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

1981
AO/ Date/ Reference Recipient Description of Request
06/09/1981
3(1)
3(4)
3(5)

Mr. Richard D. Hillyer
Galbraith & Green, Inc.
12400 North Freeway
Suite 210
Houston, Texas 77060

Whether several insurance programs of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen (AAPL) are covered by title I of ERISA.

06/04/1981
3(21)(A)

Curtis L. Roy, Esquire
Dorsey, Windhorst, Hannaford, Whitney and Halladay
2300 First National Bank Building
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402

Whether an arbitrator would, under circumstances described below, be a fiduciary within the meaning of section 3(21)(A) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and, if so, whether an agreement by an employer and/or union to indemnify the arbitrator, out of non-plan funds, against any potential fiduciary liability would violate section 410 of ERISA.

05/28/1981
3(1)

Mr. Robert Matisoff
O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue
1912 Sunderland Place, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

Whether National Mechanical Equipment Service and Maintenance Education and Training Trust Fund (the Trust) is an employee welfare benefit plan under section 3(1) of ERISA.

05/28/1981
3(1)
3(3)

C. P. Lambos, Esq.
Lorenz, Finn, Giardino & Lambos
The Cunard Building
25 Broadway
New York, New York10004

Whether the collectively bargained Job Security Program (the Program), administered by the JSP Agency, Inc. (JSPA), is not an employee benefit plan subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

05/28/1981
3(1)
3(5)

Mr. John D. Hintze
Davis, Hockenberg, Wine, Brown & Koehn
2300 Financial Center
666 Walnut Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Whether IBIS is bona fide group or association of employers, and if not, whether each member bank providing benefits for its employees through IBIS or IBBP would maintain a separate employee welfare benefit plan, and each such plan must comply with the reporting and disclosure requirement of Part 1 of ERISA that are applicable to it. 
 

05/27/1981
408(e)

Mark A. Vogel, Esquire
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
767 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10022

Whether the act of purchasing the stock from the Plan is not a prohibited transaction under section 406 of ERISA by virtue of section 408(e) of ERISA, and whether the act of entering into the agreement pursuant to which the Company will purchase the stock from the Plan is not a prohibited transaction under section 406 of ERISA.

05/05/1981
3(21)
406(b)(2)

Karen Hawley Henry, Esq.
Littler, Mendelson, Fastiff & Tichy
The Hartford Building, 20th Floor
650 California Street
San Francisco, California 94108

Whether an officer or member of the Board of Directors of Affiliated, who is also on the 
Board of Directors of Blue Cross, is prohibited by section 406(b)(2) of ERISA from participating 
in Affiliated's selection of the funding media or claims administrator of the Plan;  and whether an officer or member of the Board of Directors of Affiliated, who is also a member 
of the Board of Directors of Blue Cross, is prohibited by section 406(b)(2) of ERISA from 
participating in decisions of the Board of Directors of Blue Cross which directly or indirectly 
affect the Plan.

05/04/1981
514

Mr. Frederick C. Kneip
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
1 Chase Manhattan Plaza
New York, New York10005

Whether the Savings and Security Plan for Non-Secretarial Employees of the Young Women's Christian Association (the Savings Plan) is an employee benefit plan within the meaning of ERISA section 3(2) and 3(3) which is covered under section 4(a); and 2) if the Savings Plan is an employee benefit plan, whether ERISA section 514 preempts the provisions of section 200 of the New York Insurance Law (NYIL section 200) as the latter affects the Savings Plan.

04/28/1981
103
104

Mr. Lawrence J. Hass
Groom and Nordberg
Suite 450
1775 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006

Whether plans which participate in the Program may avail themselves of certain exemptions from the reporting and disclosure requirements set forth in regulations issued by the Department of Labor (the Department) under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

04/06/1981
408(b)(4)

Mr. R. Philip Steinberg
Drinker, Biddle & Reath
1100 Philadelphia National Bank Building
Broad and Chestnut Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Whether the early redemption of certificates of deposit by the Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS) as plan sponsor and trustee for The Philadelphia Saving Fund Society Incentive and Investment Plan (the Plan) would not constitute a prohibited transaction despite the fact that the Plan was required by regulations issued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to pay a penalty to PSFS for the premature redemption of these time deposits.