Tag Archives: EBSA

Things I Worry About (11): DOL Cryptocurrency Guidance Withdrawn


DOL, investment adviser
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Key Takeaways

  • The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued Compliance Assistance Release (CAR) 2022-01 that caused concerns among plan sponsors and fiduciaries about the use of cryptocurrencies in participant directed plans.
  • On May 28 of this year, the DOL’s EBSA rescinded that CAR. That should have the effect of reducing, but not eliminating, the concerns.
  • This article discusses the two pieces of guidance and the possible outcomes.

The 2022 CAR (2022-01.pdf) had a chilling effect on adding cryptocurrency investments into participant directed plans. The statements in the CAR that raised the most concern were:

  • The Department cautions plan fiduciaries to exercise extreme care before they consider adding a cryptocurrency option to a 401(k) plan’s investment menu for plan participants.
  • At this early stage in the history of cryptocurrencies, the Department has serious concerns about the prudence of a fiduciary’s decision to expose a 401(k) plan’s participants to direct investments in cryptocurrencies, or other products whose value is tied to cryptocurrencies. These investments present significant risks and challenges to participants’ retirement accounts, including significant risks of fraud, theft, and loss, …
  • Based on these and other concerns, EBSA expects to conduct an investigative program aimed at plans that offer participant investments in cryptocurrencies and related products, and to take appropriate action to protect the interests of plan participants and beneficiaries with respect to these investments. The plan fiduciaries responsible for overseeing such investment options or allowing such investments through brokerage windows should expect to be questioned about how they can square their actions with their duties of prudence and loyalty in light of the risks described above.

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Things I Worry About (8): DOL Investigations and Unsuspecting Plan Sponsors (2)


best practices, DOL, fiduciary
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Key Takeaways

  • The Employee Benefit Security Administration (EBSA) of the US Department of Labor (DOL) recently released its Fact Sheet: EBSA Restores Nearly $1.4 Billion to Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, and Beneficiaries: ebsa-monetary-recoveries.pdf
  • One of the targets of their investigation is “missing participants”. The DOL refers to that program as the “Terminated Vested Participant Benefits Payments”. Impressively, the EBSA recovered $429,200,000 for participants under that program in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
  • Plan sponsors/fiduciaries and their advisors would be well-advised to determine whether they have “missing participants” and, if so, take steps outlined by the DOL to address the issue.

As explained in my last post, Things I Worry About (7), the DOL’s EBSA has a number of programs that can restore benefits to plans and participants. Those include:

  • Civil investigations.
  • Criminal investigations.
  • Informal complaint resolutions.
  • Correction programs.

The issue of “missing participants” comes up in civil investigations. In those investigations the DOL examines whether a plan has former employees who left their accounts in the plan and whether the plan continues to provide the legally required disclosures and to ensure that the participants are aware of their benefits. I put “missing participants” in quotes because the definition I broader than it appears. There isn’t a legal definition, but the practical definition is that it is a former employee who left the employment of a plan sponsor, but did not take a distribution of his or her benefits. If plan communications (e.g., emails, mail, disclosures) are sent to a former employee who has benefits in the plan and it appears that the communications were received, the former employee is not “missing.” But, if the emails and mailings are kicked back as undeliverable, the participant is missing.

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Things I Worry About (7): DOL Investigations and Unsuspecting Plan Sponsors


DOL, fiduciary
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Key Takeaways

  • The Employee Benefit Security Administration (EBSA) of the US Department of Labor (DOL) recently released its Fact Sheet: EBSA Restores Nearly $1.4 Billion to Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, and Beneficiaries: ebsa-monetary-recoveries.pdf
  • The Fact Sheet describes the different EBSA programs that can recover money for participants, and the numbers are impressive.
  • However, the Fact Sheet also has specific lessons for plan sponsors, fiduciaries and advisors.

The DOL’s EBSA has a number of programs that can restore benefits to plans and participants. Those include:

  • Civil investigations.
  • Criminal investigations.
  • Informal compliant resolutions.
  • Correction programs.

Civil investigations is the program that most concerns plan sponsors; however, criminal investigations are the most dramatic and can most severely impact the lives of “bad actors.” Last year the EBSA’s criminal investigation resulted in 161 guilty pleas or convictions. The bad acts go far beyond any mistakes that plan sponsors or fiduciaries could reasonably make. Think in terms of embezzlement and theft.

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