CFPB targets “junk fees”
In recent guidance, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) highlighted two “junk fee” practices that, in its view, are likely unlawful:
Should you amend your qualified retirement plans?
Like many businesses, banks are facing a labor shortage. One way to help attract and retain qualified workers is to offer a competitive employee benefits package. The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 provides employers with several options for enhancing their 401(k) or other qualified retirement plans. For example, plans can now permit employees who suffer economic losses from a federally declared disaster to withdraw up to $22,000 penalty-free. Employees also can spread the tax on those withdrawals over three years — or avoid tax completely — by repaying the withdrawal and recontributing the funds to a tax-advantaged retirement account within three years. In addition, plans may increase the maximum loan amount for disaster victims from $50,000 to $100,000.
Starting in 2024, under SECURE 2.0, plans will be permitted to treat qualified student loan payments as elective deferrals for matching purposes. This can be an attractive benefit for employees who otherwise would have to choose between paying down their student debt and deferring salary to a qualified plan to get matching contributions. Other provisions allow employers to offer tax-advantaged emergency savings accounts to rank-and-file employees and to permit employees to receive fully vested employer contributions (including matching contributions) as after-tax Roth contributions.
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