All Covenant articles – Page 7
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News
Trustees should monitor sponsor longevity when assessing covenant
On the go: Sponsor longevity is a vital part of covenant assessment, requiring professional judgement and a range of strategic tools, according to a new report by the Employer Covenant Practitioners’ Association.
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PodcastsPodcast: Economic uncertainty, DC consolidation, ESG to mark 2021
Podcast: Economic uncertainty from the pandemic and the aftereffects of Brexit, solving the small pots problem and consolidation in the defined contribution universe, and yet more environmental, social and governance regulation are the themes to watch out for this year. These are the predictions for the pensions industry in 2021 from Marc Hommel, senior pensions adviser at EY-Parthenon, and Sue Pemberton, head of technology and DC consulting at Premier Pensions.
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NewsEdinburgh Woollen Mill collapse leaves £17.5m pension black hole
Clothing and homeware manufacturer Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s collapse into administration has sparked fears its defined benefit scheme will not recover the £17.5m owed to it.
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News
Aftershocks from 2020 could see wave of DB scheme closures
On the go: The events of 2020, combined with exacerbating longer-term trends, could spark a wave of benefit reviews by UK companies, which in turn could result in a large number of defined benefit schemes closing in 2021, according to a new report by Aon.
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News
Insolvency dawns on 22% of FTSE 350 DB schemes’ rated sponsors
On the go: Almost a quarter of FTSE 350 defined benefit schemes with rated sponsors expect corporate insolvency before they reach buyout, according to analysis from Hymans Robertson.
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News
RPI reform drives up inflation hedging cost
Demand for inflation hedging is now returning after it was suppressed during the government’s consultation on the retail price index. However, the limited supply of index-linked bonds is itself having an inflationary effect, according to Insight Investment.
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NewsWeekly roundup: It’s not easy being Green
Welcome to Pensions Expert’s roundup of a week in which we bade farewell to a few of the high street’s better-known names, and the Pension Protection Fund brightened everyone’s mood with its new doomsday scenario.
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News
Alternative strategies could wipe out UK’s £190bn DB deficit
On the go: Alternative approaches to scheme funding and investments could eliminate the UK’s current £190bn defined benefit pension deficit, according to new analysis by PwC.
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NewsGreen pressured to save Arcadia pension schemes
On the go: Philip Green is being pressured to “make good” on promises to 10,000 members of the Arcadia pension scheme as his retail empire is on the brink of filing for administration, which would leave the scheme in the Pension Protection Fund.
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News
Pension scheme strategies not fit for ‘purpose’
On the go: The number of trustees having to alter their scheme’s long-term plans in the past year suggests pension scheme strategies are “not fit for purpose”, according to new research.
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News
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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News
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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News
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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News
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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News
Majority of DB schemes’ recovery plans on track before Covid
Data crunch: Only a third of defined benefit schemes extended their recovery plan end date in 2019, but pandemic storms are set to see pension funds entering choppy waters, with insolvency looming for some sponsors and trustees being asked to make tough decisions.
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News
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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News
Covid leaves Northern Ireland Water deficit recovery in rough sea
Northern Ireland Water could have to pay an additional £4.6m a year in deficit repair contributions to its scheme, but uncertainty about how Covid-19 has impacted its investment and ongoing negotiations with trustees makes it hard to gauge its recovery plan.
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News
Regulator unveils superfunds guidance for trustees
The Pensions Regulator has published new guidance for defined benefit schemes transferring into a commercial consolidation 'superfund', placing the burden of proof on trustees to show that their plan is in members' best interests.
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News
Aon warns USS consultation could confuse employers
Aon has warned that the consultation document presented by the trustee of the Universities Superannuation Scheme will be of only limited use to employers, and may leave some unable to make vital decisions.
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News
TPR’s new guidance on mandatory AE reporting causes confusion
Updated guidance from the Pensions Regulator will see the 90-day limit for reporting late payments becoming mandatory from April 2021. However, the wording of the guidance has caused some confusion, with schemes being asked to make the adjustment for January 1.