In Cyr v. Reliance Standard Ins. Co., 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 12601 (9th Cir. 2011), an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals was presented with the issue of whether ERISA authorizes actions to recover plan benefits against a third-party insurer that funds the plan and administers claims for the plan. The specific statute involved, 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(1)(B), provides:

“A civil action may be brought . . . by a participant or beneficiary . . . to recover benefits due to him under the terms of his plan, to enforce his rights under the terms of the plan, or to clarify his rights to future benefits under the terms of the plan.”