DB Plan Stats

[Guest nsapper]

Does anyone have statistics on the number of manufacturing companies with between 1000 and 2000 employees with DB plans? What percentage of those plans are frozen? Are there any suggestions on where to find statistics like these?

Thanks so much.

[David MacLennan]

Perhaps you could ask some company, such as Freeerisa.com or Judy Diamond Associates, to query the 5500 records for the info you require at a reasonable cost. The business code and number of participants are disclosed on the 5500. As to whether the plan is frozen, seems you could look at the Sch B info to see if the current liability increase due to changes in accrued benefits during the year was zero or near zero.

Another option is to buy the 5500 records from the DOL and create your own database. I did this myself about 10 years ago. If the DOL still provides the data in huge old fashioned magnetic tape reels, as they did 10 years ago (approx 8 reels of tape as I recall), don't even attempt it. It is a BIG job. The data processing guy I hired to read the tape reels and put it into usable form still complains about that task he did for me, even though more than 10 years have passed. By now they probably will give it to you on a CD. My recollection is that the DOL only charged me about $175 for the data.

[david rigby]

Other sources of information could be various business groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, ERIC, American Benefits Council.