Valley Financial Credit Union
Updated Filing received by DOL
Valley Financial Credit Union, a finance & insurance employer in Billings, Montana, reported 139 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows 6 insurance contracts with no premium reported and $57,290 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on January 7, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Valley Financial Credit Union's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract Valley Financial Credit Union filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miriam Avery Insurance Agency, Inc. · Billing, MT | $57,290 | $0 | $57,290 | 6 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2024, as published in EBSA's 2024 "Latest" dataset. Part I names whoever the carrier paid, which can be a firm or an individual agent; both are public record. Amounts exclude pay from carriers not tied to a listed contract.
Insurance contracts and carriers
Every insurance contract reported on Schedule A: carrier, what it covers, people covered at year end, earned premium, and broker compensation.
| Carrier · coverage | Covered | Premium | Broker pay | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldhealth, prescription drug | 141 | — | $34,303 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companylong-term disability | 121 | — | $2,676 | — |
| Metropolitan Life Insurance Companydental, vision | 235 | — | $11,108 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companylife | 121 | — | $4,307 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companyshort-term disability | 121 | — | $3,220 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companylife | 40 | — | $1,676 | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2024. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How Valley Financial Credit Union compares
Medians across employers for plan year 2024, the most recent complete year. Commission rates use fully insured medical contracts only; dollar medians use every employer that disclosed broker pay.
Not computable: no insured medical premium on the filing.
Source: BenefitsLedger benchmarks from 58,547 employer health plans with 100 or more participants, plan year 2024. Methodology.
Year over year
| 2023 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 105 | 139 | +32.4% |
| Premiums filed | $0 | $0 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $48,724 | $57,290 | +17.6% |
| Commission rate | — | — | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2023 and 2024.
Filings and timeliness
Plans this employer filed under its EIN with a health benefit code. Large plans are due seven months after the plan year ends, or two and a half months later with an extension; amended filings carry the amendment date, so no timing is asserted for them.
| Plan | Plan year end | Received by DOL | Timing | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Financial Credit Union Health Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | July 31, 2025 | January 7, 2026 | before deadline | 139 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Part I and signature dates; "late" means received after the extended deadline (the 15th day of the tenth month after plan year end). What a late Form 5500 costs.
How much did Valley Financial Credit Union pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
Valley Financial Credit Union's 2024 Form 5500 reports $57,290 in broker commissions and fees across 6 insurance contracts ($57,290 in commissions, $0 in fees), with Miriam Avery Insurance Agency, Inc. receiving the largest share.
Is Valley Financial Credit Union's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2024 filing indicates the plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. Medical coverage is written by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
How does Valley Financial Credit Union's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for Valley Financial Credit Union because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 100-199 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $53,852.
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Record built October 24, 2026 from U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA Form 5500 datasets (2025, 2024, 2023 plan years, 'Latest' files). Filings can run 7 to 10 months behind the plan year; always confirm against current plan documents. BenefitsLedger is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor. Open the DOL filing search.