The Department of Labor has issued new “safe harbor” rules for the use of electronic media to provide documents required under ERISA. These new rules represent a potentially important easing of the efforts needed for plan administrators to meet disclosure obligations under ERISA. However, a more careful review of the rules raises significant questions about whether the new rules will live up to their potential.

In recent weeks a new fee has been described in the media and in a new lawsuit against Fidelity. The fee, identified as an “infrastructure fee,” is imposed on mutual funds that seek “shelf space” on Fidelity’s recordkeeping platform and that do not otherwise pay sufficient amounts to Fidelity in other (more traditional) fees. The infrastructure fees have triggered a lawsuit and, according to the Wall Street Journal, a DOL investigation. More importantly, these latest revelations about Fidelity’s infrastructure fee serve as a stark reminder that plan providers’ quest to identify the true amount of recordkeeper fees -- and determine if such fees are reasonable -- is an ongoing and constantly evolving challenge.

Retirement plan fiduciaries rely on plan providers (such as recordkeepers) for key pieces of information to fulfill the fiduciaries’ legal obligations -- even if those disclosures reveal some unflattering truths about a provider. In assessing representations from providers, plan fiduciaries would benefit from guidance in assessing when and how to push back. Federal securities laws may provide some help in this regard.

Employers provide lots of information to retirement plan participants about their investment choices and distribution options. Despite these efforts, there is a significant gap in efforts to protect employee savings. The gap occurs because financial services firms make a lot of money by steering employees to higher priced investment and insurance products. New Department of Labor regulations will still leave gaps – gaps that financial firms are sure to exploit. There is more that employers can do to protect plan participants – and themselves. But it will require a new approach.