00-22853. Grant of Individual Exemption To Amend and Replace Prohibited Transaction Exemption (PTE) 99-15, Involving Salomon Smith Barney Inc. (Salomon Smith Barney), Located in New York, NY

AGENCY:

Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Department of Labor.

ACTION:

Grant of individual exemption to modify and replace PTE 99-15.

SUMMARY:

This document contains a final exemption (the Final Exemption) by the Department of Labor (the Department) which amends and replaces PTE 99-15 (64 FR 1648, April 5, 1999), an exemption granted to Salomon Smith Barney. PTE 99-15 relates to the operation of the TRAK Personalized Investment Advisory Service product (the TRAK Program) and the Trust for Consulting Group Capital Markets Funds (the Trust). These transactions are described in a notice of pendency (the Proposed Exemption) that was published in the Federal Register on June 1, 2000 at 65 FR 35138.

EFFECTIVE DATES:

This exemption is effective as of April 1, 2000 with respect to the amendments to Section II(i) and Section III(b) of the grant notice. In addition, this exemption is effective as of April 1, 2000 with respect to the inclusion of new Section III(d) in the grant notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Jan D. Broady, Office of Exemption Determinations, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, telephone [phone]. (This is not a toll-free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On June 1, 2000, the Department published, in the Federal Register, the above referenced Proposed Exemption which would amend and replace PTE 99-15. PTE 99-15, provides an exemption from certain prohibited transaction restrictions of section 406 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act) and from the sanctions resulting from the application of section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code), as amended, by reason of section 4975(c)(1) of the Code. Specifically, PTE 99-15 provides exemptive relief from the restrictions of section 406(a) 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 (D) of the Code, for the purchase or redemption of shares in the Trust by an employee benefit plan, an individual retirement account (the IRA), a retirement plan for a self-employed individual, or an individual account pension plan that is subject to the provisions of Title I of the Act and established under section 403(b) of the Code (the Section 403(b) Plan; collectively, the Plans).

PTE 99-15 also provides exemptive relief from the restrictions of section 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)(E) and (F) of the Code, with respect to the provision, by the Consulting Group of Salomon Smith Barney (the Consulting Group), of (1) investment advisory services or (2) an automatic reallocation option to an independent fiduciary of a participating Plan (the Independent Plan Fiduciary) which may result in such fiduciary's selection of a portfolio (the Portfolio) in the TRAK Program for the investment of Plan assets.^[1]

In the Proposed Exemption, Salomon Smith Barney requested a modification of PTE 99-15 and a replacement of that exemption with a new exemption for purposes of uniformity.^[2] Specifically, Salomon Smith Barney requested that the term “affiliate,” as set forth in PTE 99-15, in Section II(h) of the General Conditions and in Section III(b) of the Definitions, be amended and clarified to avoid possible misinterpretation. In this regard, Salomon Smith Barney also requested that the term “officer” be defined and incorporated into the Proposed Exemption, in new Section III(d), to limit the affiliate definition to persons who have a significant management role. Further, Salomon Smith Barney requested that Section II(i) of PTE 99-15 be amended to permit an independent sub-adviser (the Sub-Adviser), under certain circumstances, to exceed the current one percent limitation on the acquisition of securities that are issued by Salomon Smith Barney and/or its affiliates, notably in the Sub-Adviser's replication of a third-party index (the Index). The Final Exemption is effective as of April 1, 2000 with respect to the amendments to Sections II(i) and III(b) of the grant notice, and is effective as of July 10, 2000 with respect to Section III(d) of the grant notice.

The Proposed Exemption was requested in an application filed on behalf of Salomon Smith Barney pursuant to section 408(a) of the Act and section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, and in accordance with the procedures (the Procedures) set forth in 29 CFR Part 2570, Subpart B (55 FR 32836, 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. Accordingly, this Final Exemption is being issued solely by the Department.

The Proposed Exemption gave interested persons an opportunity to comment and to request a hearing. During the comment period, the Department received two written comments and no requests for a hearing. One of the comments was submitted by the holder of an IRA which participates in the TRAK Program. The commenter said he concurred with the modifications proposed by Salomon Smith Barney to amend and clarify the terms “affiliate” and “officer.” The commenter also stated that he supported the proposed modification of the one percent limitation on the acquisition, by an independent Sub-Adviser, of securities that are issued by Salomon Smith Barney and/or its affiliates in the Sub-Adviser's replication of an Index. The commenter explained that he believed the requested changes made sense and would be beneficial to all TRAK Program participants. Therefore, the commenter urged the Department to approve the Final Exemption.

The second comment was submitted by Salomon Smith Barney. The comment is intended to clarify and modify the preamble (the Preamble) of the Proposed Exemption. Following is a discussion of Salomon Smith Barney's comment letter and the Department's responses with respect thereto.

1. Modifications to the Proposed Exemption. On page 35139 of the Proposed Exemption, the first paragraph of the Preamble states that “As of December 31, 1998, the TRAK Program held assets that were in excess of $9.6 billion.” Also, in that same paragraph, the last sentence states, in part, that “one or more unaffiliated [S]ub-advisers [is] selected by Salomon Smith Barney.” Salomon Smith Barney notes that the December 31, 1998 valuation date at the beginning of the paragraph should be changed to September 30, 1999 and the last words of the paragraph should be changed from “Salomon Smith Barney” to “the Consulting Group,” which actually chooses the Sub-Advisers.

In addition, on page 35140 of the Proposed Exemption, the last paragraph of the Preamble states, in part, that—

Due to the one percent limitation of Section II(i), Salomon Smith Barney states that active Sub-Advisers for the Consulting Group may not own or trade Citigroup Common Stock and they will continue to be prohibited from trading in Citigroup Common Stock.

Salomon Smith Barney wishes to clarify that active Sub-Advisers also do not trade in Citigroup Common Stock because of restrictions that apply under Rule 12d3-1(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ICA).^[3]

On page 35141 of the Proposed Exemption, the third sentence of the first “carry-over” paragraph of the Preamble identifies two Funds which currently comply with the one percent limitation on investments in Citigroup Common Stock. These Funds are the “Consulting Group Capital Markets Large Cap Value Fund” and the “Large Cap Growth Consulting Group Capital Markets Fund.” However, Salomon Smith Barney suggests, for the purpose of clarity, that the formal names of the subject Funds be specified. Thus, Salomon Smith Barney explains that the proper names for the Funds are the “Consulting Group Capital Markets Funds Large Capitalization Value Equity Investments” and the “Consulting Group Capital Markets Funds Large Capitalization Growth Investments.” Similarly, in the next paragraph of the Proposed Exemption on page 35141 of the Preamble, Salomon Smith Barney wishes to clarify that the formal name for the S&P Fund designated as the “Consulting Group Capital Markets S&P 500 Index Investment Fund Portfolio” is the “Consulting Group Capital Markets S&P Index Investment Fund Portfolio.”

In response to these comments, the Department acknowledges the foregoing clarifications to the names for the Funds identified in the Preamble of the Proposed Exemption.

2. General Information. As a matter of general information, Salomon Smith Barney states that beginning with the billing cycle commencing on January 1, 2001, the Outside Fee charged to 401(k) Plan clients will be calculated on the average daily asset value for the quarter for which the fee is billed rather than the asset value on the last day of the quarter. Salomon Smith Barney explains that this change generally conforms to the billing procedure in the industry generally and is believed to be more equitable since it reflects the asset value over time rather than on a single day during a calendar quarter which may not be representative of the account balance during the period.

In response to this comment, the Department notes Salomon Smith Barney's modification to the billing procedure in the calculation of the Outside Fee for participants in the TRAK Program that are section 401(k) Plans.

For further information regarding the comments or other matters discussed herein, interested persons are encouraged to obtain copies of the exemption application files (Exemption Application Nos. D-10809 and D-10865) the Department is maintaining in this case. The complete application files, as well as all supplemental submissions received by the Department, are made available for public inspection in the Public Documents Room of the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Room N-5638, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210.

Accordingly, after giving full consideration to the entire record, including the written comments received, the Department has decided to grant the exemption subject to the modifications and clarifications described above.

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 section 4975(c)(2) of the Code does not relieve a fiduciary or other party in interest or disqualified person from certain other provisions of the Act and 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 require, among other things, a fiduciary to discharge his or her 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 requirements of section 401(a) of the Code that the plan operate for the exclusive benefit of the employees of the employer maintaining the plan and their beneficiaries;

(2) The exemption will extend to transactions prohibited under section 406(b)(3) of the Act and section 4975(c)(1)(F) of the Code;

(3) In accordance with section 408(a) of the Act and section 4975(c)(2) of the Code, and the Procedures cited above, and based upon the entire record, the Department finds that the exemption is administratively feasible, in the interest of the plan and of its participants and beneficiaries and protective of the rights of participants and beneficiaries of the plan;

(4) The exemption will be supplemental to, and not in derogation of, any other provisions of the Act and the Code, including statutory or administrative exemptions. 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

(5) The exemption is subject to the express condition that the Summary of Facts and Representations set forth in the notice of proposed exemption relating to PTE 99-15, as amended by this Final Exemption, accurately describe, where relevant, the material terms of the transactions to be consummated pursuant to this exemption.

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 above, the Department hereby amends PTE 99-15 as follows:

Section I. Covered Transactions

A. The restrictions of section 406(a) 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 (D) of the Code, shall not apply, to the purchase or redemption of shares by an employee benefit plan, an individual retirement account (the IRA), a retirement plan for self-employed individuals (the Keogh Plan), or an individual account pension plan that is subject to the provisions of Title I of the Act and established under section 403(b) of the Code (the Section 403(b) Plan; collectively, the Plans) in the Trust for Consulting Group Capital Market Funds (the Trust), established by Salomon Smith Barney, in connection with such Plans' participation in the TRAK Personalized Investment Advisory Service product (the TRAK Program).

B. The restrictions of section 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)(E) and (F) of the Code, shall not apply, to the provision, by the Consulting Group, of (1) investment advisory services or (2) an automatic reallocation option (the Automatic Reallocation Option) to an independent fiduciary of a participating Plan (the Independent Plan Fiduciary), which may result in such fiduciary's selection of a portfolio (the Portfolio) in the TRAK Program for the investment of Plan assets.

This exemption is subject to the following conditions that are set forth below in Section II.

Section II. General Conditions

(a) The participation of Plans in the TRAK Program will be approved by an Independent Plan Fiduciary. For purposes of this requirement, an employee, officer or director of Salomon Smith Barney and/or its affiliates covered by an IRA not subject to Title I of the Act will be considered an Independent Plan Fiduciary with respect to such IRA.

(b) The total fees paid to the Consulting Group and its affiliates will constitute no more than reasonable compensation.

(c) No Plan will pay a fee or commission by reason of the acquisition or redemption of shares in the Trust.

(d) The terms of each purchase or redemption of Trust shares shall remain at least as favorable to an investing Plan as those obtainable in an arm's length transaction with an unrelated party.

(e) The Consulting Group will provide written documentation to an Independent Plan Fiduciary of its recommendations or evaluations based upon objective criteria.

(f) Any recommendation or evaluation made by the Consulting Group to an Independent Plan Fiduciary will be implemented only at the express direction of such Independent Plan Fiduciary, provided, however, that—

(1) If such Independent Plan Fiduciary shall have elected in writing (the Election), on a form designated by Salomon Smith Barney from time to time for such purpose, to participate in the Automatic Reallocation Option under the TRAK Program, the affected Plan or participant account will be automatically reallocated whenever the Consulting Group modifies the particular asset allocation recommendation which the Independent Plan Fiduciary has chosen. Such Election shall continue in effect until revoked or terminated by the Independent Plan Fiduciary in writing.

(2) Except as set forth below in paragraph II(f)(3), at the time of a change in the Consulting Group's asset allocation recommendation, each account based upon the asset allocation model (the Allocation Model) affected by such change would be adjusted on the business day of the release of the new Allocation Model by the Consulting Group, except to the extent that market conditions, and order purchase and redemption procedures, may delay such processing through a series of purchase and redemption transactions to shift assets among the affected Portfolios.

(3) If the change in the Consulting Group's asset allocation recommendation exceeds an increase or decrease of more than 10 percent in the absolute percentage allocated to any one investment medium (e.g., a suggested increase in a 15 percent allocation to greater than 25 percent, or a decrease of such 15 percent allocation to less than 5 percent), Salomon Smith Barney will send out a written notice (the Notice) to all Independent Plan Fiduciaries whose current investment allocation would be affected, describing the proposed reallocation and the date on which such allocation is to be instituted (the Effective Date). If the Independent Plan Fiduciary notifies Salomon Smith Barney, in writing, at any time within the period of 30 calendar days prior to the proposed Effective Date that such fiduciary does not wish to follow such revised asset allocation recommendation, the Allocation Model will remain at the current level, or at such other level as the Independent Plan Fiduciary then expressly designates, in writing. If the Independent Plan Fiduciary does not affirmatively “opt out” of the new Consulting Group recommendation, in writing, prior to the proposed Effective Date, such new recommendation will be automatically effected by a dollar-for-dollar liquidation and purchase of the required amounts in the respective account.

(4) An Independent Plan Fiduciary will receive a trade confirmation of each reallocation transaction. In this regard, for all Plan investors other than Section 404(c) Plan accounts (i.e., 401(k) Plan accounts), Salomon Smith Barney will mail trade confirmations on the next business day after the reallocation trades are executed. In the case of Section 404(c) Plan participants, notification will depend upon the notification provisions agreed to by the Plan recordkeeper.

(g) The Consulting Group will generally give investment advice in writing to an Independent Plan Fiduciary with respect to all available Portfolios. However, in the case of a Plan providing for participant-directed investments (the Section 404(c) Plan), the Consulting Group will provide investment advice that is limited to the Portfolios made available under the Plan.

(h) Any sub-adviser (the Sub-Adviser) that acts for the Trust to exercise investment discretion over a Portfolio will be independent of Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates.

(i) Immediately following the acquisition by a Portfolio of any securities that are issued by Salomon Smith Barney and/or its affiliates, such as Citigroup Inc. common stock (the Citigroup Common Stock), the percentage of that Portfolio's net assets invested in such securities will not exceed one percent. However, this percentage limitation may be exceeded if—

(1) The amount held by a Sub-Adviser in managing a Portfolio is held in order to replicate an established third party index (the Index).

(2) The Index represents the investment performance of a specific segment of the public market for equity securities in the United States and/or foreign countries. The organization creating the Index must be—

(i) Engaged in the business of providing financial information;

(ii) A publisher of financial news information; or

(iii) A public stock exchange or association of securities dealers.

The Index is created and maintained by an organization independent of Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates and is a generally-accepted standardized Index of securities which is not specifically tailored for use by Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates.

(3) The acquisition or disposition of Citigroup Common Stock does not include any agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the design or operation of the Portfolio acquiring the Citigroup Common Stock, which is intended to benefit Salomon Smith Barney or any party in which Salomon Smith Barney may have an interest.

(4) The Independent Plan Fiduciary authorizes the investment of a Plan's assets in an Index Fund which purchases and/or holds Citigroup Common Stock and the Sub-Adviser is responsible for voting any shares of Citigroup Common Stock that are held by an Index Fund on any matter in which shareholders of Citigroup Common Stock are required or permitted to vote.

(j) The quarterly investment advisory fee that is paid by a Plan to the Consulting Group for investment advisory services rendered to such Plan will be offset by such amount as is necessary to assure that the Consulting Group retains no more than 20 basis points from any Portfolio (with the exception of the Government Money Investments Portfolio and the GIC Fund Portfolio for which the Consulting Group and the Trust will retain no investment management fee) which contains investments attributable to the Plan investor.

(k) With respect to its participation in the TRAK Program prior to purchasing Trust shares,

(1) Each Plan will receive the following written or oral disclosures from the Consulting Group:

(A) A copy of the Prospectus for the Trust discussing the investment objectives of the Portfolios comprising the Trust, the policies employed to achieve these objectives, the corporate affiliation existing between the Consulting Group, Salomon Smith Barney and its subsidiaries and the compensation paid to such entities.^[4]

(B) Upon written or oral request to Salomon Smith Barney, a Statement of Additional Information supplementing the Prospectus which describes the types of securities and other instruments in which the Portfolios may invest, the investment policies and strategies that the Portfolios may utilize and certain risks attendant to those investments, policies and strategies.

(C) A copy of the investment advisory agreement between the Consulting Group and such Plan relating to participation in the TRAK Program and, if applicable, informing Plan investors of the Automatic Reallocation Option.

(D) Upon written request of Salomon Smith Barney, a copy of the respective investment advisory agreement between the Consulting Group and the Sub-Advisers.

(E) In the case of a Section 404(c) Plan, if required by the arrangement negotiated between the Consulting Group and the Plan, an explanation by a Salomon Smith Barney Financial Consultant (the Financial Consultant) to eligible participants in such Plan, of the services offered under the TRAK Program and the operation and objectives of the Portfolios.

(F) A copy of the Proposed Exemption and the Final Exemption pertaining to the exemptive relief described herein.

(2) If accepted as an investor in the TRAK Program, an Independent Plan Fiduciary of an IRA or Keogh Plan, is required to acknowledge, in writing, prior to purchasing Trust shares that such fiduciary has received copies of the documents described above in subparagraph (k)(1) of this Section.

(3) With respect to a Section 404(c) Plan, written acknowledgement of the receipt of such documents will be provided by the Independent Plan Fiduciary (i.e., the Plan administrator, trustee or named fiduciary, as the recordholder of Trust shares). Such Independent Plan Fiduciary will be required to represent in writing to Salomon Smith Barney that such fiduciary is (a) independent of Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates and (b) knowledgeable with respect to the Plan in administrative matters and funding matters related thereto, and able to make an informed decision concerning participation in the TRAK Program.

(4) With respect to a Plan that is covered under Title I of the Act, where investment decisions are made by a trustee, investment manager or a named fiduciary, such Independent Plan Fiduciary is required to acknowledge, in writing, receipt of such documents and represent to Salomon Smith Barney that such fiduciary is (a) independent of Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates, (b) capable of making an independent decision regarding the investment of Plan assets and (c) knowledgeable with respect to the Plan in administrative matters and funding matters related thereto, and able to make an informed decision concerning participation in the TRAK Program.

(l) Subsequent to its participation in the TRAK Program, each Plan receives the following written or oral disclosures with respect to its ongoing participation in the TRAK Program:

(1) The Trust's semi-annual and annual report which will include financial statement for the Trust and investment management fees paid by each Portfolio.

(2) A written quarterly monitoring statement containing an analysis and an evaluation of a Plan investor's account to ascertain whether the Plan's investment objectives have been met and recommending, if required, changes in Portfolio allocations.

(3) If required by the arrangement negotiated between the Consulting Group and a Section 404(c) Plan, a quarterly, detailed investment performance monitoring report, in writing, provided to an Independent Plan Fiduciary of such Plan showing Plan level asset allocations, Plan cash flow analysis and annualized risk adjusted rates of return for Plan investments. In addition, if required by such arrangement, Financial Consultants will meet periodically with Independent Plan Fiduciaries of Section 404(c) Plans to discuss the report as well as with eligible participants to review their accounts' performance.

(4) If required by the arrangement negotiated between the Consulting Group and a Section 404(c) Plan, a quarterly participant performance monitoring report provided to a Plan participant which accompanies the participant's benefit statement and describes the investment performance of the Portfolios, the investment performance of the participant's individual investment in the TRAK Program, and gives market commentary and toll-free numbers that will enable the participant to obtain more information about the TRAK Program or to amend his or her investment allocations.

(5) On a quarterly and annual basis, written disclosures to all Plans of the (a) percentage of each Portfolio's brokerage commissions that are paid to Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates and (b) the average brokerage commission per share paid by each Portfolio to Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates, as compared to the average brokerage commission per share paid by the Trust to brokers other than Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates, both expressed as cents per share.

(m) Salomon Smith Barney shall maintain, for a period of six years, the records necessary to enable the persons described in paragraph (n) of this Section 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 Salomon Smith Barney and/or its affiliates, the records are lost or destroyed prior to the end of the six year period, and (2) no party in interest other than Salomon Smith Barney 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 (n) below.

(n)(1) Except as provided in section (2) of this paragraph and notwithstanding any provisions of subparagraphs (a)(2) and (b) of section 504 of the Act, the records referred to in paragraph (m) of this Section II shall be unconditionally available at their customary location during normal business hours by:

(A) Any duly authorized employee or representative of the Department or the Service;

(B) Any fiduciary of a participating Plan or any duly authorized representative of such fiduciary;

(C) Any contributing employer to any participating Plan or any duly authorized employee representative of such employer; and

(D) Any participant or beneficiary of any participating Plan, or any duly authorized representative of such participant or beneficiary.

(2) None of the persons described above in subparagraphs (B)-(D) of this paragraph (n) shall be authorized to examine the trade secrets of Salomon Smith Barney or commercial or financial information which is privileged or confidential.

Section III. Definitions

For purposes of this exemption:

(a) The term “Salomon Smith Barney” means Salomon Smith Barney Inc. and any affiliate of Salomon Smith Barney, as defined in paragraph (b) of this Section III.

(b) An “affiliate” of Salomon Smith Barney includes—

(1) Any person directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled by, or under common control with Salomon Smith Barney (For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “control” means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a person other than an individual);

(2) Any individual who is an officer (as defined in Section III(d) hereof), director or partner in Salomon Smith Barney or a person described in subparagraph (b)(1);

(3) Any corporation or partnership of which Salomon Smith Barney, or an affiliate described in subparagraphs(b)(1), is a 10 percent or more partner or owner; and

(4) Any corporation or partnership of which any individual which is an officer or director of Salomon Smith Barney is a 10 percent or more partner or owner.

(c) An “Independent Plan Fiduciary” is a Plan fiduciary which is independent of Salomon Smith Barney and its affiliates and is either—

(1) A Plan administrator, sponsor, trustee or named fiduciary, as the recordholder of Trust shares under a Section 404(c) Plan;

(2) A participant in a Keogh Plan;

(3) An individual covered under (i) a self-directed IRA or (ii) a Section 403(b) Plan, which invests in Trust shares;

(4) A trustee, investment manager or named fiduciary responsible for investment decisions in the case of a Title I Plan that does not permit individual direction as contemplated by Section 404(c) of the Act; or

(5) A participant in a Plan, such as a Section 404(c) Plan, who is permitted under the terms of such Plan to direct, and who elects to direct, the investment of assets of his or her account in such Plan.

(d) The term “officer” means a president, any vice president in charge of a principal business unit, division or function (such as sales, administration or finance), or any other officer who performs a policymaking function for the entity.

Section IV. Effective Dates

This exemption is effective as of April 1, 2000 with respect to the amendments to Section II(i) and Section III(b) of this grant notice. In addition, this exemption is effective as of April 1, 2000 with respect to the inclusion of new Section III(d) in the grant notice.

The availability of this exemption is subject to the express condition that the material facts and representations contained in the application for exemption are true and complete and accurately describe all material terms of the transactions. In the case of continuing transactions, if any of the material facts or representations described in the applications change, the exemption will cease to apply as of the date of such change. In the event of any such change, an application for a new exemption must be made to the Department.

For a more complete statement of the facts and representations supporting the Department's decision to grant PTE 92-77, PTE 94-50 and PTE 99-15, refer to the proposed exemptions and the grant notices which are cited above.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 31st day of August, 2000.

Ivan L. Strasfeld,

Director of Exemption Determinations, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.

Footnotes

1.  PTE 99-15 also (a) described a series of corporate mergers which changed the names of the parties identified in two prior TRAK exemptions which it superseded [i.e., PTE 94-50 (59 FR 32024, June 21, 1994) and PTE 92-77 (55 FR 45833, October 5, 1992)] and which would permit broader distribution of TRAK-related products; (b) implemented a recordkeeping reimbursement offset procedure under the TRAK Program; (c) adopted an automated reallocation option under the TRAK Program that would reduce the reallocation option under the TRAK Program that would reduce the Plan-level investment advisory fee (the Outside Fee) paid to Salomon Smith Barney by a Plan investor; and (d) expanded the scope of the exemption to include Section 403(b) Plans.

PTE 94-50 permitted Smith, Barney Inc. (Smith Barney), Salomon Smith Barney's predecessor, to add a daily-traded collective investment fund (the GIC Fund) to the existing portfolios (the Portfolios) of mutual funds (the Funds) comprising the Trust, and to describe the various entities operating the GIC Fund. PTE 94-50 also replaced references to Shearson Lehman Brothers, Inc. (Shearson Lehman) with Smith Barney and amended and replaced PTE 92-77.

Finally, PTE 92-77 permitted Shearson Lehman to make the TRAK Program available to Plans that acquired shares in the former Trust for TRAK Investments and allowed the Consulting Group to provide investment advisory services to an Independent Plan Fiduciary which might result in such fiduciary's selection of a Portfolio in the TRAK Program for the investment of Plan assets.

2.  The Department deems PTE 94-50 as having been effectively superseded by PTE 99-15. Therefore, the amendments described herein do not apply to PTE 94-50.

3.  Rule 12d3-1(c) of the ICA states that an acquiring company, such as a registered investment company, may not acquire a general partnership interest or a security issued by the acquiring company's investment adviser, promoter, or principal underwriter, or by any affiliated person of such investment adviser, promoter, or principal underwriter.

4.  The fact that certain transactions and fee arrangements are the subject of an administrative exemption does not relieve the Independent Plan Fiduciary from the general fiduciary responsibility provisions of section 404 of the Act. In this regard, the Department expects the Independent Plan Fiduciary to consider carefully the totality of the fees and expenses to be paid by the Plan, including the fees paid directly to Salomon Smith Barney or to other third parties.