Downsizing. Managed Care. Reengineering. Early Retirement. These are some of the major trends coloring today's corporate terrain, trends that are also escalating the incidence of ERISA liability claims.

As defined by ERISA, fiduciaries can include the sponsor organization, the plan and anyone exercising any discretionary authority or control over the management or administration of the plan or its assets. Because ERISA casts such a wide net, many potential fiduciaries don't even realize they face personal financial risk until they are named in a lawsuit. "Employee Benefit Plan" under ERISA encompasses virtually any plan, fund or program designed to provide employee benefits to participants or beneficiaries.

Coverage Highlights:

• Covers Directors, Officers, Sponsor Organizations, Plans, and Employees charged with fiduciary or administrative responsibility for employee benefit plans
• Covers foreign and domestic, qualified and non-qualified pension and welfare benefit plans
• Coverage for US Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) "fact finding" investigations
• Full prior acts coverage
• No "Reversion of Assets" or "Failure to Maintain Insurance" Exclusion
• Defense costs outside the limit of liability is available
• Duty to Defend and advancement of defense costs
• Coverage is available for terminated plans