All Covenant articles – Page 9
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Features
Private debt inflows continue as storm clouds gather
Data crunch: Patrick Marshall is worried about the prospects for the private debt sector. The direct lending veteran and head of private debt at Hermes Investment Management says the possibility of markets coming back down to earth could leave some of his peers, and by extension the reputation of the industry, facing serious damage.
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OpinionOnly 1% reach insurance, what about everyone else?
Clara Pensions chief executive officer Adam Saron hits out at “disingenuous” arguments being made in opposition to commercial consolidation, and makes the case for a superfund regulatory environment that avoids the strictures of Solvency II.
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OpinionRisk management should not just focus on assets
Data Crunch: Performance numbers alone do not give an accurate picture of the health of a scheme, as the impact of the Brexit vote shows. Broadridge’s Jonathan Libre demonstrates the value of integrated risk management.
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NewsEmployers and academics rail against new USS contribution rate
Employers and workers alike have expressed concern over proposed contribution hikes to Britain’s biggest private sector pension scheme, the £63bn Universities Superannuation Scheme.
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OpinionDB recklessness offence could catch worst employers
Just what is wilful or reckless behaviour in relation to a pension scheme? That is the test at the heart of a new crime proposed in the Conservative party’s 2017 election manifesto and confirmed in a government response last month.
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News
Covenant risk tops trustees’ list of concerns
On the go: Employer covenant risk is defined benefit pension schemes’ greatest worry, according to a poll of 42 trustees and their advisers by professional trustee company PTL.
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News
Trustees lukewarm on consolidator benefits
On the go: Most defined benefit trustees doubt the ability of commercial consolidators to improve their members’ security, according to a new survey that also reveals widespread ignorance of the two new players in the market.
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OpinionWhat to consider when agreeing a recovery plan in 2019
Matt Harrison, managing director at covenant specialists Lincoln Pensions, explains how recovery plans have been agreed in practice and how this may change due to an evolving regulatory landscape.
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OpinionPre-pack administrations are not the bogeyman they seem
Pre-pack administrations have been back in the headlines and often provoke outcry, but where due process is followed they can protect the value of company assets and treat pension scheme creditors fairly, writes RSM’s Guy Mander.
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OpinionSouthern Water case: How TPR ensures schemes are treated fairly
Southern Water has agreed higher deficit repair contributions after an investigation carried out by the Pensions Regulator. The case demonstrates how the watchdog is taking action to ensure schemes are treated fairly, says Nicola Parish, executive director of frontline regulation.
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News
Southern Water agrees higher DRCs after regulator investigation
Utility company Southern Water has agreed to pay significantly higher deficit repair contributions under a shorter recovery period, following an investigation by the Pensions Regulator.
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NewsNo-deal Brexit a possibility as McVey and others quit
Esther McVey has resigned as secretary of state for work and pensions amid a raft of cabinet resignations, raising speculation about the impact of a no-deal Brexit on the pensions sector.
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NewsHammond’s Budget looks to unlock DC savings for patient capital
The government is to consult next year on whether the charge cap for defined contribution default funds should be changed to unlock greater investment in patient capital, as part of a Budget with significant implications for DC savers.
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Features
Testing times for charity DB pension schemes
At the beginning of last year, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds closed its defined benefit pension fund and replaced it with a new defined contribution scheme.
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OpinionDo not be afraid to say no to weakening covenants in credit
As structural protections on offer to credit investors weaken in several European markets, M&G’s Annabel Gillard argues that a good manager is one who is not afraid to hold dry powder when risks are unrewarded.
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News
FTSE 100 DB risk drops nearly a quarter
The aggregate risk across FTSE 100 defined benefit schemes has fallen to its lowest level in four years, according to research that seeks to integrate covenant and investment risk.
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OpinionWhat might the govt’s regime for commercial consolidators entail?
Since the Department for Work and Pensions published its white paper on defined benefit sustainability, two DB commercial consolidators have emerged. Paul McGlone, president of the Society of Pension Professionals and partner at Aon, discusses what the government’s authorisation and supervision process for commercial consolidation might look like.
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News
More than 40 schemes in talks with Clara
Commercial consolidator Clara Pensions has entered into talks with more than 40 defined benefit pension schemes regarding potential transfers into the superfund, management has revealed.
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Features
Trustees pour cold water on wild consolidator claims
The Edi Truell-backed Pension SuperFund has been no stranger to controversy in its short lifespan.
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OpinionTrustees must not shirk responsibility on DB transfers
From the blog: The Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund has, in common with many other defined benefit pension schemes, seen a significant increase in transfers out of the fund since the introduction of pensions freedoms introduced three years ago under the then pensions minister, Steve Webb.