Transamerica, SWBC Launch Pooled Plan Exchange to Simplify Access for Growing Businesses Across the Country

BALTIMORE, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Transamerica today launched the SWBC Retirement Plan Exchange, which was established with SWBC to help grow and offer competitive retirement benefits with less cost and hassle.

The solution features two options:

• Retirement Plan Exchange^® Solution (Exchange) – employers choose from a cost-efficient menu of features, while TAG, a national third-party administrator and a wholly owned subsidiary of Transamerica, files Form 5500 and handles day-to-day administration. 
• Choice Pooled Employer Plan^SM (PEP) – employers may elect to join a single pooled plan maintained by Transamerica Fiduciary Services as the pooled plan provider, providing one combined 5500 and streamlined fiduciary oversight. 

SWBC Wealth Management will serve as financial advisors, while SWBC Retirement Plan Services will offer ERISA 3(38) investment fiduciary services. TAG will provide ERISA 3(16) administrative fiduciary services to plan sponsors and participating employers in the PEP. This collaboration takes advantage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, which makes it easier and more appealing for businesses to adopt pooled plans.

"Collaborating with Transamerica lets us deliver measurable value to clients," said Kyle Hittle, MBA, Wealth Advisor, SWBC Wealth Management. "Together, we can simplify plan administration and enhance employees' financial well-being across the country." 

SWBC Wealth Management advisors support plan sponsors by simplifying the management of retirement plans, reducing administrative burdens, and ensuring a smooth experience at a competitive price. They focus on increasing participation through coordinated enrollment meetings, providing investment education and guidance, conducting regular plan reviews, and suggesting enhancements to meet the needs of all participants.

"Transamerica is proud to be an industry leader in retirement solutions and support hundreds of thousands of small business employees in achieving financial freedom. With our collaboration with SWBC, we are removing barriers that have kept smaller companies from offering robust retirement benefits," said Darren Zino, head of retirement distribution at Transamerica. "We want everyone to live their best life, and by giving employers a clear choice between a customizable Exchange solution and an all-in-one PEP solution, we are helping them focus more on their people—and less on paperwork." 

Transamerica is a leading provider of pooled retirement plan solutions, focusing on building America's leading middle market retirement and insurance company. 

Why it matters to small companies

• Stronger talent attraction: In a 2024 Transamerica survey of 412 employers (fielded Nov–Dec 2024), 44% cited recruiting or retaining staff as their top reason for choosing a pooled plan. 
• First-time plan adoption: Nearly 47% of respondents started offering a retirement benefit only after pooled options became available.  

Next steps for employers  

Employers can learn more about the SWBC Retirement Plan Exchange by contacting SWBC's Wealth Advisor, Kyle Hittle, directly at [email protected] or (210) 667-2314. 

About Transamerica
Transamerica believes everyone deserves the opportunity to live their best life. It's what inspires us to be a champion for helping everyday Americans thrive. As a leading provider of life insurance, retirement, and investment solutions for more than 10 million Americans, we help people make the most of what's important to them.

Supporting our customers' financial futures with innovative products and services has been our mission for more than 120 years. In 2024, Transamerica fulfilled its promises to customers, paying more than $62 billion in insurance, retirement, and annuity claims and benefits, including return of customer-paid annuity premiums.

Transamerica is part of the Aegon group of companies. Aegon is an international financial services holding company.

For more information, visit www.transamerica.com.

Administrative Group, LLC dba Transamerica Fiduciary Services is the Pooled Plan Provider ("PPP"), a named plan fiduciary and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transamerica. Transamerica Retirement Solutions, LLC is the recordkeeper and may act as a plan fiduciary with respect to certain administrative services, to the extent it exercises independent discretion, and only for the proper execution of the specific and agreed-upon administrative procedures for the services. Retirement Plan Exchange^® and Choice Pooled Plan Solution™ are Transamerica service marks.

Retirement Plan Exchange^® is a registered service mark of Transamerica. The Exchange solution is a collection of single employer-sponsored plans that may share a common plan administrator, named fiduciary, investment menu, and plan year. Unlike a multiple employer plan (MEP), certain plan qualification and ERISA requirements are applied at the individual plan level. Pooled employer plans (PEPs) are a newer type of multiple employer plan for which the Department of Labor (DOL) and IRS guidance is still pending in a number of areas. An employer participating in a PEP retains certain fiduciary responsibilities, including responsibility for retaining and monitoring the Pooled Plan Provider (PPP) and any named fiduciary, for determining the reasonableness of its plan fees, and for periodically reviewing the plan as a whole. Among other responsibilities, the PPP acts as the ERISA 3(16) Plan Administrator.

About SWBC 

As a diversified financial services company, SWBC provides financial institutions, businesses, and individuals with a wide range of insurance, mortgages, wealth management, employee benefits, and more. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, SWBC has partners and divisions across all 50 states and manages businesses around the world. No matter how wide its reach, SWBC always listens to our customers' needs, analyzes their current situations, and recommends customized solutions. For more information about our innovative approach to personalized service, visit SWBC's website at swbc.com.   

Securities offered by SWBC Investment Services, LLC, member SIPC & FINRA. Advisory services offered by SWBC Investment Company, a Registered Investment Advisor, and SWBC Investment Advisory Services, LLC, d/b/a SWBC Retirement Plan Services, a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  

Media inquiries:
Email: [email protected]

Hank Williams
(319) 355-7789

Erin Yang
(303) 383-5295

SOURCE Transamerica