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District court judge concludes conflict of interest alone is not a breach of fiduciary duties.
A US district court has ruled in favor of Principal Life Insurance Company, which had been sued by retirement plan participants who accused the company of breaching its Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) fiduciary duties over an alleged conflict of interest.
The lead plaintiff in the case was a California resident who worked for the Western Exterminator Company and was a participant in its employees’ 401(k) profit-sharing plan. The lawsuit focused on one of Principal’s products known as the Principal Fixed Income Option (PFIO), which was available for inclusion in the plan.
Judge Finds in Favor of Principal Life’s Process for Setting GIC Crediting Rate
Principal prevailed in a lawsuit that alleged it set the crediting rate for a guaranteed investment contract (GIC) such that it could “retain unreasonably large and/or excessive profits.”
Following a six-day trial, Judge John A. Jarvey of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa ruled in favor of Principal Life Insurance Co. in a lawsuit alleging it violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by setting the crediting rate for a guaranteed investment contract (GIC) such that it could “retain unreasonably large and/or excessive profits.” A GIC is a stable value investment contract issued by an insurance company that usually pays a specified rate of return for a specific period of time, guaranteeing principal and accumulated interest.
Judge Sides With Principal Life Insurance in GIC Lawsuit
A federal judge found Principal’s ‘meticulous’ process for setting the GIC’s composite crediting rate protected the availability of the investment and was in the best interest of participants.
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Following a six-day trial, Judge John A. Jarvey of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa ruled in favor of Principal Life Insurance Co. in a lawsuit alleging it violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by setting the crediting rate for a guaranteed investment contract (GIC) such that it could “retain unreasonably large and/or excessive profits.” A GIC is a stable value investment contract issued by an insurance company that usually pays a specified rate of return for a specific period of time, guaranteeing principal and accumulated interest.