Page 65 - NovDefComp
P. 65

MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                                   Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution

                                       Recordkeeping Operations System



               Information and Communication
               MassMutual management consistently and regularly communicates the importance of following policies
               and procedures as well as the  importance of complying with the rules and regulations that govern our
               operations. Management uses a variety of mechanisms to communicate this message including department
               meetings and compliance newsletters. Additionally, MassMutual Corporate Policies and Procedures help
               enforce  the  importance  of  open  communication  channels  through  Corporate  Policies  and  Procedures
               Manuals such as the Code of Conduct. Associates are encouraged and empowered to identify and raise
               concerns and issues to management to facilitate appropriate and timely resolution. MassMutual employs a
               number of tools to facilitate open communication such as the MassMutual Compliance and Ethics Reporting
               Hotline. Additionally, the  employee  and  manager  performance  evaluation  program  is  designed  to
               encourage open and regular communication and information sharing.

               MassMutual also encourages and maintains two way communications with its Plan Sponsor and participant
               clients regarding the services that MassMutual provides including new and changed products, privacy and
               security concerns and satisfaction with services offered and scope and availability of related SOC reports.
               Similarly, MassMutual also maintains regular two-way communication with its subservice organizations to
               comment on service levels and to discuss changes in operational practices.

               Other Considerations

               The Company is subject to regulation and supervision by the Division of Insurance of the Commonwealth
               of Massachusetts as  well  as  other  countries  and  states  in  which  business  is  conducted.  As  such,  the
               Company  is  required  to  file  periodic  reports  with  and  is  subject  to  periodic  examination  by,  the
               Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as other countries and states where business is. The Company’s
               most recent, completed examination by the Division of Insurance was for the year ended December 31,
               2014; an examination for the year ended December 31,2019 was initiated but not completed during the
               period. In addition, MassMutual is subject to regulation by the Department of Labor (DOL), the Internal
               Revenue  Service (IRS),  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission (SEC),  and  the  Financial  Industry
               Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

               Changes in the Control Environment

               As part of ongoing operations, MassMutual makes changes to its operations and various support group’s
               roles and responsibilities to better align the business to service clients.

               The below changes to the in-scope control environment were introduced during the period:
                       SE2 was used to process and administer participant lump sum and repetitive payments for a
                       limited number of DB plans. Effective 12/20/2019 all repetitive payments are processed on PAS.

                       In Q1 and Q2 2020, MassMutual responded to the requirements of the CARES act passed by
                       congress and modified processes, where appropriate, to meet customer needs. This included the
                       following two control changes:

                          o   Addition of the Legislative Control (Control 2.15)
                          o   Modification to the loan request amount (Control 5.4)
                       Investment Services Operations is responsible for non-GIA pricing and trading activity. The
                       controls related to this have been removed from Control Objective 4 and are now in a separate
                                                                 ®
                       SOC 1, Investment Services Operations SOC 1 Report for the period October 1, 2019 through
                       September 30, 2020, which is also available from MassMutual.




                MassMutual Defined Benefit and Defined                    Description of the System Provided by
                Contribution Recordkeeping Operations System                                     MassMutual
                                                             17
   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70