Employee Benefits Security Administration February 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Mental Health Parity
Document Number: E7-3278
Type: Rule
Date: 2007-02-27
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor
This document contains an interim final amendment to modify the sunset date of interim final regulations under the Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) to be consistent with legislation passed during the 109th Congress.
Proposed Amendment to Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2006-06 (PTE 2006-06) for Services Provided in Connection With the Termination of Abandoned Individual Account Plans
Document Number: E7-2606
Type: Notice
Date: 2007-02-15
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor
This document contains a notice of pendency before the Department of Labor (the Department) of a proposed amendment to PTE 2006-06, a prohibited transaction class exemption issued under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Among other things, PTE 2006-06 permits a ``qualified termination administrator'' (QTA) of an individual account plan that has been abandoned by its sponsoring employer to select itself to provide services to the plan in connection with the plan's termination, and to pay itself fees for those services. This amendment is being proposed in connection with the Department's amendment of regulations relating to the Termination of Abandoned Individual Account Plans at 29 CFR 2578.1, and the Safe Harbor for Distributions from Terminated Individual Account Plans at 29 CFR 2550.404a-3, which are being published simultaneously in this issue of the Federal Register. The Department's proposed amendment to PTE 2006-06 reflects changes, enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-280, to the Internal Revenue Code and would require, as a condition of relief under the class exemption, that benefits for a missing, designated nonspouse beneficiary be directly rolled over into an inherited individual retirement plan that fully complies with Code requirements. If adopted, the proposed amendment would affect plans, participants and beneficiaries of such plans and certain persons engaging in such transactions.
Amendments to Safe Harbor for Distributions From Terminated Individual Account Plans and Termination of Abandoned Individual Account Plans To Require Inherited Individual Retirement Plans for Missing Nonspouse Beneficiaries
Document Number: 07-597
Type: Rule
Date: 2007-02-15
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor
This document contains an interim final rule amending regulations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA or the Act) that provide guidance and a fiduciary safe harbor for the distribution of benefits on behalf of participants or beneficiaries in terminated and abandoned individual account plans. The Department is amending these regulations to reflect changes enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, Public Law 109-280, to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code), under which a distribution of a deceased plan participant's benefit from an eligible retirement plan may be directly transferred to an individual retirement plan established on behalf of the designated nonspouse beneficiary of such participant. Specifically, the amended regulations require as a condition of relief under the fiduciary safe harbor that benefits for a missing, designated nonspouse beneficiary be directly rolled over to an individual retirement plan that fully complies with Code requirements. This interim final rule will affect fiduciaries, plan service providers, and participants and beneficiaries of individual account pension plans.
Statutory Exemption for Cross-Trading of Securities
Document Number: E7-2290
Type: Rule
Date: 2007-02-12
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor
This document contains an interim final rule that implements the content requirements for the written cross-trading policies and procedures required under section 408(b)(19)(H) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA or the Act). Section 611(g) of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, Public Law 109-280, 120 Stat. 780, 972, amended section 408(b) of ERISA by adding a new subsection (19) that exempts the purchase and sale of a security between a plan and any other account managed by the same investment manager if certain conditions are satisfied. Among other requirements, section 408(b)(19)(H) stipulates that the investment manager must adopt, and effect cross-trades in accordance with, written cross- trading policies and procedures that are fair and equitable to all accounts participating in the cross-trading program. This interim final rule would affect employee benefit plans, investment managers, plan fiduciaries and plan participants and beneficiaries.
Grant of Individual Exemption Involving The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. (BS), Bear Stearns Asset Management Inc. (BSAM), and Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. (BSC) (Collectively, the Applicants) Located in New York, NY
Document Number: E7-2242
Type: Notice
Date: 2007-02-12
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor
This document contains a final exemption issued by the Department of Labor (the Department) that provides relief from certain prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). The exemption permits the purchase of certain securities (the Securities), by an asset management affiliate of BS from any person other than such asset management affiliate of BS or any affiliate thereof, during the existence of an underwriting or selling syndicate with respect to such Securities, where a broker-dealer affiliated with BS (the Affiliated Broker-Dealer) is a manager or member of such syndicate and the asset management affiliate of BS purchases such Securities, as a fiduciary: (a) On behalf of an employee benefit plan or employee benefit plans (Client Plan(s)); or (b) on behalf of Client Plans, and/or in-house plans (In-House Plans) which are invested in a pooled fund or in pooled funds (Pooled Fund(s)); provided certain conditions as set forth, below are satisfied (An affiliated underwriter transaction (AUT)).\1\ The exemption affects Client Plans and In-House Plans and their participants and beneficiaries.
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