All Covenant articles – Page 14
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News
Strong covenants offer schemes more slack on investment risk
Schemes with strong employer covenants could find it easier to take on more investment risk, experts have said, in light of the Pensions Regulator’s increased focus on integrated risk management.
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OpinionNew pensions accounting standards: What is the impact on employer balance sheets?
For employers participating in group defined benefit pension plans, and in relation to plan surpluses, the new UK generally accepted accounting principles for 2015 will have a significant effect.
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News
Regulator aims to 'eradicate surprises' with risk management guide
The Pensions Regulator has issued a practical guide on integrated risk management to help trustees assess and respond to covenant, investment and funding risks, but experts have said schemes will need additional help.
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OpinionA relativity problem in the funding universe
Talking Head: Employer covenant has finally achieved the prominence it deserves in the assessment and monitoring of defined benefit scheme risks – in regulatory terms at least, following the Pensions Regulator’s funding code in 2014 and its follow-up guidance this August.
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News
LPFA confronts employer risk through covenant monitoring
Keeping a constant eye on the financial strength of employers has brought the London Pensions Fund Authority £310m worth of guarantees, assurances and cash since its 2013 triennial valuation.
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News
Trustees are struggling in funding negotiations
The Pensions Regulator will undertake an in-depth review of its 2014 defined benefit funding code next year, as trustees struggle to exert power against employers armed with the watchdog’s new strategic objective.
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News'Pointless' legislation risks trapped surpluses if schemes fail to act
Defined benefit scheme trustees must pass a resolution ahead of April 2016 if they wish to retain their current power to repay surpluses to their employer sponsors.
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News
Regulator retreats from insolvency trustee appointments
Insolvency practitioners working for schemes' troubled sponsors are being encouraged by the Pensions Regulator to take the initiative in appointing trustees, which in many cases could shorten Pension Protection Fund assessment periods.
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News
Between two boards: Balancing the dual roles of exec and trustee
The broader experience of financial directors and company executives may enhance pension trustee boards' insight and understanding, but conflicts of interest should be carefully managed.
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News
Regulator releases further covenant guidance
The Pensions Regulator has issued new guidance on assessing employer covenants aimed at preventing smaller or highly funded schemes from wasting time and money on costly advice.
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OpinionM&A: Getting to grips with the impact on schemes
From the blog: All over the world corporates are rebuilding their balance sheets, accumulating record levels of cash and having their valuations boosted by upturns in stock markets.
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OpinionToo big to fail: Could some UK schemes pose systemic market risk?
Rash investment decisions made by pension schemes could destabilise the economy. Deloitte’s Tom Partridge and Simon Kew explore just how much of a threat this poses in the UK.
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News
Three graphics on how DB strategies pose risk to employer growth
Data analysis: Many large FTSE 350 defined benefit schemes are taking "a surprisingly high level of risk" in their investment strategies in spite of the Pensions Regulator's increased focus on sustainable growth, a recent report has warned.
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FeaturesCovenant lessons from the Greek crisis
Any Other Business: Alexis Tsipras was forced to yield to an aggressive economic supervision programme by eurozone leaders on Monday and agreed to hand over €50bn (£36bn) of Greek assets for privatisation, bank recapitalisation and debt repayment.
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News
FTSE 100 deficits feel pain of corporate yield slump
Schemes must reassess the case for increasing hedging activity, experts have said, as a £5bn increase in FTSE 100 deficits underlines the need for enhanced protections.
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NewsTate & Lyle sweetens deficit pill with secured funding move
Sugar company Tate & Lyle reduced its defined benefit liability by £52m in 2014, helped by the creation of a secured funding account as a contingency to its core employer contributions.
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News
Regulator issues third contribution notice for CWL fund
The Pensions Regulator has issued a contribution notice to an individual in relation to the Carrington Wire pension scheme, but experts warn the amounts recouped will not match the benefits previously promised to members.
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News
Surrey opts for LDI to harness funding gains
Surrey County Council Pension Fund has put a liability-driven investment platform in place to capture rises in the funding level, after falling gilt yields wiped out last year’s gains.
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NewsOlympic Airlines judgment prompts calls for slack in PPF rules
The Supreme Court this week ruled against trustees of the Olympic Airlines SA Pension Scheme’s claim for greater Pension Protection Fund compensation, but lawyers are calling for a loosening of insolvency criteria for entry into the lifeboat.
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News
How to get the best for your scheme in M&As
Any Other Business: Last week, oil giant Royal Dutch Shell announced plans to buy rival BG Group for £47bn and is widely predicted to be the first in a swath of deals across the sector.