Circuit Court of Appeals held in part that the plaintiff's voluntary dismissal of his individual claims after reaching a settlement with the Principal Life Insurance Company rendered the case moot. Fairmount Park Inc., the owner and operator of a racetrack, offered its employees a 401(k) retirement savings plan. Principal Life Insurance Co. was the plan's service provider. One of the plan's trustees, Joseph Ruppert, sued Principal alleging violation of ERISA. Ruppert claimed that Principal received revenue-sharing payments from mutual funds that it offered to the plan and failed to disclose receipt of the payments. Ruppert moved to certify a class of all trustees and plan sponsors to which Principal provided services that included investment options from which Principal received revenue sharing payments. The trial court denied certification, finding that a determination of whether Principal was a fiduciary that breached its duties required individualized inquiries. Ruppert and Principal settled Ruppert's individual claims. The terms of the settlement included a reservation of Ruppert's purported right to appeal the district court's class certification ruling. The district court entered a consent judgment in Ruppert's favor in the amount of $80,000 and incorporated the terms of the settlement agreement. Ruppert subsequently appealed the denial of class certification. He contended that he had a continuing interest in the outcome of the litigation, that is his right to participate in any future recovery by a certified class and to shift costs and attorneys' fees to the class. The Eighth Circuit concluded that dismissal of the appeal was required. There was no final appealable order. The Eighth Circuit reasoned that the settlement agreement and consent judgment allowed Ruppert to revive his individual claims in order to petition the district court for additional recovery should the denial of class certification be reversed.

On May 17, 2011, Arjun K. Mathrani, a director of Principal Principal Financial Group Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Principal Life Insurance Company, informed the boards of each such company that he intended to complete his current terms and asked not to be considered for re-election. Mr. Mathrani’s term as a director for both companies expires at the Company’s next annual meeting of shareholders on May 22, 2012. Mr. Mathrani’s decision not to stand for re-election is not due to a disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices. Mr. Mathrani was not asked to resign, refrain from standing for re-election or removed for cause from the Company’s board of directors. As a result of Mr. Mathrani’s decision not to stand for re-election, Sandra L. Helton will replace Mr. Mathrani as chair of the Company’s audit committee of the board of directors, and Jocelyn Carter-Miller will replace Ms. Helton as chair of the finance committee of the board. Ms. Helton and Ms. Carter-Miller will assume their respective new positions on August 15, 2011.

Principal Life Insurance Company, Annual General Meeting, May 22, 2012.