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Trust Examination Manual
Appendix E Employee Benefit Law
Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption
77-3
April 8, 1977 (42 FR 18743)
Recap |
Permits an employee benefit plan which covers only employees of a mutual fund,
the funds investment adviser, the principal underwriter, or an affiliate
of such persons, to "acquire" or sell shares of a registered open-end
investment company . |
Class Exemption
- Agency: Department of Labor, Labor-Management Services Administration
Action: Grant of Class Exemption
Effective Date: December 31, 1974
Exemption
Effective for transactions occurring after December 31, 1974, the
restrictions of sections 406 and
407(a) of the Act and the taxes imposed by
section 4975 (a) and (b) of the Code, by reason of section
4975(c)(1) of the Code, shall not apply to the acquisition or sale of
shares of an open-end investment company registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 by an employee benefit plan covering only employees of such
investment company, employees of the investment adviser or principal
underwriter for such investment company, or employees of any affiliated person
(as defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act of 1940) of such
investment adviser or principal underwriter, provided that the following
conditions are met (whether or not such investment company, investment adviser,
principal underwriter or any affiliated person thereof is a fiduciary with
respect to the plan):
-
The plan does not pay any investment management, investment advisory or similar
fee to such investment adviser, principal underwriter or affiliated person.
This condition does not preclude the payment of investment advisory fees by the
investment company under the terms of its investment advisory agreement adopted
in accordance with section 15 of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
-
The plan does not pay a redemption fee in connection with the sale by the plan
to the investment company of such shares unless (1) such redemption fee is paid
only to the investment company, and (2) the existence of such redemption fee is
disclosed in the investment company prospectus in effect both at the time of
the acquisition of such shares and at the time of such sale.
-
In the case of transactions occurring more than 60 days after the granting of
this exemption, the plan does not pay a sales commission in connection with
such acquisition or sale.
-
All other dealings between the plan and the investment company, the investment
adviser or principal underwriter for the investment company, or any affiliated
person of such investment adviser or principal underwriter, are on a basis no
less favorable to the plan than such dealings are with other shareholders of
the investment company.
Signed at Washington, D.C., this 31st day of March, 1977.
J. Vernon Ballard,
Acting Administrator of Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs, Department of
Labor.
and
William E. Williams,
Acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue
[FR Doc. 77-10157 Filed 4-1-77; 11:44 AM]
Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 77-4
Investment
in Advised or Affiliated Mutual Funds
March 31, 1977
Recap |
| Permits investment in mutual funds advised by or
affiliated with a fiduciary if: (1) approved by a second, independent,
fiduciary, (2) no front-end load is imposed, (3) redemption fees meet
certain conditions, and (4) conditions on mutual fund fees are met. |
| |
| Cross reference: See
Advisory Opinion 93-13 regarding application of PTE 77-4 to
purchase of affiliated mutual funds. Also see 1994
DOL letter to OCC regarding conversions of collective investment funds
into mutual funds. |
Class Exemption
To Invest in Mutual Funds Affiliated With or Advised By a Fiduciary
Agency: Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service.
Action: Grant of class exemption.
Effective Date: Certain retroactive exemption is given for transactions between
January 1, 1975 and ninety days after the exemption is granted. Prospective
exemption is granted for transactions occurring ninety days after the exemption
is granted. [Since the exemption was signed 3-31-77, the prospective exemption
should be effective 7-1-77.]
Section I - Retroactive.
The Retroactive portion of this Exemption covers transactions
between 1-1-75 and 7-1-77. As such, it is not reprinted here.
Section II - Prospective. Effective 90 days after the date
of granting of this exemption, the restrictions of section 406 of the Act
and the taxes imposed by section 4975(a)
and (b) of the Code, by reason of section 4975(c)(1)
of the Code, shall not apply to the purchase or sale by an employee
benefit plan of shares of an open-end investment company registered under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, the investment adviser for which is also a
fiduciary with respect to the plan (or an affiliate of such fiduciary) and is
not an employer of employees covered by the plan (hereinafter referred to as
"fiduciary/investment adviser"), provided that the following
conditions are met:
-
The plan does not pay a sales commission in connection with such purchase or
sale.
-
The plan does not pay a redemption fee in connection with the sale by the plan
to the investment company of such shares, unless:
-
Such redemption fee is paid only to the investment company, and
-
The existence of such redemption fee is disclosed in the investment company
prospectus in effect both at the time of the purchase of such shares and at the
time of such sale.
-
The plan does not pay an investment management, investment advisory, or similar
fee with respect to the plan assets invested in such shares for the entire
period of such investment.
-
This condition does not preclude the payment of investment advisory fees by the
investment company under the terms of its investment advisory agreement adopted
in accordance with section 15 of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
-
This condition also does not preclude the payment of an investment advisory fee
by the plan based on total plan assets from which a credit has been subtracted
representing the plan's pro rata share of investment advisory fees paid by the
investment company.
-
If, during any fee period for which the plan prepaid its investment management,
investment advisory or similar fee, the plan purchases shares of the investment
company, the requirements of this paragraph (c) shall be deemed met with
respect to such prepaid fee if, by a method reasonable designed to accomplish
the same, the amount of the prepaid fee that constitutes the fee with respect
to the plan assets invested in the investment company shares
-
Is anticipated and subtracted from the prepaid fee at the time of payment of
such fee,
-
Is returned to the plan no later than during the immediately following fee
period, or
-
Is offset against the prepaid fee for the immediately following fee period or
for the fee period immediately following thereafter.
For purposes of this paragraph, a fee shall be deemed to be prepaid for any fee
period if the amount of such fee is calculated as of a date not later than the
first day of such period.
-
A second fiduciary with respect to the plan, who is independent of and
unrelated to the fiduciary/investment adviser or any affiliate thereof,
receives
-
A current prospectus issued by the investment company, and
-
Full and detailed written disclosure of the investment advisory and other fees
charged to or paid by the plan and the investment company, including
-
The nature and extent of any differential between the rates of such fees,
-
The reasons why the fiduciary/investment adviser may consider such purchases to
be appropriate for the plan, and
-
Whether there are any limitations on the fiduciary/investment adviser with
respect to which plan assets may be invested in shares of the investment
company and, if so, the nature of such limitations.
For purposes of this exemption, such second fiduciary will not
be deemed to be independent of and unrelated to the fiduciary/investment
adviser or any affiliate thereof if:
-
Such second fiduciary directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or
under common control with the fiduciary/investment adviser or any affiliate
thereof;
-
Such second fiduciary or any officer, director, partner, employee or relative
of such second fiduciary is an officer, director, partner, employee or relative
of such fiduciary/investment adviser or any affiliate thereof; or
-
Such second fiduciary directly or indirectly receives any compensation or other
consideration for his or his own personal account in connection with any
transaction described in this exemption.
If an officer, director, partner, employee or relative of such
fiduciary/investment adviser or any affiliate thereof is a director of such
second fiduciary, and if he or she abstains from participation in
-
The choice of the plan's investment adviser,
-
The approval of any such purchase or sale between the plan and the investment
company and
-
The approval of any change of fees charged to or paid by the plan,
then paragraph (d)(2) of this section shall not apply.
For purposes of this exemption, the term "control"
means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or
policies of a person other than an individual, and the term
"relative" means a "relative" as that term is defined in
section 3(15)
of the Act (or a "member of the family" as that term is
defined in section 4975(e)(6) of the Code),
or a brother, a sister, or a spouse of a brother or a sister.
-
On the basis of the prospectus and disclosure referred to in
paragraph (d), the second fiduciary referred to in paragraph (d)
approves such purchases and sales consistent with the responsibilities,
obligations, and duties imposed on fiduciaries by Part 4 of Title I
of the Act. Such approval may be limited solely to the investment advisory and
other fees paid by the mutual fund in relation to the fees paid by the plain
and need not relate to any other aspects of such investments. In addition, such
approval must be either
-
Set forth in the plan documents or in the investment management agreement
between the plan and the fiduciary/investment adviser,
-
Indicated in writing prior to each purchase or sale, or
-
Indicated in writing prior to the commencement of a specified purchase or sale
program in the shares of such investment company.
-
The second fiduciary referred to in paragraph (d), or any successor
thereto, is notified of any change in any of the rates of fees referred to in
paragraph (d) and approves in writing the continuation of such purchases
or sales and the continued holding of any investment company shares acquired by
the plan prior to such change and still held by the change. Such approval may
be limited solely to the investment advisory and other fees paid by the mutual
fund in relation to the fees paid by the plan and need not relate to any other
aspects of such investment.
Signed at Washington, D. C. this 31st day of March 1977.
J. Vernon Ballard,
Acting Administrator of Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs
Department of Labor.
William E. Williams
Acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 80-26
Interest-Free
Loans (Including Overdrafts)
April 29, 1980 (45 FR 28545)
Recap |
| Interest-free loans. Permits interest-free loans
(including overdrafts) between plans and parties in interest provided certain
conditions are met. |
Class Exemption for Certain Interest Free Loans to Employee Benefit Plans
Agency: Department of Labor.
Action: Grant of class exemption.
Summary: This class exemption permits parties in interest with respect to
employee benefit plans to make interest free loans to such plans. Such loans
would be prohibited by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the
Act) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1964 (the Code). The exemption affects
all employee benefit plans, their participants and beneficiaries, and parties
in interest with respect to those plans.
Effective Date: January 1, 1975.
Effective January 1, 1975, the restrictions of
section 406(a)(1)(B) and (D) and
section 406(b)(2) of the Act, and the taxes imposed by
section 4975(a) and (b) of the Code by reason of section 4975(c)(1)(B)
and (D) of the Code, shall not apply to the lending of money or other
extension of credit from party in interest or disqualified person to an
employee benefit plan, nor to the repayment of such loan or other extension of
credit in accordance with its terms or written modifications thereof, if:
-
No interest or other fee is charged to the plan, and no discount for payment in
cash is relinquished by the plan in connection with the loan or extension of
credit;
-
The proceeds of the loan or extension of credit are used only:
-
For the payment of ordinary operating expenses of the plan, including the
payment of benefits in accordance with the terms of the plan and periodic
premiums under an insurance or annuity contract; or
-
For a period of not more than three days, for a purpose incidental to the
ordinary operation of the plan;
-
The loan or extension of credit is unsecured; and
-
The loan or extension of credit is not directly or indirectly made by an
employee benefit plan.
Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 80-51
Collective
Investment Funds
June 25, 1980 (45 FR 49709)
Recap |
| Collective Investment Funds. ERISA plans are
permitted to invest in collective investment funds operated by bank
fiduciaries, subject to certain limitations and conditions. |
Class Exemption Covering Collective Investment Funds
Agency: Department of Labor.
Action: Grant of class exemption.
Summary: This exemption allows collective investment funds that are maintained
by banks and in which employee benefit plans participate to engage in certain
transactions provided that specified conditions are met. In the absence of this
exemption, these transactions might be prohibited by the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1954
(the Code).
Effective Date: January 1, 1975.
Exemption
Note: This exemption has been replaced by PTE 91-38.
Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption
80-83
Purchase
of Securities Where Issuer May Use Proceeds To Reduce or Retire
Indebtedness To Parties in Interest
November 4, 1980 (45 FR 73189)
Recap |
| Permits ERISA plans to invest in securities issued
by plan sponsors, when proceeds are used to reduce debt at the fiduciary bank
or its affiliates (even if fiduciary personnel know how proceeds will be used)
subject to conditions: (1) Issuer has been in business for 3 or more years, or
securities are not convertible and are rated in the highest 4 ratings by a
nationally-recognized firm; (2) No more than 10% of the offering is subscribed
to by the bank as fiduciary; (3) No more than 3% of the offering is subscribed
to by an individual ERISA plan; (4) Consideration paid by the plan to acquire
the securities does not exceed 3% of an ERISA plan's market value.
Note: Covers discretionary, non-discretionary and custodial accounts. |
Class Exemption for Certain Transactions Involving Purchase of Securities
Where Issuer May Use Proceeds To Reduce or Retire Indebtedness
To Parties in Interest
Agency: Department of Labor.
Action: Grant of Class Exemption.
Summary: This class exemption permits, under certain conditions, purchases of
securities by employee benefit plans when the proceeds from the sale of such
securities may be used by the issuer to reduce or retire indebtedness to
persons who are parties in interest with respect to such plans. In the absence
of the retroactive and prospective relief provided by this exemption, these
transactions might be prohibited by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
of 1974 (the Act) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (the Code).
Effective Date: Section I(B) of this exemption is effective
December 1, 1980. The remainder of this exemption is effective
January 1, 1975.
Transactions
-
Effective January 1, 1975 the restrictions of
section 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) of the Act and the taxes
imposed by reason of section 4975(c)(1)(A)
through (D) of the Code shall not apply to the purchase or other
acquisition prior to December 1, 1980 in a public offering (defined in
Section II(B)) of securities by a fiduciary on behalf of an employee
benefit plan solely because the proceeds from the sale were or were to be used
by the issuer of the securities to retire or reduce indebtedness owed to a
party in interest with respect to the plan other than the fiduciary, provided
that the price paid by the plan for the securities does not exceed adequate
consideration as defined in section 3(18)
of the Act.
-
Subject to the conditions described in section II(A), effective
December 1, 1980, the restrictions of
section 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) of the Act and the taxes
imposed by reason of section 4975(c)(1)(A)
through (D) of the Code shall not apply to the purchase or other
acquisition in a public offering (defined in section II(B)) of securities
by a fiduciary on behalf of an employee benefit plan solely because the
proceeds from the sale may be used by the issuer of the securities to retire or
reduce indebtedness owed to a party in interest of the plan other than the
fiduciary.
-
Subject to the conditions described in section II(A), effective
January 1, 1975, the restrictions of
sections 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) and
406(b)(1) and (2) of the Act and the taxes imposed by reason of
section 4975(c)(I)(A) through (E) of the Code shall not apply
to the purchase or other acquisition in a public offering (defined in
section II(B)) of securities by a fiduciary, which is a bank or an
affiliate thereof, on behalf of an employee benefit plan solely because the
proceeds from the sale may be used by the issuer of the securities to retire or
reduce indebtedness owed to such fiduciary or any affiliate thereof provided
that, if such fiduciary of the plan knows (as defined in paragraph (7)
that the proceeds of this issue will be used in whole or in part by the issuer
of the securities to reduce or retire indebtedness owed to such fiduciary or
affiliate thereof the transaction shall have complied with the conditions set
forth in paragraph 1 through 6 below:
-
Such securities are purchased prior to the end of the first full business day
after the securities have been offered to the public, except that -
-
If such securities are offered for subscription upon exercise of rights, they
may be purchased on or before the fourth day preceding the day on which the
rights offering terminates; or
-
If such securities are debt securities, they may be purchased on a day
subsequent to the end of such first full business day, if the effective
interest rates on comparable debt securities offered to the public subsequent
to such first full business day and prior to the purchase are less than
effective interest rate of the debt securities being purchased;
-
Such securities are offered by the issuer pursuant to an underwriting agreement
under which the members of the underwriting syndicate are committed to purchase
all of the securities being offered, except if the securities
-
Are purchased by others pursuant to a rights offering, or
-
Are offered pursuant to an over allotment option;
-
The issuer of such securities has been in continuous operation for not less
than three years, including the operations of any predecessors, unless such
securities are nonconvertible debt securities rated in one of the four highest
rating categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating
organization;
-
The amount of securities purchased or otherwise acquired on behalf of the plan
by the fiduciary does not exceed three percent of the total amount of the
securities being offered;
-
The consideration to be paid by any plan in purchasing or otherwise acquiring
such securities does not exceed three percent of the fair market value, as of
the most recent valuation date of the plan prior to such transaction of the
plan assets which are subject to the management and control of such fiduciary;
-
The total amount of securities in any single offering purchased by the
fiduciary of behalf of the plan together with the total amount of such
securities purchased by such fiduciary acting as a fiduciary on behalf of any
other employee benefit plan subject to Title I of the Act does not exceed
10 percent of the amount of the offering;
-
As used in this section I(C), a fiduciary will be deemed to know that the
proceeds of an issuance of securities will be used in whole or in part by the
issuer of the securities to reduce or retire indebtedness owned [owed] to such
fiduciary or an affiliate thereof, if
-
Such knowledge is actually communicated to, or
-
Information reasonably sufficient to cause belief that the proceeds will be
used in whole or in part by the issuer of the securities to reduce or retire
indebtedness owned [owed] to the fiduciary, or an affiliate thereof, is
possessed by, the officers or employees of the fiduciary, who are authorized to
be involved in carrying out the investment responsibilities, obligations, or
duties of the fiduciary, or who in fact are involved in carrying out such
responsibilities, obligations, or duties, regarding the purchase or other
acquisition.
-
Effective January 1, 1975, the restrictions of
sections 406(a)(I)(A) through (D) and
406(b)(1) and (2) of the Act and the taxes imposed by reason of
section 4975(c)(I)(A) through (E) of the Code shall not apply
to the receipt by a party in interest of any of the proceeds resulting from the
issuance, in a public offering (as defined in section II(B)), of
securities merely because such proceeds are used by the issuer of the
securities to retire or reduce indebtedness owed to the party in interest
provided that, when such party in interest is a fiduciary acquiring such
securities on behalf of a plan, such fiduciary is a bank or an affiliate
thereof (as defined in section II(B)) which meets the provisions of
section I(C) of this exemption.
-
General Conditions
-
The following conditions apply to the transactions described in
section I(B) and (C) above:
-
The price paid by the plan fiduciary for the securities shall not be in excess
of the offering price described in an effective registration statement under
the Securities Act of 1933 covering such securities or in the case of
securities described in section II(B)(I)(b), in the offering circular
required under applicable federal law;
-
(a) The fiduciary, on behalf of the plan, maintains for a period of six years
from the date of the transaction the records necessary to enable the persons
described in section II(A)(2)(b) below to determine whether the conditions
of this exemption have been met, except that a prohibited transaction will not
be deemed to have occurred if, due to circumstances beyond the control of the
fiduciary, the records are lost or destroyed prior to the end of the six-year
period;
(b) Notwithstanding any provisions of subsections (a)(2) and (b) of
section 504 of the Act, the records referred to in
section II(A)(2)(a) above are unconditionally available at their customary
location for examination during normal business hours by:
-
Any duly authorized employee or representative of the Department of Labor or
the Internal Revenue Service,
-
Any fiduciary of a plan who has authority to manage and control the assets of
the plan, or to allocate to another fiduciary the authority to manage and
control the assets of the plan, or any duly authorized employee or
representative of such fiduciary,
-
Any contributing employer to the plan or representative of such employer,
-
Any participant or beneficiary of the plan or any duly-authorized employee or
representative of such participant or beneficiary,
-
None of the persons described in subparagraph (ii) through (iv) of
this paragraph shall be authorized to examine any fiduciary's trade secrets or
required to be kept commercial [sic] or financial information which is
privileged or required to be kept confidential.
-
For the purposes of the exemptions contained in Part I,
-
The term "public offering" means -
-
The offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933
(Securities Act), or
-
The offering of securities exempt from registration under the Securities Act
which are -
(i) Issued by a bank.
(ii) Issued by a motor carrier if such issuance is subject to the provisions of
section 214 of the Interstate Commerce Act, as amended,
(iii) Exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act pursuant
to a federal statute other than the Securities Act, or
(iv) The subject of a distribution and of a class which is required to be
registered under section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(15 USC 781), and the issuer of which has been subject to the
reporting requirements of section 13 of that Act (15 USC 78m)
for a period of at least 90 days immediately preceding the sale of
securities and has filed all reports required to be filed thereunder with the
Securities and Exchange Commission during the preceding 12 months.
-
An "affiliate" of a bank means any entity directly or indirectly,
through one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common
control with such bank.
For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "control" means the power
to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a person
other than an individual.
-
Each plan participating in a collective or commingled fund shall be considered
to own the same proportionate undivided interest in each asset of the
collective investment fund as its proportionate interest in the total assets of
the collective investment fund as calculated on the most recent preceding
valuation date of the fund.
Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption
81-6
Securities
Lending
January 23, 1981 (46 FR 7527)
[Amended on May 19, 1987 (52 FR 18754)]
Recap |
| Securities Lending: Loans by plans to banks and
broker-dealers. - The lending of securities by employee benefit plans to
broker-dealers and banks who are parties in interest is permitted under this
class exemption. In order for such loans to be exempt from ERISA's prohibited
transaction provisions, neither the borrower nor an affiliate may have
discretionary authority with respect to the investment of the plan assets
involved in the transaction.
A 1987 amendment, which expanded the exemption to government securities
dealers, is included in the Amended Exemption. |
Also See: |
| PTE 82-63
permits payment of compensation to a fiduciary for securities lending services. |
Class Exemption To Permit Certain Loans of Securities by Employee Benefit Plans
Agency: Department of Labor.
Action: Grant of class exemption.
Summary: This exemption will allow the lending of securities by employee benefit
plans to banks and broker-dealers who are parties in interest with respect to
such plans, if the conditions specified in the exemption are met. The exemption
affects participants and beneficiaries of employee benefit plans, persons who
manage the assets of such plans, and parties in interest who might engage in
securities lending transactions with such plans. In the absence of this
exemption, securities lending transactions between a plan and a party in
interest would be prohibited by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974 (the Act) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (the Code).
Effective Date: January 23, 1981. For purposes solely of Prohibited
Transaction Exemption 79-23 (the Grumman Corp. Pension Trust,
44 FR 31750, June 1, 1979). The final disposition of this class
exemption will be deemed to occur on February 23, 1981.
Amended Exemption
Effective January 23, 1981, the restrictions of
section 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) of the Act and the taxes
imposed by section 4975(a)
and (b) of the Code by reason of section 4975(c)(1)(A)
through (D) of the Code shall not apply to the lending of
securities that are assets of an employee benefit plan to a broker-dealer
registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 1934 Act) or exempted
from registration under section 15(a)(I) of the 1934 Act as a dealer in
exempted Government securities (as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the 1934
Act) or to a bank, if:
-
Neither the borrower nor an affiliate of the borrower has discretionary
authority or control with respect to the investment of the plan assets involved
in the transaction, or renders investment advice (within the meaning of
29 C.F.R. 2510.3-21(c)) with respect to those assets;
-
The plan receives from the borrower (either by physical delivery or by, book
entry in a securities depository) by the close of the lending fiduciary's
business on the day in which the securities lent are delivered to the borrower,
collateral consisting of cash, securities issued or guaranteed by the United
States Government or its agencies, or irrevocable bank letters of credit issued
by a person other than the borrower or an affiliate thereof, or any combination
thereof, having, as of the close of business on the preceding business day, a
market value equal to not less than 100 percent of the market value of the
securities lent;
-
Prior to the making of any such loan, the borrower shall have furnished the
lending fiduciary with (1) the most recent available audited statement of
the borrower's financial condition, (2) the most recent available
unaudited statement of its financial condition (if more recent than such
audited statement), and (3) a representation that, at the time the loan is
negotiated, there has been no material adverse change in its financial
condition since the date of the most recent financial statement furnished to
the plan that has not been disclosed to the lending fiduciary. Such
representation may be made by the borrower's agreeing that each such loan shall
constitute a representation by the borrower that there has been no such
material adverse change;
-
The loan is made pursuant to a written loan agreement, the terms of which are
at least as favorable to the plan as an arm's length transaction with an
unrelated party, would be. Such agreement may be in the form of a master
agreement covering a series of securities lending transactions;
-
(a) The plan (1) receives a reasonable fee that is related to the value of
the borrowed securities and the duration of the loan, or (2) has the
opportunity to derive compensation through the investment of cash collateral.
Where the plan has that opportunity, the plan may pay a loan rebate or similar
fee to the borrower, if such fee is not greater than the plan would pay in a
comparable transaction with an unrelated party;
(b) The plan receives the equivalent of all distributions made to holders of the
borrowed securities during the term of the loan, including, but not limited to,
cash dividends, interest payments, shares of stock as a result of stock splits
and rights to purchase additional securities;
-
If the market value of the collateral at the close of trading on a business day
is less than 100 percent of the market value of the borrowed securities at
the close of trading on that day, the borrower shall deliver, by the close of
business on the following business day, an additional amount of collateral (as
described in paragraph 2) the market value of which, together with the
market value of all previously delivered collateral, equals at least
100 percent of the market value of all the borrowed securities as of such
preceding day.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, part of the collateral may be returned to the
borrower if the market value of the collateral exceeds 100 percent of the
market value of the borrowed securities, as long as the market value of the
remaining collateral equals at least 100 percent of the market value of
the borrowed securities;
-
The loan may be terminated by the plan at any time, whereupon the borrower
shall deliver certificates for securities identical to the borrowed securities
(or the equivalent thereof in the event of reorganization, recapitalization or
merger of the issuer of the borrowed securities) to the plan within
(1) the customary delivery period for such securities, (2) five
business days, or (3) the time negotiated for such delivery by the plan
and the borrower, whichever is lesser; and
-
In the event the loan is terminated, and the borrower fails to return the
borrowed securities or the equivalent thereof within the time described in
paragraph 7 above, (i) the plan may, under the terms of the loan
agreement, purchase securities, identical to the borrowed securities (or their
equivalent as described above) and may apply, the collateral to the payment of
the purchase price, any other obligations of the borrower under the agreement,
and any expenses associated with the sale and/or purchase, and (ii) the
borrower is obligated, under the terms of the loan agreement, to pay, and does
pay to the plan the amount of any remaining obligations and expenses not
covered by the collateral plus interest at a reasonable rate.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the borrower may, in the event the borrower fails
to return borrowed securities as described above, replace non-cash collateral
with an amount of cash not less than the then current market value of the
collateral, provided such replacement is approved by the lending fiduciary.
If the borrower fails to comply with any condition of this exemption in the
course of engaging in a securities lending transaction, the plan fiduciary who
caused the plan to engage in such transaction shall not be deemed to have
caused the plan to engage in a transaction prohibited by
section 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) of the Act solely by reason
of the borrower's failure to comply with the conditions of the exemption.
For purposes of this class exemption the term "affiliate" of another
person shall include:
-
Any person directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries,
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such other person;
-
Any officer, director, or partner, employee or relative (as defined in
section 3(15) of the Act) of such other person; and
-
Any corporation or partnership of which such other person is an officer,
director or partner.
For purposes of this definition the term "control" means the power to
exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a person
other than an individual.
Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 81-8
Short-term
Investments & Repurchase Agreements
January 23, 1981 (46 FR 7511)
[Amended on April 9, 1985 (50 FR 14043)]
Recap |
| Employee benefit plans: Short-term investments.
Employee benefit plans are permitted to engage in transactions involving
certain short-term investments, notwithstanding the prohibited transaction
provisions of ERISA. The class exemption allows four types of short-term
investments: banker's acceptances, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, and
certificates of deposit. |
Class Exemption Covering Certain Short-Term Investments
Agency: Department of Labor.
Action: Grant of class exemption.
Summary: This exemption permits employee benefit plans to engage in transactions
involving certain short-term investments notwithstanding the prohibited
transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(ERISA or the Act). The exemption will affect participants and beneficiaries of
employee benefit plans, persons who manage the assets of such plans, and other
persons who provide services to such plans.
Effective Date: January 1, 1975. (Certain conditions to the availability of
the exemption are effective April 23, 1981).
AmendedExemption
Effective January 1, 1975, the restrictions of
sections 408(a)(1)(A) (B) and (D) of the Act, and the taxes
imposed by reason of section 4975(c)(1)(A), (B) and (D)
of the Code shall not apply to an investment of employee benefit plan
assets which involves the purchase or other acquisition, holding, sale,
exchange or redemption by or on behalf of an employee benefit plan of the
following:
I. Banker's Acceptances. A banker's acceptance that is issued by a bank if:
-
The banker's acceptance has a stated maturity date of one year or less from
date of issue or has a maturity date of one year or less from the date of
purchase on behalf of the plan;
-
Neither the bank nor any affiliate of the bank has discretionary authority or
control with respect to the investment of the plan assets involved in the
transaction or renders investment advice (within the meaning of
29 C.F.R. 2510.3-21(c)) with respect to those assets;
-
The terms of the transaction are at least as favorable to the plan as those of
an arm's length transaction with an unrelated party would be; and,
-
With respect to transactions occurring on or after April 23, 1981 the bank
issuing the banker's acceptance is supervised by the United States or a State.
II. Commercial Paper. Commercial paper if:
-
It is not issued by an employer any of whose employees are covered by the plan
or by an affiliate of such employer;
-
It has a stated maturity date of nine months or less from the date of issue,
exclusive of days of grace, or is a renewal of an issue of commercial paper the
maturity of which is likewise limited;
-
Neither the issuer of the commercial paper, any guarantor of the commercial
paper, nor an affiliate of such issuer or guarantor, has discretionary
authority or control with respect to the investment of the plan assets involved
in the transaction or renders investment advice (within the meaning of
29 C.F.R. 2510.3-21(c)) with respect to those assets;
-
With respect to an acquisition or holding of commercial paper (including an
acquisition by exchange) occurring on or after April 23, 1981, at the time
it is acquired, the commercial paper is ranked in one of the three highest
rating categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating
services.
III. Repurchase Agreement.
A repurchase agreement (or securities or other instruments under cover of a
repurchase agreement) in which the seller of the underlying securities or other
instruments is a bank which is supervised by the United States or a State; a
broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; or a dealer
who makes primary markets in securities of the United States government or any
agency thereof or in bankers acceptances and reports daily to the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York its position with respect to these obligations, if
each of the following conditions are satisfied.
-
The repurchase agreement is embodied in, or is entered into pursuant to a
written agreement the terms of which are at least as favorable to the plan as
an arm's length transaction with an unrelated party would be. For transactions
occurring before April 23, 1981 a written confirmation of a repurchase
agreement whose terms were at least as favorable to the plan as an arm's length
transaction with an unrelated party would have been will be deemed to satisfy
this condition.
-
The plan receives interest at a rate no less than that which it would receive
in a comparable transaction with an unrelated party.
-
The repurchase agreement has a duration of one year or less.
-
The plan receives securities, banker's acceptances, commercial paper, or
certificates of deposit having a market value equal to not less than 100
percent of the purchase price paid by the plan.
-
Upon expiration of the repurchase agreement and return of the securities or
other instruments to the bank, broker-dealer or dealer (seller), the seller
transfers to the plan an amount equal to the purchase price plus the
appropriate interest.
-
Neither the seller nor an affiliate of the seller has discretionary authority
or control with respect to the investment of the plan assets involved in the
transaction or render investment advice (within the meaning of
29 C.F.R. 2510.3-21(c)) with respect to those assets.
-
The securities, banker's acceptances, commercial paper or certificates of
deposit received by the plan:
-
Could be acquired directly by the plan in a transaction not covered by this
section III without violating sections 406(a)(1)(E),
406(a)(2) or 407(a)
of the Act; and,
-
If the securities are subject to the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933,
they are obligations that are not "restricted securities" within the
meaning of Rule 144 under that act.
-
With respect to transactions occurring on or after April 23, 1981:
-
If the market value of the underlying securities or other instruments falls
below the purchase price at any time during the term of the agreement, the plan
may, under the written agreement required by paragraph A of this section,
require the seller to deliver, by the close of business on the following
business day, additional securities or other instruments the market value of
which, together with the market value of securities previously delivered or
sold to the plan under the repurchase agreement, equals at least 100 percent of
the purchase price paid by the plan;
-
If the seller does not deliver additional securities or other instruments as
required above, the plan may terminate the agreement, and, if upon termination
or expiration of the agreement, the amount owing is not paid to the plan, the
plan may sell the securities or other instruments and apply the proceeds
against the obligations of the seller under the agreement, and against any
expenses associated with the sale; and,
-
The seller agrees to furnish the plan with the most recent available audited
statement of its financial condition as well as its most recent available
unaudited statement, agrees to furnish additional audited and unaudited
statements of its financial condition as they are issued and either:
-
Agrees that each repurchase agreement transaction pursuant to the agreement
shall constitute a representation by the seller that there has been no material
adverse change in its financial condition since the date of the last statement
furnished that has not been disclosed to the plan fiduciary with whom such
written agreement is made; or
-
Prior to each repurchase agreement transaction, the seller represents that, as
of the time the transaction is negotiated, there has been no material adverse
change in its financial condition since the date of the last statement
furnished that has not been disclosed to the plan fiduciary with whom such
written agreement is made.
-
In the event of termination and sale as described in (2) above, the seller pays
to the plan the amount of any remaining obligations and expenses not covered by
the sale of the securities or other instruments, plus interest at a reasonable
rate.
If a seller involved in a repurchase agreement covered by this exemption fails
to comply with any condition of this exemption in the course of engaging in the
repurchase agreement, the plan fiduciary who caused the plan to engage in such
repurchase agreement shall not be deemed to have caused the plan to engage in a
transaction prohibited by section 406(a)(1)(A)
through (D) of the Act solely by reason of the seller's failure to
comply with the conditions of the exemption.
IV. Certificates of Deposit.
A certificate of deposit that is issued by a bank which is supervised by the
United States or a State if neither the bank nor any affiliate of the bank has
discretionary authority or control with respect to the investment of the plan
assets involved in the transaction or renders investment advice (within the
meaning of 29 C.F.R. 2510.3-21(c)) with respect to those assets.
For purposes of this exemption the term affiliate is defined in
29 C.F.R. 2510.3-21(e).
V. Securities of Banks.
A security issued by a bank or an affiliate of the bank if:
-
The bank is supervised by the United States or a State;
-
The bank is a party in interest or disqualified person with respect to the plan
solely by reason of the furnishing of checking account or related services to
the plan
-
The terms of the transaction are at least as favorable to the plan as those of
an arm's-length transaction with an unrelated party would be; and
-
The investment is not part of an arrangement under which the bank causes a
transaction to be made with or for the benefit of a party in interest or
disqualified person.
Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption
82-63
Securities
Lending Compensation
April 6, 1982 (47 FR 14804)
Recap |
| Payment of compensation to a fiduciary for
securities lending services. This class exemption allows certain compensation
arrangements to be made for the provision by a fiduciary of securities lending
services to an employee benefit plan, if the conditions specified in the
exemption are met. |
See Also: |
| PTE 81-6
permits plans to engage in securities lending with banks, broker-dealers, and
government securities dealers. |
Class Exemption to Permit Payment of Compensation to Plan Fiduciaries
for the Provision of Securities Lending Services
Agency: Office of Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs, Labor.
Action: Grant of class exemption.
Summary: This exemption will allow certain compensation arrangements to be made
for the provision by a fiduciary of securities lending services to an employee
benefit plan, if the conditions specified in the exemption are met. The
exemption affects participants and beneficiaries of employee benefit plans and
fiduciaries who provide securities lending services to such plans. In the
absence of this exemption, certain compensation arrangements for the provision
of securities lending services by a plan fiduciary to an employee benefit plan
would be subject to the prohibitions of section 406(b)(1)
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) and
the taxes imposed by section 4975(a)
and (b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (the Code) by reason
of section 4975(c)(1)(E) of the Code.
Effective Date: April 6, 1982.
The Explanatory Preamble, together with the full Exemption, are available in the
PREAMBLE document.
-
Transactions
Effective April 6, 1982, the restrictions of
section 406(b)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(the Act) and the taxes imposed by section 4975(a)
and (b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (the Code) by reason
of section 4975(c)(1)(E) of the Code shall not
apply to the payment to a fiduciary (the "lending fiduciary") of
compensation for services rendered in connection with loans of plan assets that
are securities, provided that:
-
The loan of securities is not prohibited by
section 406(a) of the Act;
-
The lending fiduciary is authorized to engage in securities lending
transactions on behalf of the plan;
-
The compensation is reasonable and is paid in accordance with the terms of a
written instrument, which may be in the form of a master agreement covering a
series of securities lending transactions;
-
Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (f), the arrangement under which
the compensation is paid (1) is subject to the prior written authorization
of a plan fiduciary (the "authorizing fiduciary"), who is (other than
in the case of a plan covering only employees of the lending fiduciary or
affiliates of such fiduciary) independent of the lending fiduciary and of any
affiliate thereof, and (2) may be terminated by the authorizing fiduciary
within (i) the time negotiated for such notice of termination by the plan
and the lending fiduciary, or (ii) five business days, whichever is
lesser, in either case without penalty to the plan;
-
No such authorization is made or renewed unless the lending fiduciary shall
have furnished the authorizing fiduciary with any reasonably available
information which the lending fiduciary reasonably believes to be necessary to
determine whether such authorization should be made or renewed, and any other
reasonably available information regarding the matter that the authorizing
fiduciary may reasonably request; and
-
(Special Rule for Commingled Investment Funds) In the case of a pooled separate
account maintained by an insurance company qualified to do business in a state
or, a common or collective trust fund maintained by a bank or trust company
supervised by a state or federal agency, the requirements of paragraph (d)
of this exemption shall not apply: Provided, that -
-
The information described in paragraph (e) (including information with
respect to any material change in the arrangement) shall be furnished by the
lending fiduciary to the authorizing fiduciary described in paragraph (d)
with respect to each plan whose assets are invested in the account or fund, not
less than 30 days prior to implementation of the arrangement or material change
thereto, and, where requested, upon the reasonable request of the authorizing
fiduciary;
-
In the event any such authorizing fiduciary submits a notice in writing to the
lending fiduciary objecting to the implementation of, material change in, or
continuation of the arrangement, the plan on whose behalf the objection was
tendered is given the opportunity to terminate its investment in the account or
fund, without penalty to the plan, within such time as may he necessary to
effect such withdrawal in an orderly manner that is equitable to all
withdrawing plans and to the nonwithdrawing plans. In the case of a plan that
elects to withdraw pursuant to the foregoing, such withdrawal shall be effected
prior to the implementation of, or material change in, the arrangement, but an
existing arrangement need not be discontinued by reason of a plan electing to
withdraw; and
-
In the case of a plan whose assets are proposed to be invested in the account
or fund subsequent to the implementation of the compensation arrangement and
which has not authorized the arrangement in the manner described in
paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2), the plan's investment in the account or
fund shall be authorized in the manner described in paragraph (d)(1).
Definitions
For purposes of this exemption, the term, "affiliate" of another
person means:
-
Any person directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries,
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such other person;
-
Any officer, director, partner, employee, relative (as defined in
section 3(15) of the Act) of such other person, and
-
Any corporation or partnership of which such other person is an officer,
director or partner.
For purposes of this paragraph, the term "control" means the power to
exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a person
other than an individual.
Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 82-87
Residential
Mortgage Loans
May 18, 1982 (47 FR 21331)
Recap |
| Residential Mortgages. ERISA plans are permitted to
invest in 1-to-4 family mortgages and mortgage participations, collect
origination fees, and use affiliates to service the mortgages, subject to
certain limitations and conditions. The PTE covers first and second liens on
homes, townhouses, condominiums, cooperative apartments, and "manufactured
housing". Rental housing is not covered. |
Class Exemption for Transactions Involving
Certain Residential Mortgage Financing Arrangements
Agency: Department of Labor.
Action: Grant of class exemption.
Summary: This document contains a final exemption from certain of the prohibited
transactions provisions of the Employee Retirement Security Income Act of 1974
(the Act) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (the Code). The exemption
involves the issuance of commitments for the provision of mortgage financing to
purchasers of residential dwelling units, the receipt of a fee in exchange for
the issuance of such commitment, the making or purchase of loans or
participation interests therein pursuant to such commitments, and the direct
making, purchase, sale, exchange or transfer of mortgage loans or participation
interests therein by employee benefit plans, if the conditions specified in the
exemption are met. The exemption affects participants and beneficiaries of
employee benefit plans involved in such transactions, certain employers who
contribute to such plans and other persons who engage in the described
transactions. In the absence of this exemption, certain purchase and sale
transactions between the plan and parties in interest and certain extensions of
credit transactions between the plan and other parties in interest would be
prohibited by the Act and the Code.
Effective Date: January 1, 1975. [Certain conditions, as specified herein,
are applicable effective June 17, 1982.]
I. Transactions
Accordingly, the following exemption is hereby granted under the authority of
section 408(a) of the Act and section 4975(c)(2)
of the Code and in accordance with the procedure set forth in ERISA
Procedure 75-1.
Effective January 1, 1975, the restrictions of
section 406(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(the Act) and the taxes imposed by section 4975(a)
and (b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (Code) by reason of
section 4975(c)(1)(A) through (D) of the Code shall not apply
to the following transactions if the conditions set forth in Part II below
are met:
-
The issuance of a commitment by one or more employee benefit plans to provide
mortgage financing to purchasers of residential dwelling units, either by
making or participating in loans directly to purchasers or by purchasing
mortgage loans or participation interests in mortgage loans originated by a
third party;
-
The receipt by the plan of a fee in exchange for issuing such commitment;
-
The actual making or purchase of a mortgage loan or participation interest
therein pursuant to such commitment;
-
The direct making or purchase by one or more employee benefit plans of a
mortgage loan or a participation interest therein other than where a commitment
has been issued; and
-
The sale, exchange or transfer of a mortgage loan or participation interest
therein by an employee benefit plan prior to the maturity date of such
instrument whether or not acquired pursuant to this exemption, provided that
the ownership interest sold, exchanged or transferred represents the plan's
entire interest in such investment.
II. Conditions
-
Effective January 1, 1975, the exemption provided for transactions
described in Part I is available only if each of the following conditions,
as applicable, is met:
-
General Conditions
-
Any mortgage loan to be acquired must be a "recognized mortgage loan"
(as defined in Section D of Part III) or a participation interest in
such loan for the purchase of a "residential dwelling unit" (as
defined in Section E of Part III)
-
Any mortgage loan must be originated (either directly for the plan or by the
origination-purchase process) by an "established mortgage lender" (as
defined in Section B of Part III) -
-
Who qualifies the recipient, and
-
As to which neither the plan, nor an employer or group of employers
contributing to the plan, nor an employee organization any of whose members are
covered by the plan, has the power to exercise a controlling influence over the
management or policies of such "established mortgage lender";
-
The price paid or received by the plan must be at least as favorable to the
plan as a similar transaction involving unrelated parties; and
-
No person who is a developer or a builder involved in the development or
construction of the units, or a lender who is associated with the construction
financing arrangement for the units, or who, at the time the decision to
purchase is made by the plan (whether directly or pursuant to a commitment) is
the owner of a mortgage or a participation interest therein which is
subsequently sold to the plan, shall have exercised any discretionary authority
or control or rendered any investment advice that would make that person a
fiduciary with respect to the plan's decision to purchase, or to commit to
purchase, a mortgage loan or a participation interest therein or setting the
terms thereof.
-
Specific Conditions Applicable to Commitments. Where the decision by the plan
involves a commitment to purchase either a mortgage loan or participation
interest therein:
-
The commitment must be in writing and must be at least as favorable to the plan
as a commitment involving unrelated parties and consistent with customary
practices in the residential finance industry; and
-
The commitment must provide for the use of underwriting guidelines and mortgage
instruments which will ensure that all mortgage loans originated pursuant to
such commitment will result in a "recognized mortgage loan";
-
Specific Conditions Applicable to Participations Where the acquisition by the
plan involves a participation interest in a mortgage loan(s) (whether directly
or pursuant to a commitment):
-
the participation agreement governing such transaction must provide that:
-
The rights and interests evidenced by such participation interest not be
subordinated to the rights and interests of other holders of the same
participation agreement,
-
The majority interest in the participation agreement must be owned by parties
independent of and not controlled by the person selling the participation
interest and servicing the underlying mortgage(s), and
-
In the event of an inability to obtain collections on any mortgage loan(s)
underlying the participation agreement, decisions regarding foreclosure options
must be directed by persons other than the seller/service; and
-
Such participation agreement must be in writing and must be at least as
favorable to the plan as a participation agreement involving unrelated parties
and consistent with customary practices in the residential finance industry.
-
Effective 30 days after date of publication of this notice in the Federal
Register the exemption provided for transactions described in Part I is
available only if each of the following conditions is satisfied in addition to
each of the applicable conditions described in Section A of this
Part II:
-
The decision to purchase or sell the mortgage loan or participation interest
therein, or to issue a commitment to do so, must be made on behalf of the plan
by a "qualified real estate manager" (as defined in Section C of
Part III) as to which neither the plan, nor an employer or group of
employers contributing to the plan, nor an employee organization any of whose
members are covered by the plan, has the power to exercise a controlling
influence over the management or policies of such "qualified real estate
manager."
-
(a) The plan shall maintain for the duration of any loan made pursuant to this
exemption records necessary to enable the persons described in
paragraph (b) of this subsection to determine whether the conditions of
this exemption have been met, except that,
-
A prohibited transaction will not be deemed to have occurred, if due to
circumstances beyond the control of the fiduciaries of the plan, records are
lost or destroyed prior to the termination of the loan and,
-
No party in interest shall be subject to the civil penalty which may be
assessed under section 502(i) of ERISA,
or to the taxes imposed by section 4975(a)
and (b) of the Code, if the records are not maintained or are not
available for examination as required by sub-paragraph (b) below.
-
Notwithstanding any provisions of subsection (a)(2) and (b) of
section 504 of the Act, the records referred to in sub-paragraph (a)
of this paragraph must be unconditionally available at their customary location
for examination during normal business hours by: any trustee, investment
manager, participant or beneficiary of the plan, or any duly authorized
employee or representative of such person or of the Department or the Internal
Revenue Service.
III. Definitions.
For purposes of this exemption:
-
References to persons described in this exemption includes their affiliates. An affiliate
is defined as:
-
Any person directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries,
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such person;
-
Any officer, director, partner, employee or relative (as defined in
section 3(15) of the Act) of such person; and
-
Any corporation or partnership of which such person is an officer, director or
partner.
-
An "established mortgage lender" means an organized business
enterprise which has as one of its principal purposes in the normal course of
business the origination of loans secured by real estate mortgages or deeds of
trust and which has satisfied the qualification requirements of one of the
following categories:
-
Approval by the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
for participation in any mortgage insurance program under the National Housing
Act;
-
Approval by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corporation as a qualified Seller/Servicer; or
-
A State agency or independent State authority empowered by State law to raise
capital to provide financing for residential dwelling units.
-
A "qualified real estate manager" means a fiduciary as defined
in section 3(21) of the Act who:
-
Is a financial institution or business organization, which in the normal course
of business advises institutional investors regarding investments similar to
those in which the plan desires to engage and which are described in
Part I of this exemption; and
-
Acknowledges in writing to the plan that it will make decisions regarding plan
investments in mortgage loans or participation interests therein in its
capacity as a fiduciary of such plan.
-
A "recognized mortgage loan" is any mortgage loan on a
"residential dwelling unit" which, at the time of its origination,
was eligible, through an established program, for purchase by the Federal
National Mortgage Association, the Government National Mortgage Association or
the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation;
-
A "residential dwelling unit" or "unit"
means:
-
Owner occupied non-farm property comprising one to four dwelling units,
including detached houses, townhouses, manufactured housing, condominiums,
units in a housing cooperative, or a unit in a multi unit subdivision (planned
unit development) restricted by recorded documents which limit the use of the
unit to residential purposes and provide for maintenance of common facilities;
or
-
Certain non-owner occupied units where such unit complies with the uniform
underwriting standards required for investor loans to qualify as a
"recognized mortgage loan" under this exemption.
Signed at Washington, D.C. this 13th day of May 1982.
Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 84-14
Qualified
Professional Asset Managers (QPAMs)
March 13, 1984 (49 FR 9494)
[Amended on October 10, 1985 (50 FR 41430)]
Summary |
| Permits various parties who are related to
employee benefit plans to engage in transactions involving plan assets if,
among other conditions, the assets are managed by "qualified professional
asset managers" (QPAMs), who are independent of the parties in interest
and meet specified financial standards. Additional exemptive relief is provided
for: (1) employers to furnish limited amounts of goods and services in the
ordinary course of business, and (2) leases of office or commercial space
between managed funds and QPAMs or contributing employers.
Includes 1985 Amendment which clarified the term "Affiliate". |
Class Exemption 84-14
for Plan Asset Transactions Determined by
Independent Qualified Professional Asset Managers
Agency: Department of Labor
Action: Grant of Class Exemption.
Summary: This document contains a final exemption from certain prohibited
transactions restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974 (ERISA) and from certain taxes imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of
1954 (the Code). The exemption permits various parties who are related to
employee benefit plans to engage in transactions involving plan assets if,
among other conditions, the assets are managed by persons, defined for purposes
of this exemption as "qualified professional asset managers" (QPAMs),
which are independent of the parties in interest and which meet specified
financial standards. Additional exemptive relief is provided for employers to
furnish limited amounts of goods and services in the ordinary course of
business. Limited relief is also provided for leases of office or commercial
space between managed funds and QPAMs or contributing employers. The exemption
will affect participants and beneficiaries of employee benefit plans, the
sponsoring employers of such plans, QPAMs and other persons engaging in the
described transactions.
Effective Date: December 21, 1982.
The Explanatory Preamble for the original PTE 84-14, together with the
full Amended Exemption, are available in the PREAMBLE document. The Preamble
for the Amendment appears in the PREAMBLE documents, immediately following the
Amended Exemption.
Amended Exemption
Part I. General Exemption. Effective December 21, 1982, the
restrictions of ERISA
section 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) and the taxes imposed by
Code section 4975(a) and (b),
by reason of Code section 4975(c)(I)(A)
through (D), shall not apply to a transaction between a party in
interest with respect to an employee benefit plan and an investment fund (as
defined in section V(b)) in which the plan has an interest, and which is
managed by a qualified professional asset manager (QPAM) (as defined in
section V(a)), if the following conditions are satisfied:
-
At the time of the transaction (as defined in section V(i)) the party in
interest, or its affiliate (as defined in section V(c)), does not have,
and during the immediately preceding one year has not exercised, the authority
to -
-
Appoint or terminate the QPAM as a manager of any of the plan's assets or
-
Negotiate the terms of the management agreement with the QPAM (including
renewals or modifications thereof) on behalf of the plan;
-
The transaction is not described in -
-
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 81-6
(46 FR 7527; January 23, 1981) (relating to securities lending
arrangements),
-
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 83-1 (28 FR 895;
January 7, 1983) (relating to acquisitions by plans of interests in
mortgage pools), or
-
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 82-87
(47 FR 21331; May 18,1982) (relating to certain mortgage
financing arrangements);
-
The terms of the transaction are negotiated on behalf of the investment fund
by, or under the authority and general direction of, the QPAM, and either the
QPAM, or (so long as the QPAM retains full fiduciary responsibility with
respect to the transaction) a property manager acting in accordance with
written guidelines established and administered by the QPAM, makes the decision
on behalf of the investment fund to enter into the transaction, provided that
the transaction is not part of an agreement, arrangement or understanding
designed to benefit a party in interest;
-
The party in interest dealing with the investment fund is neither the QPAM nor
a person related to the QPAM (within the meaning of section V(h));
-
The transaction is not entered into with a party in interest with respect to
any plan whose assets managed by the QPAM, when combined with the assets of
other plans established or maintained by the same employer (or affiliate
thereof described in section V(c)(1) of this exemption) or by the same
employee organization, and managed by the QPAM, represent more than
20 percent of the total client assets managed by the QPAM at the time of
the transaction;
-
At the time the transaction is entered into, and at the time of any subsequent
renewal or modification thereof that requires the consent of the QPAM, the
terms of the transaction are at least as favorable to the investment fund as
the terms generally available in arm's length transactions between unrelated
parties;
-
Neither the QPAM nor any affiliate thereof (as defined in section V(d)),
nor any owner, direct or indirect, of a 5 percent or more interest in the
QPAM is a person who within the 10 years immediately preceding the transaction
has been either convicted or released from imprisonment, whichever is later, as
a result of any felony involving abuse or misuse of such person's employee
benefit plan position or employment, or position or employment with a labor
organization; any felony arising out of the conduct of the business of a
broker, dealer, investment adviser, bank, insurance company or fiduciary;
income tax evasion; any felony involving the larceny, theft, robbery,
extortion, forgery, counterfeiting, fraudulent concealment, embezzlement,
fraudulent conversion, or misappropriation of funds or securities; conspiracy
or attempt to commit any such crimes or a crime in which any of the foregoing
crimes is an element; or any other crime described in section 411 of
ERISA. For purposes of this section (g), a person shall be deemed to have
been "convicted" from the date of the judgment of the trial court,
regardless of whether that judgment remains under appeal.
Part II. Specific Exemptions for Employers. Effective
December 21, 1982, the restrictions of
sections 406(a), 406(b)(1)
and 407(a) of ERISA and the taxes
imposed by section 4975(a)
and (b) of the Code, by reason of Code section 4975(e)(1)(A)
through (E), shall not apply to:
-
The sale, leasing, or servicing of goods (as defined in section V(j)), or
to the furnishing of services, to an investment fund managed by a QPAM by a
party in interest with respect to a plan having an interest in the fund,
if -
-
The party in interest is an employer any of whose employees are covered by the
plan or is a person who is a party in interest by virtue of a relationship to
such an employer described in section V(c),
-
The transaction is necessary for the administration or management of the
investment fund,
-
The transaction takes place in the ordinary course of a business engaged in by
the party in interest with the general public,
-
Effective for taxable years of the party in interest furnishing goods and
services after the date this exemption is granted, the amount attributable in
any taxable year of the party in interest to transactions engaged in with an
investment fund pursuant to section II(a) of this exemption does not
exceed one (1) percent of the gross receipts derived from all sources for
the prior taxable year of the party in interest, and
-
The requirements of sections I(c) through (g) are satisfied with
respect to the transaction;
-
The leasing of office or commercial space by an investment fund managed by a
QPAM to a party in interest with respect to a plan having an interest in the
investment fund, if -
-
The party in interest is an employer any of whose employees are covered by the
plan or is a person who is a party in interest by virtue of a relationship to
such an employer described in section V(c),
-
No commission or other fee is paid by the investment fund to the QPAM or to the
employer, or to an affiliate of the QPAM or employer (as defined in
section V(c)), in connection with the transaction,
-
Any unit of space leased to the party in interest by the investment fund is
suitable (or adaptable without excessive cost) for use by different tenants,
-
The amount of space covered by the lease does not exceed fifteen
(15) percent of the rentable space of the office building, integrated
office park, or of the commercial center (if the lease does not pertain to
office space),
-
In the case of a plan that is not an eligible individual account plan (as
defined in section 407(d)(3) of ERISA),
immediately after the transaction is entered into, the aggregate fair market
value of employer real property and employer securities held by investment
funds of the QPAM in which the plan has an interest does not exceed
10 percent of the fair market value of the assets of the plan held in
those investment funds. In determining the aggregate fair market value of
employer real property and employer securities as described herein, a plan
shall be considered to own the same proportionate undivided interest in each
asset of the investment fund or funds as its proportionate interest in the
total assets of the investment fund(s). For purposes of this requirement, the
term "employer real property" means real property leased to, and the
term "employer securities" means securities issued by, an employer
any of whose employees are covered by the plan or a party in interest of the
plan by reason of a relationship to the employer described in
subparagraphs (E) or (G) of ERISA section 3(14), and
-
The requirements of sections I(c) through (g) are satisfied with
respect to the transaction.
Part III. Specific Lease Exemption for QPAMs. Effective
December 21, 1982, the restrictions of
section 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) and
406(b)(1) and (2) of ERISA and the taxes imposed by Code
section 4975(a) and (b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(A)
through (E), shall not apply to the leasing of office or
commercial space by an investment fund managed by a QPAM to the QPAM, a person
who is a party in interest of a plan by virtue of a relationship to such QPAM
described in subparagraphs (G), (H),
or (I) of ERISA section 3(14) or a person not eligible for
the General Exemption of Part I by reason of section I(a), if -
-
The amount of space covered by the lease does not exceed the greater of 7500
square feet or one (1) percent of the rentable space of the office
building, integrated office park or of the commercial center in which the
investment fund has the investment,
-
The unit of space subject to the lease is suitable (or adaptable without
excessive cost) for use by different tenants,
-
At the time the transaction is entered into, and at the time of any subsequent
renewal or modification thereof that requires the consent of the QPAM, the
terms of the transaction are not more favorable to the lessee than the terms
generally available in arm's length transactions between unrelated parties, and
-
No commission or other fee is paid by the investment fund to the QPAM, any
person possessing the disqualifying, powers described in section I(a), or
any affiliate of such persons (as defined in section V(c)), in connection
with the transaction.
Part IV. Transactions Involving Places of Public Accommodation.
Effective December 21, 1982, the restrictions of
section 406(a)(1)(A) through (D) and
406(b)(1) and (2) of ERISA and the taxes imposed by Code
section 4975(a) and (b), by reason of Code section 4975(c)(1)(A)
through (E), shall not apply to the furnishing of services and
facilities (and goods incidental thereto) by a place of public accommodation
owned by an investment fund managed by a QPAM to a party in interest with
respect to a plan having an interest in the investment fund, if the services
and facilities (and incidental goods) are furnished on a comparable basis to
the general public.
Part V. Definitions and General Rules. For the purposes of this
exemption:
-
The term "qualified professional asset manager" or "QPAM"
means -
-
A bank, as described in section 202(a)(2) of the Investment Advisers Act
of 1940 that has the power to manage, acquire or dispose of assets of a plan,
which bank has, as of the last day of its most recent fiscal year, equity
capital (as defined in section V(k)) in excess of $1,000,000, or
-
A savings and loan association, the accounts of which are insured by the
Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, that has made application for
and been granted trust powers to manage, acquire or dispose of assets of a plan
by a State or Federal authority having supervision over savings and loan
associations, which savings and loan association has, as of the last day of its
most recent fiscal year, equity capital (as defined in section V(k)) or
net worth (as defined in section V(I)) in excess of $1,000,000, or
-
An insurance company which is qualified under the laws of more than one State
to manage, acquire, or dispose of any assets of a plan, which company has, as
of the last day of its most recent fiscal year, net worth (as defined in
section V(I)) in excess of $1,000,000 and which is subject to supervision
and examination by a State authority having supervision over insurance
companies, or
-
An investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 that
has, as of the last day of its most recent fiscal year, total client assets
under its management and control in excess of $50,000,000, and either
(A) shareholders' or partners' equity (as defined in section V(m)) in
excess of $750,000, or (B) payment of all of its liabilities including any
liabilities that may arise by reason of a breach or violation of a duty
described in sections 404 or
406 of ERISA is unconditionally guaranteed by -
-
A person with a relationship to such investment adviser described in
section V(c)(l) if the investment adviser and such affiliate have, as of
the last day of their most recent fiscal year, shareholders' or partners'
equity, in the aggregate, in excess of $750,000, or
-
A person described in (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) of section V
above, or
-
A broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that has,
as of the last day of its most recent fiscal year, net worth in excess of
$750,000;
Provided that such bank, savings and loan association, insurance company or
investment adviser has acknowledged in a written management agreement that it
is a fiduciary with respect to each plan that has retained the QPAM.
-
An "investment fund" includes single customer and pooled separate
accounts maintained by an insurance company, individual trusts and common,
collective or group trusts maintained by a bank, and any other account or fund
to the extent that the disposition of its assets (whether or not in the custody
of the QPAM) is subject to the discretionary authority of the QPAM.
-
For purposes of section I(a) and Part II, and "affiliate"
of a person means -
-
Any person directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries,
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the person,
-
Any corporation, partnership, trust or unincorporated enterprise of which such
person is an officer, director, 5 percent or more partner, or employee
(but only if the employer of such employee is the plan sponsor), and
-
Any director of the person or any employee of the person who is a highly
compensated employee, as defined in section 4975(e)(2)(H) of
the Code, or who has direct or indirect authority, responsibility or
control regarding the custody, management or disposition of plan assets. A
named fiduciary (within the meaning of section 402(a)(2)
of ERISA) of a plan and an employer any of whose employees are covered
by the plan will also be considered affiliates with respect to each other for
purposes of section I(a) if such employer or an affiliate of such employer
has the authority, alone or shared with others, to appoint or terminate the
named fiduciary or otherwise negotiate the terms of the named fiduciary's
employment agreement.
-
For purposes of section I(g) an "affiliate" of a person
means -
-
Any person directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries,
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the person,
-
Any director of, relative of, or partner in, any such person,
-
Any corporation, partnership, trust or unincorporated enterprise of which such
person is an officer, director, or a 5 percent or more partner or owner,
and
-
Any employee or officer of the person who -
-
Is a highly compensated employee (as defined in section 4975(e)(2)(H)
of the Code) or officer (earning 10 percent or more of the yearly
wages of such person), or
-
Has direct or indirect authority, responsibility or control regarding the
custody, management or disposition of plan assets.
-
The term "control" means the power to exercise a controlling
influence over the management or policies of a person other than an individual.
-
The term "party in interest" means a person described in
ERISA section 3(14) and includes a "disqualified
person," as defined in Code section 4975(e)(2).
-
The term "relative" means a relative as that term is defined in
ERISA section 3(15), or a brother, a sister, or a spouse of a
brother or sister.
-
A QPAM is "related" to a party in interest for purposes of
section I(d) of this exemption if the party in interest (or a person
controlling, or controlled by, the party in interest) owns a five percent
or more interest in the QPAM or if the QPAM (or a person controlling, or
controlled by, the QPAM) owns a five percent or more interest in the party
in interest. For purposes of this definition:
-
The term "interest" means with respect to ownership of an
entity -
-
The combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote or the total
value of the shares of all classes of stock of the entity if the entity is a
corporation,
-
The capital interest or the profits interest of the entity if the entity is a
partnership, or
-
The beneficial interest of the entity if the entity is a trust or
unincorporated enterprise; and
-
A person is considered to own an interest held in any capacity if the person
has or shares the authority -
-
To exercise any voting rights or to direct some other person to exercise the
voting rights relating to such interest, or
-
To dispose or to direct the disposition of such interest.
-
The time as of which any transaction occurs is the date upon which the
transaction is entered into. In addition, in the case of a transaction that is
continuing, the transaction shall be deemed to occur until it is terminated. If
any transaction is entered into on or after December 21, 1982, or a
renewal that requires the consent of the QPAM occurs on or after
December 21, 1982 and the requirements of this exemption are satisfied at
the time the transaction is entered into or renewed, respectively, the
requirements will continue to be satisfied thereafter with respect to the
transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this exemption shall cease to apply
to a transaction exempt by virtue of Part I or Part II at such time
as the percentage requirement contained in section I(e) is exceeded,
unless no portion of such excess results from an increase in the assets
transferred for discretionary management to a QPA
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