PLI’s Pension De-Risking: Legal Issues and Market Insights for ERISA Attorneys

Employee Benefits partner Randy Tracht will present in a webinar, “Pension De-Risking: Legal Issues and Market Insights for ERISA Attorneys,” sponsored by Practising Law Institute (PLI).

Pension risk transfer activity has increased dramatically over the past few years and is expected to continue to increase in 2016.  The size and complexity of these de-risking transactions and the impact on current and former employees make it important for a company’s legal counsel to be involved.   As such, in-house attorneys and counsel representing clients sponsoring defined benefit plans (particularly those with closed or frozen plans) should be aware of trends and issues associated with these types of transactions including:

• ERISA fiduciary duties and issues
• Legal and regulatory compliance concerns and possible solutions for reducing fiduciary and plan sponsor risk
• Factors and costs driving the interest in de-risking transactions (e.g., dramatically increasing PBGC premiums, relatively "low" cost of capital, etc.)
• New and evolving risk transfer alternatives that may be  available to reduce balance sheet volatility
• The insurers' perspective and how insurers evaluate and consider plans in the context of de-risking transactions 

In covering these topics, the presenters will provide attendees with not only an overview of important technical issues and rules, but practical insights that often drive the approach and direction taken in a de-risking transaction.