Delays in Loan Processing at NYCERS

NYCERS recently posted the following notice on its web site:

September 4, 2012

In order to better serve our members and retirees, NYCERS is upgrading its technology system. As a result, some transactions may take longer to process. For example, loan applications will take at least 20 days to process as we implement these technology improvements. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Loan processing is the most high profile service at NYCERS. Over 50,000 members a year apply to NYCERS for a loan backed by the members' pension contributions. For that reason it is the most automated system at NYCERS. The traditional turn around time for a loan is one week. Applications received between any given Thursday and the following Wednesday are vouchered the next Thursday and the loan checks are mailed out on Friday. A Wednesday application is actually mailed out two days after it is filed.

Almost all loans have a processing fee. It currently is $40. The members are paying for this service and are entitled to quick and accurate service. When I left NYCERS in 2005, the fee was $15.

NYCERS has allegedly "upgraded its technology system". Instead of the one week turn around, it will now take three weeks. I suspect there is a very serious problem with the loan processing system. NYCERS does not give an understandable explanation or a projected solution to this problem.

The loan system I left in place in 2005 was working very well and was less expensive to run than this new "upgraded" system. It would appear that new technology should make things better. NYCERS, however, is quite comfortable claiming the opposite. The fact that NYCERS does not see this contradiction, is troubling.

I suspect we are not being told the real reason for the delay. By the way, what are the other transactions being delayed?

This is a service that the members are paying for out of their paychecks. Is NYCERS giving the members a discount on the fee because of poor service? I don't think so.

Why did the trustees and the executive director allow this problem to occur?

Outstanding Loans at Retirement (also Deficits)

Tier 4 Outstanding Loans at Retirement (also Deficits)

Many Tier 4 NYCERS members retire with a pension loan outstanding. The member can choose to pay off the full outstanding loan or have his/her benefit reduced by the actuarial value of the outstanding loan.

The reduction is accomplished by dividing the amount of the outstanding loan by an annuity factor to produce the amount of the annual reduction of the full pension benefit. The annuity factor is a function of an interest rate and one of the two Tier 4 mortality tables (service & disability).

The loan statute specifies that the interest rate changes each year and is equal to the 30 year US Treasury bond rate on January 1 of that year. All retirements during that year are keyed to that interest rate. That means that the cost is dependent on the year you retire. The factors change every year.

I’ve listed below a small snapshot of the service annuity factors for Tier 3&4 loans over the last five years as well as Tier 1&2 loan factors which do not vhange each year. For some reason NYCERS does not list the full tables when discussing the pension benefit reduction for outstanding loans at retirement.

Loan reduction factors – Service Retirements

****	Tier 3&4	Tier 3&4	Tier 3&4	Tier 3&4	Tier 3&4	Tiers 1&2	Tiers 1&2
Year	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	all years	all years
Interest rate	n/a	4.81%	4.45%	2.69%	4.63%	4%(F)	7%(U)
Age at Retirement
55	13.903	13.474	13.992	17.106	13.729	13.803	10.941
56	13.681	13.266	13.767	16.764	13.513	13.501	10.810
57	13.452	13.052	13.535	16.416	13.290	13.193	10.673
58	13.218	12.832	13.297	16.062	13.061	12.881	10.531
59	12.977	12.606	13.054	15.704	12.826	12.566	10.383
60	12.731	12.374	12.805	15.343	12.586	12.246	10.230
61	12.480	12.138	12.551	14.977	12.341	11.923	10.072
62	12.224	11.896	12.292	14.608	12.091	11.596	9.909

The Tier 4 loan annuity factors are different from the factors used for computing the reduction for optional pension benefits. At retirement, a retiree can pick these benefits in lieu of his/her full maximum pension benefit. Optional benefits provide payment to a beneficiary when the retiree dies, whereas the maximum benefits stops upon the death of the retiree. As of August 19, 1985 the interest rate for these annuity factors is 7% (see the Tier 1&2 factors in the table).

Tier 3&4 Members who retired in 2009 received a significant break on the benefit reduction for outstanding loans. This was tied into lower interest rates caused by the financial crisis that hit in late 2008. A $10,000 outstanding loan for 2009 retirement at age 55 caused a $584.59 (=$10,000/17.106) annual reduction. In 2008, the same $10,000 loan resulted in a $714.69 (=$10,000/13.992) annual reduction at age 55.

In Tier 1&2, the same annuity factors are used for both outstanding loans/deficits and optional benefits. They are based on a 4% (female mortality) or 7% (unisex mortality) interest rate depending on which produces the best benefit. The factors do not fluctuate from year to year. There is also a provision which allows Tier 1&2 members contribute excess contributions. This, in turn, allows for an additional annual annuity paid in retirement based on these additional member (not employer) contributions. Tier 4 makes no provision for excess benefits based on excess contributions.

Note: Prior to 1991, the start of the Tier 4 Loan program, deficits in contributions resulted in the loss of the service credit associated with the missing pension deductions. Since the loan program offered an actuarial reduction process, NYCERS extended this process to deficits. NYCERS then offered members, retiring with deficits, the opportunity to have the deficit treated as an outstanding loan. This allowed the member to take an actuarial benefit reduction rather than the loss of the service credit. Usually this would produce a lower benefit reduction.

Interestingly, from February 18, 2002 to February 8, 2006, the US Treasury did not offer 30 year bonds and therefore, there were no daily quotes for these securities during this period. It is not clear what interest rate the NYCERS actuary used for retirees between 2003 and 2006.