They are slow to respond but we are 100% sure that if the plan is terminated in this manner there will be an MVA. We know to the penny what it will be, and there's no way to avoid that.
Since we have already spoken to the fund about this, the fund has the right to do a lookback and charge an MVA if there are significant withdrawals from participants. We are unsure if in that situation it will effect the participants themselves or the plan directly and are awaiting a response from the recordkeeper.
This is our intention, but again as in my first two comments of this thread, We can't tell if we have the option to freeze the plan in this situation, and we can't find guidance on freezing a plan for an extended time frame (who submits the 5500, for example).
Perhaps a better way to phrase this thread is "how can a plan be frozen and administered for an extended timeframe after a buyout?" and the MVA is just the primary reason for doing so.
thank you all for your comments and I would appreciate more if you can!