Title 31

SECTION 347.30

347.30 Plan requirements for State Auto-IRA programs.

§ 347.30 Plan requirements for State Auto-IRA programs.

(a) Authorized form of registration. Retirement savings bonds are issued to Auto-IRA custodians for state Auto-IRA programs. No other registrations under this subpart are permitted.

(b) Documentation. A state Auto-IRA program must provide documentation to Fiscal Service annually, in a form and manner acceptable to Fiscal Service, addressing the following topics:

(1) Administration - servicing of the retirement savings bonds, such as account maintenance, recordkeeping, and establishment of procedures for automatic payroll direct deposit contributions (or other funding means permitted under state Auto-IRA programs);

(2) Account monitoring - tracking and, when applicable, redeeming and reallocating retirement savings bond holdings (which may include investment diversification strategies) no later than when a retirement savings bond that may be held by the Auto-IRA custodian on behalf of a participant in a state Auto-IRA program reaches the $15,000 maximum dollar threshold or 30 years, whichever occurs first;

(3) Ability to transfer - addressing how the state Auto-IRA program enables participants, at their discretion, to redeem their retirement savings bonds prior to maturity and transfer their retirement savings bond proceeds to another investment available in the State Auto-IRA program or to another provider, without imposing unreasonable restrictions on voluntary investment diversification (which might occur through a transfer within or outside of a state Auto-IRA program);

(4) Withdrawals - addressing how the state Auto-IRA program enables participants, at their discretion, to make reasonable withdrawals from their Auto-IRAs;

(5) Consumer protection - addressing consumer protections in the program, including disclosures provided to participants;

(6) Costs of administration - describing any fees or other costs or expenses passed on to or otherwise borne by participants under the state Auto-IRA program (e.g., no more than reasonable administrative, custodial, asset management, or other fees, costs, or expenses);

(7) Oversight - addressing state Auto-IRA program oversight of Auto-IRA custodians and describing any protections in place for participants' funds invested in retirement savings bonds, including information relating to the protection of participants' funds in the event that the Auto-IRA custodian files for bankruptcy or otherwise experiences financial stress;

(8) Pooling - prohibiting the inclusion of retirement savings bonds as a component of another investment or asset category (such as a mutual fund or target-date fund);

(9) Default investment - obtaining, if applicable, Fiscal Service's further consent before any use of retirement savings bonds as a default, sole, or mandatory investment, even if temporary;

(10) Consumer education - describing plans to provide financial education to participants; and

(11) Certification - requiring a statement signed by an authorized senior official certifying that the documentation provided to Fiscal Service is accurate and complete, and that procedures are in place to timely notify Fiscal Service of any material changes in the future.

(c) Successor custodian. In the event a state Auto-IRA program designates a successor Auto-IRA custodian, that program may request that Fiscal Service reissue the retirement savings bonds held by the predecessor custodian to the successor custodian.

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