2010 PLANSPONSOR 401(k) Survey

STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Who's the best record keeper for your 401(k)?

Four service providers stood out in PLANSPONSOR's annual Defined Contribution Survey: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, M&I Institutional Trust Services, Securian, and Wells Fargo.  Those providers won the greatest number of service cups in the survey's five main asset classes, based on the rankings of nearly 6,000 employers of all sizes across the United States.

PLANSPONSOR is the nation's leading source of retirement plan information for employers.

Other standout rankings were earned (in alphabetical order) by Ascensus, Fidelity, ING, JP Morgan, MBM Advisors, Milliman, New York Life, Putnam, Transamerica, and T. Rowe Price.

The survey results—and rankings of 45 providers by their plan sponsor clients—were profiled in the November issue of PLANSPONSOR magazine. This year, for the first time, winners are being recognized in gold, silver, and bronze categories, and will be honored at the PLANSPONSOR/PLANADVISER Awards for Excellence event in New York City in March 2011.

"These organizations should be applauded for their commitment to help U.S. workers save for retirement, especially after an exceptionally challenging decade," said Quinn Keeler, senior vice president and head of Research at Asset International, Inc., parent company of PLANSPONSOR. She explained that providers are awarded "best in class" status and "cups" based on top-quartile performance in five designations defined by plan size. Providers who won the most cups in each asset category were designated this year as Gold, Silver, or Bronze Cup winners.

Other 401(k) providers cited by PLANSPONSOR across 23 categories can be found at plansponsor.com.

The 2011 PLANSPONSOR/PLANADVISER Awards for Excellence Dinner will be held at Chelsea Piers, Pier 60, New York City, on March 24, 2011.

About PLANSPONSOR

PLANSPONSOR magazine, an Asset International, Inc., publication, is the nation's leading authority on retirement issues and benefits programs. PLANSPONSOR.com provides comprehensive news and commerce services dedicated solely to helping employers and financial advisers navigate the complex world of retirement plans and benefit programs on behalf of their employees or clients. For more information, see www.plansponsor.com.

About Asset International

Asset International is a privately-held provider of information and technology to global pension funds, asset managers, financial advisers, banking service providers, and other financial institutions in the private and public sector. Its industry-leading brands include Strategic Insight, SIMFUND, PLANSPONSOR, PLANADVISER, Global Custodian, and The Trade. The company was acquired in January 2009 by Austin Ventures and has offices in New York, Hong Kong, London and Stamford, CT.

SOURCE PLANSPONSOR