Advisory Opinions

Requests for interpretations and other rulings under Title 1 of ERISA are handled by the Office of Regulations and Interpretations under the provisions established by ERISA Procedure 76-1.  The office answers inquiries from individuals and organizations in the form of advisory opinions, which apply the law to a specific set of facts, or information letters, which merely call attention to well established principles or interpretations.

Data Dictionary

1983
AO/ Date/ Reference Recipient Description of Request
06/24/1983
414

Douglas O. Kant
Assistant Counsel
John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company
Post Office Box 111
Boston, MA 02117

Whether,by reason of section 414(c)(3) of ERISA, section 406 of ERISA would not apply to the sale by the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company’s Separate Account to the Company's general account of certain interests in mortgages and parcels of real estate that are jointly owned by the Separate Account and the general account.

06/23/1983
3(1)
3(2)

Mr. W.W. Hancock, Jr.
Vice President and Secretary
Louisville Gas and Electric Company
P.O. Box 32010
Louisville, Kentucky 40232

Whether the Voluntary Savings Program of the Louisville Gas and Electric Company (the Savings Program) is an employee pension benefit plan subject to title I of ERISA.

06/21/1983
3(1)

Mr. David J. Bright
Director of Professional Development
Main Hurdman & Cranstoun
140 Broadway
New York, New York 10005

Whether the professional development programs offered by Main Hurdman & Cranstoun for their professional employees are employee welfare benefit plans covered by title I of ERISA.

06/21/1983
103(a)(3)

Mr. David J. Cartano
Voegelin & Barton
333 South Grand Avenue – 37th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90071-1599

Whether the Audiotronics Profit Sharing Plan (the Plan) is no longer required to engage, pursuant to section 103(a)(3)(A) of ERISA, an independent qualified public accountant to make an examination and report with respect to the financial statements of the Plan.

06/20/1983
103(a)(3)

Ms. Doris Bowling
Plan Administrator
American General Life Insurance Company
P.O. Box 1931
Houston, Texas 77001

Whether it is necessary to engage an independent qualified public accountant for purposes of conducting an examination of the financial statements of the Rebsamen Companies Inc. Employees Pension Plan (the Plan) pursuant to section 103(a)(3)(A) of ERISA.

06/13/1983
406(b)(1)
408(b)(2)

Edwin H. Perry, Esquire
Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald
3300 First National Tower
Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Whether Shelby County Trust Bank (the Bank) may retain SMC Advisors, Inc. (SMC) to perform investment management and record keeping services for the Bank in the Bank's capacity as trustee for various employee benefit plans whose assets are held by the Bank in the Shelby County Trust Bank Common Trust Fund (the common fund).

06/09/1983
3(1)

Mr. P. Bruce Wright
Trubin Sillcocks Edelman & Knapp
375 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10152

Whether a life insurance payroll deduction program developed by Provident Life & Accident Company (Provident) and United Enterprise Security Corporation (UESC) to be marketed on a group-type basis would constitute an employee welfare benefit plan within the meaning of section 3(1) of ERISA.

06/08/1983
4(b)

Mr. George H. Lanier
King & Spalding
2500 Trust Company Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Whether section 4(b)(4) of ERISA title I excludes the Group Pension Scheme (the Plan) for employees and former employees of the London and Manchester Assurance Company, Ltd. (a UK Company), from coverage under title I of ERISA as the Plan is now operated. You also question whether, if applicable, the Department will continue to apply the section 4(b)(4) exclusion to the Plan after a transaction that entails a United States custodian holding Plan assets and a United States investment advisor managing investments on behalf of the Plan trustee.

05/26/1983
402(a)
403(a)
405

Frederick C. Kneip, Esq.
John H. Kelly, Esq.
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
1 Chase Manhattan Plaza
New York, New York 10005

The application of the fiduciary responsibility provisions of sections 402, 403 and 405 of ERISA to the proposed establishment and subsequent investments of a real estate equity fund. Specifically, if designated under the Investment Management Agreement or Trust Agreement, whether sections 402, 403, and 405 of ERISA would preclude the Frank Russell Trust Company from acting as a Trustee or Investment Manager of the Separate Plans and, as Commingled Trust Trustee with respect to the Real Estate Equity Fund.

05/24/1983
3(2)

Mr. Martin L. Fleming
Treasurer
Holladay-Tyler Printing Corporation
P.O. Box 1769
Rockville, Maryland 20852

Whether an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) payroll deduction program would constitute an employee pension benefit plan where the IRAs are with a bank which handles a major portion of the Company's banking, is a principal lender to the Company and will soon lend additional funds through the purchase of Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) for a significant dollar amount.