Recent Developments

DOL proposes SECURE 2.0 auto-portability implementation provision

Pension & Investments DC reporter Brian Croce covers the news that the Department of Labor (DOL) has "issued a rule proposal to implement a key SECURE 2.0 provision aimed at reducing plan leakage, by codifying the auto-portability process so that a worker's 401(k) plan can be automatically rolled over to a new employer when changing jobs. Croce links the new regulatory framework to earlier DOL guidance that established an auto portability framework for Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH), which has been subsequently codified by SECURE 2.0. Croce concludes by noting that there will be a "60-day comment period on the proposal."

Department of Labor Releases Proposed regulation on Retirement Plans and Automatic Portability Transactions When Employees Change Jobs

On January 18th, 2024 the Department of Labor's (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released proposed regulations on automatic portability transactions under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. In the press release accompanying the proposed rules, EBSA Assistant Secretary Lisa Gomez remarked: “With the widespread adoption of these accounts, there is a particular need for automatic portability solutions that help ensure participants remain connected to their retirement savings when they change jobs." The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was posted on the department’s website and will be published in the Federal Register with a 60-day public comment period and instructions on how to submit comments.

DOL Drops Off Proposed Auto-Portability Exemption at OMB

NAPA Net's Ted Godbout, covering DC's retirement regulatory agency activity, reports forward progress towards the public release of guidance for auto portability, as called for in SECURE 2.0 Act provisions. On December 5th, Godbout reports that the DOL submitted the proposed guidance to the White House Office of Management and Budget for their review. Godbout further observes that "the proposal will now undergo a review at OMB before being released for a public comment period, which shows a target release date of December 2023."

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401(k) Real Talk Episode 85: November 15, 2023

Fred Barstein, founder and CEO of The Retirement Adviser University, anchors his ongoing Wealth Management RPA Edge / 401(k) Real Talk video series, and discusses the 11/7/23 launch of auto portability services via the Portability Services Network (PSN). In his comments, Barstein notes the greater, longer-term potential of the PSN network to facilitate portability and to promote financial wellness, stating: “the initial launch, facilitated by the Retirement Clearinghouse is a great beginning – not just for the Portability Services Network, but for the entire DC industry.” Barstein’s commentary on PSN begins at the 3:00 mark.

Portability Services Network Launches Solution to Reduce Plan Leakage

401k Specialist's Amanda Umpierrez reports on the 11/7/23 announcement from the Portability Services Network (PSN), signaling that the network's auto portability solution is operational and that member recordkeepers will commence rolling out the service to their plan sponsor clients. Umpierrez quotes Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) and PSN Chairman Robert L. Johnson, who states: "[t]he Portability Services Network is poised to deliver on its core mission to stem the cash-out crisis that harms Black and other under-served and under-saved low-wage workers" including preserving $619 billion in retirement savings for low-wage Black workers and minority communities over the next generation. Johnson also notes the "great interest" expressed thus far by employer plan sponsors.

Portability Services Network Goes Live

PlanAdviser's Alex Ortolani covers the 11/7/23 announcement from the Portability Services Network (PSN), writing that the network "is live, as of Wednesday, enabling digital automatic portability of retirement accounts from the country’s six largest recordkeepers." Ortolani notes that three of the six PSN recordkeeper owner members have completed integration of auto portability via the PSN network, and have begun offering the service to their plan sponsor clients. Ortolani goes on to quote Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) and PSN Chairman Robert L. Johnson, as well as Fidelity's Dave Gray, head of workplace retirement offerings and platforms, on the importance of the development, announced in a PSN press release, which included a joint video announcement from members of the consortium.

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Portability Services Network ‘Open for Business’

NAPA Net's Ted Godbout reports on the 11/7/23 announcement by the Portability Services Network (PSN) that it has "officially launched" and has become "operational 12 months after being announced in 2022." Godbout quotes Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) and PSN Chairman Robert L. Johnson in the piece, who affirms the mission of PSN to help America's under-served and under-saved workers via the widespread adoption of auto portability. In a video announcement, Johnson and other PSN board members express their support for PSN and invite all recordkeepers to join the industry-led consortium.

PRESS RELEASE: Portability Services Network Launches Nation’s First Solution to Move Workers' Retirement Savings When Changing Jobs

CHARLOTTE, NC—November 7, 2023—The Portability Services Network (PSN) announced the launch of its digital auto portability solution, designed to help tens of millions of under-served and under-saved Americans keep their retirement savings invested and working for them when they change jobs. Having become operational 12 months after being announced in 2022, PSN includes as founding members the nation’s leading workplace retirement plan recordkeepers—Alight Solutions, Empower, Fidelity Investments, Principal, TIAA, and Vanguard—under the leadership of Robert L. Johnson, Chairman of the PSN and Retirement Clearinghouse, LLC.