penssrch.htm

<HTML>
<HEAD>

	<title>Pension Search Program Fact Sheet</title>
<!--THIS IS THE SAME WORDING AS FACT SHEET IN WWW.PBGC.GOV,
BUT HAS DIFFERENT CODING BECAUSE IT IS LINKED WITHIN THE SEARCH.PBGC.GOV-->
	<meta name="description" content="Pension Search Program Fact Sheet">
	<meta name="keywords" content="Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, PBGC, pensions, retirement">
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<!--updated:7/13/99-->
<IMG SRC="http://www.pbgc.gov/facthead.gif" ALT="PBGC Facts" WIDTH=549 HEIGHT=65>
<IMG SRC="bar30.gif" ALT="line" WIDTH=100% HEIGHT=7 BORDER=0>

<H2><CENTER>Pension Search Program<BR></Center></H2>
<p>The Pension Search Program, created by the Retirement Protection Act of 1994,
  locates people owed benefits from fully funded, PBGC-insured defined benefit
  pension plans that end. This builds on PBGC's successful efforts to locate people
  missing in underfunded pension plans taken over by PBGC after they ended without
  enough money to pay benefits. President Clinton has submitted proposed legislation
  to the Congress that would further expand the program to include defined contribution
  plans, such as 401(k) plans, and multiemployer defined benefit plans. <br wp="br1">
  <br wp="br2">
<p><strong>BACKGROUND</strong>: Employers choosing to end fully funded pension
  plans must distribute all plan benefits to workers and retirees before completely
  ending the plan. If someone cannot be found, the plan administrator either purchases
  an annuity from a private insurer in that person's name or deposits funds in
  a financial institution, such as a bank. Companies often have had difficulty
  finding an insurance company or financial institution willing to accept the
  funds on behalf of a missing person and the people who have been missed often
  have had no idea where to look for their benefits. Now, companies and their
  workers can turn to PBGC's Pension Search Program. <br wp="br1">
  <br wp="br2">
<p><strong>HOW IT WORKS</strong>: The program to locate people missing from fully
  funded plans generally applies to people whose pension money is distributed
  on or after January 1, 1996. Before turning to PBGC, the administrator of a
  fully funded pension plan must make a diligent effort, including the use of
  a locator service, to find a former worker due a pension.<br wp="br1">
  <br wp="br2">
<p>The plan will provide PBGC with information on the missing person and the benefit
  owed, including the starting date and any named beneficiary. Plan administrators
  determine the pension amount to be sent to PBGC for the missing person based
  on the terms of their plan and on PBGC regulations. A company may instead choose
  to purchase an annuity for the person and give PBGC information identifying
  the missing person and the insurance company. The plan administrator gives information
  and any payment to PBGC with the post-distribution form that tells PBGC that
  the plan has satisfied benefit promises to all workers and retirees. Once a
  missing person or beneficiary is found, PBGC will pay the pension benefit or
  tell that person which insurance company has the annuity.<br><br wp="br2">
<p><strong>INTERNET PENSION SEARCH DIRECTORY</strong>: PBGC has found many of
  the missing people owed pensions both from fully funded plans that have ended
  and from underfunded plans taken over by PBGC, but some people still cannot
  be found. To aid its search effort, PBGC developed the Internet Pension Search
  (<a href="index.html"><b>http://search.pbgc.gov</b></a>) that lists
  names and last-known addresses, companies where missing people earned their
  pensions, and the dates their pension plans ended. The Internet Pension Search
  is updated periodically and a number of organizations are partners helping the
  pension search. Additional search tips are outlined in PBGC's guidebook, <b><a href="http://www.pbgc.gov/lostpendl.htm">Finding
  A Lost Pension</a></b>, available on the Interent and also from PBGC's Communications
  and Public Affairs Department, 1200 K Street NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20005-4026.
  <br wp="br1">
  <br wp="br2">
<p><strong>WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD DO</strong>: People who believe that a pension plan
  owes them a benefit and they may be missing from the plan records should first
  try to contact the pension plan administrator or the company where they earned
  their pension. If the company cannot be found, they can contact PBGC by sending
  an Internet e-mail message to <a href="mailto:missing@pbgc.gov"><b>missing@pbgc.gov</b></a>
  or by writing to the PBGC Pension Search Program, 1200 K Street NW, Suite 930,
  Washington,D.C. 20005-4026.<br>
  <br wp="br2">

<p>The person should provide name, address, day-time telephone number, Social
  Security number, date of birth, the name and location of the employer, and,
  if possible, the dates of employment, the name of the pension plan, the nine-digit
  Employer Identification Number (EIN) and the three-digit Plan Number (PN). <br><br wp="br2">
<p><strong>TO AVOID BECOMING A MISSING PARTICIPANT:</strong> Workers should inform
  their companies when they move and they should keep any information given to
  them about their pension benefits and the pension plan. Especially helpful is
  the plan's name, nine-digit employer identification number (EIN) and three-digit
  plan number (PN), and the name and address of the plan administrator or other
  plan representative. <br wp="br1">
  <br wp="br2">
  rev 9/99<BR>
  <BR>
  <BR>
  <BR>
  <BR>
  <BR>
  <CENTER>
    <A HREF="navbar.map"><IMG
SRC="10bar.gif" BORDER="0" WIDTH="594" HEIGHT="72" USEMAP="#navbar.map" ISMAP="ISMAP" alt="Navigation Bar"></A>
    <MAP NAME="navbar.map">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="1,2,51,72" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov" TITLE="Back to Home Page">
      <AREA
SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="56,1,117,73" HREF="index.html" TITLE="Pension Search Directory">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="120,1,176,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/about.htp" TITLE="About PBGC">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="181,1,233,72" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/newsrm.htp" TITLE="News Room">
      <AREA
SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="236,1,300,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/partinfo.htp" TITLE="Participant Info">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="304,0,354,73" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/businfo.htp" TITLE="Business Info">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="359,1,424,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/pubs.htp" TITLE="Publications">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="427,1,484,73" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/technicl.htp" TITLE="Legal Info">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="488,1,539,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/forms.htp" TITLE="Forms">
      <AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="542,0,594,73" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/sitedir.htp" TITLE="Site Index">
    </MAP>
  </CENTER>
  <BR>
  <BR>
</body>
</html>
	<HTML>
	<HEAD>

	<title>Pension Search Program Fact Sheet</title>
	<!--THIS IS THE SAME WORDING AS FACT SHEET IN WWW.PBGC.GOV,
	BUT HAS DIFFERENT CODING BECAUSE IT IS LINKED WITHIN THE SEARCH.PBGC.GOV-->
	<meta name="description" content="Pension Search Program Fact Sheet">
	<meta name="keywords" content="Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, PBGC, pensions, retirement">
	</HEAD>
	<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
	<!--updated:7/13/99-->
	<IMG SRC="http://www.pbgc.gov/facthead.gif" ALT="PBGC Facts" WIDTH=549 HEIGHT=65>
	<IMG SRC="bar30.gif" ALT="line" WIDTH=100% HEIGHT=7 BORDER=0>

	<H2><CENTER>Pension Search Program<BR></Center></H2>
	<p>The Pension Search Program, created by the Retirement Protection Act of 1994,
	locates people owed benefits from fully funded, PBGC-insured defined benefit
	pension plans that end. This builds on PBGC's successful efforts to locate people
	missing in underfunded pension plans taken over by PBGC after they ended without
	enough money to pay benefits. President Clinton has submitted proposed legislation
	to the Congress that would further expand the program to include defined contribution
	plans, such as 401(k) plans, and multiemployer defined benefit plans. <br wp="br1">
	<br wp="br2">
	<p><strong>BACKGROUND</strong>: Employers choosing to end fully funded pension
	plans must distribute all plan benefits to workers and retirees before completely
	ending the plan. If someone cannot be found, the plan administrator either purchases
	an annuity from a private insurer in that person's name or deposits funds in
	a financial institution, such as a bank. Companies often have had difficulty
	finding an insurance company or financial institution willing to accept the
	funds on behalf of a missing person and the people who have been missed often
	have had no idea where to look for their benefits. Now, companies and their
	workers can turn to PBGC's Pension Search Program. <br wp="br1">
	<br wp="br2">
	<p><strong>HOW IT WORKS</strong>: The program to locate people missing from fully
	funded plans generally applies to people whose pension money is distributed
	on or after January 1, 1996. Before turning to PBGC, the administrator of a
	fully funded pension plan must make a diligent effort, including the use of
	a locator service, to find a former worker due a pension.<br wp="br1">
	<br wp="br2">
	<p>The plan will provide PBGC with information on the missing person and the benefit
	owed, including the starting date and any named beneficiary. Plan administrators
	determine the pension amount to be sent to PBGC for the missing person based
	on the terms of their plan and on PBGC regulations. A company may instead choose
	to purchase an annuity for the person and give PBGC information identifying
	the missing person and the insurance company. The plan administrator gives information
	and any payment to PBGC with the post-distribution form that tells PBGC that
	the plan has satisfied benefit promises to all workers and retirees. Once a
	missing person or beneficiary is found, PBGC will pay the pension benefit or
	tell that person which insurance company has the annuity.<br><br wp="br2">
	<p><strong>INTERNET PENSION SEARCH DIRECTORY</strong>: PBGC has found many of
	the missing people owed pensions both from fully funded plans that have ended
	and from underfunded plans taken over by PBGC, but some people still cannot
	be found. To aid its search effort, PBGC developed the Internet Pension Search
	(<a href="index.html"><b>http://search.pbgc.gov</b></a>) that lists
	names and last-known addresses, companies where missing people earned their
	pensions, and the dates their pension plans ended. The Internet Pension Search
	is updated periodically and a number of organizations are partners helping the
	pension search. Additional search tips are outlined in PBGC's guidebook, <b><a href="http://www.pbgc.gov/lostpendl.htm">Finding
	A Lost Pension</a></b>, available on the Interent and also from PBGC's Communications
	and Public Affairs Department, 1200 K Street NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20005-4026.
	<br wp="br1">
	<br wp="br2">
	<p><strong>WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD DO</strong>: People who believe that a pension plan
	owes them a benefit and they may be missing from the plan records should first
	try to contact the pension plan administrator or the company where they earned
	their pension. If the company cannot be found, they can contact PBGC by sending
	an Internet e-mail message to <a href="mailto:missing@pbgc.gov"><b>missing@pbgc.gov</b></a>
	or by writing to the PBGC Pension Search Program, 1200 K Street NW, Suite 930,
	Washington,D.C. 20005-4026.<br>
	<br wp="br2">

	<p>The person should provide name, address, day-time telephone number, Social
	Security number, date of birth, the name and location of the employer, and,
	if possible, the dates of employment, the name of the pension plan, the nine-digit
	Employer Identification Number (EIN) and the three-digit Plan Number (PN). <br><br wp="br2">
	<p><strong>TO AVOID BECOMING A MISSING PARTICIPANT:</strong> Workers should inform
	their companies when they move and they should keep any information given to
	them about their pension benefits and the pension plan. Especially helpful is
	the plan's name, nine-digit employer identification number (EIN) and three-digit
	plan number (PN), and the name and address of the plan administrator or other
	plan representative. <br wp="br1">
	<br wp="br2">
	rev 9/99<BR>
	<BR>
	<BR>
	<BR>
	<BR>
	<BR>
	<CENTER>
	<A HREF="navbar.map"><IMG
	SRC="10bar.gif" BORDER="0" WIDTH="594" HEIGHT="72" USEMAP="#navbar.map" ISMAP="ISMAP" alt="Navigation Bar"></A>
	<MAP NAME="navbar.map">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="1,2,51,72" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov" TITLE="Back to Home Page">
	<AREA
	SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="56,1,117,73" HREF="index.html" TITLE="Pension Search Directory">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="120,1,176,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/about.htp" TITLE="About PBGC">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="181,1,233,72" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/newsrm.htp" TITLE="News Room">
	<AREA
	SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="236,1,300,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/partinfo.htp" TITLE="Participant Info">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="304,0,354,73" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/businfo.htp" TITLE="Business Info">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="359,1,424,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/pubs.htp" TITLE="Publications">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="427,1,484,73" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/technicl.htp" TITLE="Legal Info">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="488,1,539,71" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/forms.htp" TITLE="Forms">
	<AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="542,0,594,73" HREF="http://www.pbgc.gov/sitedir.htp" TITLE="Site Index">
	</MAP>
	</CENTER>
	<BR>
	<BR>
	</body>
	</html>