CERTAIN BENEFIT PLAN AND IRA CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a summary of certain considerations associated with an investment in our common stock by (a) employee benefit plans that are subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”); (b) plans, individual retirement accounts and other arrangements that are subject to Section 4975 of the Code or to provisions under any other federal, state, local, non-U.S. or other laws or regulations that are similar to such provisions of ERISA or the Code (“Similar Laws”); and (c) entities whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” by reason of any of the foregoing plans, accounts or arrangements described in clause (a) or (b) investing in such entities (each of the foregoing described in clauses (a), (b) and (c) referred to herein as a “Plan”).
This summary is based on the provisions of ERISA and the Code, and the related regulations and administrative and judicial interpretations, as of the date hereof. This summary does not purport to be complete, and no assurance can be given that future legislation, court decisions, administrative regulations, rulings or administrative pronouncements will not significantly modify the requirements summarized herein. Any such changes may be retroactive and may thereby apply to transactions entered into prior to the date of their enactment or release.
General Fiduciary Matters
ERISA and the Code impose certain duties on persons who are fiduciaries of a Plan that is subject to Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code (an “ERISA Plan”) and prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of an ERISA Plan and its fiduciaries or other interested parties. Under ERISA and the Code, any person who exercises any discretionary authority or control over the administration of an ERISA Plan or the management or disposition of the assets of an ERISA Plan, or who renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation to an ERISA Plan, is generally considered to be a fiduciary of the ERISA Plan. Governmental plans (as defined in Section 3(32) of ERISA and Section 414(d) of the Code) and certain church plans (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA), while generally not subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA or the prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code, may nevertheless be subject to other restrictions under applicable Similar Laws.
In considering an investment in our common stock of a portion of the assets of any Plan, a fiduciary should determine whether the investment is in accordance with the documents and instruments governing the Plan and the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code or any Similar Law relating to a fiduciary’s duties to the Plan including, without limitation, the prudence, diversification, delegation of control and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA, the Code and any other applicable Similar Law and whether the investment is permitted under the terms of the applicable documents governing the Plan.
Prohibited Transaction Issues
Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code prohibit ERISA Plans (including IRAs of individuals) from engaging in specified transactions involving “plan assets” with parties that are “parties in interest” under ERISA or “disqualified persons” under the Section 4975 of the Code, unless an exemption is applicable. A party in interest or disqualified person who engages in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Code. In addition, the fiduciary of the ERISA Plan that engaged in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Code.
The acquisition, holding or disposition of our common stock by an ERISA Plan with respect to which we, a sales agent, an initial purchaser or any of their respective affiliates is considered a party in interest or a disqualified person may constitute or result in a direct or indirect prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, unless the investment is acquired, held and disposed of in accordance with an applicable statutory, class or individual prohibited transaction exemption. In this regard, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued prohibited transaction class exemptions, or PTCEs, that may apply to the acquisition and holding of the common stock. These class exemptions include, without limitation, PTCE 75-1, which exempts certain transactions between a Covered Plan and certain broker-dealers, reporting dealers and banks, PTCE 84-14, as amended, respecting transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers, PTCE 90-1 respecting insurance company pooled separate accounts, PTCE 91-38 respecting bank-maintained collective investment funds, PTCE 95-60 respecting life insurance company general accounts and PTCE 96-23