Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. Now that plan sponsors are required to purchase only the “safest available” annuities, companies encounter a number of difficulties when they attempt to terminate a defined-benefit plan. This session addresses the lack of available insurers and the resulting effect on competition, a situation in which the plan sponsor may have difficulty finding any insurer to take plan benefits, the effect on prevalence of lump-sum distributions, and the role of the PBGC as insurer of last resort.

Description: Presented at April 1986 Spring Meeting. Addresses whether the newly imposed defined benefit pension guidelines are actuarially sound, is the IRS properly equipped to administer the guidelines, what are the professional implications of not complying with the guidelines and how have differences been resolved.