Stellar Bank 401(k) Review & Grade
Stellar Bank Retirement Plan
Houston, TXFinance & Insurance720 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$7,469Employer $ per active participant
$11,050Employee $ saved per active participant
0.17%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$149.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$138,810Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity43.0 / 5086th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost14.9 / 2560th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.0 / 1580th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score73 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 500–2,499 active participants (754 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 86th |
| Lower admin cost | 60th |
| Employee saving | 80th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 62% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Stellar Bank put in about $7,469 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,606). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $5,377,396 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $7,956,206 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,639,717 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $171,288 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,200 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $142,179 |
| Benefits paid out | $21,549,833 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $54.1M / $149.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 407 / 1,033 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,079 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Weaver and Tidwell L.L.P. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC | $122,778 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $29,109 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $19,401 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009123145NAL0011457872001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 26-0589597, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.