Interim Final Rule Relating to Notice of Blackout Periods to Participants and Beneficiaries

This document contains interim final rules under new section 101(i) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act or ERISA). Section 101(i) of ERISA, which was enacted into law on July 30, 2002 as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the SOA), provides that written notice is to be provided to participants and beneficiaries of individual account plans of any "blackout period" during which their right to direct or diversify investments, obtain a loan or obtain a distribution under the plan may be temporarily suspended. This interim final rule is published pursuant to section 306(b)(2) of the SOA in order to carry out the provisions of section 101(i) of ERISA, and to invite the public to submit comments on the interim regulation so as to obtain information as to what further guidance in this area would be helpful to plan administrators and their advisors in fulfilling their duties to provide notice of blackout periods.