The Federation of Americans for Consumer Choice v. Department of Labor case was the first case challenging the Department of Labor’s 2024 retirement security rule defining who is an investment advice fiduciary. It was...more
The Department of Labor’s final definition of “investment advice” fiduciary regulation makes many more individuals fiduciaries under both the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code. Where for...more
More than 25 years have elapsed since the SEC adopted Exchange Act Rule 17a-4(f) governing electronic recordkeeping by broker-dealers. In an effort to update the rule to reflect “technology neutral” concepts, the SEC adopted...more
Almost one year from the date it updated its investment duties regulation (29 C.F.R. § 2550.404a-1), triggering our previous article “DOL to Plan Sponsors: ‘It’s All About the Benjamins!,’” the Department of Labor (DOL)...more
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently granted Fidelity’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Fidelity and its affiliates violated ERISA’s fiduciary duties by receiving “infrastructure fees”...more
On March 15, the Fifth Circuit, in Chamber of Commerce, et. al. v. United States Department of Labor, a 46-page opinion, reversed the district court’s ruling upholding the Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary rule and vacated...more
4/9/2018
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Life Insurance ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retirement Plan
In order for fiduciaries to receive compensation that varies based on their investment advice (e.g., commissions) or from third parties in connection with their advice (e.g., revenue sharing), they must comply with a...more
The Labor Department has proposed extending the applicability date of the Best Interest Contract Exemption, the Class Exemption for Principal Transactions in Certain Assets Between Investment Advice Fiduciaries, and certain...more
8/31/2017
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
PTE 84-24 ,
Retirement Plan
In This Issue:
- IN THE SPOTLIGHT
• Risky Business: Common Cyber Security Risks, Expensive Consequences
- LIFE INSURANCE
• Ninth Circuit Finds Bonus Indexed Annuity Delivers Exactly...more
6/26/2015
/ Accounting Fraud ,
Annuities ,
Bad Faith ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Captive Insurance Company ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Covered Business Method Patents ,
Cybersecurity ,
Debt Collection ,
Disability Benefits ,
Drones ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fair Lending ,
FCC ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Life Insurance ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Patents ,
RICO ,
SAR ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Telemedicine ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ,
Variable Annuities ,
Virtual Currency
Nearly five years after proposing a failed rule that would have dramatically expanded the definition of fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Department of Labor has decided to try...more
6/22/2015
/ 401k ,
Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Excise Tax ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Insurance Industry ,
IRS ,
Private Right of Action ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Section 404 ,
Wage and Hour
On May 18, the Supreme Court held, in Tibble v. Edison International that a fiduciary “has a continuing duty to monitor trust investments and remove imprudent ones. This continuing duty exists separate and apart from the...more
In This Issue:
- IN THE SPOTLIGHT
..Standard CGL Policy Form Adds Data Breach Coverage Exclusion
- LIFE INSURANCE
..Class Claims Against Lincoln National Barred in Section 419 Action – Again
...more
9/30/2014
/ Accredited Investors ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Burwell v Hobby Lobby ,
Class Action ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Creditors ,
Cyber Insurance ,
Data Brokers ,
Debt Collection ,
DMCA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ESOP ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Foreclosure ,
Fraud-on-the-Market ,
Hallmark ,
Investment Adviser ,
Judge Rakoff ,
Life Insurance ,
NAIC ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Taco Bell ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages ,
Variable Annuities ,
Whistleblowers
The Supreme Court, in Fifth Third Bancorp v. John Dudenhoeffer (Dudenhoeffer), recently established new standards for determining when fiduciaries of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) act prudently regarding a company’s...more