All articles by Benjamin Mercer – Page 32
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RPI reform to leave linker owners short-changed from 2030
The government is to press ahead with controversial reforms to the retail price index leaving index-linked gilt holders worse off, but has decided to delay the move until 2030.
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Master trusts warn cost concerns overshadowing investment quality
Data crunch: Master trust providers are concerned that their clients excessively focus on cost to the detriment of investment propositions, according to a report by the Defined Contribution Investment Forum.
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PPF reserves could be ‘wiped out’ by one or two big claims
Pension Protection Fund chief executive Oliver Morley has warned that the lifeboat’s reserves could be wiped out by just a few large claims, while downplaying the risk of a post-Covid run of small-scheme claims.
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Experts wary on BoE governor’s DC pandemic recovery call
The governor of the Bank of England has suggested rules should be relaxed to allow defined contribution schemes to play a part in the post-Covid economic recovery, but experts warn some structural problems remain.
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HMRC’s leapfrog on insolvencies to hinder PPF recoveries
Government changes to prioritise the payment of insolvent businesses’ tax bills at the expense of other creditors could reduce recoveries by the Pension Protection Fund and adversely impact levy payers, according to the lifeboat.
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RPI reform holds back schemes’ inflation hedging
On the go: Inflation hedging decreased by 13 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of this year amid ongoing concerns about reform to the retail price index, according to the latest BMO Global Asset Management liability-driven investment survey.
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TPR issues guidance on protecting schemes from employer distress
New guidance for trustees on protecting their schemes from employer distress stresses the need for robust protections and integrated risk management.
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Labour pushes climate change, superfunds, dashboard amendments
Senior Labour party figures including leader Keir Starmer have put their names to a series of amendments to the pension schemes bill, covering climate change targets, superfunds legislation and the pensions dashboards.
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MPs to pressure Opperman into commitment on scam ‘red flags’
Five members of parliament, including Work and Pensions Committee chair Stephen Timms, have tabled an amendment to the pension schemes bill designed to pressure pensions minister Guy Opperman into clarifying the government’s position on pension scams.
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High Court deems rectification law ‘settled’
The High Court has upheld the precedent that pension scheme documents can be overwritten by the courts if trustees can show that changes to them have been made in error.
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PodcastsPodcast: Regulatory uncertainty puts workforce reform at risk
Podcast:The apparent contradiction between the Treasury’s new exit payment cap and existing Local Government Pension Scheme regulations risks limiting employers’ ability to restructure their workforce, warns Alison Murray, partner and head of public sector actuarial at Aon. She is joined by Linklaters counsel Anna Taylor, in a conversation also covering a new responsible investment bill and a proposed solution to the Section 75 problem.
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Scottish Widows to divest £440m from ESG failures
On the go: Scottish Widows is to divest £440m from companies that failed to meets its environmental, social and governance standards.
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Data error leads Cornwall Council to overcharge hundreds of employees
Hundreds of workers enrolled in the Cornwall Pension Fund could be due a rebate after an administration error saw Cornwall Council overcharge them for their pension contributions.
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Most DB schemes do not meet regulator’s fast-track requirements
On the go: Seventy per cent of defined benefit schemes fall short of the Pensions Regulator’s ‘fast-track’ approach as proposed in its new DB funding code, according to analysis from Hymans Robertson.
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Proposed RI bill would force trustees to consider members’ ‘best interests’
The leader of the Liberal Democrats supports a proposed responsible investment bill broadening the concept of fiduciary duty to encompass sustainability concerns and aim for a ‘world worth retiring into’.
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LGPS could face legal challenges over new exit payment cap
Local Government Pension Scheme administrators face potential legal challenges, after a new cap on exit payments from public sector schemes contradicting existing regulations came into force on Wednesday.
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Second lockdown presents added uncertainty for pension schemes
After August’s worse-than-expected gross domestic product figures and the announcement of yet more anti-Covid measures appeared finally to put to rest hopes of a V-shaped recovery, experts ponder the impact of a second lockdown on pension schemes.
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SNP MPs table amendments to tackle Section 75 conundrum
On the go: Four Scottish National party MPs have tabled an amendment to the pension schemes bill in a bid to solve the problem of Section 75 debt falling due on small, unincorporated employers.
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Greenwashing poses obstacle for would-be sustainable investors
On the go: Sixty per cent of investors say greenwashing is an obstacle to their sustainable investment intentions, while active engagement is one of the key ways asset managers drive sustainable change, according to a report by Schroders.
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Nest outlines small steps to close ‘gender pensions gap’
On the go: Opting in to a pension scheme at 18, understanding if the employer matches the worker’s contributions, and adding as little as an extra £2.50 a week to the pension pot are all ways of closing the gender pensions gap, according to a report from Nest.