The federal laws regulating 401k retirement accounts are quite rigid. They fall under Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, and are under the jurisdiction of the US Dept. of Labor.

If your shady employer decides not to roll over your 401k, those fine people will assist you and give your employer a nasty slap. You can read up on ERISA and compliance here: http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-erisa.htm

Thank you for the information...I feel relieved now. I was/am so worried that my employer will use every avenue to keep me from accessing my 401K. I am sure the law allows a plan administrator to invest the employees' 401K holdings to use the money for their own benefit. I am very much afraid of any third party that contols my money anywhere. I lost 40% of my plan years ago and it took 9 years to get even again. Since then I invest ONLY in as protected investments as I can find. I long ago got out of the stock market. Most of my friends who stayed in have lost a great deal. Years and years of savings wiped out by government aided crooks. In my view and experience most working class investors are lucky to keep even the principal of their savings. I believe that the reason secure returns are so low is to discourage savers from using them and to encourage investors to take on the type of risk that allows unscrupulous financiers to take advantage of legal theft. This is what the OWS movement is protesting.