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The Auto Club Group Cash Value Pension Plan
The Auto Club Group Cash Value Pension Plan is a defined benefit plan covering eligible employees of The Auto Club Group, an insurance and roadside assistance...
The Auto Club Group Cash Value Pension Plan
The Auto Club Group Cash Value Pension Plan is a defined benefit plan covering eligible employees of The Auto Club Group, an insurance and roadside assistance provider with roots in the American Automobile Association. The plan is structured as a cash balance plan, a legal form that blends features of traditional pension and defined contribution plans. Employer contributions are mandatory and the benefit is insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. As a cash balance arrangement, each participant's account is credited annually with a fixed percentage of pay and an interest credit tied to a predetermined index. This architecture is typical among large corporate plan sponsors seeking to limit balance-sheet volatility while providing a predictable accumulation vehicle for workers. The plan does not publicly disclose its asset allocation, external manager roster, or total deployment. The plan is a single-employer vehicle sponsored by The Auto Club Group, which is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. The sponsor operates in multiple states throughout the upper Midwest and Southeast, including Florida. Adjacent benefit structures or philanthropic vehicles tied to the plan are not publicly documented. This plan's most informative differentiator is its legal architecture. A cash balance plan occupies an unusual regulatory niche: it is a defined benefit plan under ERISA, meaning investment risk falls on the employer, but the benefit accrual pattern mimics a portable individual account. For an institutional allocator, the plan represents a liability-driven pool of retirement capital whose investment strategy is driven by the sponsor's actuarial and funding targets, not unit-holder redemptions.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1902
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Dearborn
Corporate office
Dearborn, Michigan, United States
Frequently asked questions
What legal structure governs the plan?
The plan is a tax-qualified defined benefit plan under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and is subject to ERISA. Because it is a cash balance plan, each participant's benefit is expressed as a notional account balance rather than a final-average-pay formula. The plan is insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Who is the plan sponsor?
The plan sponsor is The Auto Club Group, a multi-state AAA affiliate providing property and casualty insurance, life insurance, and roadside assistance. The sponsor is based in Dearborn, Michigan and operates clubs in states including Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota.
How does a cash balance plan differ from a traditional pension?
A traditional defined benefit plan calculates a lifetime annuity based on final salary and years of service. A cash balance plan instead tracks a hypothetical account that grows annually through employer pay credits and an interest credit linked to a benchmark, such as the 30-year Treasury rate. Participants can typically take the accumulated balance as a lump sum at termination or retirement, making the benefit portable.
Does the plan disclose its investment portfolio?
No. The plan does not publicly release asset allocation percentages, named investment managers, or specific holdings. Regulatory filings such as the Form 5500 may contain limited asset-level detail, but the plan's present-day investment posture is not otherwise available.
Is the plan open to new participants?
Plan participation details, including whether the plan is open or frozen to new entrants, are not publicly disclosed on the firm's primary channels. Large corporate cash balance plans sometimes freeze accruals for closed groups of participants, but the current status of this plan is unconfirmed.
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