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Financial Interworkings of Fiduciary Plans Cary Meiners St. Paul Travelers Terrence M. Deneen Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Barbara Gubitose Acordia.

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Presentation on theme: "Financial Interworkings of Fiduciary Plans Cary Meiners St. Paul Travelers Terrence M. Deneen Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Barbara Gubitose Acordia."— Presentation transcript:

1 Financial Interworkings of Fiduciary Plans Cary Meiners St. Paul Travelers Terrence M. Deneen Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Barbara Gubitose Acordia Rod Rodriguez, Esq. Day, Berry & Howard LLP Marc Siegel Center for Financial Research & Analysis

2 The Pension Landscape A call for transparency and honesty Unfunded pension liabilities for the S&P 500 approximates over $200 billion 60% of the S&P 500 still offer traditional pensions Claims on the PBGC have soared Healthcare costs/other post-retirement benefits are perhaps a greater, and largely unfunded, problem Municipalities and the public sector facing the same concerns - now approaching $1 trillion in underfunding

3 Accounting For Change One of FASB’s goals is to better match pension plan assets to pension obligations S&P 500 companies totaled a $264 billion discrepancy between reported pension B/S assets and pension underfunding The FASB project will include other postretirement employee benefits (OPEB) Transparency is needed on the balance sheet, income statement and cash flows

4 Current Congressional Proposals Congress (via ERISA) establishes all rules for pension funding House and Senate bills will force change  May actually reduce funding by $160 billion in the next three years Will likely create “zones” of underfunding, triggering acceleration of funding by employers Likely to get a new law in 2006 Will underfunding affects sources and frequency of claims?

5 Fiduciary Duties “Exclusive Purpose” and the Duty of Loyalty “Prudent Person Standard” and the Duty of Care Role of Diversification Plan Guidelines

6 Fiduciary Liability Scope of Damages  Joint & Several Liability  Plan Remedies  Limitations Limitation of Duties:  Appointing Fiduciaries  Candidate Evaluation  Monitoring Performance

7 Fiduciary Best Practices Fiduciary Best Practices: Regular Meetings with Minutes Plan Review and Education/Training Prudent Processes - Documentation Written Investment Policy Compliance Hygiene/Audits Fiduciary Liability Insurance Communication

8 Hedge Funds: The Answer or the Problem? For some, underfunding means taking more risk, not laying out more cash Pension plans currently provide 40% of the $600 billion in buyout funds A repeat of derivatives or is this different? Are pension managers equipped to handle these complex investments? What are the fiduciary implications and responsibilities?

9 Hedge Funds: The Answer or the Problem? Investment in private equity/hedge funds runs deep for many:  GM: 10% of pension assets invested in private equity  Delta: 13%  Eastman Kodak: 20%  The State of Pennsylvania: 23%  Weyerhaeuser: 39%

10 Are Underwriters Up To the Task? The complexity of pension accounting Reliance on outdated information Less insured interaction than on D&O Private company/nonprofit challenges Will insured meetings have to change? Underwriting in the future - what to look for

11 Resource Acknowledgement Information has been obtained from the following sources:  NY Times Online  BusinessWeek Online  FASB Website  Forbes Magazine


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