2017 Defined Contribution Survey: Providers Small Market - A: Plan Assets $5mm - $25mm P lans with between $5 million and $25 million in plan assets, the Small Market - A, report high levels of satisfaction that rival those found among their Micro-Market peers. Similarly, sponsor services are the category earning the highest ratings, with 14 of 17 providers receiving recognition in all three areas. Participant call centers and statements saw the largest decline in satisfaction- perhaps reflecting the challenges that arise with a larger work force, as satisfaction with these services drops even further among larger plans. The competitive set for this market is large and varied, offering a wide range of service models and options. Top 5 Providers By Net Recommendation/ Promoter Score 1 Securian Financial Group 96% 2 Bank of America Merrill Lynch 92% 3 Sentinel Benefits & Financial 90% 4 BB&T Retirement and Inst. Svcs 83% 5 The Standard 78% 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Best in Class Minimum of 20 responses; Best in Class benchmark of 60% Plan Administration American Trust Retirement Ascensus Bank of America Merrill Lynch BB&T Retirement and Inst Svcs Empower Retirement Fidelity Investments Newport Group OneAmerica Principal Financial Group Securian Financial Group 22 91 28 24 CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions 22 77 30 John Hancock Retirement Pln Svcs 56 38 50 20 24 Sentinel Benefits & Financial Grp 23 The Standard 41 Transamerica VALIC Voya Financial 26 29 40 77% 75% u 74% 92% u 83% u 73% 63% 50% 70% 70% 57% 41% 96% u 90% u 78% u 44% 71% 68% Net Recommendation Rate, 2012 - 2017 69.9% 63.9% 69.9% 60.1% 64.1% 70.5% 64% u 55% 63% 63% 59% 36% 62% 60% 64% u 29% 84% u 67% u 55% 51% 62% 59% 36 PLANSPONSOR.com February-March 2018 # Responses Recommendation likelihood Plan transaction processing Loan/Withdrawal processing Beneficiary administration Plan design flexibility Payroll integration % " Completely satisfied "http://www.PLANSPONSOR.com