Utica, NY (December 2, 2020). BPAS, a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration and collective investment trusts, announced today that Barry Kublin will retire from his position as CEO effective December 31, 2020. He will remain with the company in Board of Director, strategic consulting, and industry advisory capacities. Paul Neveu will succeed Kublin as CEO of BPAS and Chris Hulse will succeed Kublin as CEO of NRS/BPAS trust services.

“It was a great run of 36 years,” said Mark Tryniski, CEO at Community Bank System, Inc. (CBSI), the BPAS parent company. “Barry is a rare individual who is adept at both strategy and execution. He is entrepreneurial and operational, and a serial opportunist — which is how he was able to grow a business from scratch to more than $100 million in annual revenues. We’ll continue to benefit from his vision, expertise, and industry relationships in his new capacity.”

Kublin joined Community Bank in 1985 as VP of Human Resources, where he conceived and launched its initial employee benefits business. Kublin then led the acquisition of BPAS in 1996, which at that time had fewer than 10 employees and $1 million of revenue. Under Kublin’s leadership, BPAS today has more than 365 employees, $100 billion in trust assets, $1.3 trillion in fund administration, and serves more than 450,000 participants.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with BPAS,” Kublin remarked. “Entrepreneurship and leadership are about challenging the status quo and overcoming resistance from its guardians. I have been very fortunate to work with colleagues who welcome change, and look forward to continuing to support the company as a resident in the Caribbean.”

In becoming CEO of BPAS, Paul Neveu will expand his current responsibility over BPAS Plan Administration and Recordkeeping to include BPAS Actuarial & Pension Services, the business operations of Fiduciary Services and BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico, Marketing Communications, Accounting, and certain other key areas. Neveu joined BPAS in 2005 after nine years with Federated Investors and several years with Coopers & Lybrand (now PWC) in Boston. Neveu became President of BPAS Plan Administration & Recordkeeping Services in 2015, working under Kublin. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a dual degree in Business Administration and Music Performance.

“Barry is truly a legend in the industry — a friend and mentor who has shaped me over the years,” said Neveu. “As we move into the future, we recognize the foundational principles that Barry instilled into our culture. They will always be part of the BPAS story. During the transition, we will maintain our focus on continued stable growth and new technology to bring solutions that create efficiencies across our retirement and employee benefit businesses. Our technology focus includes the recent rollout of the BPAS University mobile app; new functionality in our web portals; more financial wellness options for participants; and exciting new developments in our VEBA HRA, actuarial, and IRA businesses. We will always be looking to deliver value for plan sponsors, partners, and participants. It’ll be a fun and exciting time, with an amazing team of professionals leading various business lines within BPAS.”

“Paul has been instrumental in driving the growth and success of the BPAS Defined Contribution business over the years,” said Tryniski. “I am excited about the energy and passion Paul will bring to this new role. We will continue to grow BPAS under his leadership through new and existing client channels, technology, and expanded products and services.”

Chris Hulse, who is CEO of Northeast Retirement Services (NRS) and its subsidiary Global Trust Company (GTC), will assume the additional responsibilities for Hand Benefits & Trust, including its collective investment fund and common fund business, and the trust activities of BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico. Chris is responsible for the strategic direction of the firm’s trust business, including daily client servicing and operations. Prior to assuming the CEO position, he was the NRS/GTC Chief Operating Officer for the past 15 years.

“NRS has grown dramatically under Chris’ leadership,” added Tryniski. “He’ll be working closely with Stephen and David Hand as we continue to grow our collective trust business. We look forward to the ongoing contributions of Chris and Paul in their new leadership roles, and recognize Barry for his 36 years of invaluable service in building the BPAS organization.”

About BPAS
BPAS is a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts. We support 3,800 retirement plans, $100 billion in trust assets, $1.3 trillion in fund administration, and more than 450,000 participants. With our breadth of services, depth of creative talent, and financial resources, we are well-positioned to help our clients solve all their benefit plan challenges without the need to engage multiple providers. One company. One call.

BPAS services: Plan Administration & Recordkeeping, Actuarial & Pension, Collective Investment Trusts, Fund Administration, Custody, Transfer Agency, 3(16)/3(38), Healthcare Consulting, IRA, HSA, VEBA/HRA, FSA.

BPAS specialty practices: Auto Enrollment Plans, Multiple Employer Trusts/Plans, Plans with Employer Securities, Puerto Rico Section 1081 Plans, VEBA/HRA Plans, Cash Balance Plans, Collective Investment Trusts, and Fund Administration.

BPAS subsidiaries: BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico, Global Trust Company, Hand Benefits & Trust, and NRS Trust Product Administration.

As a solutions-oriented national practice, we are committed to “Solving Tomorrow’s Benefit Challenges Today.”

Utica, NY (October 21, 2020). BPAS, a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts introduced IRARewards, a breakthrough solution to retirement saving. It’s a first of its kind Individual Retirement Account (IRA) funded with cash-back earned by shopping at thousands of participating merchants across the nation.

IRARewards pairs a traditional or Roth BPAS IRA with the EvoShare cash-back solution. EvoShare’s proprietary system turns a percentage of every dollar spent at more than 13,000 local and online stores, restaurants, and other merchants into IRA contributions. EvoShare provides employees with a “set it and forget it” experience where they can spend as usual at participating businesses and receive up to 20% cash back toward retirement. It’s a new, easy, automated way to save for retirement.

“When research showed that 27% of Americans have less than $25,000 saved for retirement, we knew we had to do more,” said Barry Kublin, BPAS CEO. “IRARewards answers the call. It’s a safe, easy way to get employees saving for retirement without hitting their already over-stretched paychecks or budget. We’re pleased to be able to help so many Americans achieve retirement readiness in such a simple way.”

“For too long, employees have only relied on their paycheck to save for the future. Now, they can use both their earnings and their daily spending to grow their nest egg,” said Eugeny Prudchyenko, CEO of EvoShare. With BPAS, we’re able to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience for retirement savers and the retirement industry. Together, we can help millions of American workers achieve their retirement goals.”

IRARewards participants enjoy a single sign-on to their BPAS IRA and any other BPAS account, including their 401(k), health savings account, and VEBA HRA, and EvoShare to manage their accounts. The IRA experts at BPAS take care of the account opening, servicing, questions, funding, and investing.

Participants simply download the Evoshare browser extension and/or securely register their existing credit card(s) to EvoShare using a personalized hyperlink. There is no need for a separate credit card account to get IRARewards. The cash-back earned with IRARewards is in addition to any other credit card incentives; it doesn’t replace them. Participants simply shop and dine as usual at participating merchants. Cash-back earnings are automatically deposited into their BPAS IRA each month.

“It’s truly free money invested into an IRA,” added Brian Douglas, VP, BPAS IRA Services. “It’s like participating merchants are giving people money-off for shopping with them. But, the money they save goes into an IRA. It’s a brilliant way to turn every day spending into generous cash-back rewards and painlessly boost retirement savings. I really think IRARewards is going to be a game changer in the retirement industry.”

For more information, visit IRARewards.com.

About BPAS

BPAS is a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts. We support 3,800 retirement plans, $100 billion in trust assets, $1.3 trillion in fund administration, and more than 450,000 participants. With our breadth of services, depth of creative talent, and financial resources, we are well-positioned to help our clients solve all their benefit plan challenges without the need to engage multiple providers. One company. One call.

BPAS services: Plan Administration & Recordkeeping, Actuarial & Pension, Collective Investment Trusts, Fund Administration, Custody, Transfer Agency, 3(16)/3(38), Healthcare Consulting, IRA, HSA, VEBA/HRA, FSA.

BPAS specialty practices: Auto Enrollment Plans, Multiple Employer Trusts/Plans, Plans with Employer Securities, Puerto Rico Section 1081 Plans, VEBA HRA Plans, Cash Balance Plans, Collective Investment Trusts, and Fund Administration.

BPAS subsidiaries: BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico, Global Trust Company, Hand Benefits & Trust, and NRS Trust Product Administration.

As a solutions-oriented national practice, we are committed to “Solving Tomorrow’s Benefit Challenges Today.” Visit bpas.com for more information.

About EvoShare

EvoShare, a microsavings oriented FinTech startup based in Berkeley, California, is the premiere cash-back savings program that is giving employees a new, automated way to save for their retirement and education goals. EvoShare provides employers with a “set it and forget it” experience where employees can spend as usual at over 13,000 participating businesses and receive up to 20% cash back toward a financial account; 401(k) or 403(b) plan, IRA, HSA, student loan, or 529 plan. EvoShare has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The Huffington Post. It won the 2019 DC Genie Award from 401(k) TV for “Best Financial Technology” and was a finalist for KNect365’s 2019 Finovate Award for “Top Emerging Tech Company.”

Syracuse, NY (October 13, 2020). BPAS Actuarial & Pension Services (APS) announced today the successful launch of its new PensionEase Defined Benefit (DB) solution. BPAS PensionEase enhances the company’s already robust administration services by adding participant direct services to provide plan sponsors with a full DB package.

BPAS PensionEase includes:

• Participant recordkeeping
• Compliance monitoring and participant required-event notifications
• Preparing and reviewing returned benefit packages
• Processing distributions
• Direct servicing through a fully staffed participant contact center
• Easy online access to plan materials and self-service benefit modeling

BPAS APS is one of the top 20 retirement plan actuarial practices in the U.S., with 70 employees, including 25 actuaries.
Developed out of more than 35 years of experience in consulting and benefit administration, its PensionEase approach offers enormous time savings and efficiencies for client administrative and personnel teams.

“BPAS PensionEase combines actuarial benefit calculation services with the participant and benefit distribution services traditionally handled by a human resources department,” said Sarah Dam, Senior Vice President at BPAS APS. “With PensionEase, we’re able take on the full administration burden so employers can focus on their business and not worry about the DB plan.”

“More and more employers are looking to outsource their DB Plan administration,” said Jason Disco, VP of Sales at BPAS APS. “Historically only very large pension plans could be outsourced. But, BPAS PensionEase is a complete DB solution for companies of all sizes.”

About BPAS

BPAS is a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts. We support 3,800 retirement plans, $100 billion in trust assets, $1.3 trillion in fund administration, and more than 450,000 participants. With our breadth of services, depth of creative talent, and financial resources, we are well-positioned to help clients solve all of their benefit plan challenges without the need to engage multiple providers. One company. One call.

BPAS services: Plan Administration & Recordkeeping, Actuarial & Pension, Collective Investment Trusts, Fund Administration, Custody, Transfer Agency, 3(16)/3(38), Healthcare Consulting, IRA, HSA, VEBA/HRA, FSA.

BPAS specialty practices: Auto Enrollment Plans, Multiple Employer Trusts/Plans, Plans with Employer Securities, Puerto Rico Section 1081 Plans, VEBA HRA Plans, Cash Balance Plans, Collective Investment Trusts, and Fund Administration.

BPAS subsidiaries: BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico, Global Trust Company, Hand Benefits & Trust, and NRS Trust Product Administration.

As a solutions-oriented national practice, we are committed to “Solving Tomorrow’s Benefit Challenges Today.” Visit bpas.com for more information.

Houston, TX (June 17, 2020) — Hand Benefits & Trust (HB&T), a BPAS company, announced today it has gone live with more than 30 Collective Investment Trust (CIT) tickers and associated CUSIP numbers via the Nasdaq Fund Network. HB&T is a leading national provider of employee benefit trust services and a pioneer in CITs partnering with over 50 investment firms to create more than 240 funds and 500 CUSIPs.

Nasdaq Fund Network (NFN) expanded its coverage to include CITs, bringing increased transparency to the market. The NFN platform facilitates the collection and dissemination of critical data for investable products and generates tickers. The new CIT tickers empowers investors to find their relevant investment performance data on a variety of institutional market data platforms and financial web portals, such as Yahoo! Finance, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Barron’s, Refinitiv, Bloomberg and FactSet.

CITs offer a variety of advantages for retirement plan participants, sponsors, and service providers, including low expense ratios and transparent pricing, flexibility in fund holdings, transparency in fund holdings, and simplified tracking.

HB&T is a Cerullli top-rated organization for hosted trustee services. It serves as the trust company to help investment management firms create new funds or take an existing strategy to an expanded market through its transfer agency services.

“Wide adoption of CITs in not just large plans, but all plans, is vital to the success of the retirement plan industry,” said David Hand, HB&T CEO. “Barriers to entry exist in smaller plans where it is key for them to have access to all retirement platforms, creative share class design, and information equal to other securities. With the latter just accomplished, HB&T continues to be a market leader in CIT distribution.”

“The HB&T model was built to seamlessly integrate fund administration services, transfer agency services, and trustee services,” added Barry Kublin, BPAS CEO. “The combination drives process efficiency that produces cost savings and improves quality. Less moving parts simplifies arrangements for investment professionals and their clients. When it comes to designing, delivering and operating CITs, no one has more experience than the BPAS family of trust companies, which also includes Global Trust Company and BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico.”

About BPAS and HB&T
BPAS is a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts. We support 3,800 retirement plans, $86 billion in trust assets, $1 trillion in fund administration, and more than 450,000 participants. With our breadth of services, depth of creative talent, and financial resources, we are well positioned to help our clients solve their benefit plan challenges without the need to engage multiple providers. One company. One call.

BPAS services: Plan Administration & Recordkeeping, Actuarial & Pension, Collective Investment Trusts, Fund Administration, Custody, Transfer Agency, 3(16)/3(38), Healthcare Consulting, IRA, HSA, VEBA/HRA, FSA.

BPAS specialty practices: Auto Enrollment Plans, Multiple Employer Trusts/Plans, Plans with Employer Securities, Puerto Rico Section 1081 Plans, VEBA HRA Plans, Cash Balance Plans, Collective Investment Trusts, and Fund Administration.

BPAS subsidiaries: BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico, Global Trust Company, Hand Benefits & Trust, and NRS Trust Product Administration.

As a solutions-oriented national practice, we are committed to “Solving Tomorrow’s Benefit Challenges Today.” Visit bpas.com for more information.

Syracuse, NY (May 8, 2020). BPAS Actuarial & Pension Services (APS) announced today that Jason Disco has been promoted to Vice President, Sales. BPAS APS is a division of BPAS, a leading national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration and collective investment trusts.

Disco joined BPAS APS in 2015 as Director of Defined Benefit (DB) Sales where he focused on delivering innovative DB solutions, including traditional and cash balance plans and DB participant services (PensionEase) to financial intermediaries and clients across the nation. He is a results-driven sales leader with more than 20 years of experience in the retirement plan industry including key sales positions with ERISA Consultants and Lifetime Benefit Solutions.

“Jason is the architect behind our extremely successful DB 360 offering,” said Vince Spina, President, BPAS Actuarial & Pension Services. DB 360 assembles all aspects of managing a defined benefit plan – actuarial, participant level administration, investment advisory, payor, and trust services – under a single roof. “Thanks to Jason, the simplicity of traditional and cash balance plan servicing is resonating with plan sponsors,” Spina added. “Jason is the ultimate quarterback, assembling the right team for each client’s specific needs. This promotion was just a natural progression for a very talented leader.”

“Jason’s intuitive collaborative skills perfectly align with the BPAS mantra of one company, one call,” said Paul Neveu, President, BPAS Plan Administration & Recordkeeping Services. “We look forward to collaborating with him in this new leadership role.”
BPAS APS is one of top 20 retirement plan actuarial practices in the U.S., with 70 employees, including 25 actuaries. As Vice President, Sales, Disco will oversee the DB plan sales process and work with financial intermediary partners to distribute actuarial and consulting services nationwide. He will also coordinate consulting services for DB/DC (defined contribution) combination plans, healthcare consulting, health savings accounts (HSA), DB 360, collective investments, PensionEase, and other comprehensive solutions for clients across the nation.

“I’m looking forward to leading the development of new distribution channels and working with the BPAS Sales team to distribute our superior actuarial and consulting services nationwide,” said Disco. “With my extensive knowledge of DC and DB plans and collaborative spirit, I’m excited to be consulting with financial intermediaries to help build their retirement practices.”

About BPAS

BPAS is a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts. We support 3,800 retirement plans, $86 billion in trust assets, $1 trillion in fund administration, and more than 450,000 participants. With our breadth of services, depth of creative talent, and financial resources, we are well-positioned to help our clients solve all their benefit plan challenges without the need to engage multiple providers. One company. One call.

BPAS services: Plan Administration & Recordkeeping, Actuarial & Pension, Collective Investment Trusts, Fund Administration, Custody, Transfer Agency, 3(16)/3(38), Healthcare Consulting, IRA, HSA, VEBA/HRA, FSA.

BPAS specialty practices: Auto Enrollment Plans, Multiple Employer Trusts/Plans, Plans with Employer Securities, Puerto Rico Section 1081 Plans, VEBA HRA Plans, Cash Balance Plans, Collective Investment Trusts, and Fund Administration.
BPAS subsidiaries: BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico, Global Trust Company, Hand Benefits & Trust, and NRS Trust Product Administration.

As a solutions-oriented national practice, we are committed to “Solving Tomorrow’s Benefit Challenges Today.” Visit bpas.com for more information.

San Juan, PR (January 7, 2020) ― BPAS, a leading national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts, announced today that the Puerto Rico Pension Board has selected the PR Capital Preservation Fund (Fund) for inclusion in the new PR Act 106 DC Plan for Government employees. It is the first-ever Collective Investment Fund (CIF) created by a PR financial institution. Under Act 106, the new CIF will be the default investment for the plan which covers 110,000 participants. BPAS received a favorable private-letter ruling from the PR Treasury Department approving the Fund as a “Qualified PR Security” which provides for certain tax benefits related to lump-sum distributions.

BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico will serve as the Fund trustee and investment manager. Hand Benefits & Trust, a BPAS company, will be the agent for administration. The Fund is also available for non-government plans qualified under PR Code Section 1081.

Barry Kublin, BPAS CEO, credits the private-public partnership in Puerto Rico for the product development. According to Kublin, “40% of the portfolio is allocated amongst the FDIC-insured PR financial institutions in enhanced yield accounts, with the remainder invested in institutional money market and stable value investments.” He added that the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions and Hacienda reviewed and approved the initiative in a thorough and timely manner. “The Pension Board and their consultants embraced a creative solution to the Act’s mandates. Having provided trust and plan administration services in PR for 20 years and given the breadth of our services, we are well positioned to deliver a complete solution to all PR retirement plan constituents,” he added.

About BPAS

BPAS is a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts. We support 3,800 retirement plans, $86 billion in trust assets, $1 trillion in fund administration, and more than 450,000 participants. With our breadth of services, depth of creative talent, and financial resources, we are well positioned to help our clients solve all their benefit plan challenges without the need to engage multiple providers. One company. One call.

The BPAS family of services includes: Plan Administration & Recordkeeping, TPA, Actuarial & Pension, VEBA & HRA/HSA, Fiduciary, AutoRollovers & MyPlanLoan, Healthcare Consulting, Transfer Agency, Fund Administration, Custody, and Collective Investment Trusts.

Specialty practices include: Auto Enrollment Plans, Multiple Employer Trusts/Plans, Plans with Employer Securities, Puerto Rico Section 1081 Plans, VEBA HRA Plans, Cash Balance Plans, Collective Investment Trusts, and Fund Administration.

BPAS subsidiaries include: Hand Benefits & Trust, NRS Trust Product Administration, Global Trust Company, and BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico.

As a solutions-oriented national practice, we are committed to “Solving Tomorrow’s Benefit Challenges Today.” Visit bpas.com for more information.

Contact: Alfredo Matheu | President | BPAS Trust Company of Puerto Rico | 787-936-2251 | [email protected]