
Schwab Retirement Plan Services Partners With Newport, Conduent to Expand Capabilities
Schwab will offer increased services in nonqualified deferred compensation and defined benefit plans, highlighting a push toward large retirement plan sponsors.

CDC Says U.S. Life Expectancy Fell to 76.4 Years in ‘21, Lowest Since 1996
Retirement plan consulting and actuary head says COVID-19 has muddled mortality outcome tracking, with the industry awaiting delayed IRS mortality improvement tables.

Helping DB Plan Sponsors Consider Risks for Their Portfolios
New York State Fines Pacific Life for PRT Violations
The company was penalized for violating state law by conducting an unlicensed insurance business.

DB Plans Should Invest to Achieve Set Objectives in 2022
Protecting funded status, addressing inflation risk, adding value, and more are among suggestions from consultants and asset managers.

Cash Balance Plans More Popular With Smaller Plan Sponsors
An analysis from October Three also finds certain industries are more drawn to the plan design that is viewed as less risky than traditional DB plans.

PRT Activity Anticipated to Increase Within the Decade
Several factors will likely drive more mid-market and large plan sponsors to initiate pension risk transfer (PRT) transactions, surveys show.

Lawsuit Accuses Sponsor of DuPont Pension Plan of ‘Sleight of Hand’
Plan fiduciaries are accused of misleading participants in benefits communications and interfering with benefits by arbitrarily assigning them the status of 'terminated' due to a spinoff.
IRS Provides Guidance on New Funding Relief Rules for Single-Employer DB Plans
Among other things, it explains the manner and timing of making elections under the American Rescus Plan Act (ARPA), as well as the flexibility to redesignate contributions between plan years.

Former Employee Claims DuPont Misled Him About Benefits Availability
A federal judge has found it plausible that DuPont was misleading, based on benefits notices sent to the former participant.

New Stimulus Package Includes Help for DB Plan Sponsors
Both single-employer plans and multiemployer plans will get help with funding.
Neal Proposes New Bill to Help Multiemployer Pensions
The bill would also extend funding relief for single-employer defined benefit plans.
Court Again Finds No ERISA Fiduciary Act in DuPont Pension Case
The plaintiffs in the case claimed the company implemented a corporate restructuring in a way to avoid pension plan obligations.
MTA Sues Investment Manager for Not Protecting Funds During COVID-19
New York transit worker pension plans say the firm's mismanagement caused 'astonishing' losses.
DB Plan Investment Provider and Investment Adviser Sued Over Market Losses
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association National Employee Benefits Committee says if the investment strategy of certain funds had been followed, they wouldn't have lost as much this year.
Plaintiffs’ Attorneys: Leaving Pension Policing Solely to DOL Won’t Work
Part of the Supreme Court’s reasoning in affirming two lower court rulings in Thole v. U.S. Bank is the fact that the Department of Labor polices pension plan fiduciary violations, but plaintiffs’ attorneys say the resourced-strapped federal agency can’t do the job alone.
Supreme Court’s Thole v. U.S. Bank Ruling Has Constitutional Implications
Normally the Supreme Court strives to structure its rulings with the narrowest possible scope and implications, but that is not always the case.
IRS Moves Certain Deadlines for DB, 403(b) Plans
The agency says it is postponing deadlines for certain time-sensitive actions required by these plans and others because of the COVID-19 emergency.
Split Supreme Court Rules in Thole v. U.S. Bank; Major Implications for Pensions
The case is expected to help determine whether the millions of Americans whose pensions are held in defined benefit plans have the right to sue the fiduciaries of their plans for mismanaging assets, even when their own retirement benefit has not suffered.
DowDuPont Pension Spin Off Lawsuit Dismissed
A court found most actions alleged in participants' complaint were not fiduciary functions.