Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2003-09; [Exemption Application
No. D-11042] et al. Grant of Individual Exemptions; Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company (MetLife) [05/22/2003]
Volume 68, Number 99, Page 28031-28033
[[Page 28031]]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employee Benefits Security Administration
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2003-09; [Exemption Application
No. D-11042] et al. Grant of Individual Exemptions; Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company (MetLife)
AGENCY: Employee Benefits Security 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).
A notice was published in the Federal Register of the pendency
before the Department of a proposal to grant such exemption. The notice
set forth a summary of facts and representations contained in the
application for exemption and referred interested persons to the
application for a complete statement of the facts and representations.
The application has been available for public inspection at the
Department in Washington, DC. The notice also invited interested
persons to submit comments on the requested exemption to the
Department. In addition the notice stated that any interested person
might submit a written request that a public hearing be held (where
appropriate). The applicant has represented that it has complied with
the requirements of the notification to interested persons. No requests
for a hearing were received by the Department. Public comments were
received by the Department as described in the granted exemption.
The notice of proposed exemption was issued and the exemption is
being granted solely by the Department because, effective December 31,
1978, section 102 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978, 5 U.S.C. App. 1
(1996), 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 exemption is administratively feasible;
(b) The exemption is in the interests of the plan and its
participants and beneficiaries; and
(c) The exemption is protective of the rights of the participants
and beneficiaries of the plan.
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) Located in New York, NY
[Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2003-09; Exemption Application No. D-
11042]
Exemption
The restrictions of sections 406(a), 406(b)(1) and 406(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,\1\ shall not apply, effective April 6, 2001, to the cash sale
(the Sale) to MetLife of a note (the Note), issued by the Pacific Gas &
Electric Company (PG&E), by MetLife's Liquidity Plus Account (the
Account) for which MetLife acts as investment manager and is a party in
interest with respect to employee benefit plans (the Plans) invested in
such Account.
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\1\ For purposes of this exemption, references to provisions of
Title I of the Act, unless otherwise specified, rafer also to
corresponding provisions of the Code.
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This exemption is subject to the following conditions:
(a) The Sale was a one-time transaction for cash.
(b) The sales price for the Note was based upon an amount
representing the greater of the Note's outstanding principal balance,
plus accrued interest, or the Note's fair market value as determined by
independent broker-dealers.
(c) The Account did not pay any fees, commissions or other expenses
in connection with the Sale.
(d) As manager of the Account, MetLife determined, at the time of
the transaction, that the Sale was appropriate for, and in the best
interests of, the Account, the Plans investing therein, and their
participants and beneficiaries.
(e) MetLife took all appropriate actions necessary to safeguard the
interests of the Account and the Plans in connection with the Sale.
(f) If the exercise of any of MetLife's rights, claims or causes of
action in connection with its ownership of the Note results in MetLife
recovering from PG&E an aggregate amount that is greater than the sales
price for such Note, MetLife will refund such excess amount to the
Account.
Effective Date: This exemption is effective as of April 6, 2001.
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 3, 2003 at 68 FR
10041.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Anna M.N. Mpras of the Department,
telephone (202) 693-8565. (This is not a toll-free number.)
The JPMorgan Chase Bank (Located in New York, New York)
[Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2003-10; Application No. D-11062]
Exemption
Section I--Transactions
The restrictions of sections 406(a), 406(b)(1) and 406(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)-(E) of the Code, shall not
apply as of December 31, 2000, to:
(A) the continuation of a lease (the Lease), by the Commingled
Pension Trust Fund (Strategic Property) of JPMorgan Chase Bank (the
Fund) with respect to which JPMorgan Chase Bank (JPMCB) is the trustee
(the Trustee), of office space in a certain commercial office building
(the Property) to Chase Global Funds Service Company (CGF), a party in
interest with respect to employee benefit plans whose assets are
invested in the Fund (Plans) and an affiliate of JPMCB; and
(B) the continued and future provision by JPMCB or its affiliates
of letters of credit (Letter(s) of Credit) to guarantee the obligations
of unrelated third-party tenants to pay rent to the Fund under
commercial real estate leases.
This exemption is subject to the conditions set forth in Section
II.
Section II--Conditions
(A) The Fund is represented by a fiduciary independent of JPMCB and
its affiliates (the independent fiduciary) with respect to the Lease to
perform the following functions:
(1) Confirm that when the Lease originally was entered into, and as
modified to date, all the terms and conditions of the Lease, including
those relating to renewal options and rights of first refusal, were
commercially reasonable and at least as favorable to the Plans as those
terms and conditions which could have been obtained at arm's length
with an unrelated third party;
(2) determine, based upon a written appraisal report by a qualified
appraiser independent of JPMCB and its affiliates, that the leasing
renewal rate the Fund will charge CGF if CGF elects to exercise
[[Page 28032]]
its renewal options under the Lease, effective in 2004 and thereafter,
and that the leasing rate with respect to any space leased by CGF in
the Property pursuant to any rights of first refusal CGF has under the
Lease, accurately reflect at least fair market rental value;
(3) negotiate and approve, subject to the appropriate ERISA
fiduciary standards, such amendments to the Lease upon renewal(s) as it
deems appropriate, including, for example: (i) a shorter renewal term
than the current five year term; (ii) additional renewal period(s)
(provided that the rent paid in any time periods after February 28,
2009, under any newly granted renewal option(s) would be at 100% of
fair rental value, as opposed to the 95% of fair rental value that
applies for periods through February 28, 2009); (iii) the lease of less
square footage than the current square footage covered under the Lease;
(iv) the lease of more square footage than the current square footage
covered under the Lease (provided that the rent paid for any square
footage in excess of the current square footage would also be leased at
100% of fair rental value, and not 95% of fair rental value); (v) using
a ``base year'' under the Lease (upon which certain periodic increases
such as taxes are calculated) updated to the year 2004, and (vi)
allowing CGF to install shatter-proof glass in the space it leases;
provided that all such amendments are not more favorable to the lessee
than the terms generally available in arm's length transactions between
unrelated parties, as determined by the independent fiduciary; and
(4) represent the Fund and the participants (Participants) in the
Plans as independent fiduciary in any circumstances in addition to
those described in subsection (3) above while the Lease (including any
periods of renewal) is in effect which would present a conflict of
interest for the Trustee, including but not limited to: default by CGF
or disagreement on an economic computation under the Lease.
(B) The Fund is represented by an independent fiduciary with
respect to any existing or future Letters of Credit to perform the
following functions:
(1) monitor monthly reports of rental payments of tenants utilizing
a Letter of Credit issued by JPMCB or any affiliate to guarantee their
lease payments;
(2) confirm whether an event has occurred that calls for the Letter
of Credit to be drawn upon; and
(3) represent the Fund and the Participants as an independent
fiduciary in any circumstances with respect to the Letters of Credit
which would present a conflict of interest for the Trustee, including
but not limited to: the need to enforce a remedy against itself or an
affiliate with respect to its obligations under a Letter of Credit.
(C) Future Letters of Credit are issued by JPMCB or an affiliate to
guarantee the obligations of third-party tenants to pay rent to the
Fund under commercial real estate leases only if the following
additional conditions are met:
(1) JPMCB or its affiliate, as the issuer of a Letter of Credit,
has at least an ``A'' credit rating by at least one nationally
recognized statistical rating service at the time of the issuance of
the Letter of Credit;
(2) the Letter of Credit has objective market drawing conditions
and states precisely the documents against which payment is to be made;
(3) JPMCB does not ``steer'' the Fund's tenants to itself or its
affiliates in order to obtain the Letter of Credit;
(4) Letters of Credit are issued only to tenants which are
unrelated to JPMCB; and
(5) The terms of any future Letters of Credit are not more
favorable to the tenants than the terms generally available in
transactions with other similarly situated unrelated third-party
commercial clients of JPMCB or its affiliates.
Section III--Definitions
(A) The term ``independent fiduciary'' means Aon Fiduciary
Counselors, Inc. (AFC) or any successor independent fiduciary, provided
that AFC or the successor independent fiduciary is: (1) independent of
and unrelated to JPMCB and its affiliates, and (2) appointed to act on
behalf of the Fund for the purposes described in conditions II(A) and
(B) above. For purposes of this exemption, a fiduciary will not be
deemed to be independent of and unrelated to JPMCB if: (1) Such
fiduciary directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by or is under
common control with JPMCB, (2) such fiduciary directly or indirectly
receives any compensation or other consideration in connection with any
transaction described in this exemption, except that an independent
fiduciary may receive compensation for acting as an independent
fiduciary from JPMCB in connection with the transactions contemplated
herein if the amount or payment of such compensation is not contingent
upon or in any way affected by the independent fiduciary's ultimate
decision and (3) more than 5 percent of such fiduciary's annual gross
revenue in its prior tax year will be paid by JPMCB and its affiliates
in the fiduciary's current tax year.
(B) The term ``affiliate'' means:
(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.
Effective Date: The exemption is effective as of December 31, 2000.
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 21, 2003, at 68 FR
13954.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen E. Lloyd of the Department,
telephone (202) 693-8540. (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 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) This exemption is 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 this exemption is subject to the express
condition that the material facts and representations contained in the
application accurately describes all material terms of the transaction
which is the subject of the exemption.
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Signed at Washington, DC, this 19th day of May, 2003.
Ivan Strasfeld,
Director of Exemption Determinations, Employee Benefits Security
Administration, Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 03-12888 Filed 5-21-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-29-P
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