2011 PLANSPONSOR 401(k) Survey

STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- From the perspective of customers, who are the best 401(k) providers?

Three service providers stood out in PLANSPONSOR's annual Defined Contribution Survey this year: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Diversified Retirement Corporation, and BMO Institutional Trust Services.  Those providers won the greatest number of service "cups" in the survey's five main asset classes, based on the evaluations of nearly 7,000 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 American Trust, Ascensus, DailyAccess Corp., J.P. Morgan, MBM Advisors, Milliman Inc., The Newport Group, TIAA-CREF,  Transamerica, and Vanguard.

The survey results -- and rankings of 47 providers by their plan sponsor clients -- were profiled in a recent issue of PLANSPONSOR magazine. The winners will be honored at the PLANSPONSOR/PLANADVISER Awards for Excellence event in New York City on March 29th, 2012 at Pier 60 of the Chelsea Piers.

"The strongest 401(k) providers are instrumental in helping US employers deliver savings plans that can meaningfully better their employees' retirement," 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 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.

The top providers in each asset category were:

Other 401(k) providers cited by PLANSPONSOR across 23 categories can be found at http://www.plansponsor.com/2011_DC_Survey.aspx

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, aiCIO, Global Custodian, The Trade and Plan for Life. The company was acquired in January 2009 by Austin Ventures and has offices in New York, Boston, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne Australia, and Stamford, CT.

SOURCE PLANSPONSOR