All Covenant articles – Page 8
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News
Mercer launches DB master trust as demand for consolidation increases
Mercer has launched a new defined benefit master trust promising sponsors enhanced governance and economies of scale, amid an accelerating trend towards consolidation and outsourced solutions, with pensions minister Guy Opperman stating that “bigger is better”.
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USS announces ‘challenging’ valuation consultation
The Universities Superannuation Scheme has launched a consultation with employers over its 2020 valuation, which at worst could present a £17.9bn deficit. But it faces a fight with the University and College Union, which said it had no confidence in the “needlessly cautious” approach taken by the USS.
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PodcastsPodcast: DB schemes could be ‘doomed to failure’ by new funding code
Podcast: Defined benefit schemes could be “doomed to failure by measures that are designed to help them”, says Baroness Ros Altmann of the proposed new funding code. She is joined by SEI’s client strategy director Alistair Jones to discuss that issue, as well as the challenges faced by master trusts, and the increasingly bizarre McCloud remedy that, though intended to tackle age discrimination, has been accused of age discrimination.
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DB schemes with ‘clean bill of health’ before pandemic
Data crunch: High levels of hedging, integrated approaches to risk management, long-term targets and clearly defined journey plans all made for sepia-tinted tranche 14 valuations.
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Experts query whether £31m offer will satisfy TPR in Box Clever case
ITV has put forward an initial offer of £31m to the Pensions Regulator of financial support for the struggling Box Clever Pension Scheme, following an eight-year courtroom battle.
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DB schemes should beware lockdown ‘inertia’
On the go: Three in four defined benefit schemes say they have taken no material action to change their investment strategies or journey plans as a result of Covid-19, but a new report from LCP warns that “inertia” could prove damaging.
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Threat of action by TPR settles sponsor dispute
On the go: The Pensions Regulator has settled a case in which a pension scheme was placed at risk by an organisational restructure, with the threat of action being sufficient to force an agreement.
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One in five schemes considering superfunds
On the go: The Pensions Regulator’s interim guidance for consolidators has sparked a surge of interest by pension schemes, with one in five considering superfunds as an option for their endgame, according to a survey by Willis Towers Watson.
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News
No-deal Brexit could deny thousands lifeboat protection
As Covid-19 continues to wreak its devastation on the corporate landscape, dozens of pension schemes could fall into the Pension Protection Fund. However, a no-deal Brexit could scupper that option for up to one-fifth of distressed employers with an EU connection.
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News
Sponsors facing perfect storm as furlough nears its end
Pension schemes and their sponsors face a potential perfect storm of costs as the furlough scheme reaches its endgame, with sponsors in some sectors of the economy facing acute pressure as government support dries up.
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PPF creates panel to support trustees with stressed sponsors
On the go: The Pension Protection Fund has established a new panel to support trustees where the scheme’s employer is in stressed or distressed circumstances.
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BT Openreach sell-off leaves key questions for trustees
On the go: Trustees of BT’s colossal £50bn defined benefit pension scheme faced a number of important questions after rumours emerged that the telecoms giant was looking to sell its most profitable division.
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One in five sponsors considering deficit holidays
On the go: Almost a fifth of UK defined benefit scheme sponsors have requested or are considering a deficit repayment contribution holiday, according to research from Isio.
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News
Multibillion pension sponsors among vulnerable to demand shock
Sponsors of some of the UK’s largest defined benefit pension schemes are among those exposed to a potentially unsustainable level of debt if their cash flows dry up, new analysis has suggested.
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News
BoE’s return to QE adds to DB woes
On the go: The Bank of England has cut its base rate to a historic low of 0.1 per cent, while announcing plans to increase its balance sheet of bonds by £200bn.
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News
Four-fifths of FTSE 350 schemes eligible for consolidation
On the go: More than four-fifths (84 per cent) of FTSE 350 companies’ defined benefit schemes are eligible to join a commercial consolidator, new research showed.
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OpinionSeven features that define DB pension schemes
Jonathan Libre, a principal in the Emea Insights team at Broadridge Financial Solutions, discusses seven key factors that define DB pension funds, and how they can provide a useful framework through which schemes can be examined.
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News
ECPA: Covenant assessments must consider climate change
On the go: The Employer Covenant Practitioners Association has emphasised the need to consider potential implications of climate change on sponsors’ businesses as part of defined benefit covenant assessments.
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FeaturesUS industrial giant completes sectionalised merger of UK schemes
US conglomerate Honeywell has gone ahead with proposals to merge three of its UK defined benefit schemes on a sectionalised basis, in a bid to lower costs and streamline governance.
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FeaturesAkzoNobel valuation results in £550m Q1 funding call
Paint manufacturing giant AkzoNobel has contributed €639m (£548.8m) into its pension schemes in the first quarter of 2019 alone, after a triennial valuation increased the company’s funding obligations beyond its previous projections.