Tag Archives: PBGC

01.20.26
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ARPA Update as of January 16, 2026

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

We hope that the continuing success of the ARPA pension legislation warms your heart despite ridiculously cold temperatures in New Jersey and elsewhere.

Regarding last week’s activity, pleased to report that two plans received approval for their SFA applications. Pension Trust Fund Agreement of St. Louis Motion Picture Machine Operators and Teamsters Local 837 Pension Plan, both non-priority group members, will receive a combined $19.9 million in SFA and interest for their 1,431 members. These approvals are the first for the PBGC in just under one month.

In other ARPA news, there were no new applications filed, as the e-Filing portal remains temporarily closed. In addition, as we’ve been reporting, the window for initial applications to be submitted was to close on 12/31/25. From this point forward, only revised applications should be received by the PBGC. Despite that impediment, two more funds, NMU Great Lakes Pension Fund and UFCW Pension Fund of Northeastern Pennsylvania, added their names to the extensive waitlist seeking Special Financial Assistance. These plans and the others currently on the list must believe that the current deadline in place will be amended.

There was one application withdrawn during the prior week, as the Dairy Employees Union Local #17 Pension Plan pulled their initial application seeking $3.5 million in SFA for the 633 plan participants. Under the current rules, they have until 12/31/26 to resubmit a revised application.

Lastly, there were no applications denied nor were any of the previous recipients of SFA asked to rebate a portion due to census errors.

The U.S. interest rate environment is reacting to some of the global uncertainty. As a result, longer dated Treasury yields are marching higher. As of 9:51 am, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond is 4.93%, while the 10-year Treasury note yield is at 4.29%. These yields are quite attractive for plans receiving SFA and wanting to secure benefits and expenses with the proceeds. Don’t miss this opportunity to significantly reduce the cost of those future benefits.

12.29.25
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A Time to Look Back

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

Nearly eight years ago (2/28/18), I produced a blog post titled, “Let’s Just Cut Them Off!”, in which I took offense to an article trashing pension legislation then referred to as the “Butch Lewis Act” (BLA). The writer of the article, Rachel Greszler, The Heritage Foundation, stated that the BLA (as well as other potential solutions at that time) were nothing more than tax-payer bailouts.  She estimated that these bailouts could amount to as much as $1 trillion. I stated at that time that “I don’t know where she has gotten this figure, but it is not close to reality.”

Ms. Greszler defined the potential recipients of these loans (now grants) as the entire universe of multi-employer plans totaling roughly 1,375 (at that time) with an unfunded liability of $500 billion.  However, the Butch Lewis Act, and subsequently ARPA) was only designed for those plans that were designated as “Critical and Declining”.  The total amount of underfunding for that cohort was roughly $70 billion.  A far cry from the $1 trillion that she highlighted above.

So, where are we today? I’m happy to report that as of 12/19/25, the PBGC has approved Special Financial Assistance to 151 pension plans totaling $75.2 billion. These grants are ensuring that 1,873,112 American workers will receive the retirement benefits they were promised! Amazing!

In my original post, I wrote “given the author’s concern for the million or so union workers whose benefits may be trashed, she certainly doesn’t propose any solutions other than to say that a “bailout” is a horrible way to go.  If these plans don’t receive assistance, they are likely to fail, placing a greater burden on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which is already financially troubled.” Fortunately, through the ARPA pension legislation, the PBGC’s multiemployer insurance fund is stronger today than it has been in decades.

I finished my post with the following thoughts: “Retirement benefits stimulate economic activity, and usually on the local level. The loss of retirement benefits will have a direct impact on these economies. Also, these benefits are taxed, which helps pay for a portion of the loans (now grants). Doing nothing is not an answer. I applaud the effort of those individuals who are driving the Butch Lewis Act. I encourage everyone to reach out to your legislatures to educate them on the BLA and to gain their support. There are millions of Americans who need your support.  Thank you!”

I was thrilled to work with Ron Ryan and the BLA team headed by John Murphy and David Blitzstein. It remains one of the highlights of my 44-year career. Who knew when I began working with Ron and that team it would lead me to eventually join Ryan ALM, Inc. We continue to fight to protect and preserve DB pensions for the masses. There is a ton of work remaining to do. Securing those promises through cash flow matching (CFM) is an important first step. Let us help you accomplish that objective.

12.15.25
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ARPA Update as of December 12, 2025

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

Unlike the Northeast, access to the PBGC’s e-Filing portal is thawing. According to the PBGC’s website, “the e-Filing Portal is open only to plans at the top of the waiting list that have been notified by PBGC that they may submit their applications. Applications from any other plans will not be accepted at this time.” Despite the dozens of multiemployer plans that remain on the waitlist, the floodgates have certainly not opened.

In fact, only two plans were permitted to submit applications last week. UFCW – Northern California Employers Joint Pension Plan, a Priority Group 6 member, submitted a revised application seeking >$2.3 billion for nearly 140k members, while UFCW, Local 23 and Giant Eagle Pension Plan, a non-priority group member, filed an initial application hoping to garner $40 million in SFA for 7,100 plan participants.

In other news, Dairy Industry-Union Pension Plan for Philadelphia and Vicinity, Warehouse Employees Union Local No. 730 Pension Trust Fund, and Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Pension Plan received approval for SFA grants. Collectively they will receive $303.4 million (including interest and loan repayments) for 13,533 plan participants. There have now been 150 plans approved for SFA totaling just over $75 billion in grants.

Fortunately, there were no plans asked to repay a portion of the SFA due to census errors, no plans denied a filing, and no withdrawals of previously submitted applications. There were two more funds added to the waitlist and nine that locked in their valuation dates, including the two most recent additions to the waitlist. There remain 85 applications that have yet to be submitted to the PBGC.

Recent Federal Reserve interest rate action has rates on the long-end of the yield curve ratcheting higher. The 30-year Treasury Bond’s yield is at 4.83% (12:-5 pm). Comparable 30-year IG corporates are trading at yields close to 6% at this time. It remains an excellent time to secure the promised benefits through a CFM strategy.

12.08.25
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ARPA Update as of December 5, 2025

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

Welcome to the first review of December 2025. We aren’t quite at the beginning of winter, but you could sure fool me, as New Jersey is gripped by cold front and we saw our first modest snowfall just in time for me to start decorating my house for Christmas. I hope that you had a wonderful weekend.

With regard to ARPA and the PBGC’s implementation of this critical legislation, there was a little reported activity last week, but certainly not enough to make a dent in the current waitlist. Unfortunately, the PBGC’s e-Filing portal remains temporarily closed. Despite that fact, pension plans continue to be added to the waitlist. USW District 10, Local 286 Pension Plan is the latest fund, making it the 186th non-priority group plan added since the start of the program. By my estimate, there are still 83 pension funds sitting on the waitlist hoping to get a chance to submit an application for SFA grant $.

In other APRA news, two pension funds received approval to receive the SFA. Teamsters Local 210 Affiliated Pension Plan and Local Union 1710 I.B.E.W. Pension Trust Fund, both non-priority plans, will receive a total of $149.2 million in SFA for just over 9,500 participants. As mentioned above, the PBGC’s e-Filing portal remains temporarily closed, so there were no additional applications received during the week. There are currently 24 applications in front of PBGC staff.

In addition, there were no plans asked to rebate a portion of their SFA grant due to census errors, and there haven’t been since mid-September. Fortunately, no plans were denied the ability to submit an application due to the lack of eligibility and no applications were withdrawn. However, there were six plans that locked-in a valuation date, as each chose 9/30/25 as the plan’s measurement date. There are still 14 plans on the waitlist that haven’t chosen to lock-in a valuation date.

With the two approvals from last week, there are now 147 plans that have or will soon receive Special Financial Assistance totaling $74.7 billion supporting the earned pensions for 1.85 million American workers and retirees. Outstanding! That is a lot of economic stimulus that helps more than just the recipient of the retirement benefit, but also the communities in which they reside.

12.01.25
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ARPA Updated as of November 28, 2025

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

We hope that you enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends. This update is the last one for November. Wow, that month went by quickly.

Regarding the ARPA legislation, have we entered the last month for new applications to be received by the PBGC? As I’ve mentioned multiple times, the ARPA pension legislation specifically states that initial applications must be submitted to the PBGC by 12/31/25. Revised applications can be submitted through 12/31/26. If this is the case, we have roughly 83 applications yet to be submitted. Compounding this issue is the fact that the PBGC’s e-Filing portal is temporarily closed.

The PBGC’s recorded activity was light last week which shouldn’t surprise anyone given the holiday last week. There were no applications received, denied, or withdrawn. Furthermore, there were no recipients of Special Financial Assistance (SFA) requested to rebate a portion of the grant payment due to census issues. Thankfully, it has been more than two months since we last had a plan pay back a small percentage of the proceeds.

There was some good news, as Exhibition Employees Local 829 Pension Fund, a non-priority group member, received approval of its initial application. The fund will receive $14.2 million in SFA for the 242 plan participants. This pension plan became the 70th non-priority plan to receive SFA and the 145th overall. To-date, $72.8 billion in SFA grants have been awarded!

Despite the near unanimity by market participants that U.S. Treasury yields will fall as the Fed’s FOMC prepares another Fed Funds Rate cut, interest rates are rising today. The current level of Treasury yields and bonds that price off that curve are still providing SFA recipients with attractive rates in which to secure the promised benefits through a cash flow matching (CFM) strategy. Don’t subject the SFA to the whims of the markets, especially given so much uncertainty and currently high valuations.

11.24.25
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ARPA Update as of November 21, 2025

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

Welcome to Thanksgiving week. I don’t think that I’m alone when I say that Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. I hope that you and your family enjoy a truly special day. I’m thankful that we’ll have all of our kids and grandkids together and also very happy not to have to watch the Giants that day!

With regard to ARPA and the PBGC’s implementation of this critically important legislation, after a week of “rest”, there was some activity posted by the PBGC through the weekly update on their website. Not as much activity as one would expect, given the significant waiting list (81 funds) of pension plans to submit an initial application.

Happy to report that there was an application approved. It is the first one in more than one month (10/16/25). Emeryville, CA-based, Distributors Association Warehousemen’s Pension Trust, will receive $32.7 million in SFA for 3,358 plan participants. Their revised application was approved on November 20th.

In other ARPA news, Cumberland, Maryland Teamsters Construction and Miscellaneous Pension Plan, has submitted a revised application. They are hoping to get approval for $8.4 million in SFA for 101 members. In addition, there were no pension funds asked to repay a portion of the SFA due to census errors, which has been the case for the last couple of months. There were also no applications denied due to eligibility issues.

I’ve discussed quite often the growing list of funds that have asked to be added to the waitlist. These non-priority funds appear to be running out of time to have their initial application reviewed. Two more funds were added in the last week. By my estimate, there remain 79 pension systems yet to file the initial application. As a reminder, the legislation specifically reads that initial applications must be filed with the PBGC by December 31, 2025. Unfortunately, the PBGC’s e-Filing portal remains temporarily closed.

11.17.25
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ARPA Update as of November 14, 2025

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

I hope that last week was great for you. I didn’t recognize anyone from the PBGC at the IFEBP in Honolulu last week, but I suspect that there must have been a few attendees. Why? Well, for the first time that I can recall since I began producing these weekly updates, there is nothing to report in terms of the PBGC’s implementation of the ARPA pension legislation. NOTHING!

Now, I’m sure that a lot is going on behind the scenes, especially given the announcement that Janet Dhillon has been confirmed as the 17th Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, but in the weekly update produced as of Friday, November 14th, there were no applications submitted, as the PBGC’s e-Filing portal remains temporarily closed. No pension plans received approval for SFA nor were any denied. There were no withdrawals of previously submitted applications. Lastly, there were no multiemployer plans asking to be added to the growing waitlist.

As we get closer to the legislation’s deadline for new applications to be submitted, we are down to about 6-7 weeks until December 31, 2025. Having a week in which nothing concrete was reported reduces the odds that most of those plans yet to file will actually be given that opportunity.

The graph above reflects the activity through November 7th. Despite the lack of activity last week, the PBGC deserves high praise for their handling of this critical legislation that has helped som many American workers and pensioners. Lastly, at the IFEBP was asked to touch on ARPA/SFA and how best to incorporate ALM strategies to mitigate risk. I’ve had the privilege to speak on this topic numerous times. In summation, the allocation of Special Financial Assistance (SFA) to multiemployer plans is truly of gift. That allocation is not likely to ever be repeated. As such, plans should take every precaution to ensure the maximum coverage of benefits (and expenses) while minimizing the risk through their investments. Call on us (ryanalm.com) if we can help you think through the use of Cash Flow Matching to SECURE those promises.

11.04.25
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PBGC Increases Premium Rates – Why?

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

The demise of the defined benefit (DB) plan, most notably within the private sector, is harming the American worker and significantly reducing the odds of a dignified retirement. The Federal government should be doing everything that it can to protect the remaining pensions, including keeping fees low to ensure that these critically important retirement vehicles continue to operate. But unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case in this particular situation.

I have been very impressed with and supportive of the PBGC’s effort implementing the ARPA pension legislation, but I question the need to raise premium rates for 2026, which the PBGC has just announced. Why? As of fiscal year-end 2024, the PBGC’s single employer insurance program had a $54.1 BILLION surplus, as assets totaled $146.1 billion and liabilities stood at $92.0 billion. Despite these significant excess resources, the PBGC is increasing rates for the “flat rate premium per participant” in single-employer plans to $111 per participant in 2026 from $106. This 4.7% increase was described in a Chief Investment Officer article as modest! That increase doesn’t seem modest anyway you look at it, but certainly not when one remembers that $54 billion surplus. What is the justification? The rate per $1,000 in “unvested benefits”, not subject to indexing, was frozen by Congress in Section 349 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 and therefore remains $52. Seems like we need more legislation to freeze the flat-rate premium.

Despite the significant improvement in the multiemployer pension program due to the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) related to ARPA pension reform, that insurance pool is still underwater. As a result, multiemployer plans that only pay a per-participant premium will see the per-participant rate for flat rate premiums rise to $40 from $39 next year. That amounts to an increase of 2.6%. So, the program that is underwater sees a premium increase of 2.6%, while the insurance pool with the massive surplus gets an outsized 4.7% increase? I guess one must work for the government to understand that decision.

Again, we need to do much more to protect DB pensions for all American workers. Asking untrained individuals to fund, manage, and then disburse a “retirement benefit” with little to no disposable income, low investment knowledge, and no crystal ball to help with longevity considerations is just poor policy doomed to failure. We are the wealthiest country in the world, yet we can’t seem to figure out how to control costs associated with retirement, healthcare, education, childcare, etc. and in the process, we are crippling a majority of American families. It isn’t right!

10.27.25
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ARPA Update as of October 24, 2025

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

If it is a Monday, it is ARPA/SFA update day. I’m bringing you this update from Fort Lauderdale, FL, where I’m attending and speaking at the NCPERS Fall conference. It looks like a wonderful agenda for the next few days. Regarding ARPA, how did the PBGC do last week? Let’s explore.

Last week saw limited action with only two applications received, including a revised application from a Priority Group 1 member. As you may recall, this was the first group permitted to submit applications all the way back in July 2021! Only 25 of the 30 members of that cohort have received Special Financial Assistance to date. Richmond, VA based Bricklayers Union Local No. 1 Pension Fund of Virginia, submitted a revised application seeking $12.9 million for its 395 participants, while International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers Local No. 79 Pension Fund, submitted an initial application hoping to secure $14.6 for 462 members. As an aside, the Ironworkers would be golden if the SFA desired was based on the length of the plan’s name.

In other ARPA news, or lack thereof, there were no applications approved, and fortunately, none denied. There were no pension plans forced to withdraw an application and none asked to repay a portion of the SFA received due to census errors. However, there was one more plan added to the burgeoning waitlist. The Soft Drink Industry Pension Fund is the 178th none-priority group fund to add its name to the list.

The next couple of months should be quite exciting for the PBGC as it works through the abundant list of applications for non-priority group members. U.S. interest rates have pulled back recently reducing some of the potential coverage period through a CFM strategy, but rates are still significantly higher than they were in 2021 when ARPA began to be implemented. Please reach out to us if you’d like to get a free analysis on what is possible once the SFA is received.

10.20.25
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ARPA Update as of October 17, 2025

By: Russ Kamp, CEO, Ryan ALM, Inc.

The PBGC is doing its best to get through an imposing list of applicants for Special Financial Assistance (SFA). However, it seems more like one step forward, 1 1/2 steps backward for that organization as they grapple with late arrivals to the waitlist. In the latest week, the PBGC didn’t allow any additional applications to be submitted through the eFiling portal, but they did manage to approve two applications for SFA, while a third withdrew its initial application.

Despite the apparent progress, the PBGC saw four additions to the waitlist, which now numbers 176, of which 72 have yet to see any action taken on their potential submission. I can’t see how the PBGC is going to get through the remaining applications by year-end, when the filing of an initial application needs to be completed based on the language within the ARPA legislation.

Those pension funds receiving approval for the SFA in this latest week included, Local 153 Pension Fund and (initial application) Roofers Local 88 Pension Plan (revised application). Together they will collect $239.7 in SFA and interest for 12,335 plan participants. There have now been 144 pension plans approved to receive SFA for a total of $74.5 billion in grants. Amazing!

Happy to report that there were no applications denied and none of the previous SFA recipients were asked to refund a portion of the grant due to census errors. However, there was one plan that withdrew the initial application. Cumberland, Maryland Teamsters Construction and Miscellaneous Pension Plan, is seeking a SFA grant of $8.7 million for its 101 members.

The four latest (late) additions to the waitlist include, Local 29 R.W.D.S.U. Pension Fund, United Optical Workers Local 408 Pension Fund, Millwrights and Machinery Erectors Local No. 1545 Pension Plan, and Painters and Allied Trades Paint Makers Pension Plan. Only the Millwrights plan locked in its valuation date as of July 31, 2025. They were joined by the New Bedford Fish Lumpers Pension Plan which also chose July 31, 2025, for its valuation date. Do you know what a fish lumper is or does? You’ll have to see next week’s ARPA post for the answer, or you can go to your friendly AI app like I did.