Last week, Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, issued the first-of-its-kind ruling on the merits pertaining to environmental, social, and corporate governance (“ESG”) investing in ERISA-covered retirement plans. In his 70-page Opinion, Judge O’Connor concluded that the plan fiduciaries of American Airlines’ (the “Plan Sponsor’s”) 401(k) plans…

As described in further detail below, absent Congressional action, plan sponsors should take note that PBGC premium filings will generally be due one month earlier than usual for plan years beginning in 2025. This modification only applies for 2025.

Under ERISA Section 4007, the PBGC determines when premium filings—the submission of required data and payment…

Recently, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) released updates to its voting policies for 2025, including new and updated responses to its Compensation Policies FAQs and new Value-Adjusted Burn Rate Benchmarks (based on company size and industry) in its Equity Compensation Plans FAQs.  These updates follow the off-cycle update that ISS announced for its Compensation Policies…

In the wake of the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles (which are ongoing as of today), employees based in the Los Angeles area may have questions about available support from employer-sponsored 401(k) plan accounts and other impacts on benefits.  Below are some considerations for employers about making 401(k) plan funds available to employees and related…

Under 29 U.S.C. § 1301(b)(1), all “trades or businesses” under common control with an employer that has withdrawn from a multiemployer pension plan are jointly and severally liable for the employer’s withdrawal liability.  The statute does not define what it means to be a “trade or business,” and though the statute references regulations promulgated by the…

When an employer withdraws from a multiemployer pension plan, the plan’s trustees must notify the employer of the amount of its withdrawal liability and demand payment.  Employers assessed with withdrawal liability often argue that the assessment is untimely because the trustees did not send it to the employer “as soon as practicable,” as is required…

Earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released Form 15620, which is an approved IRS form for making Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) Section 83(b) elections.  By way of background, Code Section 83(b) provides taxpayers with the ability to include the fair market value of nonvested property over the amount (if any) paid for…

Last week, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Treasury issued a Joint Notice requiring the extension of certain benefit plan deadlines for individuals affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and Tropical Storm Helene.[1] The deadline extensions echo relief issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, but apply to a more limited group of individuals. The…

In October, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) released an off-cycle update to its Executive Compensation Policies Frequently Asked Questions (the “FAQs”), which are available at this link:  US-Compensation-Policies-FAQ.pdf (the new questions are highlighted in yellow).  As described in more detail below, the updates to the FAQs address ISS’s criteria for recognizing “robust” clawback policies and realizable…