How Do You Jack a 401(k) Plan? Santomenno v. John Hancock Life Insurance Company
If you are the fiduciary of an ERISA plan that invested in John Hancock group variable annuity contracts, we hope you have heard that three individuals have filed a lawsuit, claiming to be representing your plan and its participants and beneficiaries. You will not be receiving service of process.
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Allowing Employee Investment in an ESOP or 401(k) Employer Stock Fund Becomes a Bigger Gamble – Sixth Circuit Decision in Pfeil v. State Street Bank & Trust Co.
The Sixth Circuit has reversed the district court’s dismissal of the GM ERISA stock-drop suit, Pfeil v. State Street Bank & Trust Co., and is allowing the case to proceed. You may recall that we cautioned fiduciaries of ESOPs and 401(k) plans allowing investment in employer stock to keep an eye on this case because it could be a game-changer. And now it is.
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Sixth Circuit Allows ERISA Section 404(c) Safe Harbor to Protect a 401(k) Plan’s Directed Trustee from Responsibility for Losses in Self-Directed Brokerage Accounts
The Sixth Circuit recently allowed the ERISA Section 404(c) safe harbor to protect a 401(k) plan’s directed trustee from being held responsible for losses in self-directed brokerage accounts. See, Tullis v. UMB Bank, N.A. This case spotlights the importance of this safe harbor for plans that allow participant direction of investments, and the DOL’s recent …
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