EBSA (Formerly PWBA) Federal Register Notice
Class Exemption for the Receipt of Certain Investment Services by Individuals for Whose Benefit Individual Retirement Accounts or Retirement Plans for Self-Employed Individuals Have Been Established or Maintained [02/07/1997]
[PDF Version]
Volume 62, Number 26, Page 5855-5857
----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration [Prohibited Transaction Exemption 97-11; Application D-09707] Class Exemption for the Receipt of Certain Investment Services by Individuals for Whose Benefit Individual Retirement Accounts or Retirement Plans for Self-Employed Individuals Have Been Established or Maintained AGENCY: Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. ACTION: Grant of class exemption. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This document contains a final class exemption from the prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). The class exemption permits the receipt of services at reduced or no cost by an individual for whose benefit an individual retirement account (IRA) or, it self-employed, a Keogh Plan is established or maintained, or by members of his or her family, from a broker-dealer, provided that the conditions of the exemption are met. The exemption affects individuals with beneficial interests in such plans who receive such services as well as the broker-dealers who provide such services. EFFECTIVE DATE: February 7, 1997. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Padams, Office of Exemption Determinations, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, (202) 219-8971, (This is not a toll-free number); or Paul D. Mannina, Plan Benefits Security Division, Office of Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor (202) 219-9141, (This is not a toll-free number). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 31, 1996, the Department of Labor (the Department) published a notice in the Federal Register (61 FR 39996) of the pendency of a proposed class exemption from the restrictions of sections 406(a)(1)(D) and 406(b) of ERISA and the sanctions resulting from the application of sections 4975 (a) and (b), 4975(c)(3) and 408(e)(2) of the Code by reason of section 4975(c)(1) (D), (E) and (F) of the Code. This exemption was requested in an exemption application filed on behalf of the Securities Industry Association (the SIA or the Applicant). The application was filed pursuant to section 408(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c)(2) of the Code and in accordance with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR part 2570, subpart B, (55 FR 32836, August 10, 1990.) \1\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ Section 102 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978 (43 FR 47713, October 17, 1978) generally transferred the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to issue administrative exemptions under section 4975(c)(2) of the Code to the Secretary of Labor. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The notice of pendency gave interested persons an opportunity to comment or request a public hearing on the proposal. No requests for a public hearing were received by the Department. Two public comments were received by the Department. Upon consideration of the record as a whole, the Department has determined to grant the proposed exemption subject to certain modifications. These modifications and the comments are discussed below. Discussion of the Comments Received One commenter sought clarification of the language in the preamble to the notice of proposed exemption which addressed the Investment Company Institute's inquiry as to whether the exemption would provide relief for a relationship brokerage program whereby a broker-dealer offers reduced sales charges with respect to the purchase of investment company shares as the size of the purchase increases. In this regard, a broker-dealer would aggregate total purchases of all of a customer's accounts, including IRAs and Keogh Plans. Thus, a broker-dealer would set a schedule of commissions or rates that vary according to the size of the transaction. Specifically, the commenter requests that the Department clarify that the exemption covers ``rights of accumulation'' programs as described in the National Association of Securities Dealers' Rules of Fair Practice in which a broker dealer takes into account both a customer's present purchases of shares and the aggregate quantity of securities previously purchased by the customer. The Department notes that such programs would be covered by the exemption provided that all the conditions of the exemption are satisfied. In addition, the commenter requests that the Department reconsider its views stated in footnote 8 of the Preamble relating to ``letter of intent programs'' in which broker-dealers reduce sales commissions based on the aggregate of a customer's actual purchases and anticipated purchases over a specified period of time, as agreed to by the customer (the Target Amount). The commenter states that the letter of intent is not a binding obligation on the customer to purchase the Target Amount. Rather, if the customer holds [[Page 5856]] less than the Target Amount in his accounts at the end of the specified period, the sales charge is adjusted upward for the shares purchased during such period, and the customer is required to pay the same sales charge he would have paid if he had not participated in the letter of intent program. For example, an individual purchases shares of a mutual fund under a letter of intent program which requires the individual to purchase a total of $100,000 of mutual fund shares within 13 months of the initial purchase. The individual makes an initial purchase of $2,000 for his or her IRA account. In addition, the individual makes a $3,000 purchase for a non-IRA/Keogh account and pays a reduced sales charge associated with both purchases. An escrow arrangement is established with regard to the $5,000 in purchases to secure payment of the higher sales charge in the event the investor fails to purchase the intended number of shares during the specified period. During the 13- month period, the individual only purchases another $5,000 amount for his non-IRA/Keogh account. In accordance with the program, an unreduced sales charge must be reinstated. the broker-dealer would assess each account its prorata share of the reinstated sales charge. Thus, the IRA would only pay 20% of the total amount of money owed for the reinstated sales charge (the IRA purchased $2,000 of the total $10,000 purchased or 20%). The commenter represents that under letter of intent programs, IRA and Keogh Plans would be treated as favorably as any other type of account that a broker-dealer includes in the letter of intent program. Based upon the commenter's assertion that the IRA and Keogh Plans only will be assessed that portion of the reinstated sales charges related to the IRA and Keogh Plan purchases, the Department is of the view that letter of intent programs would be covered by the class exemption. Another commenter urged the Department to modify the definition of an individual retirement account to include simple retirement accounts as described in section 408(p) of the Code. The Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-188), effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1996, amended section 408 of the Code to permit simple retirement accounts. In this regard, the commenter states that section 408(p)(7) provides that participants of simple employee pensions have the unrestricted authority to transfer their account balances without cost or penalty to simple retirement accounts sponsored by different financial institutions. The Department finds merit in this comment and has modified section III(b) of the exemption to include simple retirement accounts. The same commenter urges the Department to clarify the definition of account value to include insured investment accounts or insured savings accounts. According to the commenter, such accounts are established in a separate bank and are insured by a federal deposit agency. Broker-dealers establish insured savings accounts whereby the uninvested cash in a clients account is swept into a separate bank account for a client rather than into a money market fund. Clients may select such an account as a sweep vehicle because the assets in the bank account are insured by federal deposit insurance up to the maximum permitted by law. In this regard, the commenter represents that a separate program may be maintained for the broker-dealer's retirement account clients. In response to the comment, the Department has clarified section III(d) to include accounts that are insured by a federal deposit insurance agency and that constitute deposits as that term is defined in section 29 CFR 2550.408(b)-4(c)(3). General Information The attention of interested persons is directed to the following: (1) In accordance with section 408(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, and based upon the entire record, the Department finds that the exemption is administratively feasible, in the interests of the IRAs and Keogh Plans and their participants and beneficiaries and protective of the rights of participants and beneficiaries of such plans. (2) The exemption is supplemental to, and not in derogation of, any other provisions of ERISA and the Code including statutory or administrative exemptions and transitional rules. Furthermore, the fact that a transaction is subject to an administrative exemption is not dispositive of whether the transaction is in fact a prohibited transaction. (3) The exemption is applicable to a transaction only if the conditions specified in the class exemption are met. Exemption Accordingly, the following exemption is granted under the authority of section 408(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c)(2) of the Code and in accordance with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR part 2570, subpart B. [55 FR 32836, August 10, 1990]. Section I: Covered Transactions Effective February 7, 1997, the restrictions of sections 406(a)(1)(D) and 406(b) of ERISA and the sanctions resulting from the application of section 4975 of the Code, including the loss of exemption of an IRA pursuant to section 408(e)(2)(A) of the Code, by reason of section 4975(c)(1)(D), (E) and (F) of the Code, shall not apply to the receipt of services at reduced or no cost by an individual for whose benefit an IRA or, if self-employed, a Keogh Plan, is established or maintained, or by members of his or her family, from a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 pursuant to an arrangement in which the account value of, or the fees incurred for services provided to, the IRA or Keogh Plan is taken into account for purposes of determining eligibility to receive such services, provided that each condition of Section II of this exemption is satisfied. Section II: Conditions (a) The IRA or Keogh Plan whose account value or whose fees are taken into account for purposes of determining eligibility to receive services under the arrangement is established and maintained for the exclusive benefit of the participant covered under the IRA or Keogh Plan, his or her spouse or their beneficiaries. (b) The services offered under the relationship brokerage arrangement must be of the type that the broker-dealer itself could offer consistent with all applicable federal and state laws regulating broker-dealers. (c) The services offered under the arrangement are provided by the broker-dealer (or an affiliate of the broker-dealer in the ordinary course of the broker-dealer's business to customers who qualify for reduced or no cost services, but do not maintain IRAs or Keogh Plans with the broker-dealer. (d) For purposes of determining eligibility to receive services, the arrangement satisfies one of the following: (i) Eligibility requirements based on the account value of the IRA or Keogh Plan are as favorable as any such requirements based on the value of any other type of account which the broker-dealer includes to determine eligibility; and (ii) Eligibility requirements based on the amount of fees incurred by the IRA or Keogh Plan are as favorable as any requirements based on the amount of fees incurred by any other type of [[Page 5857]] account which the broker-dealer includes to determine eligibility. (e) The combined total of all fees for the provision of services to the IRA or Keogh Plan is not in excess of reasonable compensation within the meaning of section 4975(d)(2) of the Code. (f) The investment performance of the IRA or Keogh Plan investment is no less favorable than the investment performance of an identical investment(s) that could have been made at the same time by a customer of the broker-dealer who is not eligible for (or who does not receive) reduced or no cost services. (g) The services offered under the arrangement to the IRA or Keogh Plan customer must be the same as are offered to non-IRA or non-Keogh Plan customers with account values of the same amount or the same amount of fees generated. Section III: Definitions The following definitions apply to this exemption: (a) The term ``broker-dealer'' means a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. (b) The term ``IRA'' means an individual retirement account described in Code section 408(a). For purposes of this exemption, the term IRA shall not include an IRA which is an employee benefit plan covered by Title I of ERISA, except for a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) described in section 408(k) of the Code or a Simple Retirement Account described in section 408(p) of the Code which provides participants with the unrestricted authority to transfer their balances to IRAs or Simple Retirement Accounts sponsored by different financial institutions. (c) The term ``Keogh Plan'' means a pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus plan qualified under Code section 401(a) and exempt from taxation under Code section 501(a) under which some or all of the participants are employees described in section 401(c) of the Code. For purposes of this exemption, the term Keogh Plan shall not include a Keogh Plan which is an employee benefit plan covered by Title I of ERISA. (d) The term ``account value'' means investments in cash or securities held in the account for which market quotations are readily available. For purposes of this exemption, the term cash shall include savings accounts that are insured by a federal deposit insurance agency that constitute deposits as that term is defined in section 29 CFR 2550.408b-4(c)(3). The term account value shall not include investments in securities that are offered by the broker-dealer [or its affiliate] exclusively to IRAs and Keogh Plans. (e) An affiliate of a broker-dealer includes any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the broker-dealer. The term control means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a person other than an individual. (f) The term ``members of his or her family'' refers to beneficiaries of the individual for whose benefit the IRA or Keogh Plan is established or maintained, who would be members of the family as that term is defined in Code section 4975(e)(6), or a brother, a sister, or spouse of a brother or sister. (g) The term ``service'' includes incidental products of a de minimis value which are directly related to the provision of services covered by the exemption. (h) The term ``fees'' means commissions and other fees received by the broker-dealer from the IRA or Keogh Plan for the provision of services, including, but not limited to, brokerage commissions, investment management fees, custodial fees, and administrative fees. Signed at Washington, DC, this 31st day of January 1997. Alan D. Lebowitz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Program Operations, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. [FR Doc. 97-3030 Filed 2-6-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510-29-M