Annual Meeting Mulitemployer Plans / Investment Sessions

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is arguably the most impactful piece of multiemployer legislation in recent history. ARPA set up a Special Financial Assistance program administered by the PBGC to provide substantial federal relief to deeply troubled multiemployer plans. While the intent of the legislation to provide substantial relief was clear, many details were left to the regulatory process and PBGC released interim final regulations for the Special Financial Assistance program on July 9, 2021. Representatives of the PBGC discuss the guidance in detail including the application process, the calculation of the amount of federal assistance, eligible plans, and operation and investment restrictions for plans that receive assistance.

ARPA has changed the regulatory environment for corporate pension plans, loosening funding requirements and rules about benefit restrictions. The capital market environment has evolved in ways that few would have anticipated. Speakers review case studies that help sponsors reevaluate their funding and de-risking strategies, and showcase other new approaches emerging in the de-risking space, including the use of derivatives overlays.

(Polling Included) Watch actuaries debate late-breaking issues affecting multiemployer actuaries. After each topic is addressed, the audience votes for the winner of each subject.

On Friday, July 9th, PBGC released interim final guidance to implement the special financial assistance program authorized in the American Rescue Plan Act. Plan practitioners discuss the practical applications of the guidance, and what the guidance means for deeply troubled plans, the solvency of the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, and the broader multiemployer community.

Interest rates have been at "historic low levels" for most of the last decade. Obviously, a strong reliance on expansionary monetary policy has played a big part in this trend. Market analysts also point to enabling factors such as low growth, aging demographics and a shift towards technology and services. Will the outlook for interest rates change going forward? What is the impact on employer retirement programs, DB and DC, corporate and public? Speakers at this session provide insights from capital market experts focused on these issues, and summarize learnings from a recent SOA study.

The group annuity market is becoming more competitive as insurers adopt new corporate structures that facilitate higher-yielding investing approaches. Plan sponsors can benefit from more aggressive pricing, but at the same time there may be new concerns about potential emerging risks. Practitioners who advise clients on risk transfer strategies will want to understand the new landscape. Investment experts will be interested in understanding the new investment strategies and the securities that underlie them.

Withdrawal liability has been around since 1980 and has often been described as a double-edged sword. More and more plans and participating employers now pay close attention to its impacts. The panelists discuss several withdrawal liability topics including the effect of the recently passed ARPA on withdrawal liability, several technical partial withdrawal issues, new legal cases in the emerging area of withdrawal liability discount rates and other miscellaneous issues of interest.