A House Committee alleges the PBGC allowed over $127 million to flow to deceased pension-plan participants; the PBGC asserts funds were not "improperly" paid.
The conglomerate announced its plan to halt pensions for non-union workers shortly after IBM's announcement that it will resurrect defined-benefit plans.
The lawsuit alleges that CFO John Rex interfered, for "commercial" reasons, with a decision by the company's investment committee to drop a set of target-date funds.
IBM's recent announcement that it is switching to a "hybrid" model of defined-benefit plan could make the case that bringing back a modern take on the classic retirement benefit could support retention in a tight labor market.
The ERISA Industry Committee, which represents the largest employers in the U.S., is calling on Congress to re-examine the premiums paid by companies that sponsor defined-benefit plans.