Here’s the Skinny,
The 10th District Court of Appeals just upheld the DOL Fiduciary Rule. It was “argued that the DOL rule treated fixed indexed annuities arbitrarily by forcing the products under the best-interest contract exemption, a provision of the regulation that allows brokers to earn variable compensation as long as they sign a legally binding contract to act in the best interests of their clients.”
Currently, Fixed indexed annuities “operate under the same exemption of federal retirement law as fixed annuities. But the DOL put them under the so-called BICE due to their complexity and the potential conflicts of interest associated with their sales.”
It was also argued that the “DOL violated rule-making procedures and didn’t do a proper economic impact analysis in promulgating the fiduciary rule.”
“The 10th Circuit judges held that DOL followed appropriate administrative procedure, was fair in its treatment of fixed indexed annuities and that it conducted an appropriate economic analysis.”[1]
Oddly, it feels as though the DOL Fiduciary Rule is heating up again given all the recent press and State activities. If you are not properly adhering to the regulatory constraints of the DOL Fiduciary Rule’s “extended delay” (through July 1, 2019), you are placing yourself in significant jeopardy.
For more information click & refer to these previous Advisor Skinny posts…
- DOL Fiduciary Rule – Violation Charges – Proof the DOL Rule is “Live” (February 27, 2018)
- FIA Insurance Companies have begun Auditing for PTE 84-24 (February 12, 2018)
- DOL Rule Delay – What to Believe & Not Believe!?! (December 18, 2017)
- Did You Get Abandoned (to Fend for Yourself) on DOL PTE 84-24? (August 9, 2017)
That’s the Skinny,