a Financial Institution must 
acknowledge fiduciary status, and the Adviser's recommendations must be 
subject to oversight by a Financial Institution that meets the 
definition set forth in the exemption. The exemption does not condition 
relief on acknowledgment of fiduciary status or execution of the 
contract or oversight by more than one Financial Institution. However, 
the Financial Institution exercising supervisory authority must adhere 
to the conditions of the exemption, including the policies and 
procedures requirement and the obligation to insulate the Adviser from 
incentives to violate the Best Interest Standard, including incentives 
created by any other Financial Institution. The Department notes that 
if the product manufacturer is the only entity that satisfies the 
``Financial Institution'' definition with respect to a particular 
transaction, the product manufacturer must acknowledge fiduciary status 
and exercise the required supervisory authority with respect to the 
exemption, including entering into the contract in the case of IRAs and 
non-ERISA plans.
    In a related example, commenters asked about marketing or 
distribution affiliates and intermediaries that would not meet the 
definition of Financial Institution, as proposed. One commenter 
specifically requested that the definition of Financial Institution be 
revised to include all entities within an insurance group that arrange 
for the marketing of financial products. The commenter stated that an 
insurance company, with its representatives and agents, may market the 
products of a second financial institution and the contractual 
arrangements that allow for this marketing frequently are with an 
entity that is affiliated with the insurance company, but which does 
not itself meet the proposed definition of a ``Financial Institution.''
    The Department declines to expand the categories of Financial 
Institutions to such intermediaries, but rather limits the definition 
of Financial Institution to the regulated entities included in the 
proposed definition which are subject to well-established regulatory 
conditions and oversight. However, the Department has made provision to 
add entities to the definition of Financial Institution through the 
grant of an individual exemption. Accordingly, the definition of 
Financial Institution includes ``[a]n entity that is described in the 
definition of Financial Institution in an individual exemption granted 
by the Department under section 408(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c) of 
the Code, after the date of this exemption, that provides relief for 
the receipt of compensation in connection with investment advice 
provided by an investment advice fiduciary, under the same conditions 
as this class exemption.'' If parties wish to expand the definition of 
Financial Institution to include marketing intermediaries or other 
entities, they can submit an application to the Department for an 
individual exemption, with information regarding their role in the 
distribution of financial products, the regulatory oversight of such 
entities, and their ability to effectively supervise individual 
Advisers' compliance with the terms of this exemption. If a marketing 
intermediary or other entity which does not meet the definition of 
Financial Institution, wishes to obtain the relief provided in this 
class exemption, the Department will consider such a request in an 
application for an individual exemption.
4. Independent
    Section VIII(f) defines ``Independent'' as a person that:


[[Page 21068]]


    (1) Is not the Adviser, the Financial Institution or any 
Affiliate relying on the exemption;
    (2) Does not have a relationship to or an interest in the 
Adviser, the Financial Institution or Affiliate that might affect 
the exercise of the person's best judgment in connection with 
transactions described in this exemption; and
    (3) Does not receive or is not projected to receive within the 
current federal income tax year, compensation or other consideration 
for his or her own account from the Adviser, Financial Institution 
or Affiliate in excess of 2% of the person's annual revenues based 
upon its prior income tax year.

    The term Independent is used in Section I(c)(1)(ii), which 
precludes Financial Institutions and Advisers from relying on the 
exemption if they are the named fiduciary or plan administrator, as 
defined in ERISA section 3(16)(A), with respect to an ERISA-covered 
plan, unless such Financial Institutions or Advisers are selected to 
provide advice to the plan by a plan fiduciary that is Independent of 
the Financial Institutions or Advisers. The term Independent is also 
used in the definitions section, in describing the types of entities 
that may be Financial Institutions. Insurance companies that are 
Financial Institutions must have been examined by Independent certified 
public accountants and be domiciled in a state whose law requires that 
actuarial review of reserves be conducted annually by an Independent 
firm of actuaries.
    In the proposed exemption, the definition of Independent provided 
that the person (e.g., the independent fiduciary appointing the Adviser 
or Financial Institution under Section I(c)(1)(ii), or the certified 
public accountant or firm of actuaries acting with respect to an 
insurance company) could not receive any compensation or other 
consideration for his or her own account from the Adviser, the 
Financial Institution or an Affiliate. A commenter indicated that as a 
result, a number of parties providing services to the Financial 
Institution, and receiving compensation in return, could not satisfy 
the Independence requirement. The commenter suggested defining entities 
that receive less than 5% of their gross income from the fiduciary as 
Independent.
    In response, the Department revised the definition of Independent 
so that it provides that the person's compensation in the current tax 
year from the Financial Institution may not be in excess of 2% of the 
person's annual revenues based on the prior year. This approach is 
consistent with the Department's general approach to fiduciary 
independence. For example, the Department's prohibited transaction 
exemption procedures regulation provide a presumption of independence 
for appraisers and fiduciaries if the revenue they receive from a party 
is not more than 2% of their total annual revenue.\96\ The Department 
has revised the definition accordingly.\97\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \96\ 29 CFR 2570.31(j).
    \97\ The same commenter also requested clarification that an IRA 
owner will not be deemed to fail the Independence requirement simply 
because he or she is an employee of the Financial Institution. 
However, the Independence requirement is not applicable to IRA 
owners.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Individual Retirement Account
    Section VIII(g) defines ``Individual Retirement Account'' or 
``IRA'' as any account or annuity described in Code section 
4975(e)(1)(B) through (F), including, for example, an individual 
retirement account described in section 408(a) of the Code and a health 
savings account described in section 223(d) of the Code. This 
definition is unchanged from the proposal.
    The Department received comments on both the application of the 
proposed Regulation and the exemption proposals to other non-ERISA 
plans covered by Code section 4975, such as Health Savings Accounts 
(HSAs), Archer Medical Savings Accounts and Coverdell Education Savings 
Accounts. The Department notes that these accounts are given tax 
preferences as are IRAs. Further, some of the accounts, such as HSAs, 
can be used as long term savings accounts for retiree health care 
expenses. These types of accounts also are expressly defined by Code 
section 4975(e)(1) as plans that are subject to the Code's prohibited 
transaction rules. Thus, although they generally may hold fewer assets 
and may exist for shorter durations than IRAs, there is no statutory 
reason to treat them differently than other conflicted transactions and 
no basis for suspecting that the conflicts are any less influential 
with respect to advice on these arrangements. Accordingly, the 
Department does not agree with the commenters that the owners of these 
accounts are entitled to less protection than IRA investors. The 
Regulation continues to include advisers to these ``plans,'' and this 
exemption provides relief to them in the same manner it does for 
individual retirement accounts described in section 408(a) of the Code.
6. Proprietary Product
    Section VIII(l) defines ``Proprietary Product'' as a product that 
is managed, issued or sponsored by the Financial Institution or any of 
its Affiliates. This is revised from the proposal, which defined a 
Proprietary Product as one that is ``managed'' by the Financial 
Institution or an Affiliate. One commenter specifically addressed the 
proposed definition, and recommended that the definition use the terms 
``issued'' or ``sponsored'' instead of managed, in order to better 
match how the industry determines whether a product is proprietary. It 
is the Department's understanding that a variety of terms can be used 
to describe a proprietary relationship, particularly depending on the 
nature of the investment product. Therefore, in the final exemption, 
the Department has retained the word ``managed,'' but has also added 
the words ``issued'' and ``sponsored'' as suggested by the commenter.
7. Related Entity
    Section VIII(m) defines ``Related Entity'' as any entity other than 
an Affiliate in which the Adviser or Financial Institution has an 
interest which may affect the exercise of its best judgment as a 
fiduciary. This definition is unchanged from the proposal.
    The Department received one comment requesting that this be made 
more specific with respect to the types of relationships the Department 
envisions. In response the Department explains that the intent behind 
the Related Entity concept is to provide relief for fiduciary 
investment advisers that is co-extensive with the scope of the 
prohibited transactions provisions under ERISA and the Code. As stated 
in the Department's regulation under ERISA section 408(b)(2):

    The prohibitions [of Section 406(b)] are imposed upon 
fiduciaries to deter them from exercising the authority, control, or 
responsibility which makes such persons fiduciaries when they have 
interests which may conflict with the interests of the plans for 
which they act. In such cases, the fiduciaries have interests in the 
transactions which may affect the exercise of their best judgment as 
fiduciaries. Thus, a fiduciary may not use the authority, control, 
or responsibility which makes such a person a fiduciary to cause a 
plan to pay an additional fee to such fiduciary (or to a person in 
which the fiduciary has an interest which may affect the exercise of 
such fiduciary's best judgment as a fiduciary) to provide a service.

Therefore, the exemption's definition of Related Entity is not intended 
to identify specific relationships but rather to extend coverage to any 
entity that has a relationship with the Adviser or Financial 
Institution that could cause a prohibited transaction. The provisions 
of the exemption that address Related Entities are generally 
permissive, and do not require any action on the part of the Related 
Entity. The purpose is to allow

[[Page 21069]]

these entities to receive compensation that would otherwise be 
prohibited, as long as the conditions of the exemption are satisfied by 
the Financial Institution and Adviser.

K. Applicability Date and Transition Rules

    The Regulation will become effective June 7, 2016 and this Best 
Interest Contract Exemption is issued on that same date. The Regulation 
is effective at the earliest possible date under the Congressional 
Review Act. For the exemption, the issuance date serves as the date on 
which the exemption is intended to take effect for purposes of the 
Congressional Review Act. This date was selected to provide certainty 
to plans, plan fiduciaries, plan participants and beneficiaries, IRAs, 
and IRA owners that the new protections afforded by the final rule are 
now officially part of the law and regulations governing their 
investment advice providers, and to inform financial services providers 
and other affected service providers that the rule and exemption are 
final and not subject to further amendment or modification without 
additional public notice and comment. The Department expects that this 
effective date will remove uncertainty as an obstacle to regulated 
firms allocating capital and other resources toward transition and 
longer term compliance adjustments to systems and business practices.
    The Department has also determined that, in light of the importance 
of the Regulation's consumer protections and the significance of the 
continuing monetary harm to retirement investors without the rule's 
changes, an Applicability Date of April 10, 2017, is appropriate for 
plans and their affected service providers to adjust to the basic 
change from non-fiduciary to fiduciary status. This exemption has the 
same Applicability Date; parties may rely on it as of the Applicability 
Date.
    Section IX provides a transition period under which relief from the 
prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the Code is available 
for Financial Institutions and Advisers during the period between the 
Applicability Date and January 1, 2018 (the ``Transition Period''). For 
the Transition Period, full relief under the exemption will be 
available for Financial Institutions and Advisers subject to more 
limited conditions than the full set of conditions described above. 
This period is intended to give Financial Institutions and Advisers 
time to prepare for compliance with the conditions of Section II-V set 
forth above, while safeguarding the interests of Retirement Investors. 
The Transition Period conditions set forth in Section IX are subject to 
the same exclusions in Section I(c), for advice rendered in connection 
with Principal Transactions, advice from fiduciaries with discretionary 
authority over the customer's investments, robo-advice, and specified 
advice concerning in-house plans.
    The transitional conditions of Section IX require the Financial 
Institution and its Advisers to comply with the Impartial Conduct 
Standards when making recommendations to Retirement Investors. The 
Impartial Conduct Standards required in Section IX are the same as 
required in Section II(c) but are repeated for ease of use.
    During the Transition Period, the Financial Institution must 
additionally provide a written notice to the Retirement Investor prior 
to or at the same time as the execution of the recommended transaction, 
which may cover multiple transactions or all transactions taking place 
within the Transition Period, acknowledging its and its Adviser(s) 
fiduciary status under ERISA or the Code or both with respect to the 
recommended transaction. The Financial Institution also must state in 
writing that it and its Advisers will comply with the Impartial Conduct 
Standards and disclose its Material Conflicts of Interest.
    Further, the Financial Institution's notice must disclose whether 
it recommends Proprietary Products or investments that generate Third 
Party Payments; and, to the extent the Financial Institution or Adviser 
limits investment recommendations, in whole or part, to Proprietary 
Products or investments that generate Third Party Payments, the 
Financial Institution must notify the Retirement Investor of the 
limitations placed on the universe of investment recommendations. The 
notice is insufficient if it merely states that the Financial 
Institution or Adviser ``may'' limit investment recommendations based 
on whether the investments are Proprietary Products or generate Third 
Party Payments, without specific disclosure of the extent to which 
recommendations are, in fact, limited on that basis. The disclosure may 
be provided in person, electronically or by mail. It does not have to 
be repeated for any subsequent recommendations during the Transition 
Period.
    Similar to the disclosure provisions of Section II(e) and III, the 
transition exemption in Section IX provides for exemptive relief to 
continue despite errors and omissions with respect to the disclosures, 
if the Financial Institution acts in good faith and with reasonable 
diligence.
    In addition, the Financial Institution must designate a person or 
persons, identified by name, title or function, responsible for 
addressing Material Conflicts of Interest and monitoring Advisers' 
adherence to the Impartial Conduct Standards.
    Finally, the Financial Institution must comply with the 
recordkeeping provision of Section V(b) and (c) of the exemption 
regarding the transactions entered into during the Transition Period.
    After the Transition Period, however, the limited conditions 
provided in Section IX for the exemption will no longer be available. 
After that date, Financial Institutions and Advisers must satisfy all 
of the applicable conditions described in Sections II-V for the relief 
in Section I(b) to be available for any prohibited transactions 
occurring after that date. This includes the requirement to enter into 
a contract with a Retirement Investor, where required. Financial 
Institutions relying on the negative consent procedure set forth in 
Section II(a)(1)(ii) must provide the contractual provisions to 
Retirement Investors with existing contracts prior to January 1, 2018, 
and allow those Retirement Investors 30 days to terminate the contract. 
If the Retirement Investor does terminate the contract within that 30-
day period, this exemption will provide relief for 14 days after the 
date on which the termination is received by the Financial Institution. 
In that event, the Retirement Investor's account generally should be 
able to fall within the provisions of Section VII for pre-existing 
transactions. The provisions in Sections VI and VII of this Best 
Interest Contract Exemption, providing exemptions for certain purchase 
and sale transactions, including insurance and annuity contracts, and 
pre-existing transactions, respectively, are also available on the 
Applicability Date. The transition relief does not extend to the 
transactions described in Section VI which provides an exemption for 
purchase and sales of investments including insurance and annuity 
contracts, and Section VII, which provides an additional exemption for 
pre-existing transactions. Compliance with these exemptions does not 
require an extended transition period because they have relatively few 
conditions, which are largely based on meeting well-known standards 
such as reasonable compensation, arm's length terms, and prudence.
    The proposed Best Interest Contract Exemption, with the proposed 
Regulation and other exemption

[[Page 21070]]

proposals, generally set forth an Applicability Date of eight months, 
although the proposal sought comment on a phase in of conditions. Some 
commenters, concerned about the ongoing harm to Retirement Investors, 
urged the Department to implement the Regulation and related exemptions 
quickly. However, the majority of industry commenters requested a two- 
to three-year transition period. These commenters requested time to 
enter into contracts with Retirement Investors (including developing 
and implementing the policies and procedures and incentive practices 
that meet the terms of Section II(d)(1) and (2); and, in accordance 
with Section II(d)(3)), create systems needed to provide the required 
disclosures, and receive any required state approvals for insurance 
products. Some commenters requested the Department allow good faith 
compliance during the transition period. Others requested the 
Department phase in the requirements over time. One commenter requested 
the best interest standard become effective immediately, with the other 
conditions becoming effective within one year. Another comment 
expressed concern about phasing in the conditions over time, referring 
to this as ``piecemeal'' approach, which would not be helpful to 
implementing a system to protect Retirement Investors. Other commenters 
wrote that the Department should re-propose the exemption or adopt it 
as an interim final exemption and seek additional comments.
    The transition provisions in Section IX of the final exemption 
respond to commenters' concerns about ongoing economic harm to 
Retirement Investors during the period in which Financial Institutions 
develop systems to comply with the exemption. The provisions require 
prompt implementation of certain core protections of the exemption in 
the form of the acknowledgment of fiduciary status, compliance with the 
Impartial Conduct Standards, and certain important disclosures, to 
safeguard Retirement Investors' interests. The provisions recognize, 
however, that the Financial Institutions will need time to develop 
policies and procedures and supervisory structures that fully comport 
with the requirements of the final exemption. Accordingly, during the 
Transition Period, Financial Institutions are not required to execute 
the contract or give Retirement Investors warranties or disclosures on 
their anti-conflict policies and procedures. While the Department 
expects that Advisers and Financial Institutions will, in fact, adopt 
prudent supervisory mechanisms to prevent violations of the Impartial 
Conduct Standards (and potential liability for such violations), the 
exemption will not require the Financial Institutions to make specific 
representations on the nature or quality of the policies and procedures 
during this Transition Period. The Department will be available to 
respond to Financial Institutions' request for guidance during this 
period, as they develop the systems necessary to comply with the 
exemption's conditions.
    The transition provisions also accommodate Financial Institutions' 
need for time to prepare for full compliance with the exemption, and 
therefore full compliance with all the final exemption's applicable 
conditions is delayed until January 1, 2018. The Department selected 
that period, rather than two to three years, as requested by some 
commenters, in light of the adjustments in the final exemption that 
significantly eased compliance burdens. Although the Department 
believes that the conditions of the exemption set forth in Section II-V 
are required to support the Department's findings required under ERISA 
section 408(a), and Code section 4975(c)(2) over the long term, the 
Department recognizes that Financial Institutions may need time to 
achieve full compliance with these conditions. The Department therefore 
finds that the provisions set forth in Section IX satisfy the criteria 
of ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c)(2) for the Transition 
Period because they provide the significant protections to Retirement 
Investors while providing Financial Institutions with time necessary to 
achieve full compliance. A similar transition period is provided for 
the companion Principal Transactions Exemption due to the corresponding 
provisions in that exemption that may require time for Financial 
Institutions to begin compliance.
    The Department considered but declined delaying the application of 
the rule defining fiduciary investment advice until such time as 
Financial Institutions could make the changes to their practices and 
compensation structures necessary to comply with Sections II through V 
of this exemption. The Department believed that delaying the 
application of the new fiduciary rule would inordinately delay the 
basic protections of loyalty and prudence that the rule provides. 
Moreover, a long period of delay could incentivize Financial 
Institutions to increase efforts to provide conflicted advice to 
Retirement Investors before it becomes subject to the new rule. The 
Department understands that many of the concerns regarding the 
applicability date of the rule are related to the prohibited 
transaction provisions of ERISA and the Code rather than the basic 
fiduciary standards. This transition period exemption addresses these 
concerns by giving Financial Institutions and Advisers necessary time 
to fully comply with Sections II-V of the exemption.
    The Department also considered the views of commenters that 
requested re-proposal of the regulation and exemptions, or issuing the 
rule and exemptions as interim final rules with requests for additional 
comment. After reviewing all the comments on the 2015 proposal, which 
was itself a re-proposal, the Department has concluded that it is in a 
position to publish a final rule and exemptions. It has carefully 
considered and responded to the significant issues raised in the 
comments in drafting the final rule and exemptions. Moreover, the 
Department has concluded that the difference between the final 
documents and the proposals are also responsive to the commenters' 
concerns and could be reasonably foreseen by affected parties.
    The amendments to and partial revocations of existing exemptions 
finalized elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register will be 
issued June 7, 2016 and will become applicable on the Applicability 
Date. Specifically, this includes amendments to and partial revocations 
PTEs 86-128, 84-24, 75-1, 77-4, 80-83 and 83-1. The conditions of these 
amended exemptions are largely standards-based, or contain only minimal 
additional disclosure requirements, and therefore Financial 
Institutions should not require a transition period longer than through 
the Applicability Date, to comply. For the avoidance of doubt, no 
revocation will be applicable prior to the Applicability Date.
No Relief From ERISA Section 406(a)(1)(C) or Code Section 4975(c)(1)(C) 
for the Provision of Services
    This exemption does not provide relief from a transaction 
prohibited by ERISA section 406(a)(1)(C), or from the taxes imposed by 
Code section 4975(a) and (b) by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(C), 
regarding the furnishing of goods, services or facilities between a 
plan and a party in interest. The provision of investment advice to a 
plan under a contract with a plan fiduciary is a service to the plan 
and compliance with this exemption will not relieve an Adviser or 
Financial Institution of the need to comply with ERISA section 
408(b)(2), Code section 4975(d)(2), and applicable regulations 
thereunder.

[[Page 21071]]

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
    In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)), the Department solicited comments 
on the information collections included in the proposed Best Interest 
Contract Exemption. 80 FR 21960, 21980-83 (Apr. 20, 2015). The 
Department also submitted an information collection request (ICR) to 
OMB in accordance with 44 U.S.C. 3507(d), contemporaneously with the 
publication of the proposal, for OMB's review. The Department received 
two comments from one commenter that specifically addressed the 
paperwork burden analysis of the information collections. Additionally 
many comments were submitted, described elsewhere in the preamble to 
the accompanying final rule, which contained information relevant to 
the costs and administrative burdens attendant to the proposals. The 
Department took into account such public comments in connection with 
making changes to the prohibited transaction exemption, analyzing the 
economic impact of the proposals, and developing the revised paperwork 
burden analysis summarized below.
    In connection with publication of this final prohibited transaction 
exemption, the Department is submitting an ICR to OMB requesting 
approval of a new collection of information under OMB Control Number 
1210-0156. The Department will notify the public when OMB approves the 
ICR.
    A copy of the ICR may be obtained by contacting the PRA addressee 
shown below or at https://www.RegInfo.gov. PRA ADDRESSEE: G. Christopher 
Cosby, Office of Policy and Research, U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employee Benefits Security Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Room N-5718, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-8410; Fax: 
(202) 219-4745. These are not toll-free numbers.
    As discussed in detail below, the final class exemption will 
require Financial Institutions to enter into a contractual arrangement 
with Retirement Investors regarding investments in IRAs and plans not 
subject to Title I of ERISA (non-ERISA plans), adopt written policies 
and procedures and make disclosures to Retirement Investors (including 
with respect to ERISA plans), the Department, and on a publicly 
accessible Web site, in order to receive relief from ERISA's and the 
Code's prohibited transaction rules for the receipt of compensation as 
a result of a Financial Institution's and its Adviser's advice (i.e., 
prohibited compensation). Financial Institutions that limit 
recommendations in whole or in part to Proprietary Products or 
investments that generate Third Party Payments will have to prepare a 
written documentation regarding these limitations. Financial 
Institutions will be required to maintain records necessary to prove 
that the conditions of the exemption have been met. Financial 
Institutions that are Level Fee Fiduciaries will be required to make 
disclosures to Retirement Investors acknowledging fiduciary status and, 
if recommending a rollover from an ERISA plan to an IRA, from an IRA to 
another IRA, or a switch from a commission-based account to a fee-based 
account, document the reasons for the recommendation, but will not be 
subject to any of the other paperwork conditions of the exemption. In 
addition, the exemption provides a transition period from the 
Applicability Date, to January 1, 2018. As a condition of relief during 
the transition period, Financial Institutions must make a disclosure 
(transition disclosure) to all Retirement Investors (in ERISA plans, 
IRAs, and non-ERISA plans) prior to or at the same time as the 
execution of recommended transactions. These requirements are ICRs 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    The Department has made the following assumptions in order to 
establish a reasonable estimate of the paperwork burden associated with 
these ICRs:
     51.8 percent of disclosures to ERISA plans and plan 
participants \98\ and 44.1 percent of contracts with and disclosures to 
IRAs and non-ERISA plans \99\ will be distributed electronically via 
means already used by respondents in the normal course of business and 
the costs arising from electronic distribution will be negligible, 
while the remaining contracts and disclosures will be distributed on 
paper and mailed at a cost of $0.05 per page for materials and $0.49 
for first class postage;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \98\ According to data from the National Telecommunications and 
Information Agency (NTIA), 33.4 percent of individuals age 25 and 
over have access to the internet at work. According to a Greenwald & 
Associates survey, 84 percent of plan participants find it 
acceptable to make electronic delivery the default option, which is 
used as the proxy for the number of participants who will not opt 
out that are automatically enrolled (for a total of 28.1 percent 
receiving electronic disclosure at work). Additionally, the NTIA 
reports that 38.9 percent of individuals age 25 and over have access 
to the internet outside of work. According to a Pew Research Center 
survey, 61 percent of internet users use online banking, which is 
used as the proxy for the number of internet users who will opt in 
for electronic disclosure (for a total of 23.7 percent receiving 
electronic disclosure outside of work). Combining the 28.1 percent 
who receive electronic disclosure at work with the 23.7 percent who 
receive electronic disclosure outside of work produces a total of 
51.8 percent who will receive electronic disclosure overall.
    \99\ According to data from the NTIA, 72.4 percent of 
individuals age 25 and older have access to the internet. According 
to a Pew Research Center survey, 61 percent of internet users use 
online banking, which is used as the proxy for the number of 
internet users who will opt in for electronic disclosure. Combining 
these data produces an estimate of 44.1 percent of individuals who 
will receive electronic disclosures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Financial Institutions will use existing in-house 
resources to distribute required disclosures and to create 
documentations for transactions recommended by Level Fee Fiduciaries.
     Tasks associated with the ICRs performed by in-house 
personnel will be performed by clerical personnel at an hourly wage 
rate of $55.21 and financial advisers at an hourly wage rate of 
$198.58.\100\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \100\ For a description of the Department's methodology for 
calculating wage rates, see https://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/labor-cost-inputs-used-in-ebsa-opr-ria-and-pra-burden-calculations-march-2016.pdf. The Department's methodology for calculating the overhead 
cost input of its wage rates was adjusted from the proposed PTE to 
the final PTE. In the proposed PTE, the Department based its 
overhead cost estimates on longstanding internal EBSA calculations 
for the cost of overhead. In response to a public comment stating 
that the overhead cost estimates were too low and without any 
supporting evidence, the Department incorporated published US Census 
Bureau survey data on overhead costs into its wage rate estimates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Financial Institutions will hire outside service providers 
to assist with nearly all other compliance costs;
     Outsourced legal assistance will be billed at an hourly 
rate of $335.00.\101\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \101\ This rate is the average of the hourly rate of an attorney 
with 4-7 years of experience and an attorney with 8-10 years of 
experience, taken from the Laffey Matrix. See https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-dc/legacy/2014/07/14/Laffey%20Matrix_2014-2015.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Approximately 7,000 broker-dealers, RIAs that are 
ineligible to be Level Fee Fiduciaries, and insurance companies will 
use this exemption. Additionally, approximately 13,000 Level Fee 
Fiduciary RIAs will use of this exemption under level fee 
conditions.\102\ All of these Financial

[[Page 21072]]

Institutions will use this exemption in conjunction with transactions 
involving nearly all of their clients in the retirement market.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \102\ One commenter questioned the basis for the Department's 
assumption regarding the number of Financial Institutions likely to 
use the exemption. According to the ``2015 Investment Management 
Compliance Testing Survey,'' Investment Adviser Association, cited 
in the regulatory impact analysis for the accompanying rule, 63 
percent of Registered Investment Advisers service ERISA-covered 
plans and IRAs. The Department conservatively interprets this to 
mean that all of the 113 large Registered Investment Advisers 
(RIAs), 63 percent of the 3,021 medium RIAs (1,903), and 63 percent 
of the 24,475 small RIAs (15,419) work with ERISA-covered plans and 
IRAs. The Department assumes that all of the 42 large broker-
dealers, and similar shares of the 233 medium broker-dealers (147) 
and the 3,682 small broker-dealers (2,320) work with ERISA-covered 
plans and IRAs. According to SEC and FINRA data, cited in the 
regulatory impact analysis, 18 percent of broker-dealers are also 
registered as RIAs. Removing these firms from the RIA counts 
produces counts of 105 large RIAs, 1,877 medium RIAs, and 15,001 
small RIAs that work with ERISA-covered plans and IRAs and are not 
also registered as broker-dealers. SNL Financial data show that 398 
life insurance companies reported receiving either individual or 
group annuity considerations in 2014, of which 22 companies are 
large, 175 companies are medium, and 201 companies are small. The 
Department has used these data as the count of insurance companies 
working in the ERISA-covered plan and IRA markets. Further, 
according to Hung et al. (2008) (see Regulatory Impact Analysis for 
complete citation), approximately 13 percent of RIAs report 
receiving commissions. Additionally, 20 percent of RIAs report 
receiving performance based fees; however, at least 60 percent of 
these RIAs are likely to be hedge funds. Thus, as much as 8 percent 
of RIAs providing investment advice receive performance based fees. 
Combining the 8 percent of RIAs receiving performance based fees 
with the 13 percent of RIAs receiving commissions creates an 
estimate of the number of RIAs that could be ineligible to be Level 
Fee Fiduciaries (21 percent). The remaining RIAs could be Level Fee 
Fiduciaries. In total, the Department estimates that 2,509 broker-
dealers, 3,566 RIAs ineligible to be Level Fee Fiduciaries, 13,417 
Level Fee Fiduciary RIAs, and 398 insurance companies will use this 
exemption. As described in detail in the regulatory impact analysis, 
the Department believes a de minimis number of banks may also use 
the exemption.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Compliance Costs for Financial Institutions That Are Not Level Fee 
Fiduciaries
    The Department believes that nearly all Financial Institutions that 
are not Level Fee Fiduciaries will contract with outside service 
providers to implement the various compliance requirements of this 
exemption. As described in the regulatory impact analysis, per-firm 
costs for BDs were calculated by allocating the total cost reductions 
in the medium assumptions scenario across the firm size categories, and 
then subtracting the cost reductions from the per-firm average costs 
derived from the Oxford Economics study. The methodology for 
calculating the per-firm costs for RIAs and Insurance Companies is 
described in detail in the regulatory impact analysis. The Department 
is attributing 50 percent of the compliance costs for BDs and RIAs to 
this exemption and 50 percent of the compliance costs for BDs and RIAs 
to the Class Exemption for Principal Transactions in Certain Assets 
between Investment Advice Fiduciaries and Employee Benefit Plans and 
IRAs (Principal Transactions Exemption) published elsewhere in today's 
Federal Register. The Department is attributing all of the compliance 
costs for insurance companies to this exemption.\103\ With the above 
assumptions, the per-firm costs are as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \103\ The Department changed its methodology for estimating 
costs in an attempt to be responsive to public comments. Many of the 
comments received on the costs of the rule and exemptions suggested 
that much of the compliance burden for the rule results from the 
information collections in the accompanying exemptions. Therefore, 
the Department believes that a more accurate depiction of the costs 
of the rule and exemptions can be created by integrating the cost 
estimates.

 Start-Up Costs for Large BDs: $3.7 million
 Start-Up Costs for Large RIAs: $3.2 million
 Start-Up Costs for Large Insurance Companies: $6.6 million
 Start-Up Costs for Medium BDs: $889,000
 Start-Up Costs for Medium RIAs: $662,000
 Start-Up costs for Medium Insurance Companies: $1.4 million
 Start-Up Costs for Small BDs: $278,000
 Start-Up Costs for Small RIAs: $219,000
 Start-Up Costs for Small Insurance Companies: $464,000
 Ongoing Costs for Large BDs: $918,000
 Ongoing Costs for Large RIAs: $803,000
 Ongoing Costs for Large Insurance Companies: $1.7 million
 Ongoing Costs for Medium BDs: $192,000
 Ongoing Costs for Medium RIAs: $143,000
 Ongoing Costs for Medium Insurance Companies: $306,000
 Ongoing Costs for Small BDs: $60,000
 Ongoing Costs for Small RIAs: $47,000
 Ongoing Costs for Small Insurance Companies: $100,000

    In order to receive compensation covered under this exemption 
(other than under level fee conditions, which is discussed separately 
below), Section II requires Financial Institutions to acknowledge, in 
writing, their fiduciary status and adopt written policies and 
procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Impartial Conduct 
Standards. Financial Institutions and Advisers must make certain 
disclosures to Retirement Investors. Financial Institutions must 
generally enter into a written contract with Retirement Investors with 
respect to investments in IRAs and non-ERISA plans with certain 
required provisions, including affirmative agreement to adhere to the 
Impartial Conduct Standards.
    Sections III and V require Financial Institutions and Advisers to 
make certain disclosures. These disclosures include: (1) A pre-
transaction disclosure, stating the best interest standard of care, 
describing any Material Conflicts of Interest with respect to the 
transaction, disclosing the recommendation of proprietary products and 
products that generate third party payments (where applicable), and 
informing the Retirement Investor of disclosures available on the 
Financial Institution's Web site and informing the Retirement Investor 
that the investor may receive specific disclosure of the costs, fees, 
and other compensation associated with the transaction; (2) a 
disclosure, on request, describing in detail the costs, fees, and other 
compensation associated with the transaction; (3) a web-based 
disclosure; and (4) a one-time disclosure to the Department.
    Under Section IV, Financial Institutions that limit recommendations 
in whole or in part to Proprietary Products or investments that 
generate Third Party Payments will have to prepare a written 
documentation regarding these limitations.
    Section IX requires Financial Institutions to make a transition 
disclosure, acknowledging their fiduciary status and that of their 
Advisers with respect to the advice, stating the Best Interest standard 
of care, and describing the Financial Institution's Material Conflicts 
of Interest and any limitations on product offerings, prior to or at 
the same time as the execution of any transactions during the 
transition period from the Applicability Date to January 1, 2018. The 
transition disclosure can cover multiple transactions, or all 
transactions occurring in the transition period.
    Financial Institutions will also be required to maintain records 
necessary to prove that the conditions of the exemption have been met.
    The Department is able to disaggregate an estimate of many of the 
legal costs from the costs above; however, it is unable to disaggregate 
any of the other costs. The Department received a comment on the 
proposed PTE stating that the estimates for legal professional time to 
draft disclosures were not supported by any empirical evidence. The 
Department also received multiple comments on the proposed PTE stating 
that its estimate of 60 hours of legal professional time during the 
first year a financial institution used the exemption and then no legal 
professional time in subsequent years was too low.
    In response to a recommendation made during the Department's August 
2015, public hearing on the proposed

[[Page 21073]]

rule and exemptions, and in an attempt to create estimates with a 
clearer empirical evidentiary basis, the Department drafted certain 
portions of the required disclosures, including a sample contract, the 
one-time disclosure to the Department, and the transition disclosure. 
The Department believes that the time spent updating existing contracts 
and disclosures in future years would be no longer than the time 
necessary to create the original disclosure. The Department did not 
attempt to draft the complete set of required disclosures because it 
expects that the amount of time necessary to draft such disclosures 
will vary greatly among firms. For example the Department did not 
attempt to draft sample policies and procedures, disclosures describing 
in detail the costs, fees, and other compensation associated with the 
transaction, documentation of the limitations regarding proprietary 
products or investments that generate third party payments, or a sample 
web disclosure. The Department expects the amount of time necessary to 
complete these disclosures will vary significantly based on a variety 
of factors including the nature of a firm's compensation structure, and 
the extent to which a firm's policies and procedures require review and 
signatures by different individuals.
    Considered in conjunction with the estimates provided in the 
proposal, the Department estimates that outsourced legal assistance to 
draft standard contracts, contract disclosures, pre-transaction 
disclosures, the one-time disclosure to the Department, and the 
transition disclosures will cost an average of $3,857 per firm for a 
total of $25.0 million during the first year. In subsequent years, it 
will cost an average of $3,076 per firm for a total of $19.9 million 
annually to update the contracts, contract disclosures, and pre-
transaction disclosures.
    The legal costs of these disclosures were disaggregated from the 
total compliance costs because these disclosures are expected to be 
relatively uniform. Although the tested disclosures generally took less 
time than many of the commenters said they would, the Department 
acknowledges that the disclosures that were not tested are those that 
are expected to be the most time consuming. Importantly, as explained 
in greater detail in section 5.3 of the regulatory impact analysis, the 
Department is primarily relying on cost data provided by the Securities 
Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and the Financial 
Services Institute (FSI) to calculate the total cost of the legal 
disclosures, rather than its own internal drafting of disclosures. 
Accordingly, in the event that any of the Department's estimates 
understate the time necessary to create and update the disclosures, it 
does not impact the total burden estimates. The total burden estimates 
were derived from SIFMA and FSI's all-inclusive costs. Therefore, in 
the event that legal costs are understated, other cost estimates in 
this analysis would be overstated in an equal manner.
    In addition to legal costs for creating the contracts and 
disclosures, the start-up cost estimates include the costs of 
implementing and updating the IT infrastructure, creating the web 
disclosures, gathering and maintaining the records necessary to produce 
the various disclosures and to prove that the conditions of the 
exemption have been met, developing policies and procedures, 
documenting any limitations regarding proprietary products or 
investments that generate third party payments, addressing material 
conflicts of interest, monitoring Advisers' adherence to the Impartial 
Conduct Standards, and any other steps necessary to ensure compliance 
with the conditions of the exemption not described elsewhere. In 
addition to legal costs for updating the contracts and disclosures, the 
ongoing cost estimates include the costs of updating the IT 
infrastructure, updating the web disclosures, reviewing processes for 
gathering and maintaining the records necessary to produce the various 
disclosures and to prove that the conditions of the exemption have been 
met, reviewing the policies and procedures, producing the detailed 
transaction disclosures on request, documenting any limitations 
regarding proprietary products or investments that generate third party 
payments, monitoring investments as agreed upon with the Retirement 
Investor, addressing material conflicts of interest, monitoring 
Advisers' adherence to the Impartial Conduct Standards, and any other 
steps necessary to ensure compliance with the conditions of the 
exemption not described elsewhere. These costs total $2.4 billion 
during the first year and $520.4 million in subsequent years. These 
costs do not include the costs of distributing disclosures and 
contracts or the costs of operating under level fee conditions, all of 
which are discussed below.
Distribution of Disclosures and Contracts
    The Department estimates that 1.1 million Retirement Investors with 
respect to ERISA plans and 29.9 million Retirement Investors with 
respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans will receive a three-page 
transition disclosure during the first year. Additionally, 1.1 million 
Retirement Investors with respect to ERISA plans will receive a 
fifteen-page contract disclosure, and 29.9 million Retirement Investors 
with respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans will receive a fifteen-page 
contract during the first year. In subsequent years, 320,000 million 
Retirement Investors with respect to ERISA plans will receive a 
fifteen-page contract disclosure and 6.0 million Retirement Investors 
with respect to IRAs and non-ERISA plans will receive a fifteen-page 
contract. To the extent that Financial Institutions use both the Best 
Interest Contract Exemption and the Principal Transactions Exemption, 
these estimates may represent overestimates because significant overlap 
exists between the requirements of the transition disclosure and the 
contract for both exemptions. If Financial Institutions choose to use 
both exemptions with the same clients, they will probably combine the 
documents.
    The transition disclosure will be distributed electronically to 
51.8 percent of ERISA plan investors and 44.1 percent of IRAs and non-
ERISA plan investors during the first year. Paper disclosures will be 
mailed to the remaining 48.2 percent of ERISA plan investors and 55.9 
percent of IRAs and non-ERISA plan investors. The contract disclosure 
will be distributed electronically to 51.8 percent of ERISA plan 
investors during the first year or during any subsequent year in which 
the plan begins a new advisory relationship. Paper contract disclosures 
will be mailed to the remaining 48.2 percent of ERISA plan investors. 
The contract will be distributed electronically to 44.1 percent of IRAs 
and non-ERISA plan investors during the first year or during any 
subsequent year in which the investor enters into a new advisory 
relationship. Paper contracts will be mailed to the remaining 55.9 
percent of IRAs and non-ERISA plan investors. The Department estimates 
that electronic distribution will result in de minimis cost, while 
paper distribution will cost approximately $32.5 million during the 
first year and $4.3 million during subsequent years. Paper distribution 
will also require two minutes of clerical time to print and mail the 
disclosure or contract,\104\ resulting in 1.2 million

[[Page 21074]]

hours at an equivalent cost of $63.6 million during the first year and 
117,000 hours at an equivalent cost of $6.4 million during subsequent 
years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \104\ One commenter questioned the basis for this estimate. The 
Department worked with clerical staff to determine that most notices 
and disclosures can be printed and prepared for mailing in less than 
one minute per disclosure. Therefore, an estimate of two minutes per 
disclosure is a conservative estimate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department assumes that ERISA plans that do not allow 
participants to direct investments will engage in two transactions per 
month that require pre-transaction disclosures. The Department assumes 
that ERISA plan participants and IRA holders will engage in two 
transactions per year that require pre-transaction disclosures. 
Therefore, the Department estimates that plans and IRAs will receive 
62.9 million three page pre-transaction disclosures during the second 
year and all subsequent years. The pre-transaction disclosures will be 
distributed electronically for 51.8 percent of the ERISA plan investors 
and 44.1 percent of the IRA holders and non-ERISA plan participants. 
The remaining 34.9 million disclosures will be mailed. The Department 
estimates that electronic distribution will result in de minimis cost, 
while paper distribution will cost approximately $22.4 million. Paper 
distribution will also require two minutes of clerical time to print 
and mail the statement, resulting in 1.2 million hours at an equivalent 
cost of $64.3 million annually.
    The Department estimates that Financial Institutions will receive 
ten requests per year for more detailed information on the fees, costs, 
and compensation associated with the transaction during the second year 
and all subsequent years. The detailed disclosures will be distributed 
electronically for 51.8 percent of the ERISA plan investors and 44.1 
percent of the IRA holders and non-ERISA plan participants. The 
Department believes that requests for additional information will be 
proportionally likely with each Retirement Investor type. Therefore, 
approximately 36,000 detailed disclosures will be distributed on paper. 
The Department estimates that electronic distribution will result in de 
minimis cost, while paper distribution will cost approximately $27,000. 
Paper distribution will also require two minutes of clerical time to 
print and mail the statement, resulting in 1,000 hours at an equivalent 
cost of $66,000 annually.
    Finally, the Department estimates that all of the 7,000 Financial 
Institutions that are not Level Fee Fiduciaries will submit the 
required one-page disclosure to the Department electronically at de 
minimis cost during the first year.
Option for Level Fee Fiduciaries Operating Under Level Fee Conditions
    The Department estimates that 13,000 Level Fee Fiduciaries will 
make recommendations to 3.0 million Retirement Investors with respect 
to ERISA plans, IRAs, and non-ERISA plans annually under level fee 
conditions.
    Based on consultation with its legal staff, the Department 
estimates that the standard fiduciary acknowledgements required by 
Level Fee Fiduciaries will take 1 hour and 25 minutes to draft.\105\ 
The Department believes that the time spent updating existing fiduciary 
acknowledgements in future years would be no longer than the time 
necessary to create the original acknowledgement. The Department 
estimates that outsourced legal assistance to draft and/or update 
fiduciary acknowledgements will cost $6.4 million annually.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \105\ This estimate does not include the time the Level Fee 
Fiduciaries will spend documenting the reason or reasons the 
recommendation was consistent with this exemption.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The fiduciary acknowledgements will be distributed electronically 
for 51.8 percent of ERISA plan investors and 44.1 percent of the IRA 
holders and non-ERISA plan investors. The remaining 1.6 million 
acknowledgements will be mailed. The Department estimates that 
electronic distribution will result in de minimis cost, while paper 
distribution will cost approximately $888,000. Paper distribution will 
also require two minutes of clerical time to print and mail the 
acknowledgement, resulting in 55,000 hours at an equivalent cost of 
$3.0 million annually.
    The Department estimates that it will take financial advisers 
thirty minutes to record the documentation for each recommendation. 
This results in 1.5 million hours annually at an equivalent cost of 
$296.9 million.
Overall Summary
    Overall, the Department estimates that in order to meet the 
conditions of this class exemption, Financial Institutions and Advisers 
will distribute approximately 74.6 million disclosures and contracts 
during the first year and 73.3 million disclosures and contracts during 
subsequent years. Distributing these disclosures and contracts, and 
maintaining records that the conditions of the exemption have been 
fulfilled will result in a total of 2.5 million hours of burden during 
the first year and 2.5 million hours of burden in subsequent years. The 
equivalent cost of this burden is $201.5 million during the first year 
and $201.2 million in subsequent years. This exemption will result in 
an outsourced labor, materials, and postage cost burden of $1.6 billion 
during the first year and $380.7 million during subsequent years.
    These paperwork burden estimates are summarized as follows:
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of 
Labor.
    Titles: (1) Best Interest Contract Exemption and (2) Final 
Investment Advice Regulation.
    OMB Control Number: 1210-0156.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits; not for profit 
institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,890.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 65,095,501 during the first 
year and 72,282,441 during subsequent years.
    Frequency of Response: When engaging in exempted transaction.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,701,270 during the first 
year and 2,832,369 in subsequent years.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $2,479,541,143 during the first 
year and $574,302,408 during subsequent years.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
    This exemption, which is issued pursuant to section 408(a) of ERISA 
and section 4975(c)(2) of the IRC, is part of a broader rulemaking that 
includes other exemptions and a final regulation published in today's 
Federal Register. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) 
imposes certain requirements with respect to Federal rules that are 
subject to the notice and comment requirements of section 553(b) of the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.), or any other laws. 
Unless the head of an agency certifies that a final rule is not likely 
to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities, section 604 of the RFA requires that the agency present a 
final regulatory flexibility analysis (FRFA) describing the rule's 
impact on small entities and explaining how the agency made its 
decisions with respect to the application of the rule to small 
entities.
    The Secretary has determined that this rulemaking, including this 
exemption, will have a significant economic impact on a substantial 
number of small entities. The Secretary has separately published a 
Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) which contains the complete economic 
analysis for this rulemaking including the Department's FRFA for the 
rule and the related prohibited transaction exemptions. This section of 
this preamble sets forth a

[[Page 21075]]

summary of the FRFA. The RIA is available at www.dol.gov/ebsa.
    As noted in section 6.1 of the RIA, the Department has determined 
that regulatory action is needed to mitigate conflicts of interest in 
connection with investment advice to retirement investors. The 
regulation is intended to improve plan and IRA investing to the benefit 
of retirement security. In response to the proposed rulemaking, 
organizations representing small businesses submitted comments 
expressing particular concern with three issues: The carve-out for 
investment education, the best interest contract exemption, and the 
carve-out for persons acting in the capacity of counterparties to plan 
fiduciaries with financial expertise. Section 2 of the RIA contains an 
extensive discussion of these concerns and the Department's response.
    As discussed in section 6.2 of the RIA, the Small Business 
Administration (SBA) defines a small business in the Financial 
Investments and Related Activities Sector as a business with up to 
$38.5 million in annual receipts. In response to a comment received 
from the SBA's Office of Advocacy on our Initial Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis, the Department contacted the SBA, and received from them a 
dataset containing data on the number of firms by NAICS codes, 
including the number of firms in given revenue categories. This dataset 
would allow the estimation of the number of firms with a given NAICS 
code that fall below the $38.5 million threshold and therefore be 
considered small entities by the SBA. However, this dataset alone does 
not provide a sufficient basis for the Department to estimate the 
number of small entities affected by the rule. Not all firms within a 
given NAICS code would be affected by this rule, because being an ERISA 
fiduciary relies on a functional test and is not based on industry 
status as defined by a NAICS code. Further, not all firms within a 
given NAICS code work with ERISA-covered plans and IRAs.
    Over 90 percent of broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, 
insurance companies, agents, and consultants are small businesses 
according to the SBA size standards (13 CFR 121.201). Applying the 
ratio of entities that meet the SBA size standards to the number of 
affected entities, based on the methodology described at greater length 
in the RIA, the Department estimates that the number of small entities 
affected by this rule is 2,438 BDs, 16,521 RIAs, 496 Insurers, and 
3,358 other ERISA service providers.
    For purposes of the RFA, the Department continues to consider an 
employee benefit plan with fewer than 100 participants to be a small 
entity. Further, while some large employers may have small plans, in 
general small employers maintain most small plans. The definition of 
small entity considered appropriate for this purpose differs, however, 
from a definition of small business that is based on size standards 
promulgated by the SBA. These small pension plans will benefit from the 
rule, because as a result of the rule, they will receive non-conflicted 
advice from their fiduciary service providers. The 2013 Form 5500 
filings show nearly 595,000 ERISA covered retirement plans with less 
than 100 participants.
    Section 6.5 of the RIA summarizes the projected reporting, 
recordkeeping, and other compliance costs of the rule and exemptions, 
which are discussed in detail in section 5 of the RIA. Among other 
things, the Department concludes that it is likely that some small 
service providers may find that the increased costs associated with 
ERISA fiduciary status outweigh the benefits of continuing to service 
the ERISA plan market or the IRA market. The Department does not 
believe that this outcome will be widespread or that it will result in 
a diminution of the amount or quality of advice available to small or 
other retirement savers, because some firms will fill the void and 
provide services to the ERISA plan and IRA market. It is also possible 
that the economic impact of the rule and exemptions on small entities 
would not be as significant as it would be for large entities, because 
anecdotal evidence indicates that small entities do not have as many 
business arrangements that give rise to conflicts of interest. 
Therefore, they would not be confronted with the same costs to 
restructure transactions that would be faced by large entities.
    Section 5.3.1 of the RIA includes a discussion of the changes to 
the proposed rule and exemptions that are intended to reduce the costs 
affecting both small and large business. These include elimination of 
data collection and annual disclosure requirements in the Best Interest 
Contract Exemption, and changes to the implementation of the contract 
requirement in the exemption. Section 7 of the RIA discusses 
significant regulatory alternatives considered by the Department and 
the reasons why they were rejected.
Congressional Review Act
    This exemption, along with related exemptions and a final rule 
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, is part of a 
rulemaking that is subject to the Congressional Review Act provisions 
of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (5 
U.S.C. 801, et seq.) and, will be transmitted to Congress and the 
Comptroller General for review. This rulemaking, including this 
exemption is treated as a ``major rule'' as that term is defined in 5 
U.S.C. 804, because it is likely to result in an annual effect on the 
economy of $100 million or more.
General Information
    The attention of interested persons is directed to the following:
    (1) The fact that a transaction is the subject of an exemption 
under section 408(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c)(2) of the Code does 
not relieve a fiduciary, or other party in interest or disqualified 
person with respect to a plan, from certain other provisions of ERISA 
and the Code, including any prohibited transaction provisions to which 
the exemption does not apply and the general fiduciary responsibility 
provisions of section 404 of ERISA which require, among other things, 
that a fiduciary act prudently and discharge his or her duties 
respecting the plan solely in the interests of the participants and 
beneficiaries of the plan. Additionally, the fact that a transaction is 
the subject of an exemption does not affect the requirement of section 
401(a) of the Code that the plan must operate for the exclusive benefit 
of the employees of the employer maintaining the plan and their 
beneficiaries;
    (2) The Department finds that the exemption is administratively 
feasible, in the interests of the plan and of its participants and 
beneficiaries, and protective of the rights of participants and 
beneficiaries of the plan;
    (3) The exemption is applicable to a particular transaction only if 
the transaction satisfies the conditions specified in the exemption; 
and
    (4) The exemption is supplemental to, and not in derogation of, any 
other provisions of ERISA and the Code, including statutory or 
administrative exemptions and transitional rules. Furthermore, the fact 
that a transaction is subject to an administrative or statutory 
exemption is not dispositive of whether the transaction is in fact a 
prohibited transaction.

Exemption

Section I--Best Interest Contract Exemption

    (a) In general. ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code prohibit 
fiduciary advisers to employee benefit plans

[[Page 21076]]

(Plans) and individual retirement plans (IRAs) from receiving 
compensation that varies based on their investment advice. Similarly, 
fiduciary advisers are prohibited from receiving compensation from 
third parties in connection with their advice. This exemption permits 
certain persons who provide investment advice to Retirement Investors, 
and associated Financial Institutions, Affiliates and other Related 
Entities, to receive such otherwise prohibited compensation as 
described below.
    (b) Covered transactions. This exemption permits Advisers, 
Financial Institutions, and their Affiliates and Related Entities, to 
receive compensation as a result of their provision of investment 
advice within the meaning of ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) or Code section 
4975(e)(3)(B) to a Retirement Investor.
    As defined in Section VIII(o) of the exemption, a Retirement 
Investor is: (1) A participant or beneficiary of a Plan with authority 
to direct the investment of assets in his or her Plan account or to 
take a distribution; (2) the beneficial owner of an IRA acting on 
behalf of the IRA; or (3) a Retail Fiduciary with respect to a Plan or 
IRA.
    As detailed below, Financial Institutions and Advisers seeking to 
rely on the exemption must adhere to Impartial Conduct Standards in 
rendering advice regarding retirement investments. In addition, 
Financial Institutions must adopt policies and procedures designed to 
ensure that their individual Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct 
Standards; disclose important information relating to fees, 
compensation, and Material Conflicts of Interest; and retain records 
demonstrating compliance with the exemption. Level Fee Fiduciaries that 
will receive only a Level Fee in connection with advisory or investment 
management services must comply with more streamlined conditions 
designed to target the conflicts of interest associated with such 
services. The exemption provides relief from the restrictions of ERISA 
section 406(a)(1)(D) and 406(b) and the sanctions imposed by Code 
section 4975(a) and (b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(D), (E) 
and (F). The Adviser and Financial Institution must comply with the 
applicable conditions of Sections II-V to rely on this exemption. This 
document also contains separate exemptions in Section VI (Exemption for 
Purchases and Sales, including Insurance and Annuity Contracts) and 
Section VII (Exemption for Pre-Existing Transactions).
    (c) Exclusions. This exemption does not apply if:
    (1) The Plan is covered by Title I of ERISA, and (i) the Adviser, 
Financial Institution or any Affiliate is the employer of employees 
covered by the Plan, or (ii) the Adviser or Financial Institution is a 
named fiduciary or plan administrator (as defined in ERISA section 
3(16)(A)) with respect to the Plan, or an affiliate thereof, that was 
selected to provide advice to the Plan by a fiduciary who is not 
Independent;
    (2) The compensation is received as a result of a Principal 
Transaction;
    (3) The compensation is received as a result of investment advice 
to a Retirement Investor generated solely by an interactive Web site in 
which computer software-based models or applications provide investment 
advice based on personal information each investor supplies through the 
Web site without any personal interaction or advice from an individual 
Adviser (i.e., ``robo-advice'') unless the robo-advice provider is a 
Level Fee Fiduciary that complies with the conditions applicable to 
Level Fee Fiduciaries; or
    (4) The Adviser has or exercises any discretionary authority or 
discretionary control with respect to the recommended transaction.

Section II--Contract, Impartial Conduct, and Other Requirements

    The conditions set forth in this section include certain Impartial 
Conduct Standards, such as a Best Interest Standard, that Advisers and 
Financial Institutions must satisfy to rely on the exemption. In 
addition, Section II(d) and (e) requires Financial Institutions to 
adopt anti-conflict policies and procedures that are reasonably 
designed to ensure that Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct 
Standards, and requires disclosure of important information about the 
Financial Institutions' services, applicable fees and compensation. 
With respect to IRAs and other Plans not covered by Title I of ERISA, 
the Financial Institutions must agree that they and their Advisers will 
adhere to the exemption's standards in a written contract that is 
enforceable by the Retirement Investors. To minimize compliance 
burdens, the exemption provides that the contract terms may be 
incorporated into account opening documents and similar commonly-used 
agreements with new customers, permits reliance on a negative consent 
process with respect to existing contract holders, and provides a 
method of meeting the exemption requirement in the event that the 
Retirement Investor does not open an account with the Adviser but 
nevertheless acts on the advice through other channels. Advisers and 
Financial Institutions need not execute the contract before they make a 
recommendation to the Retirement Investor. However, the contract must 
cover any advice given prior to the contract date in order for the 
exemption to apply to such advice. There is no contract requirement for 
recommendations to Retirement Investors about investments in Plans 
covered by Title I of ERISA, but the Impartial Conduct Standards and 
other requirements of Section II(b)-(e), including a written 
acknowledgment of fiduciary status, must be satisfied in order for 
relief to be available under the exemption, as set forth in Section 
II(g). Section II(h) provides conditions for recommendations by Level 
Fee Fiduciaries, which, with their Affiliates, will receive only a 
Level Fee in connection with advisory or investment management services 
with respect to the Plan or IRA assets. Section II(i) provides 
conditions for referral fees received by banks and bank employees 
pursuant to Bank Networking Arrangements. Section II imposes the 
following conditions on Financial Institutions and Advisers:
    (a) Contracts with Respect to Investments in IRAs and Other Plans 
Not Covered by Title I of ERISA. If the investment advice concerns an 
IRA or a Plan that is not covered by Title I of ERISA, the advice is 
subject to an enforceable written contract on the part of the Financial 
Institution, which may be a master contract covering multiple 
recommendations, that is entered into in accordance with this Section 
II(a) and incorporates the terms set forth in Section II(b)-(d). The 
Financial Institution additionally must provide the disclosures 
required by Section II(e). The contract must cover advice rendered 
prior to the execution of the contract in order for the exemption to 
apply to such advice and related compensation.
    (1) Contract Execution and Assent--(i) New Contracts. Prior to or 
at the same time as the execution of the recommended transaction, the 
Financial Institution enters into a written contract with the 
Retirement Investor acting on behalf of the Plan, participant or 
beneficiary account, or IRA, incorporating the terms required by 
Section II(b)-(d). The terms of the contract may appear in a standalone 
document or they may be incorporated into an investment advisory 
agreement, investment program agreement, account opening agreement, 
insurance or annuity contract or application, or similar document, or 
amendment thereto. The contract must be enforceable against the 
Financial

[[Page 21077]]

Institution. The Retirement Investor's assent to the contract may be 
evidenced by handwritten or electronic signatures.
    (ii) Amendment of Existing Contracts by Negative Consent. As an 
alternative to executing a contract in the manner set forth in the 
preceding paragraph, the Financial Institution may amend Existing 
Contracts to include the terms required in Section II(b)-(d) by 
delivering the proposed amendment and the disclosure required by 
Section II(e) to the Retirement Investor prior to January 1, 2018, and 
considering the failure to terminate the amended contract within 30 
days as assent. An Existing Contract is an investment advisory 
agreement, investment program agreement, account opening agreement, 
insurance contract, annuity contract, or similar agreement or contract 
that was executed before January 1, 2018, and remains in effect. If the 
Financial Institution elects to use the negative consent procedure, it 
may deliver the proposed amendment by mail or electronically, but it 
may not impose any new contractual obligations, restrictions, or 
liabilities on the Retirement Investor by negative consent.
    (iii) Failure to enter into contract. Notwithstanding a Financial 
Institution's failure to enter into a contract as required by 
subsection (i) above with a Retirement Investor who does not have an 
Existing Contract, this exemption will apply to the receipt of 
compensation by the Financial Institution, or any Adviser, Affiliate or 
Related Entity thereof, as a result of the Adviser's or Financial 
Institution's investment advice to such Retirement Investor regarding 
an IRA or non-ERISA Plan, provided:
    (A) The Adviser making the recommendation does not receive 
compensation, directly or indirectly, that is reasonably attributable 
to the Retirement Investor's purchase, holding, exchange or sale of the 
investment;
    (B) The Financial Institution's policies and procedures prohibit 
the Financial Institution and its Affiliates and Related Entities from 
providing compensation to their Advisers in lieu of compensation 
described in subsection (iii)(A), including, but not limited to bonuses 
or prizes or other incentives, and the Financial Institution reasonably 
monitors such policies and procedures;
    (C) The Adviser and Financial Institution comply with the Impartial 
Conduct Standards set forth in Section II(c), the policies and 
procedures requirements of Section II(d) (except for the requirement of 
a warranty with respect to those policies and procedures), the web 
disclosure requirements of Section III(b) and, as applicable, the 
conditions of Sections IV(b)(3)-(6) (Conditions for Advisers and 
Financial Institution that restrict recommendations, in whole or part, 
to Proprietary Products or to investments that generate Third Party 
Payments) with respect to the recommendation; and
    (D) The Financial Institution's failure to enter into the contract 
is not part of an effort, attempt, agreement, arrangement or 
understanding by the Adviser or the Financial Institution designed to 
avoid compliance with the exemption or enforcement of its conditions, 
including the contractual conditions set forth in subsections (i) and 
(ii).
    (2) Notice. The Financial Institution maintains an electronic copy 
of the Retirement Investor's contract on its Web site that is 
accessible by the Retirement Investor.
    (b) Fiduciary. The Financial Institution affirmatively states in 
writing that it and the Adviser(s) act as fiduciaries under ERISA or 
the Code, or both, with respect to any investment advice provided by 
the Financial Institution or the Adviser subject to the contract or, in 
the case of an ERISA plan, with respect to any investment 
recommendations regarding the Plan or participant or beneficiary 
account.
    (c) Impartial Conduct Standards. The Financial Institution 
affirmatively states that it and its Advisers will adhere to the 
following standards and, they in fact, comply with the standards:
    (1) When providing investment advice to the Retirement Investor, 
the Financial Institution and the Adviser(s) provide investment advice 
that is, at the time of the recommendation, in the Best Interest of the 
Retirement Investor. As further defined in Section VIII(d), such advice 
reflects the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the 
circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like 
capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an 
enterprise of a like character and with like aims, based on the 
investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and 
needs of the Retirement Investor, without regard to the financial or 
other interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate, 
Related Entity, or other party;
    (2) The recommended transaction will not cause the Financial 
Institution, Adviser or their Affiliates or Related Entities to 
receive, directly or indirectly, compensation for their services that 
is in excess of reasonable compensation within the meaning of ERISA 
section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2).
    (3) Statements by the Financial Institution and its Advisers to the 
Retirement Investor about the recommended transaction, fees and 
compensation, Material Conflicts of Interest, and any other matters 
relevant to a Retirement Investor's investment decisions, will not be 
materially misleading at the time they are made.
    (d) Warranties. The Financial Institution affirmatively warrants, 
and in fact complies with, the following:
    (1) The Financial Institution has adopted and will comply with 
written policies and procedures reasonably and prudently designed to 
ensure that its Advisers adhere to the Impartial Conduct Standards set 
forth in Section II(c);
    (2) In formulating its policies and procedures, the Financial 
Institution has specifically identified and documented its Material 
Conflicts of Interest; adopted measures reasonably and prudently 
designed to prevent Material Conflicts of Interest from causing 
violations of the Impartial Conduct Standards set forth in Section 
II(c); and designated a person or persons, identified by name, title or 
function, responsible for addressing Material Conflicts of Interest and 
monitoring their Advisers' adherence to the Impartial Conduct 
Standards.
    (3) The Financial Institution's policies and procedures require 
that neither the Financial Institution nor (to the best of its 
knowledge) any Affiliate or Related Entity use or rely upon quotas, 
appraisals, performance or personnel actions, bonuses, contests, 
special awards, differential compensation or other actions or 
incentives that are intended or would reasonably be expected to cause 
Advisers to make recommendations that are not in the Best Interest of 
the Retirement Investor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section 
II(d)(3) does not prevent the Financial Institution, its Affiliates or 
Related Entities from providing Advisers with differential compensation 
(whether in type or amount, and including, but not limited to, 
commissions) based on investment decisions by Plans, participant or 
beneficiary accounts, or IRAs, to the extent that the Financial 
Institution's policies and procedures and incentive practices, when 
viewed as a whole, are reasonably and prudently designed to avoid a 
misalignment of the interests of Advisers with the interests of the 
Retirement Investors they serve as fiduciaries (such compensation 
practices can include differential compensation based on neutral 
factors tied to the differences in the services delivered to the 
Retirement Investor

[[Page 21078]]

with respect to the different types of investments, as opposed to the 
differences in the amounts of Third Party Payments the Financial 
Institution receives in connection with particular investment 
recommendations).
    (e) Disclosures. In the Best Interest Contract or in a separate 
single written disclosure provided to the Retirement Investor with the 
contract, or, with respect to ERISA plans, in another single written 
disclosure provided to the Plan prior to or at the same time as the 
execution of the recommended transaction, the Financial Institution 
clearly and prominently:
    (1) States the Best Interest standard of care owed by the Adviser 
and Financial Institution to the Retirement Investor; informs the 
Retirement Investor of the services provided by the Financial 
Institution and the Adviser; and describes how the Retirement Investor 
will pay for services, directly or through Third Party Payments. If, 
for example, the Retirement Investor will pay through commissions or 
other forms of transaction-based payments, the contract or writing must 
clearly disclose that fact;
    (2) Describes Material Conflicts of Interest; discloses any fees or 
charges the Financial Institution, its Affiliates, or the Adviser 
imposes upon the Retirement Investor or the Retirement Investor's 
account; and states the types of compensation that the Financial 
Institution, its Affiliates, and the Adviser expect to receive from 
third parties in connection with investments recommended to Retirement 
Investors;
    (3) Informs the Retirement Investor that the Investor has the right 
to obtain copies of the Financial Institution's written description of 
its policies and procedures adopted in accordance with Section II(d), 
as well as the specific disclosure of costs, fees, and compensation, 
including Third Party Payments, regarding recommended transactions, as 
set forth in Section III(a), below, described in dollar amounts, 
percentages, formulas, or other means reasonably designed to present 
materially accurate disclosure of their scope, magnitude, and nature in 
sufficient detail to permit the Retirement Investor to make an informed 
judgment about the costs of the transaction and about the significance 
and severity of the Material Conflicts of Interest, and describes how 
the Retirement Investor can get the information, free of charge; 
provided that if the Retirement Investor's request is made prior to the 
transaction, the information must be provided prior to the transaction, 
and if the request is made after the transaction, the information must 
be provided within 30 business days after the request;
    (4) Includes a link to the Financial Institution's Web site as 
required by Section III(b), and informs the Retirement Investor that: 
(i) Model contract disclosures updated as necessary on a quarterly 
basis are maintained on the Web site, and (ii) the Financial 
Institution's written description of its policies and procedures 
adopted in accordance with Section II(d) are available free of charge 
on the Web site;
    (5) Discloses to the Retirement Investor whether the Financial 
Institution offers Proprietary Products or receives Third Party 
Payments with respect to any recommended investments; and to the extent 
the Financial Institution or Adviser limits investment recommendations, 
in whole or part, to Proprietary Products or investments that generate 
Third Party Payments, notifies the Retirement Investor of the 
limitations placed on the universe of investments that the Adviser may 
offer for purchase, sale, exchange, or holding by the Retirement 
Investor. The notice is insufficient if it merely states that the 
Financial Institution or Adviser ``may'' limit investment 
recommendations based on whether the investments are Proprietary 
Products or generate Third Party Payments, without specific disclosure 
of the extent to which recommendations are, in fact, limited on that 
basis;
    (6) Provides contact information (telephone and email) for a 
representative of the Financial Institution that the Retirement 
Investor can use to contact the Financial Institution with any concerns 
about the advice or service they have received; and, if applicable, a 
statement explaining that the Retirement Investor can research the 
Financial Institution and its Advisers using FINRA's BrokerCheck 
database or the Investment Adviser Registration Depository (IARD), or 
other database maintained by a governmental agency or instrumentality, 
or self-regulatory organization; and
    (7) Describes whether or not the Adviser and Financial Institution 
will monitor the Retirement Investor's investments and alert the 
Retirement Investor to any recommended change to those investments, 
and, if so monitoring, the frequency with which the monitoring will 
occur and the reasons for which the Retirement Investor will be 
alerted.
    (8) The Financial Institution will not fail to satisfy this Section 
II(e), or violate a contractual provision based thereon, solely because 
it, acting in good faith and with reasonable diligence, makes an error 
or omission in disclosing the required information, provided the 
Financial Institution discloses the correct information as soon as 
practicable, but not later than 30 days after the date on which it 
discovers or reasonably should have discovered the error or omission. 
To the extent compliance with this Section II(e) requires Advisers and 
Financial Institutions to obtain information from entities that are not 
closely affiliated with them, they may rely in good faith on 
information and assurances from the other entities, as long as they do 
not know that the materials are incomplete or inaccurate. This good 
faith reliance applies unless the entity providing the information to 
the Adviser and Financial Institution is (1) a person directly or 
indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled 
by, or under common control with the Adviser or Financial Institution; 
or (2) any officer, director, employee, agent, registered 
representative, relative (as defined in ERISA section 3(15)), member of 
family (as defined in Code section 4975(e)(6)) of, or partner in, the 
Adviser or Financial Institution.
    (f) Ineligible Contractual Provisions. Relief is not available 
under the exemption if a Financial Institution's contract contains the 
following:
    (1) Exculpatory provisions disclaiming or otherwise limiting 
liability of the Adviser or Financial Institution for a violation of 
the contract's terms;
    (2) Except as provided in paragraph (f)(4) of this Section, a 
provision under which the Plan, IRA or Retirement Investor waives or 
qualifies its right to bring or participate in a class action or other 
representative action in court in a dispute with the Adviser or 
Financial Institution, or in an individual or class claim agrees to an 
amount representing liquidated damages for breach of the contract; 
provided that, the parties may knowingly agree to waive the Retirement 
Investor's right to obtain punitive damages or rescission of 
recommended transactions to the extent such a waiver is permissible 
under applicable state or federal law; or
    (3) Agreements to arbitrate or mediate individual claims in venues 
that are distant or that otherwise unreasonably limit the ability of 
the Retirement Investors to assert the claims safeguarded by this 
exemption.
    (4) In the event that the provision on pre-dispute arbitration 
agreements for class or representative claims in paragraph (f)(2) of 
this Section is ruled invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, 
this provision shall not be

[[Page 21079]]

a condition of this exemption with respect to contracts subject to the 
court's jurisdiction unless and until the court's decision is reversed, 
but all other terms of the exemption shall remain in effect.
    (g) ERISA plans. Section II(a) does not apply to recommendations to 
Retirement Investors regarding investments in Plans that are covered by 
Title I of ERISA. For such investment advice, relief under the 
exemption is conditioned upon the Adviser and Financial Institution 
complying with certain provisions of Section II, as follows:
    (1) Prior to or at the same time as the execution of the 
recommended transaction, the Financial Institution provides the 
Retirement Investor with a written statement of the Financial 
Institution's and its Advisers' fiduciary status, in accordance with 
Section II(b).
    (2) The Financial Institution and the Adviser comply with the 
Impartial Conduct Standards of Section II(c).
    (3) The Financial Institution adopts policies and procedures 
incorporating the requirements and prohibitions set forth in Section 
II(d)(1)-(3), and the Financial Institution and Adviser comply with 
those requirements and prohibitions.
    (4) The Financial Institution provides the disclosures required by 
Section II(e).
    (5) The Financial Institution and Adviser do not in any contract, 
instrument, or communication: purport to disclaim any responsibility or 
liability for any responsibility, obligation, or duty under Title I of 
ERISA to the extent the disclaimer would be prohibited by ERISA section 
410; purport to waive or qualify the right of the Retirement Investor 
to bring or participate in a class action or other representative 
action in court in a dispute with the Adviser or Financial Institution, 
or require arbitration or mediation of individual claims in locations 
that are distant or that otherwise unreasonably limit the ability of 
the Retirement Investors to assert the claims safeguarded by this 
exemption.
    (h) Level Fee Fiduciaries. Sections II(a), (d), (e), (f), (g) III 
and V do not apply to recommendations by Financial Institutions and 
Advisers that are Level Fee Fiduciaries. For such investment advice, 
relief under the exemption is conditioned upon the Adviser and 
Financial Institution complying with certain other provisions of 
Section II, as follows:
    (1) Prior to or at the same time as the execution of the 
recommended transaction, the Financial Institution provides the 
Retirement Investor with a written statement of the Financial 
Institution's and its Advisers' fiduciary status, in accordance with 
Section II(b).
    (2) The Financial Institution and Adviser comply with the Impartial 
Conduct Standards of Section II(c).
    (3)(i) In the case of a recommendation to roll over from an ERISA 
Plan to an IRA, the Financial Institution documents the specific reason 
or reasons why the recommendation was considered to be in the Best 
Interest of the Retirement Investor. This documentation must include 
consideration of the Retirement Investor's alternatives to a rollover, 
including leaving the money in his or her current employer's Plan, if 
permitted, and must take into account the fees and expenses associated 
with both the Plan and the IRA; whether the employer pays for some or 
all of the plan's administrative expenses; and the different levels of 
services and investments available under each option; and (ii) in the 
case of a recommendation to rollover from another IRA or to switch from 
a commission-based account to a level fee arrangement, the Level Fee 
Fiduciary documents the reasons that the arrangement is considered to 
be in the Best Interest of the Retirement Investor, including, 
specifically, the services that will be provided for the fee.
    (i) Bank Networking Arrangements. An Adviser who is a bank 
employee, and a Financial Institution that is a bank or similar 
financial institution supervised by the United States or a state, or a 
savings association (as defined in section 3(b)(1) of the Federal 
Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(b)(1)), may receive compensation 
pursuant to a Bank Networking Arrangement as defined in Section 
VIII(c), in connection with their provision of investment advice to a 
Retirement Investor, provided the investment advice adheres to the 
Impartial Conduct Standards set forth in Section II(c). The remaining 
conditions of the exemption do not apply.

Section III--Web and Transaction-Based Disclosure

    The Financial Institution must satisfy the following conditions 
with respect to an investment recommendation, to be covered by this 
exemption:
    (a) Transaction Disclosure. The Financial Institution provides the 
Retirement Investor, prior to or at the same time as the execution of 
the recommended investment in an investment product, the following 
disclosure, clearly and prominently, in a single written document, 
that:
    (1) States the Best Interest standard of care owed by the Adviser 
and Financial Institution to the Retirement Investor; and describes any 
Material Conflicts of Interest;
    (2) Informs the Retirement Investor that the Retirement Investor 
has the right to obtain copies of the Financial Institution's written 
description of its policies and procedures adopted in accordance with 
Section II(d), as well as specific disclosure of costs, fees and other 
compensation including Third Party Payments regarding recommended 
transactions. The costs, fees, and other compensation may be described 
in dollar amounts, percentages, formulas, or other means reasonably 
designed to present materially accurate disclosure of their scope, 
magnitude, and nature in sufficient detail to permit the Retirement 
Investor to make an informed judgment about the costs of the 
transaction and about the significance and severity of the Material 
Conflicts of Interest. The information required under this Section must 
be provided to the Retirement Investor prior to the transaction, if 
requested prior to the transaction, and, if the request is made after 
the transaction, the information must be provided within 30 business 
days after the request; and
    (3) Includes a link to the Financial Institution's Web site as 
required by Section III(b) and informs the Retirement Investor that: 
(i) Model contract disclosures or other model notices, updated as 
necessary on a quarterly basis, are maintained on the Web site, and 
(ii) the Financial Institution's written description of its policies 
and procedures as required under Section III(b)(1)(iv) are available 
free of charge on the Web site.
    (4) These disclosures do not have to be repeated for subsequent 
recommendations by the Adviser and Financial Institution of the same 
investment product within one year of the provision of the contract 
disclosure in Section II(e) or a previous disclosure pursuant to this 
Section III(a), unless there are material changes in the subject of the 
disclosure.
    (b) Web Disclosure. For relief to be available under the exemption 
for any investment recommendation, the conditions of Section III(b) 
must be satisfied.
    (1) The Financial Institution maintains a Web site, freely 
accessible to the public and updated no less than quarterly, which 
contains:
    (i) A discussion of the Financial Institution's business model and 
the Material Conflicts of Interest associated with that business model;
    (ii) A schedule of typical account or contract fees and service 
charges;

[[Page 21080]]

    (iii) A model contract or other model notice of the contractual 
terms (if applicable) and required disclosures described in Section 
II(b)-(e), which are reviewed for accuracy no less frequently than 
quarterly and updated within 30 days if necessary;
    (iv) A written description of the Financial Institution's policies 
and procedures that accurately describes or summarizes key components 
of the policies and procedures relating to conflict-mitigation and 
incentive practices in a manner that permits Retirement Investors to 
make an informed judgment about the stringency of the Financial 
Institution's protections against conflicts of interest;
    (v) To the extent applicable, a list of all product manufacturers 
and other parties with whom the Financial Institution maintains 
arrangements that provide Third Party Payments to either the Adviser or 
the Financial Institution with respect to specific investment products 
or classes of investments recommended to Retirement Investors; a 
description of the arrangements, including a statement on whether and 
how these arrangements impact Adviser compensation, and a statement on 
any benefits the Financial Institution provides to the product 
manufacturers or other parties in exchange for the Third Party 
Payments;
    (vi) Disclosure of the Financial Institution's compensation and 
incentive arrangements with Advisers including, if applicable, any 
incentives (including both cash and non-cash compensation or awards) to 
Advisers for recommending particular product manufacturers, investments 
or categories of investments to Retirement Investors, or for Advisers 
to move to the Financial Institution from another firm or to stay at 
the Financial Institution, and a full and fair description of any 
payout or compensation grids, but not including information that is 
specific to any individual Adviser's compensation or compensation 
arrangement.
    (vii) The Web site may describe the above arrangements with product 
manufacturers, Advisers, and others by reference to dollar amounts, 
percentages, formulas, or other means reasonably calculated to present 
a materially accurate description of the arrangements. Similarly, the 
Web site may group disclosures based on reasonably-defined categories 
of investment products or classes, product manufacturers, Advisers, and 
arrangements, and it may disclose reasonable ranges of values, rather 
than specific values, as appropriate. But, however constructed, the Web 
site must fairly disclose the scope, magnitude, and nature of the 
compensation arrangements and Material Conflicts of Interest in 
sufficient detail to permit visitors to the Web site to make an 
informed judgment about the significance of the compensation practices 
and Material Conflicts of Interest with respect to transactions 
recommended by the Financial Institution and its Advisers.
    (2) To the extent the information required by this Section is 
provided in other disclosures which are made public, including those 
required by the SEC and/or the Department such as a Form ADV, Part II, 
the Financial Institution may satisfy this Section III(b) by posting 
such disclosures to its Web site with an explanation that the 
information can be found in the disclosures and a link to where it can 
be found.
    (3) The Financial Institution is not required to disclose 
information pursuant to this Section III(b) if such disclosure is 
otherwise prohibited by law.
    (4) In addition to providing the written description of the 
Financial Institution's policies and procedures on its Web site, as 
required under Section III(b)(1)(iv), Financial Institutions must 
provide their complete policies and procedures adopted pursuant to 
Section II(d) to the Department upon request.
    (5) In the event that a Financial Institution determines to group 
disclosures as described in subsection (1)(vii), it must retain the 
data and documentation supporting the group disclosure during the time 
that it is applicable to the disclosure on the Web site, and for six 
years after that, and make the data and documentation available to the 
Department within 90 days of the Department's request.
    (c)(1) The Financial Institution will not fail to satisfy the 
conditions in this Section III solely because it, acting in good faith 
and with reasonable diligence, makes an error or omission in disclosing 
the required information, or if the Web site is temporarily 
inaccessible, provided that, (i) in the case of an error or omission on 
the Web site, the Financial Institution discloses the correct 
information as soon as practicable, but not later than seven (7) days 
after the date on which it discovers or reasonably should have 
discovered the error or omission, and (ii) in the case of an error or 
omission with respect to the transaction disclosure, the Financial 
Institution discloses the correct information as soon as practicable, 
but not later than 30 days after the date on which it discovers or 
reasonably should have discovered the error or omission.
    (2) To the extent compliance with the Section III disclosures 
requires Advisers and Financial Institutions to obtain information from 
entities that are not closely affiliated with them, they may rely in 
good faith on information and assurances from the other entities, as 
long as they do not know that the materials are incomplete or 
inaccurate. This good faith reliance applies unless the entity 
providing the information to the Adviser and Financial Institution is 
(i) a person directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, 
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser or 
Financial Institution; or (ii) any officer, director, employee, agent, 
registered representative, relative (as defined in ERISA section 
3(15)), member of family (as defined in Code section 4975(e)(6)) of, or 
partner in, the Adviser or Financial Institution.
    (3) The good faith provisions of this Section apply to the 
requirement that the Financial Institution retain the data and 
documentation supporting the group disclosure during the time that it 
is applicable to the disclosure on the Web site and provide it to the 
Department upon request, as set forth in subsection (b)(1)(vii) and 
(b)(5) above. In addition, if such records are lost or destroyed, due 
to circumstances beyond the control of the Financial Institution, then 
no prohibited transaction will be considered to have occurred solely on 
the basis of the unavailability of those records; and no party, other 
than the Financial Institution responsible for complying with 
subsection (b)(1)(vii) and (b)(5) will be subject to the civil penalty 
that may be assessed under ERISA section 502(i) or the taxes imposed by 
Code section 4975(a) and (b), if applicable, if the records are not 
maintained or provided to the Department within the required 
timeframes.

Section IV--Proprietary Products and Third Party Payments

    (a) General. A Financial Institution that at the time of the 
transaction restricts Advisers' investment recommendations, in whole or 
part, to Proprietary Products or to investments that generate Third 
Party Payments, may rely on this exemption provided all the applicable 
conditions of the exemption are satisfied.
    (b) Satisfaction of the Best Interest standard. A Financial 
Institution that limits Advisers' investment recommendations, in whole 
or part, based on whether the investments are Proprietary Products or 
generate Third Party Payments, and an Adviser making recommendations 
subject to such

[[Page 21081]]

limitations, shall be deemed to satisfy the Best Interest standard of 
Section VIII(d) if:
    (1) Prior to or at the same time as the execution of the 
recommended transaction, the Retirement Investor is clearly and 
prominently informed in writing that the Financial Institution offers 
Proprietary Products or receives Third Party Payments with respect to 
the purchase, sale, exchange, or holding of recommended investments; 
and the Retirement Investor is informed in writing of the limitations 
placed on the universe of investments that the Adviser may recommend to 
the Retirement Investor. The notice is insufficient if it merely states 
that the Financial Institution or Adviser ``may'' limit investment 
recommendations based on whether the investments are Proprietary 
Products or generate Third Party Payments, without specific disclosure 
of the extent to which recommendations are, in fact, limited on that 
basis;
    (2) Prior to or at the same time as the execution of the 
recommended transaction, the Retirement Investor is fully and fairly 
informed in writing of any Material Conflicts of Interest that the 
Financial Institution or Adviser have with respect to the recommended 
transaction, and the Adviser and Financial Institution comply with the 
disclosure requirements set forth in Section III above (providing for 
web and transaction-based disclosure of costs, fees, compensation, and 
Material Conflicts of Interest);
    (3) The Financial Institution documents in writing its limitations 
on the universe of recommended investments; documents in writing the 
Material Conflicts of Interest associated with any contract, agreement, 
or arrangement providing for its receipt of Third Party Payments or 
associated with the sale or promotion of Proprietary Products; 
documents in writing any services it will provide to Retirement 
Investors in exchange for Third Party Payments, as well as any services 
or consideration it will furnish to any other party, including the 
payor, in exchange for the Third Party Payments; reasonably concludes 
that the limitations on the universe of recommended investments and 
Material Conflicts of Interest will not cause the Financial Institution 
or its Advisers to receive compensation in excess of reasonable 
compensation for Retirement Investors as set forth in Section II(c)(2); 
reasonably determines, after consideration of the policies and 
procedures established pursuant to Section II(d), that these 
limitations and Material Conflicts of Interest will not cause the 
Financial Institution or its Advisers to recommend imprudent 
investments; and documents in writing the bases for its conclusions;
    (4) The Financial Institution adopts, monitors, implements, and 
adheres to policies and procedures and incentive practices that meet 
the terms of Section II(d)(1) and (2); and, in accordance with Section 
II(d)(3), neither the Financial Institution nor (to the best of its 
knowledge) any Affiliate or Related Entity uses or relies upon quotas, 
appraisals, performance or personnel actions, bonuses, contests, 
special awards, differential compensation or other actions or 
incentives that are intended or would reasonably be expected to cause 
the Adviser to make imprudent investment recommendations, to 
subordinate the interests of the Retirement Investor to the Adviser's 
own interests, or to make recommendations based on the Adviser's 
considerations of factors or interests other than the investment 
objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and needs of the 
Retirement Investor;
    (5) At the time of the recommendation, the amount of compensation 
and other consideration reasonably anticipated to be paid, directly or 
indirectly, to the Adviser, Financial Institution, or their Affiliates 
or Related Entities for their services in connection with the 
recommended transaction is not in excess of reasonable compensation 
within the meaning of ERISA section 408(b)(2) and Code section 
4975(d)(2); and
    (6) The Adviser's recommendation reflects the care, skill, 
prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a 
prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters 
would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with 
like aims, based on the investment objectives, risk tolerance, 
financial circumstances, and needs of the Retirement Investor; and the 
Adviser's recommendation is not based on the financial or other 
interests of the Adviser or on the Adviser's consideration of any 
factors or interests other than the investment objectives, risk 
tolerance, financial circumstances, and needs of the Retirement 
Investor.

Section V--Disclosure to the Department and Recordkeeping

    This Section establishes record retention and disclosure conditions 
that a Financial Institution must satisfy for the exemption to be 
available for compensation received in connection with recommended 
transactions.
    (a) EBSA Disclosure. Before receiving compensation in reliance on 
the exemption in Section I, the Financial Institution notifies the 
Department of its intention to rely on this exemption. The notice will 
remain in effect until revoked in writing by the Financial Institution. 
The notice need not identify any Plan or IRA. The notice must be 
provided by email to e-BICE@dol.gov.
    (b) Recordkeeping. The Financial Institution maintains for a period 
of six (6) years, in a manner that is reasonably accessible for 
examination, the records necessary to enable the persons described in 
paragraph (c) of this Section to determine whether the conditions of 
this exemption have been met with respect to a transaction, except 
that:
    (1) If such records are lost or destroyed, due to circumstances 
beyond the control of the Financial Institution, then no prohibited 
transaction will be considered to have occurred solely on the basis of 
the unavailability of those records; and
    (2) No party, other than the Financial Institution responsible for 
complying with this paragraph (c), will be subject to the civil penalty 
that may be assessed under ERISA section 502(i) or the taxes imposed by 
Code section 4975(a) and (b), if applicable, if the records are not 
maintained or are not available for examination as required by 
paragraph (c), below.
    (c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this Section or 
precluded by 12 U.S.C. 484, and notwithstanding any provisions of ERISA 
section 504(a)(2) and (b), the records referred to in paragraph (b) of 
this Section are reasonably available at their customary location for 
examination during normal business hours by:
    (i) Any authorized employee or representative of the Department or 
the Internal Revenue Service;
    (ii) Any fiduciary of a Plan that engaged in an investment 
transaction pursuant to this exemption, or any authorized employee or 
representative of such fiduciary;
    (iii) Any contributing employer and any employee organization whose 
members are covered by a Plan described in paragraph (c)(1)(ii), or any 
authorized employee or representative of these entities; or
    (iv) Any participant or beneficiary of a Plan described in 
paragraph (c)(1)(ii), IRA owner, or the authorized representative of 
such participant, beneficiary or owner; and
    (2) None of the persons described in paragraph (c)(1)(ii)-(iv) of 
this Section are authorized to examine records regarding a recommended 
transaction involving another Retirement Investor, privileged trade 
secrets or privileged

[[Page 21082]]

commercial or financial information of the Financial Institution, or 
information identifying other individuals.
    (3) Should the Financial Institution refuse to disclose information 
on the basis that the information is exempt from disclosure, the 
Financial Institution must, by the close of the thirtieth (30th) day 
following the request, provide a written notice advising the requestor 
of the reasons for the refusal and that the Department may request such 
information.
    (4) Failure to maintain the required records necessary to determine 
whether the conditions of this exemption have been met will result in 
the loss of the exemption only for the transaction or transactions for 
which records are missing or have not been maintained. It does not 
affect the relief for other transactions.

Section VI--Exemption for Purchases and Sales, Including Insurance and 
Annuity Contracts

    (a) In general. In addition to prohibiting fiduciaries from 
receiving compensation from third parties and compensation that varies 
based on their investment advice, ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code 
prohibit the purchase by a Plan, participant or beneficiary account, or 
IRA of an investment product, including insurance or annuity product 
from an insurance company that is a service provider to the Plan or 
IRA. This exemption permits a Plan, participant or beneficiary account, 
or IRA to engage in a purchase or sale with a Financial Institution 
that is a service provider or other party in interest or disqualified 
person to the Plan or IRA. This exemption is provided because 
investment transactions often involve prohibited purchases and sales 
involving entities that have a pre-existing party in interest 
relationship to the Plan or IRA.
    (b) Covered transactions. The restrictions of ERISA section 
406(a)(1)(A) and (D), and the sanctions imposed by Code section 4975(a) 
and (b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(A) and (D), shall not 
apply to the purchase of an investment product by a Plan, participant 
or beneficiary account, or IRA, from a Financial Institution that is a 
party in interest or disqualified person.
    (c) The following conditions are applicable to this exemption:
    (1) The transaction is effected by the Financial Institution in the 
ordinary course of its business;
    (2) The compensation, direct or indirect, for any services rendered 
by the Financial Institution and its Affiliates and Related Entities is 
not in excess of reasonable compensation within the meaning of ERISA 
section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2); and
    (3) The terms of the transaction are at least as favorable to the 
Plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA as the terms generally 
available in an arm's length transaction with an unrelated party.
    (d) Exclusions, The exemption in this Section VI does not apply if:
    (1) The Plan is covered by Title I of ERISA and (i) the Adviser, 
Financial Institution or any Affiliate is the employer of employees 
covered by the Plan, or (ii) the Adviser and Financial Institution is a 
named fiduciary or plan administrator (as defined in ERISA section 
3(16)(A)) with respect to the Plan, or an affiliate thereof, that was 
selected to provide advice to the plan by a fiduciary who is not 
Independent.
    (2) The compensation is received as a result of a Principal 
Transaction;
    (3) The compensation is received as a result of investment advice 
to a Retirement Investor generated solely by an interactive Web site in 
which computer software-based models or applications provide investment 
advice based on personal information each investor supplies through the 
Web site without any personal interaction or advice from an individual 
Adviser (i.e., ``robo-advice'') unless the robo-advice provider is a 
Level Fee Fiduciary that complies with the conditions applicable to 
Level Fee Fiduciaries; or
    (4) The Adviser has or exercises any discretionary authority or 
discretionary control with respect to the recommended transaction.

Section VII--Exemption for Pre-Existing Transactions

    (a) In general. ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code prohibit 
Advisers, Financial Institutions and their Affiliates and Related 
Entities from receiving compensation that varies based on their 
investment advice. Similarly, fiduciary advisers are prohibited from 
receiving compensation from third parties in connection with their 
advice. Some Advisers and Financial Institutions did not consider 
themselves fiduciaries within the meaning of 29 CFR 2510-3.21 before 
the applicability date of the amendment to 29 CFR 2510-3.21 (the 
Applicability Date). Other Advisers and Financial Institutions entered 
into transactions involving Plans, participant or beneficiary accounts, 
or IRAs before the Applicability Date, in accordance with the terms of 
a prohibited transaction exemption that has since been amended. This 
exemption permits Advisers, Financial Institutions, and their 
Affiliates and Related Entities, to receive compensation, such as 12b-1 
fees, in connection with a Plan's, participant or beneficiary account's 
or IRA's purchase, sale, exchange, or holding of securities or other 
investment property that was acquired prior to the Applicability Date, 
as described and limited below.
    (b) Covered transaction. Subject to the applicable conditions 
described below, the restrictions of ERISA section 406(a)(1)(A), 
406(a)(1)(D), and 406(b) and the sanctions imposed by Code section 
4975(a) and (b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(A), (D), (E) and 
(F), shall not apply to the receipt of compensation by an Adviser, 
Financial Institution, and any Affiliate and Related Entity, as a 
result of investment advice (including advice to hold) provided to a 
Plan, participant or beneficiary or IRA owner in connection with the 
purchase, holding, sale, or exchange of securities or other investment 
property (i) that was acquired before the Applicability Date, or (ii) 
that was acquired pursuant to a recommendation to continue to adhere to 
a systematic purchase program established before the Applicability 
Date. This Exemption for Pre-Existing Transactions is conditioned on 
the following:
    (1) The compensation is received pursuant to an agreement, 
arrangement or understanding that was entered into prior to the 
Applicability Date and that has not expired or come up for renewal 
post-Applicability Date;
    (2) The purchase, exchange, holding or sale of the securities or 
other investment property was not otherwise a non-exempt prohibited 
transaction pursuant to ERISA section 406 and Code section 4975 on the 
date it occurred;
    (3) The compensation is not received in connection with the Plan's, 
participant or beneficiary account's or IRA's investment of additional 
amounts in the previously acquired investment vehicle; except that for 
avoidance of doubt, the exemption does apply to a recommendation to 
exchange investments within a mutual fund family or variable annuity 
contract) pursuant to an exchange privilege or rebalancing program that 
was established before the Applicability Date, provided that the 
recommendation does not result in the Adviser and Financial 
Institution, or their Affiliates or Related Entities, receiving more 
compensation (either as a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of 
assets) than they were entitled to receive prior to the Applicability 
Date;

[[Page 21083]]

    (4) The amount of the compensation paid, directly or indirectly, to 
the Adviser, Financial Institution, or their Affiliates or Related 
Entities in connection with the transaction is not in excess of 
reasonable compensation within the meaning of ERISA section 408(b)(2) 
and Code section 4975(d)(2); and
    (5) Any investment recommendations made after the Applicability 
Date by the Financial Institution or Adviser with respect to the 
securities or other investment property reflect the care, skill, 
prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a 
prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters 
would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with 
like aims, based on the investment objectives, risk tolerance, 
financial circumstances, and needs of the Retirement Investor, and are 
made without regard to the financial or other interests of the Adviser, 
Financial Institution or any Affiliate, Related Entity, or other party.

Section VIII--Definitions

    For purposes of these exemptions:
    (a) ``Adviser'' means an individual who:
    (1) Is a fiduciary of the Plan or IRA solely by reason of the 
provision of investment advice described in ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) 
or Code section 4975(e)(3)(B), or both, and the applicable regulations, 
with respect to the assets of the Plan or IRA involved in the 
recommended transaction;
    (2) Is an employee, independent contractor, agent, or registered 
representative of a Financial Institution; and
    (3) Satisfies the federal and state regulatory and licensing 
requirements of insurance, banking, and securities laws with respect to 
the covered transaction, as applicable.
    (b) ``Affiliate'' of an Adviser or Financial Institution means--
    (1) Any person directly or indirectly through one or more 
intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common control 
with the Adviser or Financial Institution. For this purpose, 
``control'' means the power to exercise a controlling influence over 
the management or policies of a person other than an individual;
    (2) Any officer, director, partner, employee, or relative (as 
defined in ERISA section 3(15)), of the Adviser or Financial 
Institution; and
    (3) Any corporation or partnership of which the Adviser or 
Financial Institution is an officer, director, or partner.
    (c) A ``Bank Networking Arrangement'' is an arrangement for the 
referral of retail non-deposit investment products that satisfies 
applicable federal banking, securities and insurance regulations, under 
which employees of a bank refer bank customers to an unaffiliated 
investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 
or under the laws of the state in which the adviser maintains its 
principal office and place of business, insurance company qualified to 
do business under the laws of a state, or broker or dealer registered 
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. For purposes of 
this definition, a ``bank'' is a bank or similar financial institution 
supervised by the United States or a state, or a savings association 
(as defined in section 3(b)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 
U.S.C. 1813(b)(1)),
    (d) Investment advice is in the ``Best Interest'' of the Retirement 
Investor when the Adviser and Financial Institution providing the 
advice act with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the 
circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like 
capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an 
enterprise of a like character and with like aims, based on the 
investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and 
needs of the Retirement Investor, without regard to the financial or 
other interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate, 
Related Entity, or other party. Financial Institutions that limit 
investment recommendations, in whole or part, based on whether the 
investments are Proprietary Products or generate Third Party Payments, 
and Advisers making recommendations subject to such limitations are 
deemed to satisfy the Best Interest standard when they comply with the 
conditions of Section IV(b).
    (e) ``Financial Institution'' means an entity that employs the 
Adviser or otherwise retains such individual as an independent 
contractor, agent or registered representative and that is:
    (1) Registered as an investment adviser under the Investment 
Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80b-1 et seq.) or under the laws of the 
state in which the adviser maintains its principal office and place of 
business;
    (2) A bank or similar financial institution supervised by the 
United States or a state, or a savings association (as defined in 
section 3(b)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 
1813(b)(1));
    (3) An insurance company qualified to do business under the laws of 
a state, provided that such insurance company:
    (i) Has obtained a Certificate of Authority from the insurance 
commissioner of its domiciliary state which has neither been revoked 
nor suspended,
    (ii) Has undergone and shall continue to undergo an examination by 
an Independent certified public accountant for its last completed 
taxable year or has undergone a financial examination (within the 
meaning of the law of its domiciliary state) by the state's insurance 
commissioner within the preceding 5 years, and
    (iii) Is domiciled in a state whose law requires that actuarial 
review of reserves be conducted annually by an Independent firm of 
actuaries and reported to the appropriate regulatory authority;
    (4) A broker or dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act 
of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.); or
    (5) An entity that is described in the definition of Financial 
Institution in an individual exemption granted by the Department under 
ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c), after the date of this 
exemption, that provides relief for the receipt of compensation in 
connection with investment advice provided by an investment advice 
fiduciary, under the same conditions as this class exemption.
    (f) ``Independent'' means a person that:
    (1) Is not the Adviser, the Financial Institution or any Affiliate 
relying on the exemption;
    (2) Does not have a relationship to or an interest in the Adviser, 
the Financial Institution or Affiliate that might affect the exercise 
of the person's best judgment in connection with transactions described 
in this exemption; and
    (3) Does not receive or is not projected to receive within the 
current federal income tax year, compensation or other consideration 
for his or her own account from the Adviser, Financial Institution or 
Affiliate in excess of 2% of the person's annual revenues based upon 
its prior income tax year.
    (g) ``Individual Retirement Account'' or ``IRA'' means any account 
or annuity described in Code section 4975(e)(1)(B) through (F), 
including, for example, an individual retirement account described in 
section 408(a) of the Code and a health savings account described in 
section 223(d) of the Code.
    (h) A Financial Institution and Adviser are ``Level Fee 
Fiduciaries'' if the only fee received by the Financial Institution, 
the Adviser and any

[[Page 21084]]

Affiliate in connection with advisory or investment management services 
to the Plan or IRA assets is a Level Fee that is disclosed in advance 
to the Retirement Investor. A ``Level Fee'' is a fee or compensation 
that is provided on the basis of a fixed percentage of the value of the 
assets or a set fee that does not vary with the particular investment 
recommended, rather than a commission or other transaction-based fee.
    (i) A ``Material Conflict of Interest'' exists when an Adviser or 
Financial Institution has a financial interest that a reasonable person 
would conclude could affect the exercise of its best judgment as a 
fiduciary in rendering advice to a Retirement Investor.
    (j) ``Plan'' means any employee benefit plan described in section 
3(3) of the Act and any plan described in section 4975(e)(1)(A) of the 
Code.
    (k) A ``Principal Transaction'' means a purchase or sale of an 
investment product if an Adviser or Financial Institution is purchasing 
from or selling to a Plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA 
on behalf of the Financial Institution's own account or the account of 
a person directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, 
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Financial 
Institution. For purposes of this definition, a Principal Transaction 
does not include the sale of an insurance or annuity contract, a mutual 
fund transaction, or a Riskless Principal Transaction as defined in 
Section VIII(p) below.
    (l) ``Proprietary Product'' means a product that is managed, issued 
or sponsored by the Financial Institution or any of its Affiliates.
    (m) ``Related Entity'' means any entity other than an Affiliate in 
which the Adviser or Financial Institution has an interest which may 
affect the exercise of its best judgment as a fiduciary.
    (n) A ``Retail Fiduciary'' means a fiduciary of a Plan or IRA that 
is not described in section (c)(1)(i) of the Regulation (29 CFR 2510.3-
21(c)(1)(i)).
    (o) ``Retirement Investor'' means--
    (1) A participant or beneficiary of a Plan subject to Title I of 
ERISA or described in section 4975(e)(1)(A) of the Code, with authority 
to direct the investment of assets in his or her Plan account or to 
take a distribution,
    (2) The beneficial owner of an IRA acting on behalf of the IRA, or
    (3) A Retail Fiduciary with respect to a Plan subject to Title I of 
ERISA or described in section 4975(e)(1)(A) of the Code or IRA.
    (p) A ``Riskless Principal Transaction'' is a transaction in which 
a Financial Institution, after having received an order from a 
Retirement Investor to buy or sell an investment product, purchases or 
sells the same investment product for the Financial Institution's own 
account to offset the contemporaneous transaction with the Retirement 
Investor.
    (q) ``Third-Party Payments'' include sales charges when not paid 
directly by the Plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA; gross 
dealer concessions; revenue sharing payments; 12b-1 fees; distribution, 
solicitation or referral fees; volume-based fees; fees for seminars and 
educational programs; and any other compensation, consideration or 
financial benefit provided to the Financial Institution or an Affiliate 
or Related Entity by a third party as a result of a transaction 
involving a Plan, participant or beneficiary account, or IRA.

Section IX--Transition Period for Exemption

    (a) In general. ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code prohibit 
fiduciary advisers to Plans and IRAs from receiving compensation that 
varies based on their investment advice. Similarly, fiduciary advisers 
are prohibited from receiving compensation from third parties in 
connection with their advice. This transition period provides relief 
from the restrictions of ERISA section 406(a)(1)(D), and 406(b) and the 
sanctions imposed by Code section 4975(a) and (b) by reason of Code 
section 4975(c)(1)(D), (E), and (F) for the period from April 10, 2017, 
to January 1, 2018 (the Transition Period) for Advisers, Financial 
Institutions, and their Affiliates and Related Entities, to receive 
such otherwise prohibited compensation subject to the conditions 
described in Section IX(d).
    (b) Covered transactions. This provision permits Advisers, 
Financial Institutions, and their Affiliates and Related Entities to 
receive compensation as a result of their provision of investment 
advice within the meaning of ERISA section 3(21)(A)(ii) or Code section 
4975(e)(3)(B) to a Retirement Investor, during the Transition Period.
    (c) Exclusions. This provision does not apply if:
    (1) The Plan is covered by Title I of ERISA, and (i) the Adviser, 
Financial Institution or any Affiliate is the employer of employees 
covered by the Plan, or (ii) the Adviser or Financial Institution is a 
named fiduciary or plan administrator (as defined in ERISA section 
3(16)(A)) with respect to the Plan, or an Affiliate thereof, that was 
selected to provide advice to the Plan by a fiduciary who is not 
Independent;
    (2) The compensation is received as a result of a Principal 
Transaction;
    (3) The compensation is received as a result of investment advice 
to a Retirement Investor generated solely by an interactive Web site in 
which computer software-based models or applications provide investment 
advice based on personal information each investor supplies through the 
Web site without any personal interaction or advice from an individual 
Adviser (i.e., ``robo-advice''); or
    (4) The Adviser has or exercises any discretionary authority or 
discretionary control with respect to the recommended transaction.
    (d) Conditions. The provision is subject to the following 
conditions:
    (1) The Financial Institution and Adviser adhere to the following 
standards:
    (i) When providing investment advice to the Retirement Investor, 
the Financial Institution and the Adviser(s) provide investment advice 
that is, at the time of the recommendation, in the Best Interest of the 
Retirement Investor. As further defined in Section VIII(d), such advice 
reflects the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the 
circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like 
capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an 
enterprise of a like character and with like aims, based on the 
investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial circumstances, and 
needs of the Retirement Investor, without regard to the financial or 
other interests of the Adviser, Financial Institution or any Affiliate, 
Related Entity, or other party;
    (ii) The recommended transaction does not cause the Financial 
Institution, Adviser or their Affiliates or Related Entities to 
receive, directly or indirectly, compensation for their services that 
is in excess of reasonable compensation within the meaning of ERISA 
section 408(b)(2) and Code section 4975(d)(2).
    (iii) Statements by the Financial Institution and its Advisers to 
the Retirement Investor about the recommended transaction, fees and 
compensation, Material Conflicts of Interest, and any other matters 
relevant to a Retirement Investor's investment decisions, are not 
materially misleading at the time they are made.
    (2) Disclosures. The Financial Institution provides to the 
Retirement Investor, prior to or at the same time as, the execution of 
the recommended transaction, a single written disclosure, which may 
cover multiple transactions or all transactions occurring within the 
Transition Period, that clearly and prominently:

[[Page 21085]]

    (i) Affirmatively states that the Financial Institution and the 
Adviser(s) act as fiduciaries under ERISA or the Code, or both, with 
respect to the recommendation;
    (ii) Sets forth the standards in paragraph (d)(1) of this Section 
and affirmatively states that it and the Adviser(s) adhered to such 
standards in recommending the transaction;
    (iii) Describes the Financial Institution's Material Conflicts of 
Interest; and
    (iv) Discloses to the Retirement Investor whether the Financial 
Institution offers Proprietary Products or receives Third Party 
Payments with respect to any investment recommendations; and to the 
extent the Financial Institution or Adviser limits investment 
recommendations, in whole or part, to Proprietary Products or 
investments that generate Third Party Payments, notifies the Retirement 
Investor of the limitations placed on the universe of investment 
recommendations. The notice is insufficient if it merely states that 
the Financial Institution or Adviser ``may'' limit investment 
recommendations based on whether the investments are Proprietary 
Products or generate Third Party Payments, without specific disclosure 
of the extent to which recommendations are, in fact, limited on that 
basis.
    (v) The disclosure may be provided in person, electronically or by 
mail. It does not have to be repeated for any subsequent 
recommendations during the Transition Period.
    (vi) The Financial Institution will not fail to satisfy this 
Section IX(d)(2) solely because it, acting in good faith and with 
reasonable diligence, makes an error or omission in disclosing the 
required information, provided the Financial Institution discloses the 
correct information as soon as practicable, but not later than 30 days 
after the date on which it discovers or reasonably should have 
discovered the error or omission. To the extent compliance with this 
Section IX(d)(2) requires Financial Institutions to obtain information 
from entities that are not closely affiliated with them, they may rely 
in good faith on information and assurances from the other entities, as 
long as they do not know, or unless they should have known, that the 
materials are incomplete or inaccurate. This good faith reliance 
applies unless the entity providing the information to the Adviser and 
Financial Institution is (1) a person directly or indirectly through 
one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common 
control with the Adviser or Financial Institution; or (2) any officer, 
director, employee, agent, registered representative, relative (as 
defined in ERISA section 3(15)), member of family (as defined in Code 
section 4975(e)(6)) of, or partner in, the Adviser or Financial 
Institution.
    (3) The Financial Institution designates a person or persons, 
identified by name, title or function, responsible for addressing 
Material Conflicts of Interest and monitoring Advisers' adherence to 
the Impartial Conduct Standards; and
    (4) The Financial Institution complies with the recordkeeping 
requirements of Section V(b) and (c).

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 1st day of April, 2016.
Phyllis C. Borzi,
Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits Security Administration, 
Department of Labor.
BILLING CODE 4510-29-P

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[FR Doc. 2016-07925 Filed 4-6-16; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-29-C