2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 56. Poor Persons › §56-4001.3. Use of financial institutions as depositories and managers.

A. The State Treasurer may implement this act through the use of one or more financial institutions to act as the depositories and managers. Under the program, persons may establish accounts through the program at a depository that has been selected by the Treasurer.
B. The Treasurer may solicit proposals from financial institutions to act as the depositories and managers of the program. Financial institutions that submit proposals shall provide all information required by the Treasurer which is sufficient to enable the evaluation of the investment strategies and asset allocations consistent with the program objectives set by the Treasurer.
C. The Treasurer may select as program depositories and managers, the financial institution or institutions from among bidding financial institutions that demonstrate the most advantageous combination, both to potential program participants and this state, of the following factors:
1. Financial stability and integrity;
2. The safety of the investment instruments being offered by the financial institution, taking into account any insurance provided with respect to these instruments;
3. The ability of the financial institution to ensure that the plan it offers tracks requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, regulations of the Internal Revenue Service, other pertinent federal and state laws and regulations, and rules and requirements of the Regents;
4. The ability of the financial institution to track estimated costs of the expenses for care of individuals with disabilities as provided by the Department of Human Services and provided by the financial institution to the account holder;
5. The ability of the financial institutions, directly or through a subcontract, to satisfy recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those created by Section 529A of the Internal Revenue Code and Internal Revenue Service regulations;
6. The financial institution's plan for promoting the program and the investment it is willing to make to promote the program, including any use of institutions with offices in Oklahoma as plan marketers and enrollment agents;
7. The fees, if any, proposed to be charged to persons for maintaining accounts;
8. The minimum initial deposit and minimum contributions that the financial institution will require and the willingness of the financial institution to accept contributions through payroll deduction plans and other deposit plans; and
9. Any other benefits to this state or its residents included in the proposal, including an account opening fee payable to the Treasurer by the account owner and an additional fee from the financial institution for statewide program marketing by the Treasurer.
D. The Treasurer may enter into a contract with a financial institution or institutions provided in subsection E of this section to serve as program managers and depositories.
E. The Treasurer may determine a minimum term for contracts executed between the Treasurer and a financial institution pursuant to this section and shall establish procedures by which a contract may be renewed.
F. The Treasurer may select more than one financial institution and investment for the program if the following conditions exist:
1. The United States Internal Revenue Service has provided guidance that giving a contributor a choice of more than one investment instrument under a state plan will not cause the plan to fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment under Section 529A of the Internal Revenue Code; and
2. The Treasurer concludes that the choice of instrument vehicles is in the best interest of program participants and will not interfere with the promotion of the program.
G. A program manager shall:
1. Take all action required to keep the program in compliance with the requirements of this act and shall not take action contrary to this act or its contract to manage the program so that it is treated as a qualified plan under Section 529A of the Internal Revenue Code;
2. Keep adequate records of each account, keep each account segregated from each other account and provide the Treasurer with the information necessary to prepare statements required by federal and state law or regulation or file these statements on behalf of the Treasurer;
3. Compile and total information contained in statements required to be prepared under federal and state law and regulation and provide these compilations to the Treasurer;
4. If there is more than one program manager, the program managers shall provide the Treasurer with sufficient information to determine compliance with this act;
5. Provide the Treasurer and other contractors or other state agencies, if necessary, access to the books and records of the program manager to the extent needed to determine compliance with the contract; and
6. Hold all accounts in trust for the benefit of this state and the account owner.
H. If a contract executed between the Treasurer and a financial institution pursuant to this section is not renewed, all of the following conditions apply at the end of the term of the nonrenewed contract:
1. Accounts previously established and held in investment instruments at the financial institution shall not be terminated;
2. Additional contributions may be made to the accounts; and
3. No new accounts may be placed with that financial institution.
I. The Treasurer may terminate a contract with a financial institution at any time for good cause. If a contract is terminated pursuant to this section, the Treasurer shall take custody of accounts held at that financial institution and shall seek to promptly transfer the accounts to another financial institution that is selected as a program manager and into investment instruments as similar to the original investments as possible.
Added by Laws 2016, c. 354, § 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2017.