All Covenant articles – Page 7
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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.