Pension Disclosure and SEC Sanction

According to its website, the SEC sanctioned the City of San Diego "for committing securities fraud by failing to disclose to the investing public important information about its pension and retiree health care obligations in the sale of its municipal bonds in 2002 and 2003."

The SEC-issued Order "finds that the city failed to disclose that the city's unfunded liability to its pension plan was projected to dramatically increase, growing from $284 million at the beginning of fiscal year 2002 to an estimated $2 billion by 2009, and that the city's liability for retiree health care was another estimated $1.1 billion.

According to the Order, the city also failed to disclose that it had been intentionally under-funding its pension obligations so that it could increase pension benefits but defer the costs, and that it would face severe difficulty funding its future pension and retiree health care obligations unless new revenues were obtained, pension and health care benefits were reduced, or city services were cut. The Order further finds that the city knew or was reckless in not knowing that its disclosures were materially misleading."

The Order makes for fascinating reading. For one thing, an eight percent assumed rate of return on investments was used "without regard to its actual historical rate of return." Some increased benefits were treated as contingent liabilities that were not reflected in certain liability calculations.

Some general observations ensue.

1. Assuming no fraud, a plan's actuarial report should be read in conjunction with any other disclosures about a plan. To the extent that there are differences, responsible fiduciaries must ask hard questions in order to reconcile the "tale of two pensions."

2. This is unlikely to be the last event of its kind. Does this put additional pressure on rating agencies and other watchdog groups to identify potential red flags before the fact, to the extent possible?

3. What is the future of public plan pension and health care benefits? Courtesy of Sean McShea, president of Ryan Labs, a recent Economist article about Other Post-Employment Benefits ("OPEB") augurs poorly for taxpayers in states adversely affected by a new government accounting decree. "Going into effect on December 15, the rule requires municipal government employers to "treat their health-care promises to workers the same way they already handle their pension obligations: by reporting on the total size of their future commitment, instead of just this year's cost." (See "The known unknowns, Economist, November 16, 2006)

4. The size of the liability is important as is the rate of growth in the liability, netted against the expected change in asset performance.

5. Plans in crisis will be tempted to reach for higher expected returns. Identifying and evaluating incremental risk is essential. A bad choice could exacerbate an already grave situation.

With Thanksgiving in the U.S. only a few days away, we'll have to think long and hard about why we are grateful in benefits land.

Labels: Debt Rating, Public Pension, Securities Fraud

posted by Susan Mangiero at 11/21/2006 02:28:00 AM | 0 comments | links to this post