Lincoln Trust has acquired retirement plan service firm Fringe Benefit Administrators in a bid to expand its range of services to small retirement plans, including 403(b), 457(f) and defined benefit plans, the company announced this week.
Denver-based Lincoln Trust did not disclose the exact terms of the stock deal, which has already closed. Financial advisors who work with Fringe Benefit Administrators, based in Metairie, La., will gain access to tools and services that have built up Lincoln Trust, such as plan modeling and detailed plan information, Tom Gonnella, senior vice president of corporate development for Lincoln Trust said in a telephone interview. In July, Lincoln Trust introduced its
The two firms “were doing a lot of the same things,” Gonnella said. “With the acquisition, [Fringe is] gaining quite a depth of experience. The combined entity will have more depth and strength.”
The deal also underscores Lincoln Trust’s strategy of acquiring smaller companies to power its growth. Lincoln Trust used to be part of Fiserv before Bob Beriault, Lincoln Trust’s chairman and CEO, led a management buyout in 2009. Fringe Benefit Administrators, which will keep its name, brings just under 600 plans to the table, representing about $800 million in plan assets. The combined firm will expand Lincoln Trust’s reach, putting more than 2,300 qualified plan clients and $9.5 billion in plan assets under its wing.
Fringe Benefit Administrators will keep its name under the Lincoln Trust umbrella, and expand the Denver firm’s presence in the Southeast.
“From its servicing of open architecture, 401(k) plans through fee-based advisors to its embracing of fee transparency, FBA is a fantastic partner to bring into the Lincoln Trust family,” Beriault said in a statement.
