The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) does not frequently issue Field Assistance Bulletins (FABs); in fact, in the last decade, there have only been ten FABs issued. Furthermore, EBSA rarely uses them to articulate an overarching enforcement philosophy. The usual offering is guidance on notice requirements and announcements of EBSA’s temporary enforcement
On March 30, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its long-anticipated proposed regulation, “Fiduciary Duties in Selecting Designated Investment Alternatives”, that is intended to address the dual aims of (i) expanding 401(k) designated investment alternatives (“DIAs”) to funds that include alternative assets and (ii) limiting litigation risk. The impetus for the proposed regulation