96-13915. Grant of Individual Exemptions; Sprague Electric Company  

  • [Federal Register Volume 61, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 4, 1996)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 28244-28248]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 96-13915]
    
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
    [Prohibited Transaction Exemption 96-44; Exemption Application No. D-
    10049, et al.]
    
    
    Grant of Individual Exemptions; Sprague Electric Company
    
    AGENCY: Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Labor.
    
    ACTION: Grant of individual exemptions.
    
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    SUMMARY: This document contains exemptions issued by the Department of 
    Labor (the Department) from certain of the prohibited transaction 
    restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 
    (the Act) and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code).
        Notices were published in the Federal Register of the pendency 
    before the Department of proposals to grant such exemptions. The 
    notices set forth a summary of facts and representations contained in 
    each application for exemption and referred interested persons to the 
    respective applications for a complete statement of the facts and 
    representations. The applications have been available for public 
    inspection at the Department in Washington, D.C. The notices also 
    invited interested persons to submit comments on the requested 
    exemptions to the Department. In addition the notices stated that any 
    interested person might submit a written request that a public hearing 
    be held (where appropriate). The applicants have represented that they 
    have complied with the requirements of the notification to interested 
    persons. No public comments and no requests for a hearing, unless 
    otherwise stated, were received by the Department.
        The notices of proposed exemption were issued and the exemptions 
    are being granted solely by the Department because, 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 proposed to the Secretary 
    of Labor.
    
    Statutory Findings
    
        In accordance with section 408(a) of the Act and/or section 
    4975(c)(2) of the Code and the procedures set forth in 29 CFR Part 
    2570, Subpart B (55 FR 32836, 32847, August 10, 1990) and based upon 
    the entire record, the Department makes the following findings:
        (a) The exemptions are administratively feasible;
        (b) They are in the interests of the plans and their participants 
    and beneficiaries; and
        (c) They are protective of the rights of the participants and 
    beneficiaries of the plans.
    
    Sprague Electric Company Retirement and Savings Plan (the Plan) Located 
    in Cincinnati, Ohio
    
    [Prohibited Transaction Exemption 96-44; Exemption Application No. D-
    10049]
    
    Exemption
    
        The restrictions of sections 406(a) and 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 cash sale (the Sale) by the Plan of its 34.2 
    interest in both the Group Annuity Contract No. CG 0128203A (ELIC 
    Contract) issued by Executive Life Insurance Company and the Group 
    Annuity Contract No. GA-4724 (MBL Contract) issued by Mutual Benefit 
    Life Insurance Company to American Annuity Group, Inc., a party in 
    interest with respect to the Plan; provided that the following 
    conditions are met: (1) the Sale is a one-time transaction for cash; 
    (2) the Plan experiences no loss and incurs no expense from the Sale; 
    (3) the Plan receives as consideration for the Sale the greater of 
    either (a) 34.2 percent of the fair market value of the ELIC Contract 
    and the MBL Contract, respectively, as determined on the date of the 
    Sale, or (b) 34.2 percent of the accumulated book value of the ELIC 
    Contract and the MBL Contract, respectively, as set forth in paragraph 
    4 of the notice of the proposed exemption, with such determinations as 
    to the consideration for the Sale made by the State Street Bank and 
    Trust Company, the Plan fiduciary.
        For a more complete statement of the facts and representations 
    supporting the Department's decision to grant this exemption refer to 
    the notice of proposed exemption published on April 4, 1996, at 61 FR 
    15140.
    
    Comments
    
        The Department received three written comments from retired 
    participants of the Plan with respect to the notice of the proposed 
    exemption. These comments did not relate to the subject Sale 
    transaction. Accordingly, after giving full consideration to the entire 
    record, the Department has determined to grant the exemption.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. C. E. Beaver of the Department, 
    telephone (202) 219-8881. (This is not a toll-free number.)
    
    Dauphin Deposit Bank and Trust Company Located in Harrisburg, 
    Pennsylvania
    
    [Prohibited Transaction Exemption 96-45; Application No. D-10187]
    
    Section I--Exemption for In-Kind Transfer of CIF Assets
    
        The restrictions of sections 406(a) and 406(b) 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 (F) of the Code, shall not 
    apply, as of May 31, 1996 to the proposed in-kind transfer of assets of 
    plans for which Dauphin Deposit Bank and Trust Company (Dauphin) acts 
    as a fiduciary (the Client Plans), other than plans established and 
    maintained by Dauphin (the Bank Plans), that are held in certain 
    collective investment funds maintained by Dauphin (CIFs) in exchange 
    for shares of the Marketvest Funds (the Funds), open-end investment 
    companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 
    Act), in situations where Dauphin acts as investment advisor for the 
    Fund and may provide some other ``Secondary Service'' to the Fund as 
    defined in Section V(h), in connection with the termination of such 
    CIFs, provided that the following conditions and the general conditions 
    of Section III are met:
        (a) No sales commissions or other fees are paid by the Client Plans 
    in connection with the purchase of Fund shares through the in-kind 
    transfer of CIF assets, and no redemption fees are payable in 
    connection with the sale of such shares by the Client Plans to the 
    Funds.
        (b) Each Client Plan receives shares of a Fund which have a total 
    net asset value that is equal to the value of the Plan's pro rata share 
    of the assets of the
    
    [[Page 28245]]
    
    CIF on the date of the in-kind transfer, based on the current market 
    value of the CIF's assets as determined in a single valuation performed 
    in the same manner at the close of that business day using independent 
    sources in accordance with Rule 17a-7 of the Securities and Exchange 
    Commission (SEC) under the 1940 Act (see 17 CFR 270.17a-7) and the 
    procedures established by the Funds pursuant to Rule 17a-7 for the 
    independent valuation of such assets. Such procedures must require that 
    all securities for which a current market price cannot be obtained by 
    reference to the last sale price for transactions reported on a 
    recognized securities exchange or NASDAQ be valued based on an average 
    of the highest current independent bid and lowest current independent 
    offer, as of the close of business on the Friday preceding the weekend 
    of the CIF transfers, determined on the basis of reasonable inquiry 
    from at least three sources that are broker-dealers or pricing services 
    independent of Dauphin.
        (c) All or a pro rata portion of the assets of a Client Plan held 
    in a CIF are transferred in-kind to the Funds in exchange for shares of 
    such Funds.
        (d) A second fiduciary who is independent of and unrelated to 
    Dauphin (the Second Fiduciary) receives advance written notice of the 
    in-kind transfer of assets of the CIFs and full written disclosure of 
    information concerning the Funds, including:
        (1) A current prospectus for each Fund in which a Client Plan is 
    considering investing;
        (2) A statement describing the fees for investment advisory or 
    similar services, any secondary services as defined in Section IV(h), 
    and all other fees to be charged to or paid by the Client Plan and by 
    the Funds, including the nature and extent of any differential between 
    the rates of such fees;
        (3) The reasons why Dauphin considers investing in the Fund is an 
    appropriate investment decision for the Client Plan;
        (4) A statement describing whether there are any limitations 
    applicable to Dauphin with respect to which assets of a Client Plan may 
    be invested in a Fund, and, if so, the nature of such limitations; and
        (5) Upon request of the Second Fiduciary, a copy of the proposed 
    exemption and/or a copy of the final exemption, if granted, once such 
    documents are published in the Federal Register.
        (e) After consideration of the foregoing information, the Second 
    Fiduciary authorizes in writing the in-kind transfer of the Client 
    Plan's CIF assets to a corresponding Fund in exchange for shares of the 
    Fund.
        (f) For all in-kind transfers of CIF assets to a Fund, Dauphin 
    sends by regular mail to each affected Client Plan the following 
    information:
        (1) Within 30 days after completion of the transaction, a written 
    confirmation containing:
        (i) The identity of each security that was valued for purposes of 
    the transaction in accordance with Rule 17a-7(b)(4);
        (ii) The price of each such security involved in the transaction;
        (iii) The identity of each pricing service or market-maker 
    consulted in determining the value of such securities; and
        (2) Within 90 days after completion of each in-kind transfer, a 
    written confirmation containing:
        (i) The number of CIF units held by the Client Plan immediately 
    before the transfer, the related per unit value, and the total dollar 
    amount of such CIF units; and
        (ii) The number of shares in the Funds that are held by the Client 
    Plan following the transfer, the related per share net asset value, and 
    the total dollar amount of such shares.
        (g) The conditions set forth in paragraphs (e), (f) and (o) of 
    Section II below are satisfied.
    
    Section II--Exemption for Receipt of Fees
    
        The restrictions of section 406(a) and 406(b) 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 (F) of the Code, shall not 
    apply, as of April 1, 1996, to the receipt of fees by Dauphin from the 
    Funds for acting as an investment adviser for the Funds as well as for 
    providing other services to the Funds which are ``Secondary Services'' 
    as defined in Section V(h), in connection with the investment by the 
    Client Plans in shares of the Funds, provided that the following 
    conditions and the general conditions of Section III are met:
        (a) Each Client Plan satisfies either (but not both) of the 
    following:
        (1) The Client Plan receives a cash credit of such Plan's 
    proportionate share of all fees charged to the Funds by Dauphin for 
    investment advisory services, including any investment advisory fees 
    paid by Dauphin to third party sub-advisers, no later than the same day 
    as the receipt of such fees by Dauphin. The crediting of all such fees 
    to the Client Plans by Dauphin is audited by an independent accounting 
    firm on at least an annual basis to verify the proper crediting of the 
    fees to each Plan.
        (2) The Client Plan does not pay any Plan-level investment 
    management fees, investment advisory fees, or similar fees to Dauphin 
    with respect to any of the assets of such Plan which are invested in 
    shares of any of the Funds. This condition does not preclude the 
    payment of investment advisory or similar fees by the Funds to Dauphin 
    under the terms of an investment management agreement adopted in 
    accordance with section 15 of the 1940 Act, nor does it preclude the 
    payment of fees for Secondary Services to Dauphin pursuant to a duly 
    adopted agreement between Dauphin and the Funds.
        (b) The price paid or received by a Client Plan for shares in a 
    Fund is the net asset value per share at the time of the transaction, 
    as defined in Section V(e), and is the same price which would have been 
    paid or received for the shares by any other investor at that time.
        (c) Dauphin, including any officer or director of Dauphin, does not 
    purchase or sell shares of the Funds from or to any Client Plan.
        (d) No sales commissions are paid by the Client Plans in connection 
    with the purchase or sale of shares of the Funds and no redemption fees 
    are paid in connection with the sale of shares by the Client Plans to 
    the Funds.
        (e) For each Client Plan, the combined total of all fees received 
    by Dauphin for the provision of services to a Client Plan, and in 
    connection with the provision of services to the Funds in which the 
    Client Plan may invest, are not in excess of ``reasonable 
    compensation'' within the meaning of section 408(b)(2) of the Act.
        (f) Dauphin does not receive any fees payable pursuant to Rule 12b-
    1 under the 1940 Act in connection with the transactions.
        (g) The Client Plans are not employee benefit plans sponsored or 
    maintained by Dauphin.
        (h) The Second Fiduciary receives, in advance of any initial 
    investment by the Client Plan in a Fund, full and detailed written 
    disclosure of information concerning the Funds, including but not 
    limited to:
        (1) A current prospectus for each Fund in which a Client Plan is 
    considering investing;
        (2) A statement describing the fees for investment advisory or 
    similar services, any secondary services as defined in Section IV(h), 
    and all other fees to be charged to or paid by the Client Plan and by 
    the Funds, including the nature and extent of any differential between 
    the rates of such fees;
    
    [[Page 28246]]
    
        (3) The reasons why Dauphin may consider such investment to be 
    appropriate for the Client Plan;
        (4) A statement describing whether there are any limitations 
    applicable to Dauphin with respect to which assets of a Client Plan may 
    be invested in the Funds, and if so, the nature of such limitations; 
    and
        (5) Upon request of the Second Fiduciary, a copy of the proposed 
    exemption and/or a copy of the final exemption, if granted, once such 
    documents are published in the Federal Register.
        (i) After consideration of the information described above in 
    paragraph (h), the Second Fiduciary authorizes in writing the 
    investment of assets of the Client Plan in each particular Fund and the 
    fees to be paid by such Funds to Dauphin.
        (j) All authorizations made by a Second Fiduciary regarding 
    investments in a Fund and the fees paid to Dauphin are subject to an 
    annual reauthorization wherein any such prior authorization referred to 
    in paragraph (i) shall be terminable at will by the Client Plan, 
    without penalty to the Client Plan, upon receipt by Dauphin of written 
    notice of termination. A form expressly providing an election to 
    terminate the authorization described in paragraph (i) above (the 
    Termination Form) with instructions on the use of the form must be 
    supplied to the Second Fiduciary no less than annually; provided that 
    the Termination Form need not be supplied to the Second Fiduciary 
    pursuant to this paragraph sooner than six months after such 
    Termination Form is supplied pursuant to paragraph (l) below, except to 
    the extent required by such paragraph in order to disclose an 
    additional service or fee increase. The instructions for the 
    Termination Form must include the following information:
        (1) The authorization is terminable at will by the Client Plan, 
    without penalty to the Client Plan, upon receipt by Dauphin of written 
    notice from the Second Fiduciary; and
        (2) Failure to return the Termination Form will result in continued 
    authorization of Dauphin to engage in the transactions described in 
    paragraph (i) on behalf of the Client Plan.
        (k) For each Client Plan using the fee structure described in 
    paragraph (a)(1) above with respect to investments in a particular 
    Fund, the Second Fiduciary of the Client Plan receives full written 
    disclosure in a Fund prospectus or otherwise of any increases in the 
    rates of fees charged by Dauphin to the Funds for investment advisory 
    services.
        (l) (1) For each Client Plan using the fee structure described in 
    paragraph (a)(2) above with respect to investments in a particular 
    Fund, an increase in the rate of fees paid by the Fund to Dauphin 
    regarding any investment management services, investment advisory 
    services, or similar services that Dauphin provides to the Fund over an 
    existing rate for such services that had been authorized by a Second 
    Fiduciary in accordance with paragraph (i) above; or
        (2) For any Client Plan under this exemption, an addition of a 
    Secondary Service (as defined in Section IV(h) below) provided by 
    Dauphin to the Fund for which a fee is charged, or an increase in the 
    rate of any fee paid by the Funds to Dauphin for any Secondary Service 
    that results either from an increase in the rate of such fee or from 
    the decrease in the number of kind of services performed by Dauphin for 
    such fee over an existing rate for such Secondary Service which had 
    been authorized by the Second Fiduciary of a Client Plan in accordance 
    with paragraph (i) above;
        Dauphin will, at least 30 days in advance of the implementation of 
    such additional service for which a fee is charged or fee increase, 
    provide a written notice (which may take the form of a proxy statement, 
    letter, or similar communication that is separate from the prospectus 
    of the Fund and which explains the nature and amount of the additional 
    service for which a fee is charged or of the increase in fees) to the 
    Second Fiduciary of the Client Plan. Such notice shall be accompanied 
    by a Termination Form with instructions as described in paragraph (i) 
    above.
        (m) On an annual basis, Dauphin provides the Second Fiduciary of a 
    Client Plan investing in the Funds with:
        (1) A copy of the current prospectus for the Funds in which the 
    Client Plan invests and, upon such fiduciary's request, a copy of the 
    Statement of Additional Information for such Funds which contains a 
    description of all fees paid by the Funds to Dauphin;
        (2) A copy of the annual financial disclosure report prepared by 
    Dauphin which includes information about the Fund portfolios as well as 
    audit findings of an independent auditor within 60 days of the 
    preparation of the report; and
        (3) Oral or written responses to inquiries of the Second Fiduciary 
    as they arise.
        (n) With respect to each of the Funds in which a Client Plan 
    invests, in the event such Fund places brokerage transactions with 
    Dauphin, Dauphin will provide the Second Fiduciary of such Plan at 
    least annually with a statement specifying:
        (1) The total, expressed in dollars, of brokerage commissions of 
    each Fund that are paid to Dauphin by such Fund;
        (2) The total, expressed in dollars, of brokerage commissions of 
    each Fund that are paid by such Fund to brokerage firms unrelated to 
    Dauphin;
        (3) The average brokerage commissions per share, expressed as cents 
    per share, paid to Dauphin by each Fund; and
        (4) The average brokerage commissions per share, expressed as cents 
    per share, paid by each Fund to brokerage firms unrelated to Dauphin.
        (o) All dealings between the Client Plans and the Funds are on a 
    basis no less favorable to the Plans than dealings with other 
    shareholders of the Funds.
    
    Section III--General Conditions
    
        (a) Dauphin maintains for a period of six years the records 
    necessary to enable the persons described below in paragraph (b) to 
    determine whether the conditions of this exemption have been met, 
    except that (1) a prohibited transaction will not be considered to have 
    occurred if, due to circumstances beyond the control of Dauphin, the 
    records are lost or destroyed prior to the end of the six-year period, 
    and (2) no party in interest other than Dauphin or an affiliate shall 
    be subject to the civil penalty that may be assessed under section 
    502(i) of the Act or to the taxes imposed by section 4975(a) and (b) of 
    the Code if the records are not maintained or are not available for 
    examination as required by paragraph (b) below.
        (b) (1) Except as provided below in paragraph (b)(2) and 
    notwithstanding any provisions of section 504(a)(2) of the Act, the 
    records referred to in paragraph (a) are unconditionally available at 
    their customary location for examination during normal business hours 
    by--
        (i) Any duly authorized employee or representative of the 
    Department or the Internal Revenue Service,
        (ii) Any fiduciary of the Client Plans who has authority to acquire 
    or dispose of shares of the Funds owned by the Client Plans, or any 
    duly authorized employee or representative of such fiduciary, and
        (iii) Any participant or beneficiary of the Client Plans or duly 
    authorized employee or representative of such participant or 
    beneficiary;
        (2) None of the persons described in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) and (iii) 
    shall be authorized to examine trade secrets of Dauphin, or commercial 
    or financial information which is privileged or confidential.
    
    [[Page 28247]]
    
    Section IV--Definitions
    
        For purposes of this exemption:
        (a) The term ``Dauphin'' means Dauphin Deposit Bank and Trust 
    Company and any affiliate thereof as defined below in paragraph (b) of 
    this section.
        (b) An ``affiliate'' of a person includes:
        (1) Any person directly or indirectly through one or more 
    intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common control 
    with the person;
        (2) Any officer, director, employee, relative, or partner in any 
    such person; and
        (3) Any corporation or partnership of which such person is an 
    officer, director, partner, or employee.
        (c) The term ``control'' means the power to exercise a controlling 
    influence over the management or policies of a person other than an 
    individual.
        (d) The term ``Fund'' or ``Funds'' shall include the Marketvest 
    Funds, Inc. or any other diversified open-end investment company or 
    companies registered under the 1940 Act for which Dauphin serves as an 
    investment adviser and may also serve as a custodian, dividend 
    disbursing agent, shareholder servicing agent, transfer agent, Fund 
    accountant, or provide some other ``Secondary Service'' (as defined 
    below in paragraph (h) of this Section) which has been approved by such 
    Funds.
        (e) The term ``net asset value'' means the amount for purposes of 
    pricing all purchases and sales calculated by dividing the value of all 
    securities, determined by a method as set forth in the Fund's 
    prospectus and statement of additional information, and other assets 
    belonging to the Fund or portfolio of the Fund, less the liabilities 
    charged to each such portfolio or Fund, by the number of outstanding 
    shares.
        (f) The term ``relative'' means a ``relative'' as that term is 
    defined in section 3(15) of the Act (or a ``member of the family'' as 
    that term is defined in section 4975(e)(6) of the Code), or a brother, 
    a sister, or a spouse of a brother or a sister.
        (g) The term ``Second Fiduciary'' means a fiduciary of a Client 
    Plan who is independent of and unrelated to Dauphin. For purposes of 
    this exemption, the Second Fiduciary will not be deemed to be 
    independent of and unrelated to Dauphin if:
        (1) Such fiduciary directly or indirectly controls, is controlled 
    by, or is under common control with Dauphin;
        (2) Such fiduciary, or any officer, director, partner, employee, or 
    relative of the fiduciary is an officer, director, partner or employee 
    of Dauphin (or is a relative of such persons);
        (3) Such fiduciary directly or indirectly receives any compensation 
    or other consideration for his or her own personal account in 
    connection with any transaction described in this exemption.
        If an officer, director, partner or employee of Dauphin (or 
    relative of such persons), is a director of such Second Fiduciary, and 
    if he or she abstains from participation in (i) the choice of the 
    Client Plan's investment adviser, (ii) the approval of any such 
    purchase or sale between the Client Plan and the Funds, and (iii) the 
    approval of any change in fees charged to or paid by the Client Plan in 
    connection with any of the transactions described in Sections I and II 
    above, then paragraph (g)(2) of this section shall not apply.
        (h) The term ``Secondary Service'' means a service other than an 
    investment management, investment advisory, or similar service, which 
    is provided by Dauphin to the Funds. However, for purposes of Section 
    II(k), the term ``Secondary Service'' will not include any brokerage 
    services provided to the Funds by Dauphin for the execution of 
    securities transactions engaged in by the Funds.
        (i) The term ``Termination Form'' means the form supplied to the 
    Second Fiduciary which expressly provides an election to the Second 
    Fiduciary to terminate on behalf of a Client Plan the authorization 
    described in paragraph (i) of Section II. Such Termination Form may be 
    used at will by the Second Fiduciary to terminate an authorization 
    without penalty to the Client Plan and to notify Dauphin in writing to 
    effect a termination by selling the shares of the Funds held by the 
    Client Plan requesting such termination within one business day 
    following receipt by Dauphin of the form; provided that if, due to 
    circumstances beyond the control of Dauphin, the sale cannot be 
    executed within one business day, Dauphin shall have one additional 
    business day to complete such sale.
    
    Effective Date
    
        This exemption is effective as of May 31, 1996, for the in-kind 
    transfers of CIF assets described in Section I. In addition, this 
    exemption is effective as of April 1, 1996, for the receipt of fees by 
    Dauphin described in Section II for cash investments made by Client 
    Plans in shares of the Funds which do not involve any in-kind transfer 
    of CIF assets to such Funds.
        For a more complete statement of the facts and representations 
    supporting the Department's decision to grant this exemption, refer to 
    the notice of proposed exemption published on March 12, 1996, at 61 FR 
    10017.
    
    Notice to Interested Persons
    
        The applicant represents that it was unable to notify interested 
    persons within the time period specified in the Federal Register notice 
    published on March 12, 1996. The applicant states that interested 
    persons were notified, in the manner agreed upon between the applicant 
    and the Department, by April 3, 1996. Interested persons were advised 
    that they had until May 3, 1996 to comment on the proposed exemption.
    
    Written Comments and Modifications
    
        The applicant submitted the following comments and requests for 
    modifications regarding the notice of proposed exemption (the 
    Proposal).
        With respect to Section I(g) of the Proposal, the applicant states 
    that the cross-reference to paragraph (n) of Section II should be 
    changed to paragraph (o). The Department acknowledges the applicant's 
    requested clarification and has so modified the language of the 
    exemption.
        With respect to Section IV(i) of the Proposal, the applicant states 
    that the cross-reference to paragraph (h) of Section II should be 
    changed to paragraph (i). The Department acknowledges the applicant's 
    requested clarification and has so modified the language of the 
    exemption.
        With respect to the effective dates for the exemption, the 
    applicant notes that, consistent with the representations made in the 
    application, the Proposal provided that the effective date of the 
    exemption should be March 29, 1996. However, the applicant states that 
    the target date for the in-kind transfers of CIF assets to the Funds 
    has been changed to May 31, 1996. Therefore, the effective date for the 
    exemption under Section I for the in-kind transfers of CIF assets to 
    the Funds should be changed to May 31, 1996. However, the applicant 
    states that new Client Plans that have just retained Dauphin as trustee 
    may seek to invest in the Funds prior to that date. Thus, the applicant 
    requests that the effective date for the exemption under Section II 
    concerning the receipt of fees by Dauphin from the Funds for 
    investments in the Funds made by new Client Plans should be April 1, 
    1996.
        The Department acknowledges the applicant's requested clarification 
    and has so modified the paragraph in the exemption relating to the 
    effective date for the transactions described in Section I (the in-kind 
    transfers of CIF assets to the Funds) and Section II (the receipt of 
    fees by Dauphin from the Funds).
    
    [[Page 28248]]
    
        No other comments, and no requests for a hearing, were received by 
    the Department on the Proposal.
        Accordingly, based on all of the facts and representations made by 
    the applicant, the Department has determined to grant the proposed 
    exemption as modified.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. E. F. Williams of the Department, 
    telephone (202) 219-8194. (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 or disqualified 
    person from certain other provisions to which the exemptions 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) These exemptions are supplemental to and not in derogation of, 
    any other provisions of the Act and/or the Code, including statutory or 
    administrative exemptions and transactional 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
        (3) The availability of these exemptions is subject to the express 
    condition that the material facts and representations contained in each 
    application accurately describes all material terms of the transaction 
    which is the subject of the exemption.
    
        Signed at Washington, D.C., this 30th day of May, 1996.
    Ivan Strasfeld,
    Director of Exemption Determinations, Pension and Welfare Benefits 
    Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
    [FR Doc. 96-13915 Filed 6-3-96; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4510-29-P
    
    

Document Information

Published:
06/04/1996
Department:
Labor Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Grant of individual exemptions.
Document Number:
96-13915
Pages:
28244-28248 (5 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 96-44, Exemption Application No. D- 10049, et al.
PDF File:
96-13915.pdf