| Subject: |
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, in regard
to Self-Employed Retirement Plans (Keogh, HR-10) and Individual
Retirement Accounts (IRA) |
State-chartered banks which have not been granted trust powers
may act as the custodian of a Keogh (HR-10) type plan or an
individual retirement account (IRA) under the following circumstances:
- The self-employed person adopts the bank's master plan or
a prototype plan approved by the Internal Revenue Service
and deposits the monies with the bank as custodian and the
duties of the custodian are limited to the deposits of these
monies in a savings or time account;
- The institution accepts the money deposited with it as custodian
and invests these funds in a savings or time account; and
- Such investment is expressly authorized by a provision of
the plan or by a fiduciary (other than the bank or institution)
who is expressly empowered by the plan to authorize such investments.
Care must be taken to insure that the duties of the bank as custodian
are limited to the ministerial functions of acting as custodian
or agent for the money deposited. The amount of discretion vested
in the bank as custodian will determine whether or not the bank
is exercising trust powers.
This Bureau will not require an application for trust powers
for an institution to act in the situation described above.
However, this Bureau should be furnished with a copy of any
proposed master plan or prototype plan for our information.
Since the custodian will be required to furnish certain information
regarding these custodial accounts, it is suggested that a separate
control ledger or some other method of segregating these savings
accounts be established.
Although the reporting requirements for these plans have not
been established, there are Internal Revenue Service forms available
from the District Director's offices which include Form 5305-A,
Individual Retirement Custodial Account and Form 5306, Application
for Approval of Prototype Individual Retirement Account.
| Signed: |
Richard J. Francis, Commissioner |
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| Dated: |
February 25, 1975 |
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