25101
. A prospective vendor of 403(b) products that offers those
products, or the products of other 403(b) vendors, to employers and
their eligible employees, shall register those products with the
board pursuant to this chapter. Registered vendors shall offer only
registered 403(b) products as funding vehicles for 403(b) plans.
(a) Prospective vendors shall be registered with the board based
upon a complete response to the disclosures required by this
subdivision. This information shall be included in the impartial
investment information bank established pursuant to Section 25104.
The prospective vendors shall provide the following information:
(1) A statement of experience in California and in other states in
providing retirement annuities, custodial account mutual fund
arrangements, or other retirement products and related financial
services under public employer retirement plans.
(2) A characterization by the vendor of its offering as either an
annuity or custodial account, as defined under Sections 403(b)(1) and
403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code, respectively.
(3) A disclosure of all expenses paid directly or indirectly by
retirement plan participants, including, but not limited to,
penalties for early withdrawals, declining or fixed withdrawal
charges, surrender or deposit charges, management fees, and annual
fees, supported by documentation as required for prospectus
disclosure by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Vendors shall be required to
provide information regarding the impact of product fees upon a
hypothetical investment, as described in Section 25104.
(4) The types of products, product features, including presence of
two tier annuity features, services offered to participants, and
information about how to access product prospectuses or other
relevant product information.
(5) A discussion of the ability, experience, and commitment of the
vendor to provide retirement counseling and education services,
including, but not limited to, access to group meetings and
individual counseling by various means, including telephone and
telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD), Internet, and
face-to-face consultations by registered representatives.
(6) A statement of the financial strength and stability of the
vendor, as may be applicable, by identifying its ratings assigned by
nationally recognized rating services that evaluate the financial
strength of life insurance, mutual funds, and other similar
companies.
(7) The location of offices and counselors, or method of
distribution, of the vendor relative to serving employers and their
eligible employees in California.
(8) A description of the ability of the vendor to comply with all
applicable provisions of federal and state law governing retirement
plans, including minimum distribution requirements and contribution
limits.
(9) To the extent applicable, the demonstrated ability of the
vendor to offer an appropriate array of accumulation funding options,
including, but not limited to, a diversified mix of value, growth,
growth and income, hybrid and index funds or accounts across large,
mid, and small capitalization asset classes, both domestic and
international. These investment products may include mutual funds,
group or individual annuity contracts, fixed or variable annuity
contracts, individual retirement annuities, interests in trust and
collective trusts, separate accounts, and other financial
instruments.
(10) A discussion of the range of administrative and customer
services provided, including asset allocation, accounting and
administration of benefits for individual participants, recordkeeping
for individual participants, asset purchase, control, and
safekeeping, execution of a participant's instructions as to asset
and contribution allocation, calculation of daily net asset values,
direct access for participants to their account information, periodic
reporting to active participants, not less than quarterly, on their
account balances and transactions, and compliance with the standard
of care applicable in the provision of investment services and
consistent with federal law.
(11) Certification by the vendor that the information provided to
the board accurately reflects the provisions of the Section 403(b)
products they register pursuant to this chapter.
(b) Registration may not be conditioned upon the content of the
information.
(c) Vendors shall supply information and data in the format
required by the board.