(a) In general. This subpart describes PBGC's missing participants program for single-employer defined benefit retirement plans covered by title IV of ERISA. The missing participants program is a program to hold retirement benefits for missing participants and beneficiaries in terminated retirement plans and to help them find and receive the benefits being held for them. For a plan to which this subpart applies, this subpart describes what the plan must do upon plan termination if it has missing participants or beneficiaries who are entitled to distributions. This subpart applies to a plan only if it is a single-employer defined benefit plan that—

(1) Is described in section 4021(a) of ERISA and not in any paragraph of section 4021(b) of ERISA and

(2) Terminates in a standard termination or in a distress termination described in section 4041(c)(3)(B)(i) or (ii) of ERISA (“sufficient distress termination”).

(b) Plans that terminate but do not close out. This subpart does not apply to a plan that terminates but does not close out, such as a plan that terminates in a distress termination described in section 4041(c)(3)(B)(iii) of ERISA (“insufficient distress termination”).

(c) Individual account plans. This subpart does not apply to an individual account plan under section 3(34) of ERISA, even if it is described in the same plan document as a plan to which this subpart applies. This subpart also does not apply to a plan to the extent that it is treated as an individual account plan under section 3(35)(B) of ERISA. For example, this subpart does not apply to employee contributions (or interest or earnings thereon) held as an individual account. (Subpart B deals with individual account plans.)