All Covenant articles – Page 5
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NewsCovid-19 sees drop in sponsor support for DB schemes
On the go: The economic damage and uncertainty wrought by Covid-19 has seen a drop in employer support for defined benefit pension schemes, suggesting they will find it harder to meet their pension obligations as the pandemic’s fallout continues.
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NewsCovid-19 pressures accelerate rate of DB scheme closures
On the go: Analysis by the Pensions Policy Institute, sponsored by the Trades Union Congress, has shown that the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic have accelerated the rate of defined benefit scheme closures, but member outcomes are far less reliable in defined contribution schemes.
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NewsGovt issues response to consultation on strengthening TPR’s powers
The UK government has issued its response to the Pensions Regulator’s contribution notices and information-gathering powers regulations consultation.
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NewsHundreds of DB sponsors to face hike in contributions
On the go: Around 300 sponsors of defined benefit schemes will have to increase their deficit recovery contributions by at least 25 per cent, according to analysis from LCP.
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NewsTPR’s intervention guarantees £730m protection for Sanofi scheme
On the go: The Sanofi Pension Scheme has received a new guarantee package from its sponsor, including additional protection of up to £730m in the event of insolvency in the next 20 years, following intervention from the Pensions Regulator.
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PodcastsPodcast: Trustees should focus more on scheme admin in anti-scam fight
Podcast: The Pensions Ombudsman has declared schemes should have their transfer and due diligence procedures updated within a month of new anti-scams guidance. Compliance will require a huge amount of administrative time and resources, and trustees should give scheme administration more focus. LCP partner Francesca Bailey and Pensions Management Institute president Lesley Alexander talk scams, dashboards and corporate activity.
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NewsUCU mulls industrial action as USS sponsors reject benefits modelling
The University and College Union has said it is to decide “in the coming days” whether to press ahead with industrial action after its newly released ‘benefits modeller’, aiming to show how much members stand to lose under controversial proposals by the Universities Superannuation Scheme, was dismissed by employer representatives.
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NewsTPR urges trustees to remain vigilant of sponsor activity
The Pensions Regulator has used its latest annual funding statement to call for trustees to remain vigilant of weakening employer covenants and corporate activity, while laying out guidance on how to approach scheme valuations under the current challenging conditions brought by the pandemic.
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NewsProfit warnings down but half of DB sponsors remain on life support
Profit warnings from listed companies with defined benefit schemes have dropped by two-thirds in the past six months, but more than half remain in the insolvency “danger zone”, according to figures from EY.
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NewsCould FSCS cope with a major bulk annuity provider default?
As sponsors offload their pension schemes to insurers, industry experts fear that an ever-increasing concentration of assets with a small group of players could lead to compensation schemes being overwhelmed in a major downturn.
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NewsUUK proposes USS governance reform, 20-year moratorium on exits
Universities UK, the employer group representing 340 Universities Superannuation Scheme members, has raised the prospect of a 20-year moratorium on scheme exits in a bid to show a greater commitment to covenant support.
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NewsTPR warns against hasty reactions to Covid-19 mortality figures
The Pensions Regulator has warned against hasty reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying it is still “early days” in our understanding of how the virus has impacted longevity and life expectancy assumptions.
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NewsAviation scheme spared material detriment in sponsor’s acquisition
On the go: The trustee of the Signature Aviation Income and Protection Fund has been left satisfied after the pension scheme escaped any material detriment arising from its sponsor acquisition by Brown Bidco.
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NewsACA laments lack of guidance on TPR’s employer resources test
On the go: The Association of Consulting Actuaries has lamented a lack of guidance accompanying a consultation into new information-gathering powers by the Pensions Regulator, arguing that the consultation is too narrow to properly assess their consequences.
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NewsJust 19 per cent say TPR criminal powers policy is 'adequately clear'
A mere 19 per cent of people said the Pensions Regulator’s draft policy on the use of its new criminal powers is “adequately clear”, while 65 per cent said they feared it could prompt companies to ditch their pension arrangements, leaving the regulator with much to do to win back industry trust.
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NewsIndustry calls again for clarity as TPR criminal consultation closes
The pensions industry has once again united in its calls for clarity as a consultation into the scope and application of the Pensions Regulator’s new criminal powers comes to a close.
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NewsAon criticises USS valuation assumptions as ‘overly prudent’
Aon has criticised the methodology and assumptions underlying the Universities Superannuation Scheme trustee’s response to the USS valuation, accusing it of being overly prudent and failing to properly justify several of its assumptions.
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Industrial action threats in response to new USS employer consultation
On the go: The University and College Union has once again hinted that industrial action may be called for after accusing Universities UK of failing to stand up for members.
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NewsUUK consults on way out of USS valuation wrangle
Universities UK, the employer group representing 340 Universities Superannuation Scheme employers, has opened a consultation on a range of measures intended to settle the long-running feud over the 2020 USS valuation.
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NewsTPR to beef up schemes’ climate change disclosure demands
The Pensions Regulator will demand that trustees add more climate change information to their scheme returns, and has promised enforcement action where pension funds do not comply with basic requirements.