All Covenant articles – Page 6
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News
Over half of DB-listed sponsors at risk claimed pandemic support
More than half of defined benefit-listed sponsors that are currently at high risk of insolvency made a claim for government support in December, and could face uncertainty when this lifeline comes to an end, according to analysis from EY.
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NewsUSS rejects attempt to reopen controversial valuation
The Universities Superannuation Scheme has rejected a request by Universities UK, the advocacy group representing 340 higher education employers, to revisit the controversial assumptions behind its most recent valuation.
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NewsIndustry facing trustee exodus due to TPR’s new powers
Concerns about the reach and remit of the new powers afforded to the Pensions Regulator have not been addressed by its guidance or draft policy, and are even forcing some trustees to quit, Aon has said.
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News
Alternative funding structures attracting 75% of DB sponsors
On the go: As many as three in four defined benefit scheme sponsors could be using contingent funding as an alternative to the traditional deficit recovery contribution route, according to analysis from LCP.
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News
TPR to test employer resources in contribution regime
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions has proposed that the Pensions Regulator includes a new employer resources test in its contribution regime, which will be used to determine whether an act or failure to act has occurred.
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NewsTax ‘super-deduction’ could leave DB schemes short-changed
A “super-deduction” introduced in the Budget could see less money available to clear pension deficits, experts have warned, as businesses look to take advantage of the tax break.
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News
University employers urge USS to reconsider its valuation outcomes
On the go: Universities UK, which represents 340 Universities Superannuation Scheme employers, has written to the trustees of the scheme urging a rethink of its valuation outcomes.
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News
LGPS authorities expected to justify new pension powers
On the go: Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities will be expected to justify the use of their new powers around reviewing employer contributions, spreading exit payments, and setting up deferred debt arrangements.
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NewsOpinion split on Pension Schemes Act implications
A survey carried out as part of a webinar by law firm Sackers has laid bare a deep divide in the industry over powers afforded by the Pension Schemes Act.
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News
Arcadia schemes could have enough assets to survive outside PPF
On the go: Arcadia pension scheme members could receive a greater portion of their savings after a string of property and infrastructure sales raised enough capital to bring them out of the Pension Protection Fund.
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News
DB deficits fall £21.4bn in January
On the go: The aggregate deficit of the 5,318 defined benefit schemes in the Pension Protection Fund 7800 Index fell by £21.4bn in January.
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News
Trustees demand greater access to technology to support their role
On the go: The coronavirus pandemic has seen off the quarterly meeting cycle, with 80 per cent of trustees agreeing that ad hoc and online meetings are the way forward, according to new research.
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NewsDWP proceeds with ‘revolutionary’ climate change agenda
The Department for Work and Pensions has proposed broadening the scope of climate risk analysis to cover not just the environmental impact of pension schemes’ portfolios, but also sponsor covenants and actuarial valuations.
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News
Thousands warn of ‘unjustified’ USS discount rate rises
More than 3,000 people have written to the trustees of the Universities Superannuation Scheme to criticise proposed changes to the valuation methodology that, they say, will result in its members and employers being overcharged by the scheme.
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News
How schemes can navigate the post-Covid recovery
Defined benefit schemes should use the post-Covid recovery to conduct a thorough postmortem of the effects of 2020’s events on their portfolios and strategies, according to Barnett Waddingham.
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News
‘Challenging’ 2020 forces 80% of DB schemes to reassess portfolios
On the go: Eighty per cent of defined benefit pension schemes plan to reassess their investment portfolios after the events of 2020 put returns in doubt, according to research by the Pensions Management Institute and River and Mercantile.
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PodcastsPodcast: New powers in Pension Schemes Act could cause bankruptcies
Podcast: New criminal provisions in the Pension Schemes Act are so broadly drafted that they could strangle legitimate business activity, potentially resulting in unnecessary bankruptcies. So says Arc Pensions Law partner Jane Kola, who, along with Society of Pension Professionals president James Riley, warn about the potentially dire consequences and call for more clarity from the regulator. More cheerfully, this inauguration day episode also covers the future of actuaries, small pots, and Donald Trump’s pension.
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News
New pensions act offences have ‘far-reaching consequences’, LCP warns
On the go: New powers granted to the Pensions Regulator by the Pension Schemes Act could see directors, lenders and trustees made criminally liable for their mistakes, LCP has warned.
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NewsNew DB funding code could be delayed until 2022
The Pensions Regulator has issued an interim response that experts say could presage meaningful changes to the final version of the defined benefit funding code, which is likely to be delayed until 2022.
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News
DB deficits ‘relatively stable’ with £7.6bn hike in December
On the go: The aggregate deficit of the 5,318 defined benefit schemes in the Pension Protection Fund 7800 Index grew by £7.6bn in December.