Originally issued September 20, 1977 (42 FR 47201)

1. In General. Section 407(a)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) states that except as otherwise provided in section 407 and section 414 of the Act, a plan may not acquire or hold any employer security which is not a qualifying employer security or any employer real property which is not qualifying employer real property. Section 406(a)(1)(E) prohibits a fiduciary from knowingly causing a plan to engage in a transaction which constitutes a direct or indirect acquisition, on behalf of a plan, of any employer security or employer real property in violation of section 407(a), and section 406(a)(2) prohibits a fiduciary who has authority or discretion to control or manage assets of a plan to permit the plan to hold any employer security or employer real property if he knows or should know that holding such security or real property violates section 407(a).
2. Requirements applicable to all plans. A plan may hold or acquire only employer securities which are qualifying employer securities and employer real property which is qualifying employer real property. A plan may not hold employer securities and employer real property which are not qualifying employer securities and qualifying employer real property, except to the extent that:

1. The employer security is held by a plan which has made an election under section 407(c)(3) of the Act; or
2. The employer security is a loan or other extension of credit which satisfies the requirements of section 414(c)(1) of the Act or the employer real property is leased to the employer pursuant to a lease which satisfies the requirements of section 414(c)(2) of the Act.

Regulation published in Federal Register September 20, 1977 (42 FR 47201) and amended November 22, 1977 (42 FR 59842).

Codified to 29 C.F.R. 2550.407a-1.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.407a-2

29 C.F.R. 2550.407a-2.

Originally issued September 20, 1977 (42 FR 47201)

1. In General. Section 407(a)(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) provides that a plan may not acquire any qualifying employer security or qualifying employer real property, if immediately after such acquisition the aggregate fair market value of qualifying employer securities and qualifying employer real property held by the plan exceeds 10 percent of the fair market value of the assets of the plan.
2. Acquisitions. For purposes of section 407(a) of the Act, an acquisition by a plan of qualifying employer securities or qualifying employer real property shall include, but not be limited to, an acquisition by purchase, by the exchange of plan assets, by the exercise of warrants or rights, by the conversion of a security (except any acquisition pursuant to a conversion exempt under section 408(b)(7) of the Act), by default of a loan where the qualifying employer security or qualifying employer real property was security for the loan, or by the contribution of such securities or real property to the plan. However, an acquisition of a security shall not be deemed to have occurred if a plan acquires the security as a result of a stock dividend or stock split.
3. Fair Market Value - Indebtedness incurred in connection with the acquisition of a plan asset. In determining whether a plan is in compliance with the limitation on the acquisition of qualifying employer securities and qualifying employer real property in section 407(a)(2), the limitation on the holding of qualifying employer securities and qualifying employer real property in section 407(a)(3) and the requirement regarding the disposition of employer securities and employer real property in section 407(a)(4) thereunder, the fair market value of total plan assets shall be the fair market value of such assets less the unpaid amount of:

1. Any indebtedness incurred by the plan in acquiring such assets;
2. Any indebtedness incurred before the acquisition of such assets if such indebtedness would not have been incurred but for such acquisition; and
3. Any indebtedness incurred after the acquisition of such assets if such indebtedness would not have been incurred but for such acquisition and the incurrence of such indebtedness was reasonably foreseeable at the time of such acquisition. However, the fair market value of qualifying employer securities and qualifying employer real property shall be the fair market value of such assets without any reduction for the unpaid amount of any indebtedness incurred by the plan in connection with the acquisition of such employer securities and employer real property.

4. Examples.

1. Plan assets have a fair market value of $100,000. The plan has no liabilities other than liabilities for vested benefits of participants and does not own any employer securities or employer real property. The plan proposes to acquire qualifying employer securities with a fair market value of $10,000 by paying $1,000 in cash and borrowing $9,000. The fair market value of plan assets would be $100,000 ($100,000 of plan assets less $1,000 cash payment plus $10,000 of employer securities less $9,000 indebtedness), the fair market value of the qualifying employer securities would be $10,000, which is 10 percent of the fair market value of plan assets. Accordingly, the acquisition would not contravene section 407(a).
2. Plan assets have a fair market value of $100,000. The plan has liabilities of $20,000 which were incurred in connection with the acquisition of those assets, and does not own any employer securities or employer real property. The plan proposes to pay cash for qualifying employer securities with a fair market value of $10,000. The fair market value of plan assets would be $80,000 ($100,000 of plan assets less $10,000 cash payment plus $10,000 of employer securities less $20,000 indebtedness), the fair market value of the qualifying employer securities would be $10,000, which is 12.5 percent of the fair market value of plan assets. Accordingly, the acquisition would contravene section 407(a).

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.407d-5

29 C.F.R. 2550.407d-5

Originally issued September 2, 1977 (42 FR 44388)

1. In General. For purposes of this section and section 407(d)(5) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act), the term "qualifying employer security" means an employer security which is:

1. Stock; or
2. A marketable obligation, as defined in paragraph (b) of this section and section 407(e) of the Act.

2. For purposes of paragraph (a)(2) of this section and section 407(d)(5) of the Act, the term "marketable obligation" means a bond, debenture, note, or certificate, or other evidence of indebtedness (hereinafter in this paragraph referred to as "obligation") if:

1. Such obligation is acquired -

1. On the market, either

1. At the price of the obligation prevailing on a national securities exchange which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or
2. If the obligation is not traded on such a national securities exchange, at a price not less favorable to the plan than the offering price for the obligation as established by current bid and asked prices quoted by persons independent of the issuer;

2. From an underwriter, at a price -

1. Not in excess of the public offering price for the obligation as set forth in a prospectus or offering circular filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and
2. At which a substantial portion of the same issue is acquired by persons independent of the issuer; or

3. Directly from the issuer at a price not less favorable to the plan than the price paid currently for a substantial portion of the same issue by persons independent of the issuer;

2. Immediately following acquisition of such obligation,

1. Not more than 25 percent of the aggregate amount of obligations issued in such issue and outstanding at the time of acquisition is held by the plan, and
2. At least 50 percent of the aggregate amount referred to in paragraph (A) is held by persons independent of the issuer; and

3. Immediately following acquisition, of the obligation, not more than 25 percent of the assets of the plan is invested in obligations of the employer or an affiliate of the employer.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.407d-6

29 C.F.R. 2550.407d-6

Originally issued September 2, 1977 (42 FR 44388)

1. In General. -

1. Type of plan. To be an "ESOP" (employee stock ownership plan), a plan described in section 407(d)(6)(A) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) must meet the requirements of this section. See section 407(d)(6)(B).
2. Designation as ESOP. To be an ESOP, plan must be formally designated as such in the plan document.
3. Retroactive amendment. A plan meets the requirements of this section as of the date that it is designated as an ESOP if it is amended retroactively to meet, and in fact does meet, such requirements at any of the following times:

1. 12 months after the date on which the plan is designated as an ESOP;
2. 90 days after a determination letter is issued with respect to the qualification of the plan as an ESOP under this section, but only if the determination is requested by the date in paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section; or
3. A later date approved by the Internal Revenue Service district director.

4. Addition to other plan. An ESOP may form a portion of a plan the balance of which includes a qualified pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus plan which is not an ESOP. A reference to an ESOP includes an ESOP that forms a portion of another plan.
5. Conversion of existing plan to an ESOP. If an existing pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus plan is converted into an ESOP, the requirements of section 404 of the Act, relating to fiduciary duties, and section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code), relating to requirements for plans established for the exclusive benefit of employees, apply to such conversion. A conversion may constitute a termination of an existing plan. For definition of a termination, see the regulations under section 411(d)(3) of the Code and section 4041(f) of the Act.
6. Certain arrangements barred. (i) buy-sell agreements. An arrangement involving an ESOP that creates a put option must not provide for the issuance of put options other than as provided under Section 2550.408b-3(j), (k) and (l). Also, an ESOP must not otherwise obligate itself to acquire securities from a particular security holder at an indefinite time determined upon the happening of an event such as the death of the holder.

2. Plan designed to invest primarily in qualifying employer securities. A plan constitutes an ESOP only if the plan specifically states that it is designed to invest primarily in qualifying employer securities. Thus, a stock bonus plan or a money purchase pension plan constituting an ESOP may invest part of its assets in other than qualifying employer securities. Such plan will be treated the same as other stock bonus plans or money purchase pension plans qualified under section 401(a) of the Code with respect to those investments.
3. Regulations of the secretary of the treasury. A plan constitutes an ESOP for a plan year only if it meets such other requirements as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe by regulation under section 4975(e)(7) of the Code. See 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.408b-1

29 C.F.R. 2550.408b-1

Originally issued July 20, 1989 (54 FR 30520)

1. (1) In General. Section 408(b)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act of ERISA) exempts from the prohibitions of section 406(a), 406(b)(1), and 406(b)(2) loans by a plan to parties in interest who are participants or beneficiaries of the plan, provided that such loans:

1. Are available to all such participants and beneficiaries on a reasonably equivalent basis;
2. Are not made available to highly compensated employees, officers or shareholders in an amount greater than the amount made available to other employees;
3. Are made in accordance with specific provisions regarding such loans set forth in the plan;
4. Bear a reasonable rate of interest; and
5. Are adequately secured.

2. Scope. Section 408(b)(1) of the Act does not contain an exemption from acts described in section 406(b)(3) of the Act (prohibiting fiduciaries from receiving consideration for their own personal account from any party dealing with a plan in connection with a transaction involving plan assets). If a loan from a plan to a participant who is a party in interest with respect to that plan involves an act described in section 406(b)(3), such an act constitutes a separate transaction which is not exempt under section 408(b)(1) of the Act. The provisions of section 408(b)(1) are further limited by section 408(d) of the Act (relating to transactions with owner-employees and related persons).
3. Loans.

1. Section 408(b)(1) of the Act provides relief from the prohibitions of section 406(a), 406(b)(1) and 406(b)(2) for the making of a participant loan. The term "participant loan" refers to a loan which is arranged and approved by the fiduciary administering the loan program primarily in the interest of the participant and which otherwise satisfies the criteria set forth in section 408(b)(1) of the Act. The existence of a participant loan or participant loan program will be determined upon consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances. Thus, for example, the mere presence of a loan document appearing to satisfy the requirements of section 408(b)(1) will not be dispositive of whether a participant loan exists where the subsequent administration of the loan indicates that the parties to the loan agreement did not intent the loan to be repaid. Moreover, a loan program containing a precondition designed to benefit a party in interest (other than the participant) is not afforded relief by section 408(b)(1) or this regulation. In this regard, section 408(b)(1) recognizes that a program of participant loans, like other plans investments, must be prudently established and administered for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to participants and beneficiaries of the plan.
2. For the purpose of this regulation, the term "loan" will include any renewal or modification of an existing loan agreement, provided that, at the time of each such renewal or modification, the requirements of section 408(b)(1) and this regulation are met.

4. Examples. The following examples illustrate the provisions of section 2550.408b-1(a).

2. Reasonably Equivalent Basis.

1. Loans will not be considered to have been made available to participants and beneficiaries on a reasonably equivalent basis unless:

1. Such loans are available to all plan participants and beneficiaries without regard to any individual's race, color, religion, sex, age or national origin:
2. In making such loans, consideration has been given only to those factors which would be considered in a normal commercial setting by an entity in the business of making similar types of loans. Such factors may include the applicant's creditworthiness and financial need; and
3. An evaluation of all relevant facts and circumstances indicates that, in actual practice, loans are not unreasonably withheld from any applicant.

2. A participant loan program will not fail the requirement of paragraph (b)(1) of this section or section 2550.408b-1(c) if the program establishes a minimum loan amount of up to $1,000, provided that the loans granted meet the requirements of section 2550.408b-1(f).
3. Examples. The following examples illustrate the provisions of section 2550.408b-1(b)(1):

3. Highly Compensated Employees.

1. Loans will not be considered to be made available to highly compensated employees, officers or shareholders in an amount greater that the amount made available to other employees if, upon consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances, the program does not operate to exclude large numbers of plan participants from receiving loans under the program.
2. A participant loan program will not fail to meet the requirement in paragraph (c)(1), of this section, merely because the plan documents specifically governing such loans set forth either (i) a maximum dollar limitation, or (ii) a maximum percentage of vested accrued benefit which no loan may exceed.
3. If the second alternative in paragraph (c)(2) of this section (maximum percentage of vested accrued benefit) is chosen, a loan program will not fail to meet this requirement solely because maximum loan amounts will vary directly with the size of the participant's accrued benefit.
4. Examples. The following examples illustrate the provisions of section 2550.408b-1(c).

4. Specific Plan Provisions. For the purpose of section 408(b)(1) and this regulation, the Department will consider that participant loans granted or renewed at any time prior to the last day of the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 1989, are made in accordance with specific provisions regarding such loans set forth in the plan if:

1. The plan provisions regarding such loans contain (at a minimum) an explicit authorization for the plan fiduciary responsible for investing plan assets to establish a participant loan program; and
2. For participant loans granted or renewed on or after the last day of the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 1989, the participant loan program which is contained in the plan or in a written document forming part of the plan includes, but need not be limited to, the following:

1. The identify of the person or positions authorized to administer the participant loan program;
2. A procedure for applying for loans;
3. The basis on which loans will be approved or denied;
4. Limitations (if any) on the types and amount of loans offered;
5. The procedure under the program for determining a reasonable rate of interest;
6. The types of collateral which may secure a participant loan; and
7. The events constituting default and the steps that will be taken to preserve plan assets in the event of such default.

5. Reasonable Rate of Interest. A loan will be considered to bear a reasonable rate of interest if such loan provides the plan with a return commensurate with the rates of charged by persons in the business of lending money for loans which would be made under similar circumstances.

Example (1): Plan P makes a participant loan to A at the fixed interest rate of 8% for 5 years. The trustees, prior to making the loan, contacted two local banks to determine under what terms the banks would make a similar loan taking into account A's creditworthiness and the collateral offered. One bank would charge a variable rate of 10% adjusted monthly for a similar loan. The other bank would charge a fixed rate of 12% under similar circumstances. Under these facts, the loan to A would not bear a reasonable rate of interest because the loan did not provide P with a return commensurate with interest rates charged by persons in the business of lending money for loans which would be made under similar circumstances. As a result, the loan would fail to meet the requirement of section 408(b)(1)(D) and would not be covered by the relief provided by section 408(b)(1) if the Act.

Example (2): Pursuant to the provisions of plan P's participant loan program, T, the trustee of P, approves a loan to M, a participant and party in interest with respect to P. At the time of execution, the loan meets all of the requirements of section 408(b)(1) of the Act. The loan agreement provides that at the end of two years M must pay the remaining balance in full or the parties may renew for an additional two year period. At the end of the initial two year period, the parties agree to renew the loan for an additional two years. At the time of renewal, however, A fails to adjust the interest rate charged on the loan in order to reflect current economic conditions. As a result, the interest rate on the renewal fails to provide a "reasonable rate of interest" as required by section 408(b)(1)(D) of the Act. Under such circumstance, the loan would not be exempt under section 408(b)(1) of the Act from the time of renewal.

Example (3): The documents governing plan P's participant loan program provide that loans must bear an interest rate no higher than the maximum interest rate permitted under State X's usury law. Pursuant to the loan program, P makes a participant loan to A, a plan participant, at a time when the interest rates charged by financial institutions in the community (not subject to the usury limit) for similar loans are higher than the usury limit. Under these circumstances, the loan would not bear a reasonable rate of interest because the loan does not provide P with a return commensurate with the interest rates charged by persons in the business of lending money under similar circumstances. In addition, participant loans that are artificially limited to the maximum usury ceiling then prevailing call into question the status of such loans under sections 403(c) and 404(a) where higher yielding comparable investment opportunities are available to the plan.

6. Adequate Security.

1. A loan will be considered to be adequately secured if the security posed for such loan is something in addition to and supporting a promise to pay, which is so pledged to the plan that it may be sold, foreclosed upon, or otherwise disposed of upon default of repayment of the loan, the value and liquidity of which security is such that it may reasonably be anticipated that loss of principal or interest will not result from the loan. The adequacy of such security will be determined in light of the type and amount of security which would be required in the case of an otherwise identical transaction in a normal commercial setting between unrelated parties on arms'-length terms. A participant's vested accrued benefit under a plan may be used as security for a participant loan to the extent of the plan's ability to satisfy the participant's outstanding obligation in the event of default.
2. For purposes of this paragraph -

1. no more than 50% of the present value of a participant's vested accrued benefit may be considered by a plan as security for the outstanding balance of all plan loans made to that participant;
2. a plan will be in compliance with paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section if, with respect to any participant, it meets the provisions of paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section immediately after the origination of each participant loan secured in whole in part by that participant's vested accrued benefit; and
3. any loan secured in whole or in part by a portion of a participant's vested accrued benefit must also meet the requirements of paragraph (f)(1) of this section.

7. Effective date. This section is effective for all participant loans granted or renewed after October 18, 1989, except with respect to paragraph (d)(2) of this section relating to specific plan provisions. Paragraph (d)(2) of this section is effective for participant loans granted or renewed on or after the last day of the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 1989.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.408b-2

29 C.F.R. 2550.408b-2

Originally issued June 24, 1977 (42 FR 32390)

1. In General. Section 408(b)(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) exempts from the prohibitions of section 406(a) of the Act payment by a plan to a party in interest, including a fiduciary, for office space or any service (or a combination of services) if (1) such office space or service is necessary for the establishment or operation of the plan (2) such office space or service is furnished under a contract or arrangement which is reasonable and (3) no more than reasonable compensation is paid for such office space or service. However, section 408(b)(2) does not contain an exemption from acts described in section 406(b)(1) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries dealing with the assets of plans in their own interest or for their own account), section 406(b)(2) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries in their individual or in any other capacity acting in any transaction involving the plan on behalf of a party (or representing a party) whose interests are adverse to the interests of the plan or the interests of its participants or beneficiaries) or section 406(b)(3) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries receiving consideration for their own personal account from any party dealing with a plan in connection with a transaction involving the assets of the plan). Such acts are separate transactions not described in section 408(b)(2). See 2550.408b-2(e) and  (f) for guidance as to whether transactions relating to the furnishing of office space or services by fiduciaries to plans involve acts described in section 406(b)(1) of the Act. Section 408(b)(2) of the Act does not contain an exemption from other provisions of the Act, such as section 404, or other provisions of law which may impose requirements or restrictions relating to the transactions which are exempt under section 408(b)(2). See, for example, section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The provisions of section 408(b)(2) of the Act are further limited by section 408(d) of the Act (relating to transactions with owner-employees and related persons).
2. Necessary service. A service is necessary for the establishment or operation of a plan within the meaning of section 408(b)(2) of the Act and 2550.408b-2(a)(1) if the service is appropriate and helpful to the plan obtaining the service in carrying out the purposes for which the plan is established or maintained. A person providing such a service to a plan (or a person who is a party in interest solely by reason of a relationship to such a service provider described in section 3(14)(F), (G), (H), or (I) of the Act) may furnish goods which are necessary for the establishment or operation of the plan in the course of, and incidental to, the furnishing of such service to the plan.
3. Reasonable contract or arrangement. No contract or arrangement is reasonable within the meaning of section 408(b)(2) of the Act and 2550.408b-2(a)(2) if it does not permit termination by the plan without penalty to the plan on reasonably short notice under the circumstances to prevent the plan from becoming locked into an arrangement that has become disadvantageous. A long-term lease which may be terminated prior to its expiration (without penalty to the plan) on reasonably short notice under the circumstances is not generally an unreasonable arrangement merely because of its long term. A provision in a contract or other arrangement which reasonably compensates the service provider or lessor for loss upon early termination of the contract, arrangement or lease is not a penalty. For example, a minimal fee in a service contract which is charged to allow recoupment of reasonable start-up costs is not a penalty. Similarly, a provision in a lease for a termination fee that covers reasonably foreseeable expenses related to the vacancy and reletting of the office space upon early termination of the lease is not a penalty. Such a provision does not reasonably compensate for loss if it provides for payment in excess of actual loss or if it fails to require mitigation of damages.
4. Reasonable compensation. Section 408(b)(2) of the Act and 2550.408b-2(a)(3) permit a plan to pay a party in interest reasonable compensation for the provision of office space or services described in section 408(b)(2). Section 2550.408c-2 of these regulations contains provisions relating to what constitutes reasonable compensation for the provision of services.
5. Transactions with fiduciaries.

1. In General. If the furnishing of office space or a service involves an act described in section 406(b) of the Act (relating to acts involving conflicts of interest by fiduciaries), such an act constitutes a separate transaction which is not exempt under section 408(b)(2) of the Act. The prohibitions of section 406(b) supplement the other prohibitions of section 406(a) of the Act by imposing on parties in interest who are fiduciaries a duty of undivided loyalty to the plans for which they act. These prohibitions are imposed upon fiduciaries to deter them from exercising the authority, control, or responsibility which makes such persons fiduciaries when they have interests which may conflict with the interests of the plans for which they act. In such cases, the fiduciaries have interests in the transactions which may affect the exercise of their best judgment as fiduciaries. Thus, a fiduciary may not use the authority, control, or responsibility which makes such person a fiduciary to cause a plan to pay an additional fee to such fiduciary (or to a person in which such fiduciary has an interest which may affect the exercise of such fiduciary's best judgment as a fiduciary) to provide a service. Nor may a fiduciary use such authority, control, or responsibility to cause a plan to enter into a transaction involving plan assets whereby such fiduciary (or a person in which such fiduciary has an interest which may affect the exercise of such fiduciary's best judgment as a fiduciary) will receive consideration from a third party in connection with such transaction. A person in which a fiduciary has an interest which may affect the exercise of such fiduciary's best judgment as a fiduciary includes, for example, a person who is a party in interest by reason of a relationship to such fiduciary described in section 3(14)(E), (F), (G), (H), or (I).
2. Transactions not described in Section 406(b)(1). A fiduciary does not engage in an act described in section 406(b)(1) of the Act if the fiduciary does not use any of the authority, control or responsibility which makes such person a fiduciary to cause a plan to pay additional fees for a service furnished by such fiduciary or to pay a fee for a service furnished by a person in which such fiduciary has an interest which may affect the exercise of such fiduciary's best judgment as a fiduciary. This may occur, for example, when one fiduciary is retained on behalf of a plan by a second fiduciary to provide a service for an additional fee. However, because the authority, control or responsibility which makes a person a fiduciary may be exercised "in effect" as well as in form, mere approval of the transaction by a second fiduciary does not mean that the first fiduciary has not used any of the authority, control or responsibility which makes such person a fiduciary to cause the plan to pay the first fiduciary an additional fee for a service. See paragraph (f) below.
3. Services without compensation. If a fiduciary provides services to a plan without the receipt of compensation or other consideration [other than reimbursement of direct expenses properly and actually incurred in the performance of such services within the meaning of 2550.408c-2(b)(3)], the provision of such services does not, in and of itself, constitute an act described in section 406(b) of the Act. The allowance of a deduction to an employer under section 162 or 12 of the Code for the expense incurred in furnishing office space or services to a plan established or maintained by such employer does not constitute compensation or other consideration.

6. Examples. The provisions of 2550.408b-2(e) may be illustrated by the following examples.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.408b-3

29 C.F.R. 2550.408b-3

Originally issued September 2, 1977 (42 FR 44385)

Technical corrections September 13, 1977 (42 FR 45907)

Amended April 30, 1984 (49 FR 18295)

1. Definitions. When used in this section, the terms listed below have the following meanings:

1. ESOP. The term "ESOP" refers to an employee stock ownership plan that meets the requirements of section 407(d)(6) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) and 29 C.F.R. 2550.407d-6. It is not synonymous with "stock bonus plan." A stock bonus plan must, however, be an ESOP to engage in an exempt loan. The qualification of an ESOP under section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11 will not be adversely affected merely because it engages in a non-exempt loan.
2. Loan. The term "loan" refers to a loan made to an ESOP by a party in interest or a loan to an ESOP which is guaranteed by a party in interest. It includes a direct loan of cash, a purchase-money transaction, and an assumption of the obligation of the ESOP. "Guarantee" includes an unsecured guarantee and the use of assets of a party in interest as collateral for a loan, even though the use of assets may not be a guarantee under applicable state law. An amendment of a loan in order to qualify as an exempt loan is not a refinancing of the loan or the making of another loan.
3. Exempt Loan. The term "exempt loan" refers to a loan that satisfies the provisions of this section. A "non-exempt loan" is one that fails to satisfy such provisions.
4. Pubicly traded. The term "publicly traded" refers to a security that is listed on a national securities exchange registered under section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78f) or that is quoted on a system sponsored by a national securities association registered under section 15A(b) of the Securities Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78o).
5. Qualifying Employer Security. The term "qualifying employer security" refers to a security described in 29 C.F.R. 2550.407d-5.

2. Statutory Exemption -

1. Scope. Section 408(b)(3) of the Act provides an exemption from the prohibited transaction provisions of sections 406(a) and 406(b)(1) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries dealing with the assets of plans in their own interest or for their own account) and 406(b)(2) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries in their individual or in any other capacity acting in any transaction involving the plan on behalf of a party (or representing a party) whose interests are adverse to the interests of the plan or the interests of its participants or beneficiaries). Section 408(b)(3) does not provide an exemption from the prohibitions of section 406(b)(3) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries receiving consideration for their own personal account from any party dealing with a plan in connection with a transaction involving the income or assets of the plan).
2. Special scrutiny of transaction. The exemption under section 408(b)(3) includes within its scope certain transactions in which the potential for self-dealing by fiduciaries exists and in which the interests of fiduciaries may conflict with the interests of participants. To guard against these potential abuses, the Department of Labor will subject these transactions to special scrutiny to ensure that they are primarily for the benefit of participants and their beneficiaries. Although the transactions need not be arranged and approved by an independent fiduciary, fiduciaries are cautioned to scrupulously exercise their discretion in approving them. For example, fiduciaries should be prepared to demonstrate compliance with the net effect test and the arm's-length standard under paragraphs (c)(2) and (3) of this section. Also, fiduciaries should determine that the transaction is truly arranged primarily in the interest of participants and their beneficiaries rather than, for example, in the interest of certain selling shareholders.

3. Primary benefit requirement --

1. In General. An exempt loan must be primarily for the benefit of the ESOP participants and their beneficiaries. All the surrounding facts and circumstances, including those described in paragraphs (c)(2) and (3) of this section, will be considered in determining whether such loan satisfies this requirement. However, no loan will satisfy such requirement unless it satisfies the requirements of paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of this section.
2. Net effect on plan assets. At the time that a loan is made, the interest rate for the loan and the price of securities to be acquired with the loan proceeds should not be such that plan assets might be drained off (Emphasis added).
3. Arm's-length standard. The terms of a loan, whether or not between independent parties, must, at the time the loan is made, be at least as favorable to the ESOP as the terms of a comparable loan resulting from arm's-length negotiations between independent parties.

4. Use of loan proceeds. The proceeds of an exempt loan must be used, within a reasonable time after their receipt, by the borrowing ESOP only for any or all of the following purposes:

1. To acquire qualifying employer securities.
2. To repay such loan.
3. To repay a prior exempt loan. A new loan, the proceeds of which are so used, must satisfy the provisions of this section. Except as provided in paragraphs (i) and (j) of this section or as otherwise required by applicable law, no security acquired with the proceeds of an exempt loan may be subject to a put, call, or other option, or buy-sell or similar arrangement while held by and when distributed from a plan, whether or not the plan is then an ESOP.

5. Liability and collateral of ESOP for loan. An exempt loan must be without recourse against the ESOP. Furthermore, the only assets of the ESOP that may be given as collateral on an exempt loan are qualifying employer securities of two classes: those acquired with the proceeds of the exempt loan and those that were used as collateral on a prior exempt loan repaid with the proceeds of the current exempt loan. No person entitled to payment under the exempt loan shall have any right to assets of the ESOP other than:

1. Collateral given for the loan,
2. Contributions (other than contributions of employer securities) that are made under an ESOP to meet its obligations under the loan, and
3. Earnings attributable to such collateral and the investment of such contributions.

6. Default. In the event of default upon an exempt loan, the value of plan assets transferred in satisfaction of the loan must not exceed the amount of default. If the lender is a party in interest, a loan must provide for a transfer of plan assets upon default only upon and to the extent of the failure of the plan to meet the payment schedule of the loan. For purposes of this paragraph, the making of a guarantee does not make a person a lender.
7. Reasonable rate of interest. The interest rate of a loan must not be in excess of a reasonable rate of interest. All relevant factors will be considered in determining a reasonable rate of interest, including the amount and duration of the loan, the security and guarantee (if any) involved, the credit standing of the ESOP and the guarantor (if any), and the interest rate prevailing for comparable loans. When these factors are considered, a variable interest rate may be reasonable.
8. Release from encumbrance --

1. General rule. In general, an exempt loan must provide for the release from encumbrance of plan assets used as collateral for the loan under this paragraph. For each plan year during the duration of the loan, the number of securities released must equal the number of encumbered securities held immediately before release for the current plan year multiplied by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the amount of principal and interest paid for the year. The denominator of the fraction is the sum of the numerator plus the principal and interest to be paid for all future years. See Section 2550.408b-3(h)(4). The number of future years under the loan must be definitely ascertainable and must be determined without taking into account any possible extensions or renewal periods. If the interest rate under the loan is variable, the interest to be paid in future years must be computed by using the interest rate applicable as of the end of the plan year. If collateral includes more than one class of securities, the number of securities of each class to be released for a plan year must be determined by applying the same fraction to each class.
2. Special rule. A loan will not fail to be exempt merely because the number of securities to be released from encumbrance is determined solely with reference to principal payments. However, if release is determined with reference to principal payments only, the following three additional rules apply. The first rule is that the loan must provide for annual payments of principal and interest at a cumulative rate that is not less rapid at any time than level annual payments of such amounts for 10 years. The second rule is that interest included in any payment is disregarded only to the extent that it would be determined to be interest under standard loan amortization tables. The third rule is that subdivision (2) is not applicable from the time that, by reason of a renewal, extension, or refinancing, the sum of the expired duration of the exempt loan, the renewal period, the extension period, and the duration of a new exempt loan exceeds 10 years.
3. Caution against plan disqualification. Under an exempt loan, the number of securities released from encumbrance may vary from year to year. The release of securities depends upon certain employer contributions and earnings under the ESOP. Under 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11(d)(2) actual allocations to participants' accounts are based upon assets withdrawn from the suspense account. Nevertheless, for purposes of applying the limitations under section 415 of the Code to these allocations, under 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11(a)(8)(ii) contributions used by the ESOP to pay the loan are treated as annual additions to participants' accounts. Therefore, particular caution must be exercised to avoid exceeding the maximum annual additions under section 415 of the Code. At the same time, release from encumbrance in annually varying numbers may reflect a failure on the part of the employer to make substantial and recurring contributions to the ESOP which will lead to loss of qualification under section 401(a) of the Code. The Internal Revenue Service will observe closely the operation of ESOPs that release encumbered securities in varying annual amounts, particularly those that provide for the deferral of loan payments or for balloon payments. See 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-7(b)(8)(iii).
4. Illustration. The general rule under paragraph (h)(1) of this section operates as illustrated in the following example:

9. Right of first refusal. Qualifying employer securities acquired with proceeds of an exempt loan may, but need not, be subject to a right of first refusal. However, any such right must meet the requirements of this paragraph. Securities subject to such right must be stock or an equity security, or a debt security convertible into stock or an equity security. Also, they must not be publicly traded at the time the right may be exercised. The right of first refusal must be in favor of the employer, the ESOP, or both in any order of priority. The selling price and other terms under the right must not be less favorable to the seller than the greater of the value of the security determined under 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11(d)(5), or the purchase price and other terms offered by a buyer, other than the employer or the ESOP, making a good faith offer to purchase the security. The right of first refusal must lapse no later than 14 days after the security holder gives written notice to the holder of the right that an offer by a third party to purchase the security has been received.
10. Put option. A qualifying employer security acquired with the proceeds of an exempt loan by an ESOP after September 30, 1976, must be subject to a put option if it is not publicly traded when distributed or if it is subject to a trading limitation when distributed. For purposes of this paragraph, a "trading limitation" on a security is a restriction under any Federal or State securities law or any regulation thereunder, or an agreement (not prohibited by this section) affecting the security which would make the security not as freely tradable as one not subject to such restriction. The put option must be exercisable only by a participant, by the participant's donee(s), or by a person (including an estate or its distributes) to whom the security passes by reason of a participant's death. (Under this paragraph "participant" means a participant and the beneficiaries of the participant under the ESOP.) The put option must permit a participant to put the security to the employer. Under no circumstances may the put option bind the ESOP. However, it may grant the ESOP an option to assume the rights and obligations of the employer at the time that the put option is exercised. If it is known at the time a loan is made that Federal or state law will be violated by the employer's honoring such option, the put option must permit the security to be put, in a manner consistent with such law, to a third party (e.g., an affiliate of the employer or a shareholder other than the ESOP) that has substantial net worth at the time the loan is made and whose net worth is reasonably expected to remain substantial.
11. Duration of put option. --

1. General rule. A put option must be exercisable at least during a 15-month period which begins the date the security subject to the put option is distributed by the ESOP.
2. Special rule. In the case of a security that is publicly traded without restriction when distributed but ceases to be so traded within 15 months after distribution, the employer must notify each security holder in writing on or before the tenth day after the date the security ceases to be so traded that for the remainder of the 15-month period the security is subject to a put option. The number of days between the tenth day and the date on which notice is actually given, if later than the tenth day, must be added to the duration of the put option. The notice must inform distributee(s) of the terms of the put options that they are to hold. The terms must satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (j) through (i) of this section.

12. Other put option provisions. --

1. Manner of exercise. A put option is exercised by the holder notifying the employer in writing that the put option is being exercised.
2. Time excluded from duration of put option. The period during which a put option is exercisable does not include any time when a distributee is unable to exercise it because the party bound by the put option is prohibited from honoring it by applicable Federal or state law.
3. Price. The price at which a put option must be exercisable is the value of the security, determined in accordance with paragraph (d)(5) of 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11.
4. Payment terms. The provisions for payment under a put option must be reasonable. The deferral of payment is reasonable if adequate security and a reasonable interest rate are provided for any credit extended and if the cumulative payments at any time are no less than the aggregate of reasonable periodic payments as of such time. Periodic payments are reasonable if annual installments, beginning with 30 days after the date the put option is exercised, are substantially equal. Generally, the payment period may not end more than 5 years after the date the put option is exercised. However, it may be extended to a date no later than the earlier of 10 years from the date the put option is exercised or the date the proceeds of the loan used by the ESOP to acquire the security subject to such put option are entirely repaid.
5. Payment restrictions. Payment under a put option may be restricted by the terms of a loan, including one used to acquire a security subject to a put option, made before November 1, 1977. Otherwise, payment under a put option must not be restricted by the provisions of a loan or any other arrangement, including the terms of the employer's articles of incorporation, unless so required by applicable state law.

13. Other terms of loan. An exempt loan must be for a specific term. Such loan may not be payable at the demand of any person, except in the case of default.
14. Status of paln as ESOP. To be exempt, a loan must be made to a plan that is an ESOP at the time of such loan. However, a loan to a plan formally designated as an ESOP at the time of the loan that fails to be an ESOP because it does not comply with section 401 (a) of the Code or 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11 will be exempt as of the time of such loan if the plan is amended retroactively under section 401(b) of the Code or 26 C.F.R. 54.4975-11(a)(4).
15. Special rules for certain loans. --

1. Loans made before January 1, 1976. A loan made before January 1, 1976, or made afterwards under a binding agreement in effect on January 1, 1976 (or under renewals permitted by the terms of such an agreement on that date) is exempt for the entire period of such loan if it otherwise satisfies the provisions of this section for such period, even though it does not satisfy the following provisions of this section:

1. The last sentence of paragraph (d);
2. Paragraphs (e), (f), and (h)(1) and (2); and
3. Paragraphs (i) through (m), inclusive.

2. Loans made after December 31, 1975, BUT BEFORE November 1, 1977. A loan made after December 31, 1975, but before November 1, 1977, or made afterwards under a binding agreement in effect on November 1, 1977, (or under renewals permitted by the terms of such an agreement on that date) is exempt for the entire period of such loan if it otherwise satisfies the provisions of this section for such period even though it does not satisfy the following provisions of this section:

1. Paragraph (f);
2. The three provisions of paragraph (h)(2): and
3. Paragraph (i).

3. Release rule. Notwithstanding paragraphs (o)(1) and (2) of this section, if the proceeds of a loan are used to acquire securities after November 1, 1977, the loan must comply by such date with the provisions of paragraph (h) of this section.
4. Default rule. Notwithstanding paragraphs (o)(1) and (2) of this section, a loan by a party in interest other than a guarantor must satisfy the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section. A loan will satisfy these requirements if it is retroactively amended before November 1, 1977, to satisfy these requirements.
5. Put option rule. With respect to a security distributed before November 1, 1977, the put option provisions of paragraphs (j), (k), and (l) of this section will be deemed satisfied as of the date the security is distributed if by December 31, 1977, the security is subject to a put option satisfying such provisions. For purposes of satisfying such provisions, the security will be deemed distributed on the date the put option is issued. However, the put option provisions need not be satisfied with respect to a security that is not owned on November 1, 1977, by a person in whose hands a put option must be exercisable.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.408b-4

29 C.F.R. 2550.408b-4

Originally issued June 24, 1977 (42 FR 32392)

1. In General.

Section 408(b)(4) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) exempts from the prohibition of Section 406 of the Act the investment of all or a part of a plan's assets in deposits bearing a reasonable rate of interest in a bank or similar financial institution supervised by the United States or a State, even though such bank or similar financial institution is a fiduciary or other party in interest with respect to the plan, if the conditions of either Part 2550.408b-4(b)(1) or Part 2550.408b-4(b)(2) are met.

Section 408(b)(4) provides an exemption from Section 406(b)(1) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries dealing with the assets of plans in their own interest or for their own account) and 406(b)(2) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries in their individual or in any other capacity acting in any transaction involving the plan on behalf of a party -- or representing a party -- whose interests are adverse to the interests of the plan or the interests of its participants or beneficiaries), as well as Section 406(a)(1), because Section 408(b)(4) contemplates a bank or similar financial institution causing a plan for which it acts as a fiduciary to invest plan assets in its own deposits if the requirements of Section 408(b)(4) are met.

However, it does not provide an exemption from Section 406(b)(3) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries receiving consideration for their own personal account from any part dealing with a plan in connection with a transaction involving the assets of the plan). The receipt of such consideration is a separate transaction not described in the statutory exemption. Section 408(b)(4) does not contain an exemption from other provisions of the Act, such as Section 404, or other provisions of law which may impose requirements or restrictions relating to the transactions which are exempt under Section 408(b)(4) of the Act. See, for example, Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (Code). The provisions of Section 408(b)(4) of the Act are further limited by Section 408(d) of the Act (relating to transactions with owner-employees and related persons).

2. (1) Plan Covering Own Employees.

Such investment may be made if the plan is one which covers only the employees of the bank or similar financial institution, the employees of any of its affiliates, or the employees of both.

(2) Other Plans.

Such investment may be made if -

• The investment is expressly authorized by a provision of the plan or trust instrument, or

• The investment is expressly authorized (or made) by a fiduciary of the plan (other than the bank or similar financial institution or any of its affiliates) who has authority to make such investments, or to instruct the trustee or other fiduciary with respect to investments, and who has no interest in the transaction which may affect the exercise of such authorizing fiduciary's best judgment as a fiduciary so as to cause such authorization to constitute an act described in Section 406(b) of the Act.

Any authorization to make investments contained in a plan or trust instrument will satisfy the requirement of express authorization for investments made prior to November 1, 1977.

Effective November 1, 1977, in the case of a bank or similar financial institution that invests plan assets in deposits in itself or its affiliates under an authorization contained in a plan or trust instrument, such authorization -

• Must name such bank or similar financial institution, and

• Must state that such bank or similar financial institution may make investments in deposits which bear a reasonable rate of interest in itself (or in an affiliate).

(3) Example.

B, a bank, is the trustee of plan P's assets. The trust instruments give the trustees the right to invest plan assets in its discretion. B invests in the certificates of deposit of bank C, which is a fiduciary of the plan by virtue of performing certain custodial and administrative services. The authorization is sufficient for the plan to make such an investment under Section 408(b)(4). Further, such authorization would suffice to allow B to make investments in deposits in itself prior to November 1, 1977. However subsequent to October 31, 1977, B may not invest in deposits in itself, unless the plan or trust instrument authorizes it to invest in deposits of B.

3. Definitions.

1. The term "bank or similar financial institutions" . . . includes a bank (as defined in Section 581 of the Code), a domestic building and loan association (as defined in Section 7701(a)(19) of the Code) . . .
2. A person is an "affiliate" of a bank or similar financial institution if such person and such bank or similar financial institution would be treated as members of the same controlled group of corporations or as members of two or more trades or businesses under common control within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code and regulations thereunder.
3. The term "deposits" includes any account, temporary or otherwise, upon which a reasonable rate of interest is paid, including a certificate of deposit issued by a bank or similar financial institution.

Note: Also refer to ERISA Section 408(b)(4), "Investment in Own-Bank Interest-Bearing Deposits".

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.408b-6

29 C.F.R. 2550.408b-6

Originally issued June 24, 1977 (42 FR 32392)

Technical corrections of July 18, 1977 (42 FR 36823)

did not contain any changes to this regulation

1. In General. Section 408(b)(6) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) exempts from the prohibitions of section 406 of the Act the provision of certain ancillary services by a bank or similar financial institution (as defined in 2550.408b-4(c)(1)) supervised by the United States or a State to a plan for which it acts as a fiduciary if the conditions of 2550.408b-6(b) are met. Such ancillary services include services which do not meet the requirements of section 408(b)(2) of the Act because the provision of such services involves an act described in section 406(b)(1) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries dealing with the assets of plans in their own interest or for their own account) by the fiduciary bank or similar financial institution or an act described in section 406(b)(2) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries in their individual or in any other capacity acting in any transaction involving the plan on behalf of a party (or representing a party) whose interests are adverse to the interests of the plan or the interests of its participants or beneficiaries). Section 408(b)(6) provides an exemption from sections 406(b)(1) and (2) because section 408(b)(6) contemplates the provision of such ancillary services without the approval of a second fiduciary (as described in 2550.408b-2(e)(2)) if the conditions of 2550.408b-6(b) are met. Thus, for example, plan assets held by a fiduciary bank which are reasonably expected to be needed to satisfy current plan expenses may be placed by the bank in a non-interest-bearing checking account in the bank if the conditions of 2550.408b-6(b) are met, notwithstanding the provisions of section 408(b)(4) of the Act (relating to investments in bank deposits). However, section 408(b)(6) does not provide an exemption for an act described in section 406(b)(3) of the Act (relating to fiduciaries receiving consideration for their own personal account from any party dealing with a plan in connection with a transaction involving the assets of the plan). The receipt of such consideration is a separate transaction not described in section 408(b)(6). Section 408(b)(6) does not contain an exemption from other provisions of the Act, such as section 404, or other provisions of law which may impose requirements or restrictions relating to the transactions which are exempt under section 408(b)(6) of the Act. See, for example, section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The provisions of section 408(b)(6) of the Act are further limited by section 408(d) of the Act (relating to transactions with owner-employees and related persons).
2. Conditions. Such service must be provided -

1. At not more than reasonable compensation;
2. Under adequate internal safeguards which assure that the provision of such service is consistent with sound banking and financial practice, as determined by Federal or State supervisory authority; and
3. Only to the extent that such service is subject to specific guidelines issued by the bank or similar financial institution which meet the requirements of 2550.408b-6(c).

3. Specific guidelines. (Reserved)

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.408c-2

29 C.F.R. 2550.408c-2

Originally issued June 24, 1977 (42 FR 32393)

1. In General. Section 408(b)(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) refers to the payment of reasonable compensation by a plan to a party in interest for services rendered to the plan. Section 408(c)(2) of the Act and Section 2550.408c-2(b)(1) through 2550.408c-2(b)(4) clarify what constitutes reasonable compensation for such services.
2. (1) General Rule. Generally, whether compensation is "reasonable" under sections 408(b)(2) and 408(c)(2) of the Act depends on the particular facts and circumstances of each case.

1. Payments to certain fiduciaries. Under sections 408(b)(2) and 408(c)(2) of the Act, the term "reasonable compensation" does not include any compensation to a fiduciary who is already receiving full-time pay from an employer or association of employers (any of whose employees are participants in the plan) or from an employee organization (any or whose members are participants in the plan), except for the reimbursement of direct expenses properly and actually incurred and not otherwise reimbursed. The restrictions of this paragraph (b)(2) do not apply to a party in interest who is not a fiduciary.
2. Certain expenses not direct expenses. An expense is not a direct expense to the extent it would have been sustained had the service not been provided or if it represents an allocable portion of overhead costs.
3. Expense advances. Under sections 408(b)(2) and 408(c)(2) of the Act, the term "reasonable compensation" , as applied to a fiduciary or an employee of a plan, includes an advance to such a fiduciary or employee by the plan to cover direct expenses to be properly and actually incurred by such person in the performance of such person's duties with the plan if:

1. The amount of such advance is reasonable with respect to the amount of the direct expense which is likely to be properly and actually incurred in the immediate future (such as during the next month) and
2. The fiduciary or employee accounts to the plan at the end of the period covered by the advance for the expenses properly and actually incurred.

4. Excessive compensation. Under sections 408(b)(2) and 408(c)(2) of the Act, any compensation which would be considered excessive under 26 C.F.R. 1.162-7 (Income Tax Regulations relating to compensation for personal services which constitutes an ordinary and necessary trade or business expense) will not be "reasonable compensation". Depending upon the facts and circumstances of the particular situation, compensation which is not excessive under 26 C.F.R. 1.162-7 may, nevertheless, not be "reasonable compensation" within the meaning of sections 408(b)(2) and 408(c)(2) of the Act.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2550.408e

29 C.F.R. 2550.408e

Acquisition or Sale of Qualifying Employer Securities

Acquisition/Sale/Lease of Qualifying Employer Real Estate

Originally issued August 1, 1980 (45 FR 51197)

1. In General. Section 408(e) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) exempts from the prohibitions of section 406(a) and 406(b)(1) and (2) of the Act any acquisition or sale by a plan of qualifying employer securities (as defined in section 407(d)(5) of the Act), or any acquisition, sale or lease by a plan of qualifying employer real property (as defined in section 407(d)(4) of the Act) if certain conditions are met. The conditions are that:

1. The acquisition, sale or lease must be for adequate consideration (which is defined in paragraph (d) of this section);
2. No commission may be charged directly or indirectly to the plan with respect to the transaction; and
3. In the case of an acquisition or lease of qualifying employer real property, or an acquisition of qualifying the securities, by a plan other than an eligible individual account plan (as defined in section 407(d)(3) of the Act), the acquisition or lease must comply with the requirements of section 407(a) of the Act.

2. Acquisition. For purposes of section 408(e) and this section, an acquisition by a plan of qualifying employer securities or qualifying employer real property shall include, but not be limited to, an acquisition by purchase, by the exchange of plan assets, by the exercise of warrants or rights, by the conversion of a security, by default of a loan where the qualifying employer security or qualifying employer real property was security for the loan, or in connection with the contribution of such securities or real property to the plan. However, an acquisition of a security shall not be deemed to have occurred if a plan acquires the security as a result of a stock dividend or stock split.
3. Sale. For purposes of section 408(e) and this section, a sale of qualifying employer real property or qualifying employer securities shall include any disposition for value.
4. Adequate consideration. For purposes of section 408(e) and this section, adequate consideration means:

1. In the case of a marketable obligation, a price not less favorable to the plan than the price determined under section 407(e)(1) of the Act and
2. In all other cases, a price not less favorable to the plan than the price determined under section 3(18) of the Act.

5. Commission. For purposes of section 408(e) and this section, the term "commission" includes any fee, commission or similar charge paid in connection with a transaction, except that the term "commission" does not include a charge incurred for the purpose of enabling the appropriate plan fiduciaries to evaluate the desirability of entering into a transaction to which this section would apply, such as an appraisal or investment advisory fee.

Department of Labor

Regulation 2570.30 through .52

29 C.F.R. 2570.30 through .52

Originally issued August 10, 1990 (55 FR 32847)

§ .35 Amended through April 12, 1991 (56 FR 14861)

Agency: Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Labor.

Action: Final regulation and removal of interim final regulation.

Summary: This document contains a final regulation that describes the procedures for filing and processing applications for exemptions from the prohibited transaction provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code), and the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 (FERSA). At this time, the Department is also removing an interim regulation which describes the exemption procedures under FERSA because such regulation is superseded by the final regulation contained herein. The Secretary of Labor is authorized to grant exemptions from the prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA, the Code, and FERSA and to establish an exemption procedure to provide for such exemptions. The final regulation updates the description of the Department of Labor's procedures to reflect changes in the Department's exemption authority and to clarify the procedures by providing a more comprehensive description of the prohibited transaction exemption process.

Effective Date: This regulation is effective September 10, 1990, and applies to all exemption applications filed at any time on or after that date.

(Final Regulation)

For further information contact: Miriam Freund, Office of Exemption Determinations, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20210, (202) 523-8194, or Susan Rees, Plan Benefits Security Division, Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20210, (202) 523-9141.

Supplementary information: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 28.5 hours per response, including the time for reviewing the instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Director, Office of Information Management, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-1301, Washington, DC 20210; and to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for PWBA, Office of Management and Budget, Room 3001, Washington, DC 20503.

Section 406 of ERISA prohibits certain transactions between employee benefit plans and "Parties in interest" (as defined in section 3(14) of ERISA). In addition, sections 406 and 407(a) of ERISA impose restrictions on plan investments in "employer securities" (as defined in section 407(d)(1) of ERISA) and "employer real property" (as defined in section 407(d)(2) of ERISA). Most of the transactions prohibited by section 406 of ERISA are likewise prohibited by section 4975 of the Code, which imposes an excise tax on those transactions to be paid by each "disqualified person" (defined in section 4975(e)(2) of the Code in virtually the same manner as the term "party in interest") who participates in the transactions.

Both ERISA and the Code contain various statutory exemptions from the. prohibited transaction rules. In addition, section 408(a) of ERISA authorizes the Secretary of Labor to grant administrative exemptions from the restrictions of ERISA sections 406 and 407(a) while section 4975(c)(2) of the Code a authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate to grant exemptions from the prohibitions of Code section 4975(c)(1). Sections 408(a) of ERISA and 4975(c)(2) of the Code direct the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, to establish procedures to carry out the purposes of these sections.

Under section 3003(b) of ERISA, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of the Treasury are directed to consult and coordinate with each other with respect to the establishment of rules applicable to the granting of exemptions from the Prohibited transaction restrictions of ERISA and the Code. Under section 3004 of ERISA, moreover, the Secretaries are authorized to develop jointly rules appropriate for the efficient administration of ERISA. Pursuant to these provisions, the Secretaries jointly issued an exemption procedure on April 28, 1975 (ERISA Proc. 75-1, 40 FR 18471. also issued as Rev. Proc. 75-26, 1975-1 C.B. 722). Under these procedures, a person seeking an exemption under both section 408(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c)(2) of the Code was obliged to file an exemption application with the Rules and Regulations of the Internal Revenue Service as well as with the Department of Labor.

Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978 (43 FR 47713, October 17, 1918, effective on December 31, 1978), transferred the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to issue exemptions under section 4975 of the Code, with certain enumerated exceptions, to the Secretary, of Labor. As a result, the Secretary of Labor now possesses authority under section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, as well as under section 408(a) of ERISA, to issue individual and class exemptions from the prohibited transaction rules of ERISA and the Code. The Secretary has delegated this authority, along with most of his other responsibilities under ERISA, to the Assistant Secretary for Pension and Welfare Benefits. See Secretary of Labor's Order 1-87, 52 FR 13139 (April 21, 1987).

FERSA also contains prohibited transaction rules that are applicable to parties in interest with respect to the Federal Thrift Savings Fund established by ERISA, and the Secretary of Labor is directed to prescribe, by regulation, a procedure for granting administrative exemptions from certain of those prohibited transactions. See 5 USC 8477(c)(3).

On June 28, 1988, the Department published a proposed rule in the Federal Register (53 FR 24422) updating ERISA Procedure 75-1 to reflect the changes made by Reorganization Plan No. 4 and extending the procedure to applications for exemptions from the FERSA prohibited transaction rules. In addition, the proposed regulation codified various procedures developed by PWBA since the adoption of ERISA Proc. 75-1. Formal adoption of those procedures will facilitate review of exemption applications. These new procedures also fill in some of the gaps left in ERISA Proc. 75-1. thereby providing a more detailed description both of the steps to be taken by applicants in applying for exemptions and the steps normally taken by the Department in processing such applications. Finally, the proposed regulation modified some of the procedures described in ERISA Proc. 75-1 to better serve the needs of the administrative exemption program as demonstrated by the Department's experience with the program over the previous fourteen years. These amendments were intended to promote the prompt and fair consideration of all exemption applications.

The notice of proposed rulemaking gave interested persons an opportunity to comment on the proposal. In response, the Department received three letters of comment regarding several aspects of the proposed regulation. The following discussion summarizes the proposed regulation and the issues raised by the commentators and explains the Department's reasons for adopting the provisions of the final regulation.

The Scope of the Regulation

As explained in the notice of proposed rulemaking, the regulation establishes new procedures to replace ERISA Proc. 75-1. These new procedures reflect changes in the Department of Labor's exemption authority effected by Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978. Thus, the procedures apply to all applications for exemption which the Department has authority to issue under section 408(a) of ERISA, or, as a result of Reorganization Plan No. 4, under section 4975(c)(2) of the Code. The procedures reflect current practice under which the Department generally treats any exemption application filed solely under section 408(a) of ERISA or solely under section 4275(c)(2) of the Code as an application for exemption filed under both of these sections if the application relates to a transaction prohibited under corresponding provisions of both ERISA and the Code. The grant of an exemption by the Department in such instances protects disqualified persons covered by the exemption from the excise taxes otherwise assessable under section 4975(a) and (b) of the Code.

However, the procedures do not apply to applications for exemption reserved to the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Treasury by Reorganization Plan No. 4. To ascertain the correct procedures for filing and processing applications for these exemptions, applicants should consult the Internal Revenue Service.

The Department has also concluded that it is appropriate to apply the procedures provided here to exemption applications filed under FERSA, as well as those filed under ERISA or the Code, as provided by proposed § 2570.30, which has been adopted without change in the final regulation. Although the prohibited transaction provisions of FERSA and the scope of the Department's exemptive authority under FERSA differ somewhat from that under ERISA and the Code, administrative exemption matters under FERSA are likely to involve many of the issues as are presented by similar matters involving private plans. Thus, adopting uniform procedures should help assure uniform administration of the exemption programs.

Applications for Exemption under FERSA

On December 29, 1988, the Department published an interim regulation in the Federal Register (29 C.F.R. part 2585, 53 FR 52088) describing the procedures for filing and processing applications for exemptions from the prohibited transaction provisions of FERSA. For such applications, the interim regulation adopted the procedures then currently followed (pursuant to ERISA Proc. 75-1) by applicants for exemptions from the prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the Code. The interim final regulation was effective commencing December 29, 1988 until the effective date of the final regulation contained herein for all prohibited transaction exemption applications (under ERISA, the Code and FERSA).¹

Section 2585.12 of the interim regulation provides that this regulation shall expire on the effective date of the revised prohibited transaction exemption procedure, published in proposed form on June 28, 1988, 53 FR 24422, and that the Department will publish a document removing these interim regulations when it adopts final regulations based on the published proposal. Accordingly, this notice of final rulemaking removes the interim regulations, as of September 10, 1990, the effective date of the final regulation contained herein.

In regard to FERSA exemption applications, the Department received a comment relating to the adoption of ERISA class exemptions for FERSA purposes. This comment suggested that the final regulation clarify that the Department will follow the procedure authorized under section 8477(c)(3)(E) of FERSA, which permits the Secretary of Labor to determine that an exemption granted for any class of fiduciaries or transactions under section 408(a) of ERISA shall constitute an exemption for FERSA purposes upon publication of notice in the Federal Register without affording interested parties opportunities to present their views (in writing or at a hearing).

The procedures described in the preceding paragraph was not used in conjunction with the Department's adoption for FERSA purposes of a number of specific class exemptions under ERISA (for example, Prohibited Transaction Exemptions (PTE) 75-1, 78-19, 80-26, 80-51, 82-63 and 86-128). In that instance, the Department published in the Federal Register both a notice of proposed adoption of class exemptions under ERISA (53 FR 38105, September 29, 1988), which invited the public to submit written comments or requests for a hearing on the proposed adoption, and also a notice of final adoption of these class exemptions (PTE T88-1, 53 FR 52838, December 29, 1988). In this regard, the Department notes that, with respect to ERISA class exemptions which may be proposed in the future and which may also be relevant under FERSA, the Department will solicit the views of the Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board in advance of the publication of the proposed exemption to determine whether such exemption should also be proposed for FERSA purposes.

Also regarding FERSA exemption applications, the Department received another comment requesting clarification that the mere existence of routine audit activity conducted by the Department pursuant to the requirements of section 8477(g) of FERSA² will not provide a basis for denial of, or failure to consider, an application for exemption under FERSA. It is the view of the Department that those audits conducted by the Department in carrying out its responsibilities in connection with its regular program of compliance audits under FERSA section 8477(g) would not constitute an "investigation" for purposes of § 2570.33(a)(2) and 2570.37(b) of the regulation³ or an "examination" for purposes of § 2570.35(a)(7).⁴ The Department would not, however, be precluded from denying, or failing to consider, an application based on an investigation prompted by information arising as a result of such a routine audit.

Section 2570.31 of the proposed regulation defined the following terms for purposes of the exemption procedures: affiliate, class exemption, Department, exemption transaction, individual exemption, and party in interest. No comments were received regarding these definitions which are adopted in the final regulation as proposed. However, the Department has added to this section a definition of the term "pooled fund" in response to a comment requesting that a special rule be added to the final regulation regarding information to be furnished in exemption applications relating to plans affected by an exemption transaction undertaken by a pooled investment vehicle. (This comment is discussed in more detail below.)

Section 2570.32(a) of the proposed regulation provided that exemption proceedings may be initiated by the Department either on its own motion or upon the application of: (1) Any party in interest to a plan which is or may be a party to the exemption transaction, (2) any plan which is a party to the exemption transaction, or (3) an association or organization representing parties in interest who may be parties to an exemption transaction covering a class of parties in interest or a class of transactions.

One of the comments received recommended modifying this paragraph of the regulation to permit an exemption application to be filed by any fiduciary or prospective fiduciary with respect to plan assets under such fiduciary's management or control, regardless of whether such fiduciary either represents a specific plan with respect to the exemption application or would be a party to the exemption transaction. The commentator clarified his comment by explaining that he intended this category of applicants to cover prospective fiduciaries, such as persons creating and/or managing a new investment vehicle in which plans are expected to participate if the requested exemption is granted, but in which no plans participate at the time the exemption application is filed. The commentator noted that in the past the Department has granted individual exemptions to institutional investment managers in connection with their investment management of individual plans' investment accounts or pooled investment funds in which several unidentified plans may participate.

In the Department's view, the reference in proposed § 2570.32(a)(1) to "any party in interest to a plan who is or may be a party to the exemption transaction" includes the prospective fiduciaries mentioned by the commentator. Therefore, § 2570.32(a) is adopted in the final regulation without change.

Section 2570.32(b) and (c) of the proposed regulation set forth simplified rules relating to representation of applicants by third parties. No comments were received regarding these paragraphs, which are adopted in the final regulation without change.

Section 2570.33(a) of the proposed regulation described the circumstances under which the Department will not ordinarily consider the merits of an exemption application. Thus, this paragraph provided that the Department will not ordinarily consider an incomplete application. In this regard, the Department emphasizes that applicants should not file exemption applications until they have compiled all the information required by § 2570.34 and, if applicable, § 2570.35, and can submit this information in an organized and comprehensive fashion together with all necessary supporting documents and statements. In addition, the proposal made it clear that the Department ordinarily will not consider applications that involve a transaction, or a party in interest with respect to such transaction, that is the subject of an ERISA enforcement action or investigation. In certain cases, however, the Department may exercise its discretion to consider exemption applications in these categories where, for example, deficiencies in the exemption application are merely technical, or where an enforcement matter is clearly unrelated to the exemption transaction.

One comment was received specifically regarding investigations, and it is discussed above under the heading "Applications for Exemption under FERSA." In addition, the Department has amended § 2570.33(a)(2) (relating to certain investigations and enforcement actions) to conform to a similar revision to § 2570.35(a)(7) (discussed below) made in response to two other comments received regarding the proposed requirement to include information in an application concerning certain investigations, examinations, litigation, or continuing controversy involving specified Federal agencies with respect to any plan or party in interest involved in the exemption transaction. The effect of these amendments is to expand the proposed regulation in order to broaden the scope of exemption applications which the Department will ordinarily consider.

No comments were received on paragraphs (b) and (c) of proposed § 2570.33, which are adopted without change in the final regulation. These paragraphs relate to the Department's written explanation to an applicant whose exemption application the Department has decided not to consider, and to applications for individual exemption relating to transaction(s) covered by a class exemption under consideration by the Department.

As previously noted in the proposed regulation, the Department's experience to date with the administrative exemption program suggests that the program's efficiency could be increased and applicants can receive more timely treatment of their applications for exemption if the quality of exemption applications filed were improved. In the past, applications have been incomplete, have omitted or misstated facts or legal analyses needed to justify requests for exemptive relief, and in some cases have been so poorly drafted that the details of the transactions for which exemptive relief is sought ("exemption transactions") are unclear. The time and effort required to deal with such deficient applications and to obtain accurate and complete information about exemption transactions have contributed to processing delays. Moreover, in many exemption applications, the discussion of the substantive basis for the exemption does not take adequate account of positions adopted by the Department with respect to other similar applications.

The proposed regulation attempted to address these problems in a number of ways. First, the proposal required that applicants provide more complete information in their applications about exemption transactions and about the plans and the parties in interest involved in those transactions. The Department's experience suggests that this additional information is very helpful, and often essential, for a complete understanding of the exemption transaction and of the context surrounding it, and that the omission of such additional information in exemption applications will delay review of these applications on their merits.

For the same reason the proposed regulation required filing with the exemption copies of the relevant portions of documents. By filing comprehensive applications with necessary supporting documentation, applicants can do much to facilitate the Department's review of requested exemptions and to expedite the exemption process as a whole.

To further expedite the exemption process, the proposed regulation required that an applicant include with his application a statement explaining why the requested exemption satisfies requirements set forth in sections 408(a) of ERISA and 4975(c)(2) of the Code and 5 USC 84711(c)(3)(C) that an exemption be:

1. Administratively feasible;
2. In the interests of the plan and of its participants and beneficiaries; and
3. Protective of the rights of the plan's participants and beneficiaries.

This requirement is not new. Under ERISA Proc. 75-1, applicants have been required to include with their applications statements explaining why a requested exemption satisfies the statutory prerequisites for an exemption. Too often, however, applicants have attempted to satisfy this requirement with generalizations and perfunctory assurances about the benefits to be reaped by plans and their participants and beneficiaries from the proposed exemption.

The Department will not seek out reasons to grant an exemption that has not been adequately justified by an applicant. Indeed, the Department considers that it is the responsibility of applicants to demonstrate clearly that exemptions they are requesting meet statutory criteria. Accordingly, under both the proposed and the final regulation, applicants are expected to review the statutory criteria for granting administrative exemptions and explain with as much specificity as possible why a requested exemption would pose no administrative problems, what benefits affected plans and their participants and beneficiaries can expect to receive from it, and what conditions word be attached to protect the rights of participants and beneficiaries of affected plans.⁵

Under ERISA Proc. 75-1, applicants have been given the option, but have not been required, to submit a draft of the proposed exemption. Both the proposed and the final regulation preserve this option. However, while not requiring the submission of a draft of the proposed exemption, the Department recommends that applicants include in their exemption applications draft language which defines the scope of the requested exemption, including the specific conditions under which the proposed exemption would apply. A draft which explains the exemption requested in a clear and concise manner and focuses on what the applicant considers to be the essential features of the exemption transaction and the critical safeguards supporting the requested relief is likely to facilitate the process of review. Obviously, the degree of detail necessary to describe the proposed exemption adequately will vary depending on the complexity of the transaction and the kind of relief requested.

Section 2570.34 of the proposed regulation listed the information that is required in every exemption application, whether it be an application for individual or class exemption. In addition, the information specified in § 2570.35 of the regulation must be included in applications for individual exemptions. Some specific items of information are described below.

Section 2570.34(a)(3) of the proposed regulation required each exemption application to disclose whether the same person will represent both the plan and the parties in interest involved in an exemption transaction in matters relating to the application. The proposal noted that such shared representation may raise questions under the exclusive purpose and prudence requirements of sections 403(b) and 404(a) of ERISA and under the prohibited transaction provisions of section 406 of ERISA and section 4975(c)(1) of the Code. No comments have been received regarding this subparagraph, which is adopted as proposed.

Section 2570.34(b)[5)(iii) of the proposed regulation required a declaration under penalty of perjury to accompany specialized statements from third-party experts submitted to support an exemption application, such as appraisals, analyses of market conditions, or opinions of independent fiduciaries. Specifically, the proposal required a declaration under penalty of perjury that to the best of the expert's knowledge and belief, the representations made in the specialized statement are true and correct. This declaration was to be dated and signed by the expert who prepared the statement.

One of the commenters urged deletion of this requirement and expressed concern that it would cause additional expense to applicants because new third-party statements would be required once the appraiser, engineer, financial specialist, or other expert became aware of their intended use as part of an exemption application. The commentator advised subsequently that such experts either may be reluctant to provide any sort of attestation because of unknown liabilities which may arise by using the expert's report as part of an exemption application, or may seek an additional, and perhaps substantial, fee for furnishing an attestation due to the unknown liabilities.

In this regard the Department notes that, with respect to any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States, it is a crime, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years, for anyone knowingly and willfully to falsify, conceal or cover up by any trick, scheme or device a material fact; to make any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations; or to make or use any false writing or document knowing the same contains any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry (18 USC 1001). It is the view of the Department that this provision applies to applicants for exemptions under ERISA, the Code, or FERSA, to fiduciaries (independent or otherwise) representing the plan in an exemption, transaction, and to third-party experts who prepare statements or reports that such experts know will be included in exemption applications.

Nevertheless, the Department recognizes that third-party experts, such as appraisers, bankers, financial analysts, and other specialized consultants usually do not function as fiduciaries with respect to a plan if such experts authority, responsibility, or contact with respect to the plan is limited to providing an opinion which may be included in an exemption application, and which will be considered by plan fiduciaries who will decide what, if any, action they will take on behalf of the plan based upon such opinion. The Department believes that such experts need not be held to the same degree of accountability regarding exemption applications covering transactions where a plan fiduciary has the authority and responsibility to make decisions on behalf of a plan. Thus, the Department has decided to modify proposed § 2570.34(b)(5)(iii) to provide that a statement of consent, rather than a declaration under penalty of perjury, is required from each such expert which acknowledges that his or her statement is being submitted to the Department as part of an exemption application. The Department believes that such a consent statement from a third-party expert will not require an applicant to obtain a new report from the expert because the expert's consent statement may refer to his or her previously issued report. (However, the Department may require an updated report in any case if the substantive information contained in a report submitted with an exemption application is out of date.)

Conversely, where an independent fiduciary represents the plan in an exemption transaction, that fiduciary is subject to all of the responsibilities imposed by part 4 of subtitle B of title A of ERISA. None of the comments received questioned the need for such a fiduciary to provide the declaration under penalty of perjury required under the proposed regulation, and the Department has decided to retain this proposed requirement for such plan fiduciaries in the final regulation. As a result, the Department has modified § 2570.34(b)(5)(ii) and has added § 2570.34(b)(5)(iv) to clarify that a declaration is required for such plan fiduciaries,

One comment suggested that § 2570.35 of the proposed regulation be modified to provide a special rule regarding information to be included in an application for an individual exemption involving a pooled investment fund, such as a pooled separate account maintained by an insurance company or a collective investment fund maintained by another financial institution. The commentator pointed out that, as proposed, § 2570.35 would require information to be submitted regarding each plan participating in a pooled investment fund, resulting in the submission of an overwhelming volume of information unrelated to the exemption transaction. However, the commentator recognized that information regarding certain plans may be relevant to the exemption application in view of the potential for conflicts of interest involving such plans. Such plans would include any plan maintained for employees of the sponsor or other fiduciary of the pooled investment fund, and a plan whose participation in the pooled fund exceeded a specified percentage of the total fund assets.

The Department agrees with this comment and, accordingly, has added a new paragraph (c) to § 2570.35, which contains a special rule for applications for individual exemptions involving pooled funds [as defined in § 2570.31(g)]. Subparagraph (1) of § 2570.35(c) excepts such applications from including certain information otherwise required relating to among other things: reportable events under section 4043 of ERISA, notice of intent to terminate a plan (section 4041 of ERISA), the number of participants and beneficiaries of each plan participating in the pooled fund, and the percentage of each such plan's assets involved in the exemption transaction.

Subparagraph (2) of the special rule provides that certain information otherwise required by § 2570.35(a) and (b) of the regulation must be furnished by reference to the pooled fund rather than the plans participating in such fund. This information pertains to: Identifying information; any prior violations of the Code's exclusive benefit rule or of the prohibited transaction provisions of the Code, ERISA or FERSA, any prior applications for exemption from such prohibited transaction provisions; any lawsuits or criminal actions regarding conduct with respect to any employee plan; any criminal convictions described in section 411 of ERISA; any investigation or continuing controversy with specified Federal agencies regarding compliance with ERISA, Code provisions relating to employee plans, or FERSA provisions relating to the Federal Thrift Savings Fund; whether the exemption transaction has been consummated and, if so, certain related information regarding correction of the prohibited transaction and payment of excise taxes; the identification of persons with investment discretion over any assets involved in the exemption transaction and each such person's relationship to the parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction; investments involving certain parties in interest, the fair market value of the pooled fund; the identity of the person who will pay the costs of the exemption application, notifying interested persons, and the fee of any independent fiduciary involved in the exemption transaction; and an analysis of the facts relevant to the exemption transaction as reflected in documents submitted with the application. The pooled fund, rather than participating plans, must also furnish copies of all relevant documents, including, for example, the most recent financial statements of the pooled fund.

Subparagraph (3) of the special rule requires information to be furnished with pooled fund exemption applications with respect to: the aggregate number of plans expected to participate in the pooled fund, and the limits (if any) imposed by the pooled fund on the amount or percentage of each participating plan's assets that may be invested in the pooled fund.

Subparagraph (4) of § 2570.35(c) contains additional requirements for applications for individual exemptions involving pooled funds. These requirements apply to plans whose investments in the pooled fund represent more than 20% of the pooled fund's total assets⁶ and those plans covering employees of the pooled fund's sponsor, and other fiduciaries with discretion over pooled fund assets. The Department believes that additional information is warranted in those situations where the potential for decision making that may inure to the benefit of a fiduciary or other party in interest is increased. For each of these plans, the additional requirements provide for the furnishing of certain individual plan information described in 2570.35(a), in addition to the information required under § 2570.35(c)(2) and (c)(3). The Department believes this information is necessary for its determination as to whether sufficient protections are incorporated into the exemption transaction.

The Department further notes that the decision by the fiduciaries of certain plans to invest in a pooled fund may involve a separate prohibited transaction, apart from any prohibited transaction which may be entered into by the pooled fund itself In this regard, the Department notes that the information required to be submitted on behalf of such plans is to be provided in accordance with the general rule contained in § 2570.35, rather than the special rule for pooled funds.

Finally, the Department believes that the special rule for pooled funds is less burdensome to applicants than the rules set forth in the proposed regulation. As noted by a commentator, the proposed regulation would have required the submission of voluminous amounts of material, as information would have to be submitted on behalf of each plan investing in a pooled fund. The final regulation limits the amount of material to be submitted since it requires only information relating to the pooled fund and, where applicable, certain plans investing in the pooled fund. In addition, the Department believes that its ability to analyze and process applications for exemption involving pooled funds will be enhanced by this special rule. In this regard, the Department believes that the final regulation eliminates a significant amount of material that otherwise would have been required.

Sections 2570.35(a)(5), (6), and (7) of the proposed regulation required exemption applications to disclose information regarding whether the applicant or any of the parties to the exemption transaction is or has been, within a specified number of years past, a defendant in any lawsuit or criminal action concerning conduct as a fiduciary or other party in interest with respect to any employee benefit plan (§ 2570.35(a)(5)(b) convicted of a crime described in section 411 of ERISA (§ 2570.35(a)(6)), or under investigation or examination or engaged in litigation or a continuing controversy with certain Federal agencies (§ 2570.35(a)(7)). Proposed § 2570.35(a)(7) also required disclosure of whether any plan affected by the exemption transaction has been under such investigation, examination, litigation, or any controversy, and further required the applicant to submit copies of all correspondence with the specified Federal agencies regarding substantive issues involved in such investigation, etc.

Two of the comments urged deletion of the disclosure requirements of proposed § 2570.35(a)(5) and (7) on the basis that such disclosure is difficult, costly, and almost always irrelevant to the exemption transaction.

The Department continues to believe that the proposed disclosure is relevant to the exemption transaction. With regard to § 2570.35(a)(5) (relating to lawsuits or certain criminal actions), the Department views the disclosure required as directly concerning the conduct of the applicant and other parties in interest participating in the exemption transaction. The Department believes that such information is necessary in evaluating the credibility and integrity of such parties, some of whom may possess substantial discretion regarding the exemption transaction or may make representations upon which the Department must rely in determining whether the statutory criteria for an exemption have been satisfied. In addition, the proposed disclosure assists the Department in ensuring that the exemption contains appropriate safeguards.

Further, the Department does not agree that the disclosure required by § 2570.35(a)(5) imposes any "significant" burdens on applicants. The Department believes that prudent fiduciaries would in the normal course of carrying out their responsibilities, ascertain such information about the parties they intend to deal with in investment and other plan transactions. However, the Department has determined that it would be appropriate to modify proposed § 2570.35(a)(5) in the final regulation to limit disclosure to the applicant or any of the parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction.

Regarding the disclosure required by proposed § 2570.35(a)(7) (relating to, investigations, examinations, litigation, and continuing controversy by or with the specified Federal agencies), the Department believes that such information is necessary to ensure that the Department's exemption activities do not compromise its enforcement efforts. Although the Department is most interested in information involving investigations, etc. that are directly related to the subject exemption transactions and the participating parties, the Department believes, nevertheless, that its exemption staff, and not the applicants, should determine which investigations, examinations, etc., are relevant.

One of the comments further suggested that it is inappropriate to require applicants to disclose matters which have resulted in no formal allegations of violations of law. The Department notes, however, that the affected parties may include, as part of their disclosure, any qualification or explanations they deem appropriate for consideration by the Department, including information on the final disposition of any matter;

Another commentator suggested that disclosure under § 2570.35(a)(7) be limited to a reference to the investigation or litigation without requiring submission of copies of "all correspondence" involved in the investigation. In this regard, the Department notes that the proposed regulation did not require submission of copies of all correspondence, but only of correspondence relating to the, substantive issues involved in the investigation, examination, litigation, or controversy. Specifically, the Department intended to require submission of copies of correspondence containing only that information directly relevant to determining whether or not the requested exemption should be granted. After considering the comment, the Department has modified § 2570.35(a)(7) to clarify that the phrase "substantive issues" refers to issues related to compliance with the provisions of parts 1 and 4 of subtitle B of title I of ERISA (reporting and disclosure (part 1) and fiduciary responsibility (part 4)), section 4975 of the Code, or sections 8477 or 8478 of FERSA (fiduciary responsibilities, liability and penalties (section 8477) and bonding (section 8478). Copies of correspondence relating to any of these substantive issues is necessary in order for the Department to determine the effect the requested exemption may have on the Department's enforcement activities in each case under investigation, examination, etc.

One of the comments noted that proposed § 2570.35(a)(5), (6) and (7) required the disclosure of information regarding any parties to the exemption transaction and suggested limiting the disclosure to fiduciaries authorizing the transaction and any parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction. This comment pointed out that investment transactions may involve multiple parties, many of wham are neither plan fiduciaries nor parties in interest. After due consideration, the Department agrees with this suggestion and, accordingly, has modified § 2570.35(a)(5), (6) and (7) to limit the required disclosure to any parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction. The Department rates that this group includes, among others, the fiduciary authorizing the exemption transaction.

See the heading "Applications for Exemption under FERSA," above, regarding modification to proposed § 2570.35(a)(7) as applicable to the Federal Thrift Savings Plan established by FERSA.

Proposed § 2570.35(a)(16) required an application for individual exemption to disclose information regarding any plan investments in loans to, property leased to, or securities issued by, any party in interest involved in the exemption transaction. One of the comments suggested deletion of this requirement due to the difficulty of identifying such investments in view of the "look-through" rule contained in the Department's plan asset regulation (29 C.F.R. 2510.101). This comment suggested that the proposed disclosure may invoke many transactions, by an entity whose underlying assets include "plan assets," which are totally unrelated to the exemption transaction. The comment further indicated that this disclosure would be burdensome for exemption transactions involving numerous parties in interest, such as those involving pooled funds.

The Department agrees that, for exemption applications involving pooled funds, furnishing the proposed disclosure could be burdensome inasmuch as such applications generally do not relate to specific plans. Accordingly, the Department has adopted a special rule for applications for individual exemption involving pooled funds, discussed above (under the heading "Pooled Funds"), which limits this type of disclosure to the pooled fund and to certain plans participating therein.

Regarding exemption applications involving specific individual plans, it appears to the Department that the information to be disclosed under proposed § 2570.35(a)(16) must be maintained, in any event, to satisfy the annual reporting requirements of section 103 of ERISA, as well as the recordkeeping requirements of section 107. Therefore, the Department believes that this disclosure requirement should not impose any additional burdens on the applicant. The information to be disclosed will enable the Department to determine whether the exemption transaction, in conjunction with other plan investments involving parties in interest, would unduly concentrate the plan's assets in such investments so as to raise questions under the fiduciary responsibility provisions of section 404 of ERISA. For these reasons, the Department has decided to adopt § 2570.35(a)(16) as proposed, subject to the special rule for applications for individual exemption involving pooled funds in § 2570.35(c).

Proposed § 2570.35(a)(18) and (19) required the exemption application to identify the person who will bear the costs of the exemption application, of notifying interested persons, and of the fee charged by any independent fiduciary involved in the exemption transaction. The preamble to the proposed regulation noted that a plan's payment of the expenses associated with the filing or processing of an exemption application raises questions under the fiduciary responsibility and the prohibited transaction restrictions to the extent that any party in interest benefits from the transaction for which an exemption is sought (see section 406(a)(1)(D) of ERISA).

One of the commentators requested that the Department provide a more specific discussion of when it believes such questions will be raised. The comment states that, in many cases, it is appropriate for the plan to pay the expenses attributable to obtaining an exemption, and that an independent fiduciary's fees are generally paid by the plan receiving such fiduciary's services in order to ensure that such fiduciary conducts its activities in a totally independent manner and without any potential influence from persons other than the plan paying such fees.

The proposed disclosure of who pays the fees for an exemption application is intended to enable the Department to review the appropriateness of such payment by a plan in the context of a specific exemption request. Such disclosure is also intended to aid the exemption staff in evaluating whether the economic merits of the transaction, taking into account the costs attributable to the exemption application, support a finding that the proposed transaction is in the interests of the plan and its participants and beneficiaries. While the Department agrees that there may be certain instances in which it would be appropriate for a plan to pay all or part of the costs attendant with obtaining an exemption, such as where it is necessary to ensure the independence of an independent fiduciary or third-party expert, the Department believes that the propriety of such payments by a plan is an inherently factual determination which can be made only on a case-by-case basis.

In this regard, the Department notes that, when evaluating the propriety of the payment by a plan of certain expenses, plan fiduciaries must first consider the general fiduciary responsibility provisions of sections 403 and 404 of ERISA. Section 403(c)(1) provides, in part, that the assets of an employee benefit plan shall never inure to the benefit of any employer and shall be held for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to participants and beneficiaries and defraying reasonable expenses of administering the plan. Similarly, section 404(a)(1)(A) requires, in part, that a fiduciary of a plan discharge his duties for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to participants and their beneficiaries and defraying reasonable expenses of administering the plan. Thus, a payment that is not a distribution of benefits to participants or beneficiaries of a plan would not be consistent with the requirements of sections 403(c)(1) and 404(a)(1)(A) unless it was used to defray a reasonable expense of administering the plan.

In addition, section 406(a)(1)(D) of ERISA prohibits a fiduciary with respect to a plan from causing the plan to engage in a transaction if he knows or should know that such transaction constitutes a direct or indirect transfer to, or use by or for the benefit of, a party in interest of any assets of the plan. It is the responsibility of appropriate plan fiduciaries to determine whether a particular expense is a reasonable administrative expense under sections 403(c)(1) and 404(a)(1)(A) of ERISA or whether plan payment of an expense would constitute a prohibited use of plan assets for the benefit of a party in interest under section 406(a)(1)(D) of ERISA.

Section 2570.35(b)(1) of the proposed regulation required each application for individual exemption to include true copies of all documents bearing on the exemption transaction, such as contracts, deeds, agreements, instruments, and relevant portions of plan documents, including trust agreements.

One comment objected to this requirement on the grounds that having to assemble the required documents is time consuming, costly, and unnecessary if the exemption application properly describes all pertinent plan provisions and other documents in sufficient detail to allow the Department to evaluate the merits of the exemption transaction. In this regard, the Department notes that the documents with respect to which copies are requested are all documents which would be readily available to the parties to the exemption transaction. Accordingly, the Department does not believe that there would be a significant burden in either compiling the documents or in transmitting copies to the Department. Further, the Department notes that it is not uncommon for representations contained in an exemption application to be inconsistent with the provisions of the governing documents or for the latter to contain provisions with respect to which clarifications or other representations are needed in order for the requested exemption to be proposed. On the basis of the Department's experience with exemptions, scrutiny of the relevant documents is, in the large majority of cases, a necessary prerequisite to a complete understanding of the exemption transaction and the implications for affected plans and parties in interest. Moreover, in the Department's experience, the inclusion of copies of the requested documents, as part of the exemption application, has expedited the processing of the requested exemption.

For these reasons, the final regulation adopts proposed § 2570.35(b)(1) without change. However, the Department wishes to clarify three points regarding this requirement. -

• First, for exemption transactions in which identical documents will be executed by more than one party, the submission of only one specimen document will satisfy the requirements of this paragraph.

• Second, in the case of exemption transactions which are proposed, copies of the documents relating to the proposed transaction need not be executed or dated when they are submitted with the exemption application if the documents are complete in every other respect. In this regard, the Department strongly encourages requesting an administrative exemption before entering into a prohibited transaction because of the ability to incorporate all of the necessary safeguards into the transaction. By contrast, such safeguards cannot be put into place after a prohibited transaction has occurred.

• Third, only copies of documents need be submitted. The Department may not be able to return original documents and, therefore, urges that only true copies of documents be submitted.

Although no comments were received regarding this section, which is adopted as proposed, the Department wishes to advise applicants that including the room number of the Division of Exemptions in the address will generally expedite its delivery. The current room number of the Division of Exemptions, Room N-5671, is not included in the regulation to avoid the need to amend the regulation every time the room, number of the Division changes.

The proposed regulation contained the requirement established in ERISA Proc. 75-1 that an applicant promptly notify the Division of Exemptions if he discovers that any material fact or representation contained in his application, or in any supporting documents or testimony, was inaccurate or if any such fact or representation changes. However, the proposed regulation added the requirement that an applicant notify the Division of Exemptions when anything occurs that may affect the continuing accuracy of such facts or representations.

Two comments received indicated confusion as to the expiration date of the duty to update information submitted as part of an exemption application. Accordingly, the final Regulation clarifies § 2570.37(a) and (b) to indicate that such duty applies only during the pendency of the exemption application and expires after the exemption is granted. The Department also wishes to clarify that, in § 2570.37(a), the phrase "continuing accuracy of any such fact or representation" refers to future events or changes known before the exemption is granted that will render inaccurate facts stated or representations made before such grant. The Department wishes to note that exemptions are granted only to transactions as described. Therefore, if an exemption is granted and the transaction is not as described in some material aspect, the exemption does not take effect or protect parties in interest from liability for the transaction. See § 2570.49 of the regulation.

Although ERISA Proc. 75-1 established no procedures to be followed by the Department in denying exemption applications or by applicants in responding to such denials, the Department has developed procedures over the years to notify applicants first to the tentative and, later, of the final denial of their applications. In large part, the proposed regulation codified these procedures.

Under the proposed regulation, the Department may decide to deny an exemption request at any of a number of stages in the review process. For example, it may decide after its initial review of an application that the requested exemption does not satisfy the statutory criteria set forth in sections 408(a) of ERISA and 4975(c)(2) of the Code. In that event, the Department will send a tentative denial letter to the applicant pursuant to § 2570.38 of the regulation. That letter will inform the applicant of the Department's tentative decision to deny the application and of the reasons therefore. Under § 2570.38, an applicant has 20 days from the date of this letter to request a conference with the Department and/or to notify the Department of his intern to submit additional information in writing to support the application. If the Department receives no request for a conference and no notice of intent to submit additional information within that time, it will send the applicant a final denial letter pursuant to § 2570.41 of the regulation.

One of the comments received suggested that: (1) The final regulation should clarify that the Department's exemption staff may request applicants to provide additional information before a tentative denial letter is issued, and (2) rather than a "short statement" of the reasons for a tentative denial, the tentative denial letter should provide a detailed explanation of the basis for the Department's decision. Regarding the first suggestion, the comment indicates that it is unreasonable to expect an applicant to anticipate, when the exemption application is filed, all of the material which the Department may find pertinent to its consideration of an exemption application.

As stated above (under the heading "Exemption Application Contents - General Information), the Department's view is that the applicant bears the responsibility to demonstrate clearly that the requested exemption meets the statutory criteria. While nothing in the proposed regulation would preclude the Department's exemption staff from exercising its discretion and contacting an applicant for a clarification or additional information, the Department anticipates that such contact will be limited to exemption applications which, upon initial review, meet the essential requirements of the regulation. It is not administratively feasible to expect the Department's exemption staff to solicit information in every case. Moreover, such a procedure would, in effect, shift the burden of developing the exemption application from the applicant to the exemption staff.

Similarly, the imposition of a requirement that tentative denial letters detail all the reasons for the denial would, in effect, shift the analytical burden from the applicant to the Department. As with the circumstances under which additional information is solicited from applicants, the Department believes that the degree of detail required for a tentative denial letter should be left to the discretion of the exemption staff. The Department believes that a general statement of the reasons for a tentative denial is sufficient inasmuch as the issuance of a tentative denial letter does not terminate the exemption proceedings. Rather, the tentative denial letter offers the applicant the opportunity to have a conference and/or to submit additional information for consideration. In addition, a requirement to issuer a comprehensive and detailed tentative denial letter in most cases would significantly increase the time required to conclude a final action.

For these reasons, the Department has decided to adopt proposed § 2570.38 without change.

Section 2570.39 of the proposed regulation provided that if an applicant wishes to submit additional information in support of a tentatively denied exemption application, he may notify the Department of his intention to do so within the prescribed 20-day period either by telephone or by letter. After issuing such a notice, an applicant has 30 days from the date of the notice to furnish additional information to the Department. If an applicant notifies the Department of his intent to submit additional information but requests no conference, and subsequently fails to submit the promised information within the prescribed 30-day period, the Department will issue the applicant a final denial letter pursuant to § 2570.41 of the regulation. However, an applicant who realizes that he will be unable to submit his additional information within the allotted time may avoid receiving a final denial letter by withdrawing his application before the end of the 30-day period pursuant to § 2570.44.

As an alternative to withdrawing his application, an applicant who, for reasons beyond his control, is unable to meet the 30-day deadline may request an extension of time for filing additional information, pursuant to § 2570.39 of the regulation. However, the Department will grant such extensions of time only in unusual circumstances.

No comments were received on this section of the proposed regulation which is adopted without change in the final regulation.

Section 2570.40 of the proposed regulation described the procedures regarding conferences on exemption applications which the Department has tentatively decided to deny. Under this proposed section, an applicant is entitled to only one conference with respect to any exemption application, and is also given 20 days after the date of any conference to submit to the Department in writing any additional data or arguments discussed at the conference but not previously or adequately presented in writing. Under the proposal, an applicant is deemed to have waived his right to a conference if he fails, without good cause, to appear for a scheduled conference or to schedule a conference for any of the times proposed by the Department within the 45-day period following the receipt of his request for a conference.

Proposed § 2570.40 is adopted without change in the final regulation. The only comment received regarding this proposed section suggested that the Department continue its practice of informally consulting with applicants on exemption applications in addition to holding conferences. In this regard, the Department will continue to informally contact applicants as it deems appropriate.

Proposed § 2570.41 is adopted without change in the final regulation. No comments were received on this section which specifies the circumstances in which the Department may issue a final denial letter denying a requested exemption. In most cases, the same procedure will also be followed in denying exemptions that the Department has already proposed through publication of a notice of proposed exemption in the Federal Register. However, in cases where the Department holds a hearing on an exemption, § 2570.41(a)(3) of the proposed regulation allowed the Department to issue a final denial letter without first issuing a tentative denial letter and without providing the applicant with the opportunity for a conference. In the Department's view, where a hearing on a proposed exemption is conducted, the applicant and other proponents of the exemption have adequate opportunity to present their views and other evidence in support of the exemption.

The proposed regulation did not significantly alter the procedures established by ERISA Proc. 75-1 for granting an exemption. Under § 2570.42 of the regulation, the Department will publish a notice of proposed exemption in the Federal Register if, after reviewing an exemption application and any additional information submitted by an applicant, the Department tentatively concludes that the requested exemption satisfies the statutory criteria for the granting of an exemption and that the requested exemption is otherwise appropriate. This proposed section also described the contents of the notice of proposed exemption.

No comments were received on proposed § 2570.42, which is adopted without change in the final regulation.

Like ERISA Proc. 75-1, the proposed regulation required applicants to provide notice to interested persons in the event that the Department decides to propose the exemption. Section 2570.34 of the proposal required an applicant to submit with his application a description of the interested persons to whom notice will be provided and a description of the manner in which the applicant proposed to provide notice. That section also required an applicant to provide an estimate of the time he will need to furnish notice to interested persons following publication of a notice of proposed exemption.

Section 2570.43 of the proposed regulation provided guidance on methods an applicant may use to notify interested persons of a proposed exemption and indicated what must be included in the notice. In addition to the Notice of Proposed Exemption published in the Federal Register, the applicant must include in the notification to interested persons a supplemental statement. Section 2570.43 also stated that, once the Department has published a notice of proposed exemption, the applicant must notify the interested persons described in his application in the manner indicated in the application unless the Department has informed the applicant beforehand that it considers the method of notification described in the application to be inadequate. Where the Department has so informed an applicant, it will also secure from the applicant an agreement to provide notice in the time and manner and to the persons designated by the Department. After furnishing notification, an applicant must provide the Department with a declaration under penalty of perjury certifying that notice was given to the persons and in the manner and time specified in his application or the superseding agreement with the Department.

One of the comments received concerning notification requested clarification that, in the case of a pooled fund, the notification requirement would be satisfied if the notice to interested persons is furnished to the appropriate fiduciary of each of the plans participating in the pooled fund, but not to all participants and beneficiaries of such plans.

In the Department's view, the individuals or organizations that will constitute "interested persons" depends on the nature of the exemption being requested. For this reason, the proposed regulation did not attempt to delineate the term "interested persons" for purposes of the notification requirements of § 2570.43. As previously noted, the applicant is required to include, as part of the exemption application, a description of the interested persons to whom the applicant intends to provide notice (§ 2570.34(b)(2)(i)). If the Department finds that either the method of providing notice or the persons to whom the applicant proposes to provide notice is inadequate, the Department will, pursuant to § 2570.43, secure an agreement from the applicant on the appropriate method of providing the notice and/or the scope of the notice to be provided. The Department believes that this approach provides the flexibility necessary to accommodate the varied types of exemption applications, as well as circumstances unique to a particular applicant.⁷

Accordingly, the Department has decided to adopt § 2570.43 as proposed. However, subparagraph (b)(2) of this section has been modified to insert references to the Code and FERSA and to reflect the current room number of the Division of Exemptions in a footnote to that section. Paragraph (d), of this section has also been modified to clarify that the declaration accompanying the statement to be furnished to the Department regarding the notice to, interested persons must be made under penalty of perjury, as stated in the preamble to the proposed regulation (53 FR 24422, at 24425, June 28,1988).

Section 2570.44 of the proposed regulation permitted an applicant to withdraw his application at any time and to reinstate the application later. Reinstatement may be requested without resubmitting any information or materials previously furnished if no more than two years has elapsed from the withdrawal date. The request for reinstatement must be accompanied by any additional information that was outstanding at the time of withdrawal.

No comments were received on the proposed section, which is adopted in the final regulation without change.

Under § 2570.45 of the proposed regulation, after the Department has issued a final denial letter on an exemption, it will not reconsider an application covering the same transaction unless the applicant presents significant new facts or arguments in support of the exemption which, for good reason, the applicant could not have submitted for consideration during the Department's initial review of the exemption. An applicant must present the significant new facts or arguments in a request for reconsideration within 180 days after the issuance of the final denial letter.

Proposed § 2570.45 also stated that only one request for reconsideration of any finally denied application will be considered by the Department. Although no comments were received on this section of the proposed regulation, the Department has modified this section in the final regulation to clarify that the Department will not limit the number of requests for reconsideration of final denials based solely on the applicant's failure to respond timely to a tentative denial letter or to furnish additional information timely (i.e., within the time frames provided under § 2570.38(b) or 2570.39(e), respectively).

The Department has also clarified in the final regulation that the declaration required under § 2570.45(c) must be made under penalty of perjury. This clarification is consistent with the requirement of § 2570.34(b)(5) that every original exemption application must be accompanied by a similar declaration under penalty of perjury. The Department intends that the same type of declaration should accompany both an original exemption application and request for reconsideration of a final denial based on the merits of such an application.

Section 408(a) of ERISA precludes the Department from granting an exemption from the fiduciary self-dealing prohibitions of section 406(b) unless the Department affords an opportunity for a hearing and makes a determination on the record with respect to the three statutory criteria established for granting an exemption.⁸ Because these provisions specify that an opportunity for a hearing must be given before an exemption from these prohibitions is granted, but not before such an exemption is denied, the Department interprets these provisions to mean that only opponents of such an exemption must be given an opportunity for a hearing. Moreover, the Department has concluded that it must provide a hearing on the record to opponents of such a proposed exemption only where it appears that there are material factual issues relating to the proposed exemption that cannot be fully explored without such a hearing. Indeed, in the Department's experience, such hearings are not useful where the only issues to be decided are matters of law or where material factual issues can be adequately explored by less costly and more expeditious means, such as written submissions. Accordingly, under § 2570.46 of the proposed regulation, the Department requires that persons who may be adversely affected by the grant of an exemption from the fiduciary self-dealing prohibitions offer some evidence of the existence of issues that can be fully examined only at a hearing before it will grant a request for a hearing. Where persuasive evidence of the existence of such issues is offered, however, the Department will grant the requested hearing.

Under § 2570.47 of the proposed regulation, the Department may schedule a hearing on its own motion if it determines that a hearing would be useful in exploring issues relevant to the requested exemption. Under the proposed procedures, if the Department decides to conduct a hearing on an exemption under either § 2570.46 or § 2570.47, the applicant must notify interested persons of the hearing in the manner prescribed by the Department. Ordinarily, such notice may be provided by furnishing interested persons with a copy of the notice of hearing published by the Department in the Federal Register within 10 days of its publication. After furnishing notice, the applicant must submit to the Department a declaration under penalty of perjury certifying that notice has been provided in the manner prescribed.

Any testimony or other evidence offered at a hearing held under either § 2570.46 or § 2570.47 becomes part of the administrative record to be used by the Department in making its final decision on an exemption application.

No comments were received on proposed § 2570.46 and 2570.47, which are adopted without change in the final regulation.

Section 2570.48 of the proposed regulation provided that if, after considering all of an applicant's submissions, together with any comments received from interested persons and the record of any hearing held in connection with a requested exemption, the Department determines that the exemption should be granted, it will publish a notice in the Federal Register granting the exemption. This proposed section also described the contents of the grant notice.

No comments were received on proposed § 2570.48, which is adopted without change in the final regulation.

Notwithstanding the duty to amend and supplement exemption applications provided under § 2570.37, the Department expressly conditions every exemption on the accuracy and completeness of the facts and representations provided by an applicant in support of the exemption. Therefore, as indicated under § 2570.49 of the proposed regulation, an exemption does not take effect or protect parties in interest from liability unless the material facts and representations contained in the application or in any other materials, documents, or testimony submitted by the applicant in support of the application were true and complete Thus, for example, in the case of a continuing exemption transaction such as a loan or a lease, if any of the material facts described in the application were to change after the exemption is granted, the exemption would cease to apply as of the date of such change even though, pursuant to § 2570.37, the applicant would not be obligated to notify the Department of such change. In the event of any such change, the parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction may apply for a new exemption to protect themselves from liability on or after the date of such change. Such an application should be submitted before such change occurs (see the discussion of prospective, versus retroactive, exemptions under the heading "Copies of Documents," above).

No comments were received on proposed § 2570.49, which is adopted without change in the final regulation.

Section 2570.50 of the proposed regulation described the circumstances under which the Department may revoke or modify a previously granted exemption and the rights afforded to the applicant and to other interested persons in the event such revocation or modification is proposed. This section also provided that ordinarily such revocation or modification will be prospective only. Under this proposed section, one of the circumstances permitting the Department to modify or revoke an exemption was a change in policy which calls into question the continuing validity of the Department's original conclusions regarding the granted exemption.

Two of the comments objected to permitting a change in policy as grounds for revoking or modifying a granted exemption. The commentators argued that disturbing transactions already reviewed and approved by the Department would inject an unneeded element of uncertainty into the exemption process. Moreover, concern was expressed that the revocation of an exemption could severely disrupt an applicant's business and impose great financial hardship. A commentator suggested that the final regulation include a prohibition against revocation of an exemption until the affected party in interest is given both written notice of the facts or conduct which may warrant the revocation and an opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the exemption.⁹

Proposed § 2570.50 is intended to provide the Department with the flexibility to undertake appropriate action in those cases where, subsequent to the grant of an exemption, potentially abusive practices or changes in the regulatory environment of an industry are identified which would cause the Department to reconsider its policy with respect to whether the exemption transactions continue to satisfy the statutory criteria under section 408(a) of ERISA.

With regard to the procedural issues raised by one of the comments, the Department notes that paragraph (b) of proposed § 2570.50 provides for notice to interested persons by publication in the Federal Register, notice to the applicant of the proposed revocation or modification, and an opportunity for the interested persons and the applicant to submit comments on the proposed revocation or modification.

After careful consideration of the comments, the Department has decided to adopt § 2570.50 as proposed. However the Department has clarified paragraph (b) to provide that the notice of proposed revocation or modification given to the applicant must be in writing.

Section 2570.51 of the proposed regulation provided that the public may examine and copy any exemption application and all correspondence and documents submitted in regard thereto and may receive photocopies of all or any portion of such administrative record for a specified charge per page. For this reason, the Department cannot honor requests to keep confidential any information submitted regarding an exemption application. Therefore, none of the information submitted in regard to a requested exemption should be material that the applicant or other sender does not wish to disclose to the public.

No comments were received on proposed § 2570.51, which is adopted without change in the final regulation.

The Department has determined that this regulatory action would not constitute a "major rule" as that term is used in Executive Order 12291 because the action would not result in: an annual effect on the economy of $100 million; a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographical regions; or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or on the ability of United States-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in the domestic or export markets.

The Department has determined that this regulation would not have a significant economic impact on small plans or other small entities. As stated previously, this regulation would do little more than describe procedures that reflect practices already in place for filing and processing applications for exemptions from the prohibited transaction provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the Federal Employee Retirement System Act of 1986.

This regulation modifies current collection of information requirements. It does so largely by codifying requests for facts and opinions that are routinely addressed to applicants for exemptions under current procedures. Accordingly, the regulation will not increase the paperwork burden for applicants. The regulation has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-511). The final regulation is assigned control number 1210-0060.

The final regulation set forth herein is issued pursuant to the authority granted in sections 408(a) (Pub. L. 93-406, 88 Stat. 883, 29 USC 1108(a)) and 505 (Pub. L. 93-406, 88 Stat. 894, 29 USC 1135) of ERISA, under Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978 (43 FR 47713, October 17, 1978), under 5 USC 8477(c)(3), and under Secretary of Labor's Order No. 187 (52 FR 13139, April 21, 1987).

Administrative practice and procedure, Employee benefit plans, Employee Retirement Income Security Act, Federal Employees' Retirement System Act, Party in interest, Pensions, Prohibited transactions.

For the reasons set out in the preamble, parts 2570 and 2585 of chapter XXV of title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations are amended as follows:

Part 2570-[Amended]

1. The authority for part 2570 is revised to read as follows:

Authority: 29 USC 1108(a), 1135; Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978; 5 USC 8477(c)(3); Secretary of Labor's Order No. 187.

Subpart A is also issued under 29 USC 1132(i).

2. By adding in the appropriate place the following new subpart B to part 2570.

Subpart B - Procedures for Filing and Processing Prohibited Transaction Exemption Applications

Sec.

2570.30 Scope of rules.

2570.31 Definitions.

2570.32 Persons who may apply for exemptions.

2570.33 Applications the Department will not ordinarily consider.

2570.34 Information to be included in every exemption application.

2570.35 Information to be included in applications for individual exemptions only.

2570.36 Where to file an application.

2570.37 Duty to amend and supplement exemption applications.

2570.38 Tentative denial letters.

2570.39 Opportunities to submit additional information.

2570.40 Conferences.

2570.41 Final denial letters.

2570.42 Notice of proposed exemption.

2570.43 Notification of interested persons by applicant.

2570.44 Withdrawal of exemption applications.

2570.45 Requests for reconsideration.

2570.46 Hearings in opposition to exemptions from restrictions on fiduciary self-dealing.

2570.47 Other hearings.

2570.46 Decision to grant exemptions.

2570.49 Limits on the effect of exemptions.

2570.50 Revocation or modification of exemptions.

2570.51 Public inspection and copies.

2570.52 Effective date.

§ 2570.30 Scope of rules.

1. (1)The rules of procedure set forth in this subpart apply to all applications for exemption which the Department has authority to issue under:

1. Section 408(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA);
2. Section 4975(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code) (see Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978); or
3. The Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 (FERSA) (5 USC 8477(c)(3)).

2. The Department will generally treat any exemption application which is filed solely under section 408(a) of ERISA or solely under section 4975(c)(2) of the Code as an exemption filed under both section 408(a) and section 4975(c)(2) if it relates to a transaction that would be prohibited by ERISA and by the corresponding provisions of the Code.
3. The procedures set forth in this subpart represent the exclusive means by which the Department will issue administrative exemptions. The Department will not issue exemptions upon oral request alone. Likewise, the Department will not grant exemptions orally. An applicant for an administrative exemption may request and receive oral advice from Department employees in preparing an exemption application. However, such advice does not constitute part of the administrative record and is not binding on the Department in its processing of an exemption application or in its examination or audit of a plan.

§ 2570.31 Definitions.

For purposes of these procedures, the following definitions apply:

1. An affiliate of a person means -

1. Any person directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the person;
2. Any director of, relative of, or partner in, any such person;
3. 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
4. Any employee or officer of the person who -

1. Is highly compensated (as defined in section 4975(e)(2)(H) of the Code), or
2. Has direct or indirect authority, responsibility, or control regarding the custody, management, or disposition of plan assets.

2. A class exemption is an administrative exemption, granted under section 408(a) of ERISA, section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, and/or 5 USC 8477(c)(3), which applies to any parties in interest within the class of parties in interest specified in the exemption who meet the conditions of the exemption.
3. Department means the U.S. Department of Labor and includes the Secretary of Labor or his delegate exercising authority with respect to prohibited transaction exemptions to which this subpart applies.
4. Exemption transaction means the transaction or transactions for which an exemption is requested.
5. An individual exemption is an administrative exemption, granted under section 408(a) of ERISA, section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, and/or 5 USC 8477(c)(3), which applies only to the specific parties in interest named or otherwise defined in the exemption.
6. A party in interest means a person described in section 3(14) of ERISA or 5 USC 8477(a)(4) and includes a disqualified person, as defined in section 4975(e)(2) of the Code.
7. Pooled fund means an account or fund for the collective investment of the assets of two or more unrelated plans, including (but not limited to) a pooled separate account maintained by an insurance company and a common or collective trust fund maintained by a bank or similar financial institution.

§ 2570.32 Persons who may apply for exemptions.

1. The Department may initiate exemption proceedings on its own motion. In addition, the Department will initiate exemption proceedings upon the application of -

1. Any party in interest to a plan who is or may be a party to the exemption transaction;
2. Any plan which is a party to the exemption transaction; or
3. In the case of an application for an exemption covering a class of parties in interest or a class of transactions, in addition to any person described in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section, an association or organization representing parties in interest who may be parties to the exemption transaction.

2. An application by or for a person described in paragraph (a) of this section, may be submitted by the applicant or by his authorized representatives. If the application is submitted by a representative of the applicant, the representative must submit proof of his authority in the form of

1. A power of attorney; or
2. A written certification from the applicant that the representation is authorized.

3. If the authorized representative of an applicant submits an application for an exemption to the Department together with proof of his authority for file the application as required by paragraph (b) of this section, the Department will direct all correspondence and inquiries concerning the application to the representative unless requested to do otherwise by the applicant.

§ 2570.33 Applications the Department will not ordinarily consider -

1. The Department will not ordinarily consider:

1. An application that fails to include all the information required by § 2570.34 and 2570.35, or otherwise fails to conform to the requirements of these procedures; or
2. An application for exemption involving a transaction or transactions which are the subject of an investigation for possible violations of part 1 or 4 of subtitle B of title I of ERISA or section 8477 or 8478 of FERSA or an application for an exemption involving a party in interest who is the subject of such an investigation or who is a defendant in an action by the Department or the Internal Revenue Service to enforce the above-mentioned provisions of ERISA or FERSA.

2. If for any reason the Department decides not to consider an exemption application, it will inform the applicant of that decision in writing and of the reasons therefore.
3. An application for an individual exemption relating to a specific transaction or transactions will ordinarily not be considered separately if the Department is considering a class exemption relating to the same type of transaction or transactions.

§ 2570.34 Information to be included in every exemption application.

1. All applications for exemptions must contain the following information:

1. The name(s) of the applicant(s);
2. A detailed description of the exemption transaction and the parties in interest for whom an exemption is requested, including a description of any larger integrated transaction of which the exemption transaction is a part;
3. Whether the affected plan(s) and any parties in interest will be represented by the same person with regard to the exemption application;
4. Reasons a plan would have for entering into the exemption transaction;
5. The prohibited transaction provisions from which exemptive relief is requested and the reason why the transaction would violate each such provision;
6. Whether the exemption transaction is customary for the industry or class involved;
7. Whether the exemption transaction is or has been the subject of an investigation or enforcement action by the Department or by the Internal Revenue Service; and
8. The hardship or economic loss, if any, which would result to the person or persons on behalf of whom the exemption is sought, to affected plans and to their participants and beneficiaries from denial of the exemption.

2. All applications for exemption must also contain the following:

1. A statement explaining why the requested exemption would be -

1. Administratively feasible;
2. In the interests of affected plans and their participants and beneficiaries; and
3. Protective of the rights of participants and beneficiaries of affected plans.

2. With respect to the notification of interested persons required by § 2570.43:

1. A description of the interested person(s) to whom the applicant intends to provide notice;
2. The manner in which the applicant will provide such notice; and
3. An estimate of the time the applicant will need to furnish notice to all interested persons following publication of a notice of the proposed exemption in the Federal Register.
3. If an advisory opinion has been requested with respect to any issue relating to the exemption transaction -

1. A copy of the letter concluding the Department's action on the advisory opinion request; or
2. If the Department has not yet concluded its action on the request:

1. A copy of the request or the date on which it was submitted together with the Department’s correspondence control number as indicated in the acknowledgment letter; and
2. An explanation of the effect of a favorable advisory opinion upon the exemption transaction.

4. If the application is to be signed by anyone other than an individual party in interest seeking exemptive relief on his own behalf, a statement which -

1. Identifies the individual, who will be signing the application and his position with the applicant; and
2. Explain briefly the basis of his familiarity with the matters discussed in the application.

5. (i)A declaration in the following form: Under penalty of perjury, I declare that I am familiar with the matters discussed in this application and to the best of my knowledge and belief, the representations made in this application are true and correct.

(ii) This declaration must be dated and signed by:

1. The applicant himself in the case of an individual party in interest seeking exemptive relief on his own behalf;
2. A corporate officer or partner where the applicant is a corporation or partnership;
3. A designated officer or official where the applicant is an association, organization or other unincorporated enterprise;
4. The plan fiduciary who has the authority, responsibility, and control with respect to the exemption transaction where the applicant is a plan.

(iii) Specialized statements from third party experts, such as appraisals or analyses of market conditions, submitted to support an application for exemption must also be accompanied by a statement of consent from such expert acknowledging that he or she knows that his or her statement is being submitted to the Department as part of an application for exemption.

(iv) For those applications requiring an independent fiduciary to represent the plan in the exemption transaction, each statement submitted by said independent fiduciary must contain a signed and dated declaration under penalty of perjury that, to the best of said fiduciary's knowledge and belief the representations made in such statement are true and correct.

3. An application for exemption may also include a draft of the requested exemption which defines the transaction and parties in interest for which exemptive relief is sought and the specific conditions under which the exemption would apply.

§ 2570.35 Information to be included in applications for Individual exemptions only.

1. Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, every application for an individual exemption must include, in addition to the information specified in § 2570.34, the following information:

1. The name, address, telephone number, and type of plan or plans to which the requested exemption applies;
2. The Employer Identification Number (EIN) and the plan number (PN) used by such plan or plans in all reporting and disclosure required by the Department;
3. Whether any plan or trust affected by the requested exemption has ever been found by the Department, the Internal Revenue Service, or by a court to have violated the exclusive benefit rule of section 401(a) of the Code, or to have engaged in a prohibited transaction under section 503(b) of the Code or corresponding provisions of prior law, section 4975(c)(1) of the Code, section 406 or 407(a) of ERISA, or 5 USC 8477(c)(3);
4. Whether any relief under section 408(a) of ERISA, section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, or 5 USC 8477(c)(3) has been requested by, or provided to, the applicant or any of the parties on behalf of whom the exemption is sought and, if so, the exemption application number or the prohibited transaction exemption number;
5. Whether the applicant or any of the parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction is currently, or has been within the last five years, a defendant in any lawsuit or criminal action concerning such person's conduct as a fiduciary or party in interest with respect to any plan;
6. Whether the applicant or any of the parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction has within the last 13 years, been convicted of any crime described in section 411 of ERISA.
7. Whether, within the last five years, any plan affected by the exemption transaction or any party in interest involved in the exemption transaction has been under investigation or examination by, or has been engaged in litigation or a continuing controversy with, the Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board involving compliance with provisions of FERSA, provisions of the Code relating to employee benefit plans, or provisions of FERSA relating to the Federal Thrift Savings Fund. If so, the applicant must submit copies of all correspondence with the Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board regarding the substantive issues involved in the investigation, examination, litigation, or controversy which relate to compliance with the provisions of part 1 or 4 of subtitle B of title I of ERISA, section 4975 of the Code, or section 8477 or 8478 of FERSA. For this purpose, the term "examination" does not include routine audits conducted by the Department pursuant to section 8477(g) of FERSA;
8. Whether any plan affected by the requested exemption has experienced a reportable event under section 4043 of ERISA;
9. Whether a notice of intent to terminate has been filed under section 4041 of ERISA respecting any plan affected by the requested exemption;
10. Names, addresses, and taxpayer identifying numbers of all parties in interest involved in the subject transaction;
11. The estimated number of participants and beneficiaries in each plan affected by the requested exemption as of the date of the application;
12. The percentage of the fair market value of the total assets of each affected plan that is involved in the exemption transaction;
13. Whether the exemption transaction has been consummated or will be consummated only if the exemption is granted;
14. If the exemption transaction has already been consummated:

1. The circumstances which resulted in plan fiduciaries causing the plan to engage in the subject transaction before obtaining an exemption from the Department;
2. Whether the transaction has been terminated;
3. Whether the transaction has been corrected as defined in Code section 4975(f)(5);
4. Whether Form 5330, Return of Excise Taxes Related to Employee Benefit Plans, has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service with respect to the transaction; and
5. Whether any excise taxes due under section 4975(a) and (b) of the Code by reason of the transaction have been paid.

15. The name of every person who has investment discretion over any assets involved in the exemption transaction and the relationship of each such person to the parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction and the affiliates of such parties in interest;
16. Whether or not the assets of the affected plan(s) are invested in loans to any party in interest involved in the exemption transaction, in property leased to any such party in interest, or in securities issued by any such party in interest, and, if such investments exist, a statement for each of these three types of investments which indicates:

1. The type of investment to which the statement pertains;
2. The aggregate fair market value of all investments of this type as reflected in the plan's most recent annual report;
3. The approximate percentage of the fair market value of the plan's total assets as shown in such annual report that is represented by all investments of this type; and
4. The statutory or administrative exemption covering these investments, if any.

17. The approximate aggregate fair market value of the total assets of each affected plan;
18. The person(s) who will bear the costs of the exemption application and of notifying interested persons; and
19. Whether an independent fiduciary is or will be involved in the exemption transaction and, if so, the names of the persons who will bear the cost of the fee payable to such fiduciary.

2. Each application for an individual exemption must also include:

1. True copies of all contracts, deeds, agreements, and instruments, as well as relevant portions of plan documents, trust agreements, and any other documents bearing on the exemption transaction;
2. A discussion of the facts relevant to the exemption transaction that are reflected in these documents and an analysis of their bearing on the requested exemption; and
3. A copy of the most recent financial statements of each plan affected by the requested exemption.

3. Special rule for applications for individual exemption involving pooled funds:

1. The information required by paragraphs (a)(8) through (12) of this section is not required to be furnished in an application for individual exemption involving one or more pooled funds;
2. The information required by paragraphs (a)(1) through (7) and (a)(13) through (19) of this section and by paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) of this section must be furnished by reference to the pooled fund, rather than to the plans participating therein. (For purposes of this paragraph, the information required by paragraph (a)(16) of this section relates solely to other pooled fund transactions with, and investments in, parties in interest involved in the exemption transaction which are also sponsors of plans which invest in the pooled fund.);
3. The following information must also be furnished -

1. The estimated number of plans that are participating (or will participate) in the pooled fund; and
2. The minimum and maximum limits imposed by the pooled fund (if any) on the portion of the total assets of each Plan that may be invested in the pooled fund.

4. Additional requirements for applications for individual exemption involving pooled funds in which certain plans participate.

1. This paragraph applies to any application for individual exemption involving one or more pooled funds in which any plan participating therein -

1. Invests an amount which exceeds 20% of the total assets of the pooled fund, or
2. Covers employees of -

1. The party sponsoring or maintaining the pooled fund, or any affiliate of such party, or
2. Any fiduciary with investment discretion over the pooled fund's assets, or any affiliate of such fiduciary.

2. The exemption application must include, with respect to each plan described in paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section, the information required by paragraphs (a)(1) through (3), (a)(5) through (7), (a)(10), (a)(12) through (16), and (a)(18) and (19) of this section. The information required by this paragraph must be furnished by reference to the plan's investment in the pooled fund (e.g., the names, addresses and taxpayer identifying numbers of all fiduciaries responsible for the plan's investment in the pooled fund (§ 2570.35(a)(10), the percentage of the assets of the plan invested in the pooled fund [§ 2570.35(a)(12)], whether the plan's investment in the pooled fund has been consummated or will be consummated only if the exemption is granted [§ 2570.35(a)(13), etc.).
3. The information required by paragraph (c)(4) of this section is in addition to the information required by paragraphs (c)(2) and (3) of this section relating to information furnished by reference to the pooled fund.

5. The special rule and the additional requirements described in paragraphs (c)(1) through (4) of this section do not apply to an individual exemption request solely for the investment by a plan in a pooled fund. Such an application must provide the information required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

§ 2570.36 Where to file an application.

The Department's prohibited transaction exemption program is administered by the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA). Any exemption application governed by these procedures should be mailed or otherwise delivered to: Exemption Application, PWBA, Office of Exemption Determinations, Division of Exemptions, US Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210.

§ 2570.37 Duty to amend and supplement exemption applications.

1. During the pendency of his exemption application, an applicant must promptly notify the Division of Exemptions in writing, if he discovers that any material fact or representation contained in his application or any documents or testimony provided in support of the application is inaccurate, if any such fact or representation changes during this period, or if, during the pendency of the application, anything occurs that may affect the continuing accuracy of any such fact or representation.
2. If, at any time during the pendency of his exemption application, an applicant or any other party in interest who would participate in the exemption transaction becomes the subject of an investigation or enforcement action by the Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board involving compliance with provisions of ERISA, provisions of the Code relating to employee benefit plans, or provisions of FERSA relating to the Federal Thrift Savings Fund, the applicant must promptly notify the Division of Exemptions.
3. The Department may require an applicant provide documentation it considers necessary to verify any statements contained in the application or in supporting materials or documents.

§ 2570.38 Tentative denial letters.

1. If, after reviewing an exemption file, the Department concludes that it will not grant the exemption. it will notify the applicant in writing of its tentative denial of the exemption application. At the same time, the Department will provide a short statement of the reasons for its tentative denial.
2. An applicant will have 20 days from the date of a tentative denial letter to request a conference under § 2570.40 of these procedures and/or to notify the Department of its intent to submit additional information in writing, under § 2570.39 of these procedures. If the Department does not receive a request for a conference or a notification of intent to submit additional information within that time, it will issue a final denial letter pursuant to § 2570.41.
3. The Department need not issue a tentative denial letter to an applicant before issuing a final denial letter where the Department has conducted a hearing on the exemption pursuant to either § 2570.46 or § 2570.47 of these procedures.

§ 2570.39 Opportunities to submit additional information.

1. An applicant may notify the Department of its intent to submit additional information supporting an exemption application either by telephone or by letter sent to the address, furnished in, the applicant's tentative denial letter. At the same time, the applicant should indicate generally the type of information that he will submit.
2. An applicant will have 30 days from the date of the notification discussed in paragraph (a) of this section to submit in writing all of the additional information he intends to provide in support of his application. All such information must be accompanied by a declaration under penalty of perjury attesting to the truth and correctness of the information provided, which is dated and signed by a person qualified under § 2570.34(b)(5) of these procedures to sign such a declaration.
3. If, for reasons beyond his control, an applicant is unable to submit in writing all the additional information he intends to provide in support of his application within the 30-day period described in paragraph (b) of this section, he may request an extension of time to furnish the information. Such requests must be made before the expiration of the 30-day period and will be granted only in unusual circumstances and for limited periods of time.
4. If an applicant is unable to submit all of the additional information he intends to provide in support of his exemption application within the 30-day period specified in paragraph (b) of this section or within any additional period of time granted to him pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section, the applicant may withdraw the exemption application before expiration of the applicable time period and reinstate it later pursuant to § 2570.44 of these procedures.
5. The Department will issue without further notice the final denial letter, denying the requested exemption pursuant to § 2570.41 of these procedures where -

1. The Department has not received the additional information that the applicant indicated he would submit within the 30-day period described in paragraph (b) of this section, or within any additional period of time granted pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section;
2. The applicant did not request a conference pursuant to § 2570.38(b) of these procedures; and
3. The applicant has not withdrawn his application as permitted by paragraph (d) of this section.

§ 2570.40 Conferences.

1. Any conference between the Department and an applicant pertaining to a requested exemption will be held in Washington, DC, except that a telephone conference will be held at the applicant's request.
2. An applicant is entitled to only one conference with respect to any exemption application. An applicant will not be entitled to a conference, however, where the Department has held a hearing on the exemption under either § 2570.46 or § 2570.47 of these procedures.
3. Insofar as possible, conferences will be scheduled as joint conferences with all applicants present where:

1. More than one applicant has requested an exemption with respect to the same or similar types of transactions;
2. The Department is considering the applications together as a request for a class exemption;
3. The Department contemplates not granting the exemption; and
4. More than one applicant has requested a conference.

4. The Department will attempt to schedule a conference under this section for a mutually convenient time during the 45-day period following the later of -

1. The date the Department receives the applicant's request for a conference, or
2. The date the Department notifies the applicant, after reviewing additional information submitted pursuant to § 2570.39, that it is still not prepared to propose the requested exemption. If the applicant is unable to attend a conference at any of the times proposed by the Department during this 45-day period or if the applicant fails to appear for a scheduled conference, he will be deemed to have waived his right to a conference unless circumstances beyond his control prevent him from scheduling a conference or attending a scheduled conference within this period.

5. Within 20 days after the date of any conference held under this section, the applicant may submit to the Department a written record of any additional data, arguments, or precedents discussed at the conference but not previously or adequately presented in writing.

§ 2570.41 Final denial letters.

1. The Department will issue a final denial letter denying a requested exemption where:

1. The conditions for issuing a final denial letter specified in § 2570.38(b) or § 2570.39(e) of these procedures are satisfied;
2. After issuing a tentative denial letter under § 2570.38 of this part and considering the entire record in the case, including all written information submitted pursuant to § 2570.39 and § 2570.40(e) of these procedures, the Department decides not to propose an exemption or to withdraw an exemption already proposed; or
3. After proposing an exemption and conducting a hearing on the exemption under either § 2570.46 or § 2570.47 of this part and after considering the entire record in the case, including the record of the hearing, the Department decides to withdraw the proposed exemption.

§ 2570.42 Notice of proposed exemption.

If the Department tentatively decides, based on all the information submitted by an applicant, that the exemption should be granted, it will publish a notice of proposed exemption in the Federal Register. The notice will:

1. Explain the exemption transaction and summarize the information received by the Department in support of the exemption;
2. Specify any conditions under, which the exemption is proposed;
3. Inform interested persons of their right to submit comments in writing to the Department relating to the proposed exemption and establish a deadline for receipt of such comments;
4. If the proposed exemption includes relief from the prohibitions of section 406(b) of ERISA, section 4975(c)(1)(E) or (F) of the Code, or section 8477(c)(2) of FERSA, inform interested persons of their right to request a hearing under § 2570.46 of this part and establish a deadline for receipt of requests for such hearings.

§ 2570.43 Notification of Interested persons by applicant.

1. If, as set forth in the exemption application, the notification that an applicant intends to provide to interested persons upon publication of a notice of proposed exemption in the Federal Register is inadequate, the Department will so inform the applicant and will secure the applicant's written agreement to provide what it considers to be adequate notice under the circumstances.
2. If a notice of proposed exemption is published in the Federal Register in accordance with § 2570.42 of this part, the applicant must notify interested persons of the pendency of the exemption in the manner and time period specified in the application or in any superseding agreement with the Department. Any such notification must include:

1. A copy of the notice of proposed exemption; and
2. A supplemental statement in the following form:

3. The method used to furnish notice to interested persons must be reasonably calculated to ensure that interested persons actually receive the notice. In all cases, personal delivery and delivery by first-class mail will be considered reasonable methods of furnishing notice.
4. After furnishing the notice required by this section, an applicant must provide the Department with a statement confirming that notice was furnished to the persons and in the manner and time designated in its exemption application or in any superseding agreement with the Department. This statement must be accompanied by a declaration under penalty of perjury attesting to the truth of the information provided in the statement and signed by a person qualified under § 2570.34(b)(5) of these procedures to sign such a declaration. No exemption will be granted until such a statement and its accompanying declaration have been furnished to the Department.

§ 2570.44 Withdrawal of exemption applications.

1. An applicant may withdraw his application for an exemption at any time by informing the Department, either orally or in writing, of his intent to withdraw.
2. Upon receiving an applicant's notice of intent to withdraw an application for an individual exemption, the Department will confirm by letter the applicant's withdrawal of the application and will terminate all proceedings relating to the application. If a notice of proposed exemption has been published in the Federal Register, the Department will publish a notice withdrawing the proposed exemption.
3. Upon receiving an applicant's notice of intent to withdraw an application for a class exemption or for an individual exemption that is being considered with other applications as a request for a class exemption, the Department will inform any other applicants for the exemption of the withdrawal. The Department will continue to process other applications for the same exemption. If all applicants for a particular class exemption withdraw their applications, the Department may either terminate all proceedings relating to the exemption or propose the exemption on its own motion.
4. If, following the withdrawal of an exemption application, an applicant decides to reapply for the same exemption, he may submit a letter to the Department requesting that the application be reinstated and referring to the application number assigned to the original application. If, at the time the original application was withdrawn, any additional information to be submitted to the Department under § 2570.39 of these procedures was outstanding, that information must accompany the letter requesting reinstatement of the application. However, the applicant need not resubmit information previously furnished to the Department in connection with a withdrawn application unless reinstatement of the application is requested more than two years after the date of its withdrawal.
5. Any request for reinstatement of a withdrawn application submitted in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section, will be granted by the Department, and the Department will take whatever steps remained at the time the application was withdrawn to process the application.

§ 2570.45 Requests for reconsideration.

1. The Department will entertain one request for reconsideration of an exemption application that has been finally denied pursuant to § 2570.41(a)(2) or (a)(3) of this part if the applicant presents in support of the application significant new facts or arguments which for good reason could not have been submitted for the Department's consideration during its initial review of the exemption application.
2. A request for reconsideration of a previously denied application must be made within 180 days after the issuance of the final denial letter and must be accompanied by a copy of the Department's final letter denying the exemption and a statement setting forth the new information and/or arguments that provide the basis for reconsideration.
3. A request for reconsideration must also be accompanied by a declaration under penalty of perjury attesting to the truth of the new information provided, which is signed by a person qualified under § 2570.34(b)(5) of these procedures to sign such a declaration.
4. If, after reviewing a request for reconsideration, the Department decides that the facts and arguments presented do not warrant reversal of its original decision to deny the exemption, it will send a letter to the applicant reaffirming that decision.
5. If, after reviewing a request for reconsideration, the Department decides, based on the new facts and arguments submitted, to reconsider its denial letter, it will notify the applicant of its intent to reconsider the application in light of the new information provided. The Department will then take wherever steps remained at the time it issued its final denial letter to process the exemption application
6. If, at any point during its subsequent processing of the application, the Department decides again that the exemption is unwarranted, it will issue a letter affirming its final denial.

§ 2570.46 Hearings in opposition to exemptions from restrictions on fiduciary self-dealing.

1. Any interested person who may be adversely affected by an exemption which the Department proposes to grant from the restrictions of section 406(b) of ERISA, section 4975(c)(1)(E) or (F) of the Code, or section 8477(c)(2) of FERSA may request a hearing before the Department within the period of time specified in the Federal Register notice of the proposed exemption Any such request must state:

1. The name, address, and telephone number of the person making the, request;
2. The nature of the person's interest in the exemption and the manner in which the person would be adversely affected by the exemption; and
3. A statement of the issues to be addressed and a general description of the evidence to be presented at the hearing.

2. The Department will grant a request for a hearing made in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section where a hearing is necessary to fully explore material factual issues identified by the person requesting the hearing. However, the Department may decline to hold a hearing where:

1. The request for the hearing does not meet the requirements of paragraph (a);
2. The only issues identified for exploration at the hearing are matters of law; or
3. The factual issues identified can be fully explored through the submission of evidence in written form.

3. An applicant for an exemption must notify interested persons in the event that the Department schedules a hearing on the exemption. Such notification must be given in the form, time, and manner prescribed by the Department. Ordinarily, however, adequate notification can be given by providing to interested persons a copy of the notice of hearing published by the Department in the Federal Register within 10 days of its publication, using any of the methods approved in § 2570.43(c) of this part.
4. After furnishing the notice required by paragraph (c) of this section, an applicant must submit a statement confirming that notice was given in the form, manner, and time prescribed. This statement must be accompanied by a declaration under penalty of perjury attesting to the truth of the information provided in the statement, which is signed by a person qualified under § 2570.34(b)(5) of these procedures to sign such a declaration.

2570.47 Other hearings.

1. In its discretion, the Department may schedule a hearing on its own motion where it determines that issues relevant to the exemption can be most fully or expeditiously explored at a hearing.
2. An applicant for an exemption must notify interested persons of any hearing on an exemption scheduled by the Department in the manner described in § 2570.46(c). In addition, the applicant must submit a statement subscribed as true under penalty of perjury like that required in § 2570.46(d).

§ 2570.48 Decision to grant exemptions.

1. If, after considering all the facts and representations submitted by an applicant in support of an exemption application, all the comments received in response to a notice of proposed exemption, and the record of any hearing held in connection with the proposed exemption, the Department determines that the exemption should be granted, it will publish a notice in the Federal Register granting the exemption.
2. A Federal Register notice granting an exemption will summarize the transaction or transactions for which exemptive relief has been granted and will specify the conditions under which such exemptive relief is available.

§ 2570.49 Limits on the effect of exemptions.

1. An exemption does not take effect or protect parties in interest from liability with respect to the exemption transaction unless the material facts and representations contained in the application and in any materials and documents submitted in support of the application were true and complete.
2. An exemption is effective only for the period of time specified and only under the conditions set forth in the exemption.
3. Only the specific parties to whom an exemption grants relief may rely on the exemption. If the notice granting an exemption does not limit exemptive relief to specific parties, all parties to the exemption transaction may rely on the exemption.

1. Under section 111 of the FERSA Technical Corrections Act of 1986 (Pub.L. 99-566, October 27, 1986), the Department's existing exemption procedures were made applicable to exemption applications under FERSA until the earlier of the date of publication of final regulations adopting an exemption procedure or December 31, 1988.
2. Section 8477(g) of FERSA requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a program to carry out audits to determine the level of compliance with the requirements of this section relating to fiduciary responsibilities and prohibited activities of fiduciaries with respect to the Thrift Savings Fund of the Federal Employees' Retirement System. The Department has interpreted section 8477(g) to mean that the Department has a continuing responsibility to audit the Thrift Savings Fund established by FERSA.
3. These sections, relate, in pertinent part, to the Department's nonconsideration of exemption applications which are the subject of an investigation for possible violations of FERSA or which involve a party in interest who is the subject of such an investigation (§ 2570.33(a)(2)); and to the notification of the Division of Exemptions of certain investigations initiated after the filing of an exemption application (§ 2570.37(b)).
4. This section of the regulation requires certain exemption applications to include copies of correspondence relating to investigations, examinations, litigation, and continuing controversies with specified Federal agencies.
5. The Department must find that the statutory criteria are satisfied before granting a prohibited transaction exemption. The legislative history of ERISA makes it clear, however, that the Department has broad discretion in determining whether or not to grant an exemption. H.R. Rep. 1280, 93 Cong., 2d Sess. 311 (1974).
6. See section 1(e) of PTE 84-14 (49 FR 9494, March 13, 1984) the class exemption involving qualified professional asset managers [QPAM] (See page 5-).
7. The Department notes that the form of the notice is prescribed under § 2570.43(b) of the regulation.
8. Section 4975(c)(2) of the Code and 5 USC 8477(c)(3)(D) (added by FERSA) contain similar hearing requirements. The following discussion of the hearing requirements of section 408(a) of ERISA is equally applicable to those statutory provisions.
9. This comment compares the revocation of an exemption to the revocation of a license granted by an agency of the United States Government pursuant to 5 USC 558(c). The Department is expressing no opinion herein as to the applicability of 5 USC 558(c) to the revocation of prohibited transaction exemptions under ERISA, the Code, or FERSA.