Newsroom

April 28, 2016

House passes anti-fiduciary rule resolution along party lines

The House voted 234-183 Thursday, along party lines, to approve a resolution to stop the Obama administration from implementing a recently revised Labor Department fiduciary rule for financial advisers.

Last week, the House Education and Workforce Committee approved the resolution, which was introduced by Reps. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., Charles Boustany, R-La., and Ann Wagner, R-Mo.

NAFCU has also expressed concerns about the rule.

The rule would not apply to credit unions directly, but it would affect investment adviser services through vendors and credit union service organizations. NAFCU supports consumer protections but has concerns about the indirect costs of the rule's implementation to credit unions.

The House resolution is similar to a Senate version offered by Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

The Department of Labor released its revised fiduciary rule earlier this month; it would affect how financial advisers may advise clients on retirement savings and hold advisors to a "fiduciary standard."

The "fiduciary standard" already applies to financial professionals registered as investment advisers with the Securities and Exchange Commission or under state rules. The DoL final rule expands the standard to cover brokers, insurance agents and other financial professionals.

The Obama administration says the rule will crack down on conflicts of interest in retirement advice that reportedly cost Americans $17 billion in losses annually. The fiduciary standard will require that advisers put their clients' interests before their own profits. The best-interest contract portion of the rule will take effect in April 2017; the rest of the rule will go into effect Jan. 1, 2018.