94-15007. Proposed Exemptions; Abbott Pension Plan et al.  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 21, 1994)]
    [Unknown Section]
    [Page 0]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-15007]
    
    
    [[Page Unknown]]
    
    [Federal Register: June 21, 1994]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
    Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
    [Application No. D-9613]
    
     
    
    Proposed Exemptions; Abbott Pension Plan et al.
    
    AGENCY: Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Labor.
    
    ACTION: Notice of proposed exemptions.
    
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    SUMMARY: This document contains notices of pendency before the 
    Department of Labor (the Department) of proposed exemptions from 
    certain of the prohibited transaction restriction of the Employee 
    Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) and/or the Internal 
    Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code).
    
    Written Comments and Hearing Requests
    
        Unless otherwise stated in the Notice of Proposed Exemption, all 
    interested persons are invited to submit written comments, and with 
    respect to exemptions involving the fiduciary prohibitions of section 
    406(b) of the Act, requests for hearing within 45 days from the date of 
    publication of this Federal Register Notice. Comments and request for a 
    hearing should state: (1) the name, address, and telephone number of 
    the person making the comment or request, and (2) the nature of the 
    person's interest in the exemption and the manner in which the person 
    would be adversely affected by the exemption. A request for a hearing 
    must also state the issues to be addressed and include a general 
    description of the evidence to be presented at the hearing. A request 
    for a hearing must also state the issues to be addressed and include a 
    general description of the evidence to be presented at the hearing.
    
    ADDRESSES: All written comments and request for a hearing (at least 
    three copies) should be sent to the Pension and Welfare Benefits 
    Administration, Office of Exemption Determinations, Room N-5649, U.S. 
    Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
    20210. Attention: Application No. stated in each Notice of Proposed 
    Exemption. The applications for exemption and the comments received 
    will be available for public inspection in the Public Documents Room of 
    Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 
    Room N-5507, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210.
    
    Notice to Interested Persons
    
        Notice of the proposed exemptions will be provided to all 
    interested persons in the manner agreed upon by the applicant and the 
    Department within 15 days of the date of publication in the Federal 
    Register. Such notice shall include a copy of the notice of proposed 
    exemption as published in the Federal Register and shall inform 
    interested persons of their right to comment and to request a hearing 
    (where appropriate).
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed exemptions were requested in 
    applications filed pursuant to section 408(a) of the Act and/or section 
    4975(c)(2) of the Code, and in accordance with procedures set forth in 
    29 CFR Part 2570, Subpart B (55 FR 32836, 32847, August 10, 1990). 
    Effective December 31, 1978, section 102 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 
    of 1978 (43 FR 47713, October 17, 1978) transferred the authority of 
    the Secretary of the Treasury to issue exemptions of the type requested 
    to the Secretary of Labor. Therefore, these notices of proposed 
    exemption are issued solely by the Department.
        The applications contain representations with regard to the 
    proposed exemptions which are summarized below. Interested persons are 
    referred to the applications on file with the Department for a complete 
    statement of the facts and representations.
    
    Abbott Pension Plan (the Plan), located in Lynn, MA.
    
    [Application No. D-9613].
    
    Proposed Exemption
    
        The Department is considering granting an exemption under the 
    authority of section 408(a) of the Act and section 4975(c)(2) of the 
    Code and in accordance with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR part 
    2570, subpart B (55 FR 32836, 32847, August 10, 1990). If the exemption 
    is granted, the restrictions of sections 406(a), 406 (b)(1) and (b)(2) 
    of the Act and the sanctions resulting from the application of section 
    4975 of the Code, by reason of section 4975(c)(1) (A) through (E) of 
    the Code, shall not apply to the proposed transfer by the Plan, of 
    certain limited partnership interests (the Interests) to Abbott House 
    Nursing Home, Inc. (Abbott); Winthrop Nursing Home, Inc. (which does 
    business as the Bay View Nursing Home and is referred to herein as 
    Winthrop/Bay View); Devereux House Nursing Home, Inc. (Devereux); and 
    the Greenview House Nursing Home, Inc. (Greenview), in satisfaction of 
    certain cash advances made to the Plan by these entities. (Abbott, 
    Winthrop/Bay View, Devereux and Greenview, which are parties in 
    interest with respect to the Plan, are collectively referred to herein 
    as the Nursing Facilities.)
        This proposed exemption is conditioned upon the following 
    requirements: (1) The transfer represents a one-time transaction and 
    satisfies certain cash advances made by the Nursing Facilities to the 
    Plan; (2) the Interests are transferred for the greater of their 
    historical cost to the Plan, their fair market value or the total 
    amount of cash advanced to the Plan; (3) for purposes of the transfer, 
    the fair market value of the Interests has been established by a 
    qualified, independent appraiser; and (4) the Plan does not pay any 
    fees or commissions in connection with the transfer.
    
    Summary of Facts and Representations
    
        1. The Plan is a defined benefit plan that has been adopted by four 
    Massachusetts-based nursing facilities which are members of a 
    controlled group of corporations. The Nursing Facilities that sponsor 
    the Plan for the benefit of their employees are Abbott, Winthrop/Bay 
    View, Devereux and Greenview. As of December 31, 1992, the Plan had 
    total net assets of $2,060,920. This amount was allocated among the 
    Nursing Facility sub-Plan accounts as follows: 
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Nursing facility sub-plan accounts              Net assets 
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Abbott.....................................................     $471,149
    Winthrop/Bay View..........................................      385,383
    Greenview..................................................      872,004
    Devereux...................................................      332,384
                                                                ------------
        Total..................................................    2,060,920
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        2. As of December 23, 1993, the Plan had two remaining 
    participants, Richard C. Bane and his brother, Robert Bane, both of 
    whom participate in the Abbott sub-Plan account. Richard Bane is the 
    Plan trustee and the decisionmaker with respect to the Plan's 
    investments. Both Richard and Robert Bane are 50 percent shareholders 
    of Abbott and Devereux. Their father, George H. Bane, and Gerald 
    Gouchberg, an outside investor who is not related to members of the 
    Bane Family, each own 50 percent of the outstanding stock of Winthrop/
    Bay View and Greenview.
        3. The Plan is in the process of terminating and upon termination, 
    will be replaced with a deferred compensation plan. On April 12, 1993, 
    the Plan received approval from the Internal Revenue Service to 
    terminate as of December 31, 1992 and it made cash distributions to 126 
    employees of the Nursing Facilities with the exception of the Banes. To 
    provide partial funding for the participant distributions and to 
    provide liquidity while assets were being sold, the Nursing Facilities 
    made cash advances\1\ to the Plan during the second and third quarters 
    of 1993 in the following amounts:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \1\11 The applicant represents that the loans were interest-
    free, unsecured and used for the payment of benefits to 
    participants. As such, the applicant is of the view that such loans 
    are in compliance with Prohibited Transaction Exemption 80-26 (45 FR 
    28545, April 29, 1980). However, the Department expresses no opinion 
    herein on whether the cash advances have satisfied the terms and 
    conditions of PTE 80-26. 
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Cash   
                          Nursing facility                         advance  
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Winthrop/Bay View..........................................      $27,808
    Greenview..................................................       31,650
    Devereux...................................................       41,296
                                                                ------------
          Total................................................      100,754
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        In addition to the cash advances, each Nursing Facility made cash 
    contributions during 1992 and 1993 to their respective sub-Plan account 
    in order to satisfy the Plan's liabilities. Such contributions were in 
    excess of $273,000.
        4. At present, the Plan holds certain assets that are not readily 
    marketable and have limited liquidity. These assets consist of 
    interests in New England Pension Properties V (NEPP V) and New England 
    Pension Properties VI (NEPP VI). NEPP V and NEPP VI are real estate 
    investment trusts/limited partnerships. The Plan has paid no servicing 
    fees in connection with the holding of the Interests in NEPP V and NEPP 
    VI nor have any restrictions been placed upon their sale or transfer.
        The Plan acquired the Interests in NEPP V and NEPP VI on June 22, 
    1987 and July 13, 1988, respectively, from Copley Partnerships, an 
    unrelated party. The Plan made a cash investment of $50,000 in NEPP V 
    and $40,000 in NEPP VI. At the time of acquisition, the per unit value 
    of the Interests in NEPP V and NEPP VI was $1,000. Thus, the Plan 
    received 50 limited partnership units in NEPP V and 40 limited 
    partnership units in NEPP VI. Both NEPP V and NEPP VI have a maturity 
    date of December 31, 2036.
        On July 31, 1990, the Plan received $1,926 from Copley Partnerships 
    with respect to the Interest in NEPP VI. This amount represented a 
    return of capital. In addition, the Plan received income payments of 
    $14,082 for NEPP V and $11,165 for NEPP VI or a total income payment of 
    $25,247.
        The Interests have been appraised by Fredric Daub, President of 
    Capital Insurance Agency, Inc., an independent investment broker from 
    Maynard, MA. In an appraisal report dated February 25, 1994, Mr. Daub 
    has verified that during the fourth quarter of 1993, he obtained firm 
    bids for NEPP V of $232 per unit and $324 per unit for NEPP VI in the 
    secondary market. Thus, the fair market values of the Plan's Interests 
    in NEPP V and NEPP VI would be $11,600 and $12,960, respectively, or a 
    total fair market value of $24,560. Mr. Daub represents that these 
    values reflect gross proceeds before the application of a one-time fee 
    of $250 and a re-registration fee of an unspecified amount. Mr. Daub 
    also notes that these values reflect a commitment as of the day of the 
    offering and that the secondary market for investments such as NEPP V 
    and NEPP VI is extremely limited.
        5. To facilitate the liquidation and termination of the Plan and 
    reimburse the Nursing Facilities for the cash advances they have made 
    to the Plan, the Nursing Facilities propose to have the Interests 
    transferred to them. Accordingly, an administrative exemption is 
    requested from the Department.
        The Interests will be transferred to the Nursing Facilities for the 
    greater of their historical cost to the Plan, their fair market value, 
    or $100,754 representing the total outstanding loans advanced 
    previously by the Nursing Facilities to the Plan. According to the 
    applicant, these loans would have been repaid in cash had the Plan not 
    been in the process of terminating. As a result of the transfer, the 
    Nursing Facilities will cancel the outstanding indebtedness. The Plan 
    will not be required to pay any fees or commissions in connection 
    therewith.
        6. In summary, it is represented that the proposed transaction will 
    satisfy the statutory criteria for an exemption under section 408(a) of 
    the Act because: (a) the transfer will be a one-time transaction to 
    satisfy certain cash advances made by the Nursing Facilities to the 
    Plan; (b) the Interests will be transferred to the Nursing Facilities 
    for the greater of their historical cost to the Plan, their fair market 
    value or the total amount of cash advanced to the Plan; (c) for 
    purposes of the transfer, the fair market value of the Interests has 
    been established by a qualified, independent appraiser; and (d) the 
    Plan will not pay any fees or commissions in connection with the 
    transfer.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jan D. Broady of the Department at 
    (202) 219-8881. (This is not a toll-free number.)
        AT&T Management Pension Plan and AT&T Pension Plan (the AT&T 
    Plans), and BellSouth Management Pension Plan and BellSouth Pension 
    Plan (the BellSouth Plans; collectively, the Plans). Located in 
    Morristown, New Jersey. [Application Nos. D-9607, D-9608, D-9609, D-
    9610].
    
    Proposed Exemption
    
        The Department is considering granting an exemption under the 
    authority of section 408(a) of the Act and section 4975(c)(2) of the 
    Code and in accordance with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR Part 
    2570, Subpart B (55 FR 32836, 32847, August 10, 1990). If the exemption 
    is granted the restrictions of sections 406(a), 406 (b)(1) and (b)(2) 
    of the Act and the sanctions resulting from the application of section 
    4975 of the Code, by reason of section 4975(c)(1) (A) through (E) of 
    the Code, shall not apply, effective June 3, 1993, to the past and 
    proposed lease (the Lease) by the Plans, through the Telephone Real 
    Estate Equity Trust (TREET), of office space in Southpark C, a 
    commercial office building in Austin, Texas, to American Telephone and 
    Telegraph Co. (AT&T), one of the sponsors of the Plans; provided that 
    the following conditions are satisfied:
        (A) The interests of TREET for all purposes under the Lease are 
    represented by Hill Partners, which is independent of and unrelated to 
    AT&T, serving as a fiduciary under the Act;
        (B) At all times under the Lease, AT&T pays TREET rent of no less 
    than the fair market rental value of the Property; and
        (C) All terms and conditions of the Lease are at least as favorable 
    to TREET as those which TREET could obtain in arm's-length transactions 
    with unrelated parties;
    
    EFFECTIVE DATE: This exemption, if granted, will be effective as of 
    June 3, 1993.
    
    Summary of Facts and Representations
    
        1. The AT&T Plans are defined benefit pension plans sponsored by 
    the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T), a New York public 
    corporation engaged in a wide variety of nationwide and international 
    telecommunications services, including the design, manufacture, 
    marketing and servicing of transmission and switching equipment, 
    silicon chip products, electronic components, computers and software, 
    and products and services for the U.S. Department of Defense and 
    related agencies. The BellSouth Plans are defined benefit pension plans 
    sponsored by BellSouth, a Georgia public corporation created by the 
    reorganization of AT&T in 1984. BellSouth is engaged in the furnishing 
    of exchange telecommunications and exchange access service within 
    specific geographic areas of the southern United States, directory 
    advertising and publishing, marketing of customer premises 
    telecommunications equipment, the provision of advanced mobile 
    communications services using cellular technology, and other 
    miscellaneous business activities.
        2. TREET is a group trust which is utilized for the investment on 
    an undivided basis of certain real estate assets of the Plans, 
    resulting from the reorganization of AT&T and its subsidiaries pursuant 
    to the Plan of Reorganization (the Reorganization) approved by the U.S. 
    District Court for the District of Columbia in the matter of U.S. v. 
    Western Electric Co., Inc., et.al (Civil Action No. 82-1092). The 
    assets of the Plans' predecessor plans had been held in trusts 
    established for the Bell System Pension Plan (the BSPP) and the Bell 
    System Management Pension Plan (the BSMPP). On January 1, 1984, the 
    trusts for the BSPP and the BSMPP were merged into the Bell System 
    Trust (the BST). Substantially all of the non-real estate assets in the 
    BST were transferred to a new AT&T trust. The real estate assets were 
    retained in the BST, which was amended and restated as TREET. The 
    original participants in TREET were employee benefit plans maintained 
    by various separate companies resulting from the Reorganization (the 
    New Companies' Plans), each of which agreed that interests in TREET 
    would be bought and sold only among the participating plans.
        Buying and selling of interests in TREET has occurred among the 
    Bell Companies' Plans in such manner that the AT&T Plans and the 
    BellSouth Plans are the only New Companies' Plans which continue to own 
    participating interests in TREET. As of December 31, 1992, TREET had 
    net assets of approximately $2,637,276,588. Currently, the only 
    participants in TREET are the AT&T Master Pension Trust, which holds 
    the assets of the AT&T Plans, and the BellSouth Master Pension Trust, 
    which holds the assets of the BellSouth Plans. On January 1, 1993, the 
    assets of seventeen defined benefit plans sponsored by the NCR 
    Corporation (NCR) were added to the AT&T Master Pension Trust, as a 
    result of AT&T's acquisition of NCR.
        3. As named fiduciary of TREET, AT&T has utilized more than a 
    hundred independent trustees and investment managers to manage TREET 
    assets, including Karsten Realty Advisors (Karsten). Karsten is a 
    California corporation operating as an investment adviser registered 
    under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, as amended. With its 
    headquarters in Los Angeles, Karsten engages in rendering advice with 
    respect to the acquisition, management, financing and disposition of 
    real properties in many locations on behalf of approximately 18 pension 
    funds and other clients. As of December 31, 1993, Karsten had 
    approximately $600 million in assets under its management, including 
    approximately $500 million in tax-exempt assets. Karsten's services to 
    TREET include the supervision of property managers and leasing agents 
    and the provision of recommendations regarding sales or other 
    dispositions of properties. On February 1, 1994, the assets of Karsten 
    were acquired by Koll Realty Advisors (Koll), which assumed Karsten's 
    obligations with respect to TREET. Koll is a California corporation 
    functioning as an investment adviser registered under the Investment 
    Advisors Act of 1940, as amended. AT&T represents that it is 
    unaffiliated with Karsten and Koll, and that Karsten and Koll are each 
    ``qualified professional asset managers'' within the meaning of 
    Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 84-14 (PTE 84-14, 49 FR 9494, 
    March 13, 1984).
        Among TREET's assets which have been under Karsten's management is 
    Southpark, a commercial office development in which AT&T was a lessee 
    at the time TREET acquired it. AT&T is requesting an exemption for its 
    past and proposed lease of space in Southpark from TREET under the 
    terms and conditions described herein.
        4. During 1981, the Mercantile Real Estate Fund for Employee 
    Benefit Plans (the Mercantile Fund) extended a line of credit in the 
    amount of $5,641,000 (the Loan) to real estate developer Crowe-Simmons-
    Gottesman (Crowe) to finance the development of several commercial 
    buildings which included Southpark, an office complex located in the 
    Crowe Industrial Park South in Austin, Texas. The Loan was secured by a 
    non-recourse promissory note (the Note) and by a deed of trust granting 
    the Mercantile Fund a security interest in the three office buildings 
    of Southpark, designated as Southpark A, B and C (the Deed of Trust). 
    The Loan was also secured by an assignment of building rents from 
    Southpark A, B and C. AT&T represents that the parties to the Loan are 
    independent of an unrelated to TREET and AT&T.
        Prior to 1986, TREET acquired the Note and the Deed of Trust from 
    the Mercantile Fund. Commencing in 1986, that portion of TREET's assets 
    which included the Note and Deed of Trust was managed by Goldman Sachs 
    & Company (Goldman) pursuant to an agreement with AT&T under which 
    Goldman managed debt investments of TREET.
        Effective December 1, 1990, AT&T commenced leasing from Crowe 
    approximately 13,997 square feet in Southpark C pursuant to a written 
    lease (the AT&T Lease) providing for monthly rental of $6858.75 for a 
    term of 36 months, through November 30, 1993. AT&T represents that at 
    the time the AT&T Lease commenced, neither Karsten nor any other 
    representative of TREET had any authority or control over the leasing 
    of space in Southpark, and TREET's sole interest in Southpark at that 
    time was as the holder of a security interest arising from TREET's 
    ownership of the Note and the Deed of Trust.
        5. AT&T represents that during the mid-1980's Crowe began to 
    experience increasing difficulty in meeting its Loan payment 
    obligations, due to depressed real estate conditions in the Austin 
    market, and Crowe and TREET negotiated modified Loan payment terms in 
    1989, 1990 and 1991. These modifications related Crowe's Loan payment 
    obligation to the level of cash flow generated by the Southpark 
    buildings, and the parties agreed that unpaid accrued interest would be 
    added to the Loan principal. As a result, however, the principal amount 
    of the Loan became so large in relation to the value of the Southpark 
    buildings that it appeared unlikely that Crowe would be able to receive 
    any return on its equity after paying off the Loan. After it was 
    evident that Crowe would eventually default on the Loan and that TREET 
    would acquire Southpark by foreclosure, Goldman took steps to enable 
    TREET to acquire title to Southpark prior to foreclosure, in order to 
    exercise control over the buildings and to directly collect the rents. 
    Crowe transferred title to Southpark to TREET through a deed in lieu of 
    foreclosure (the Transfer Deed) executed on June 3, 1993. At that time, 
    AT&T remained a tenant in Southpark under the AT&T Lease, occupying 
    approximately 18 percent of the rentable space in Southpark. The term 
    of the AT&T Lease expired on November 30, 1993, but the lease continues 
    on a month-to-month holdover basis (the Holdover Lease). AT&T hopes to 
    negotiate a new lease of office space in Southpark (the New Lease), 
    under which it would occupy substantially less space in Southpark, 
    constituting less than ten percent of the Southpark's leasable square 
    footage.
        6. At all times before TREET acquired Southpark, its interests in 
    the Loan had been managed and advised by Goldman, whose 
    responsibilities with respect to Trust assets were limited to the 
    management of debt investments. Upon acquisition of title to Southpark 
    through the Transfer Deed, TREET thereby acquired equity interests, 
    which were not within the scope of Goldman's authority to manage under 
    the terms of its appointment. Accordingly, Karsten, which was already 
    providing investment management services with respect to other assets 
    of TREET, was appointed by AT&T to assume investment management 
    responsibility on TREET's behalf for the Southpark buildings. With the 
    addition of Southpark to TREET assets under its management, Karsten 
    commenced to hold management responsibility with respect to more than 
    twenty percent of the assets of TREET.
        7. In order to secure representation of TREET's interests under the 
    AT&T Lease by a fiduciary which is sufficiently independent of AT&T, 
    Hill Partners, Inc. (Hill Partners) has been appointed to act as an 
    independent fiduciary on behalf of TREET, effective December 1, 1993, 
    with respect to AT&T's lease of space in Southpark. Hill Partners is a 
    Texas corporation engaged in commercial real estate development and 
    management services, with its corporate headquarters in Austin, Texas. 
    Hill Partners represents that it is unrelated to AT&T and TREET, except 
    for the provision of services as leasing agent for Southpark C, which 
    it represents constitutes less than five percent of Hill Partners' 
    total revenues for the past fiscal year. Hill Partners serves as a 
    fiduciary under the Act, to represent TREET's interests for all 
    purposes with respect to AT&T's lease of Southpark space pursuant to 
    the Holdover Lease and any New Lease or extension, renewal or 
    renegotiation of the AT&T Lease. Hill Partners is required to monitor 
    AT&T's performance of all obligations under any such lease, and to 
    pursue appropriate remedies in the event of any default in performance 
    of such obligations. Hill Partners' obligations include representing 
    the interests of TREET in the negotiations with AT&T over the New 
    Lease, and in the oversight and enforcement of AT&T's obligations under 
    any New Lease which is consummated, including any renewal or extension 
    thereof.
        Hill Partners' role also includes certain determinations with 
    respect to the period commencing June 3, 1993, to December 1, 1993 (the 
    Interim Period), the date of Hill Partners' assumption of duties as 
    independent fiduciary on behalf of TREET. Specifically, Hill Partners 
    is obligated to assess and evaluate AT&T's performance of its 
    obligations under the AT&T Lease during the Interim Period, and 
    Karsten's representation of TREET's interests during the Interim Period 
    with respect to the AT&T Lease. Hill Partners represents that it has 
    determined that during the Interim Period, AT&T was in complete 
    compliance with all terms and conditions of the AT&T Lease. Hill 
    Partners also represents that, based upon its review, it has determined 
    that Karsten's representation of TREET's interests under the AT&T Lease 
    during the Interim Period was appropriate and adequately protective of 
    the interests of TREET.
        8. With respect to the proposed New Lease, the negotiation of which 
    has been conducted between AT&T and Hill Partners, AT&T proposes to 
    lease 7,600 square feet in Southpark C for a term of three years, 
    effective April 1, 1994. The proposed annual base rent per square foot 
    is $6.00 for the first year, $6.60 for the second year, and $6.96 for 
    the third year, and AT&T is responsible for its pro rata share of 
    expenses. The New Lease's three-year term may be extended for no more 
    than one three-year renewal term at rent of no less than the prevailing 
    market rental rate, by written notice to Hill Partners 180 days prior 
    to expiration of the initial term, subject to Hill Partners' 
    determination that such extension is in the best interests of the plans 
    participating in TREET. Hill Partners confirms that it has represented 
    TREET's interests in negotiating the proposed New Lease, that it 
    approves of all the terms and conditions of the proposed New Lease, and 
    that it would be in the best interests of TREET to execute the New 
    Lease with AT&T. Hill Partners states that it has determined that the 
    rent required under the New Lease is not less than the fair market 
    rent. Hill Partners states that in executing the New Lease, TREET will 
    be retaining a substantial corporate tenant which has an excellent 
    performance record and which constitutes a very high quality tenant. 
    Hill Partners represents that all the terms of the proposed New Lease 
    are at least as favorable to TREET as TREET could obtain in an arm's-
    length transaction with an unrelated party.
        9. In summary, the applicant represents that the proposed 
    transactions satisfy the criteria of section 408(a) of the Act for the 
    following reasons: (1) The interests of TREET with respect to TREET's 
    lease of space in Southpark to AT&T under the Holdover Lease and the 
    proposed New Lease have been and will be represented by Hill Partners, 
    serving as an independent fiduciary on behalf of TREET; (2) Hill 
    Partners has determined that during the Interim Period, after TREET 
    acquired Southpark and before Hill Partners' appointment as independent 
    fiduciary, the interests of TREET were adequately protected and 
    appropriately represented by Karsten; (3) Hill Partners approves of all 
    terms of the proposed New Lease and AT&T's continued tenancy in 
    Southpark, and has determined that the rent required under the New 
    Lease is not less than the fair market rent; (4) Under the proposed New 
    Lease, AT&T will reduce the amount of space it leases in Southpark to 
    less than ten percent of Southpark's total leasable space; and (5) Any 
    renewal of the New Lease will require the approval of Hill Partners and 
    will require rent of no less than the fair market rent.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ronald Willett of the Department (202) 
    219-8881. (This is not a toll-free number.)
    
    General Information
    
        The attention of interested persons is directed to the following:
        (1) The fact that a transaction is the subject of an exemption 
    under section 408(a) of the Act and/or section 4975(c)(2) of the Code 
    does not relieve a fiduciary or other party in interest of disqualified 
    person from certain other provisions of the Act and/or the Code, 
    including any prohibited transaction provisions to which the exemption 
    does not apply and the general fiduciary responsibility provisions of 
    section 404 of the Act, which among other things require a fiduciary to 
    discharge his duties respecting the plan solely in the interest of the 
    participants and beneficiaries of the plan and in a prudent fashion in 
    accordance with section 404(a)(1)(b) of the act; nor does it affect the 
    requirement of section 401(a) of the Code that the plan must operate 
    for the exclusive benefit of the employees of the employer maintaining 
    the plan and their beneficiaries;
        (2) Before an exemption may be granted under section 408(a) of the 
    Act and/or section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, the Department must find 
    that the exemption is administratively feasible, in the interests of 
    the plan and of its participants and beneficiaries and protective of 
    the rights of participants and beneficiaries of the plan;
        (3) The proposed exemptions, if granted, will be supplemental to, 
    and not in derogation of, any other provisions of the Act and/or the 
    Code, including statutory or administrative exemptions and transitional 
    rules. Furthermore, the fact that a transaction is subject to an 
    administrative or statutory exemption is not dispositive of whether the 
    transaction is in fact a prohibited transaction; and
        (4) The proposed exemptions, if granted, will be subject to the 
    express condition that the material facts and representations contained 
    in each application are true and complete and accurately describe all 
    material terms of the transaction which is the subject of the 
    exemption. In the case of continuing exemption transactions, if any of 
    the material facts or representations described in the application 
    change after the exemption is granted, the exemption will cease to 
    apply as of the date of such change. In the event of any such change, 
    application for a new exemption may be made to the Department.
    
        Signed at Washington, DC, this 16th day of June, 1994.
    Ivan Strasfeld,
    Director of Exemption Determinations, Pension and Welfare Benefits 
    Administration, U.S. Department Of Labor.
    [FR Doc. 94-15007 Filed 6-20-94; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4510-29-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
6/3/1993
Published:
06/21/1994
Department:
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
Entry Type:
Uncategorized Document
Action:
Notice of proposed exemptions.
Document Number:
94-15007
Dates:
This exemption, if granted, will be effective as of June 3, 1993.
Pages:
0-0 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: June 21, 1994, Application No. D-9613