SEI's Pension Lifecycle Meter Shows Majority of US Corporate Pensions Still Accruing Benefits

Biannual Update Shows Current Stages of U.S. Corporate Pensions

OAKS, PA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/10/12 -- SEI (NASDAQ: SEIC) today released the most recent Pension Lifecycle Meter, which provides a biannual snapshot of the plan design stages of U.S. corporate defined benefit plans. The findings are the result of surveying finance and human resource executives from more than 100 U.S. corporate defined benefit plans.

As depicted in SEI's Pension Lifecycle Meter, below are the current plan design stages as of December 2011:

• 46 percent are "active" in that the "plan is active and open to new hires"
• 29 percent are "closed" in that the "plan is closed to new entrants, but participants are still accruing benefits"
• 24 percent are "frozen" in that the "plan is closed to new entrants, participants are no longer accruing benefits, but the termination process has not started"
• 1 percent are "terminating" in that the "plan is closed, accruals are frozen, and the termination process is underway"

According to the December 2011 update, SEI's Pension Lifecycle Meter shows that three-quarters (75 percent) of corporate pension plans in the U.S. are currently accruing benefits. Almost half (46 percent) of the plans are still open to new hires, while 29 percent are closed to new hires, but still accruing benefits for current enrollees. Only one quarter (25 percent) of the plans surveyed have stopped accruals for participants.

"Pension plans continue to be part of the benefit offering for most plan sponsors," said Jon Waite, Director, Investment Management Advice and Chief Actuary, SEI's Institutional Group. "A low interest rate environment continues to put substantial pressure on sponsors in their management of these programs. As a result, most plan sponsors are focused on implementing de-risking strategies to protect any improvements in funded status, while considering potential near-term market outcomes."

For a copy of SEI's Pension Lifecycle Meter graphic, please email Laura Zansitis at lzansitis@seic.com or visit http://www.seic.com/enUS/institutions/139.htm.

About SEI's Institutional Group
SEI's Institutional Group is the first and largest global provider of fiduciary management investment services. The company began offering these services in 1992 and today acts as a fiduciary manager to more than 450 retirement, nonprofit and healthcare clients in six different countries. Through a flexible model designed to help our clients achieve financial goals, we provide asset allocation advice and modeling, investment management, risk monitoring and stress testing, active liability-focused investing and integrated goals-based reporting. For more information visit: http://www.seic.com/institutions.

About SEI
SEI (NASDAQ: SEIC) is a leading global provider of investment processing, fund processing, and investment management business outsourcing solutions that help corporations, financial institutions, financial advisors, and ultra-high-net-worth families create and manage wealth. As of September 30, 2011, through its subsidiaries and partnerships in which the company has a significant interest, SEI manages or administers $395 billion in mutual fund and pooled assets or separately managed assets, including $162 billion in assets under management and $233 billion in client assets under administration. For more information, visit www.seic.com.

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Source: SEI

Released January 10, 2012