All deficit articles – Page 10
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News
ITV scheme trustees approve deficit repayment holiday
On the go: The trustees of ITV’s defined benefit schemes have agreed to a deficit repayment contribution delay, amid action from the broadcaster to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.
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OpinionRegulator striking the right balance on deficit holidays
Coronavirus is turning the world upside down for pension trustees. Prior to the crisis, trustees were being pushed to take a tougher line by demanding employers plough more cash into their defined benefit plans.
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Features
Coronavirus hits unhealthy DB schemes hard
Data crunch: A new report from consultancy Barnett Waddingham has found that the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated the funding divide between UK defined benefit schemes, with severe implications for those at the bottom of the pile.
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News
TPR signals renewed focus on sponsor affordability
The Pensions Regulator has directed defined benefit trustees to focus on the affordability of payments into their schemes by sponsoring employers, urging collaboration to link business recovery to increased member security.
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News
Mercer calls for six-month DB contribution holiday
The government has been called on to take “urgent action” and implement a six-month contribution holiday for defined benefit pension schemes, in a bid to allow sponsors to keep their businesses afloat.
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News
Suspended deficit contributions could reach £1bn
On the go: Up to £1bn in deficit contributions could be suspended this year as trustees approve payment holidays in a bid to help sponsors survive the Covid-19 crisis.
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News
Premier Foods sets up tasty scheme merger
Premier Foods, maker of Mr Kipling cakes, has reached a groundbreaking agreement to merge its RHM, Premier Foods and Premier Grocery Products pension schemes, a move that the company estimates could save it as much as £145m in contributions.
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PodcastsPodcast: Trustees cautioned to be vigilant about relaxed rules
Podcast: Trustees should not take advantage of easements introduced by the Pensions Regulator, which has relaxed its enforcement rules and reporting guidelines, warns John Reeve, director at Cosan Consulting. He and Kate Smith, head of pensions at Aegon, discuss the recent changes to the pensions industry brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside other issues.
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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
PPF could postpone 2030 funding goal amid Covid-19 crisis
The Pension Protection Fund could postpone its goal of being fully self-sufficient and 110 per cent funded by 2030 if needed to face the current Coronavirus pandemic, but will avoid “any kind of knee-jerk reaction”.
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News
Think tank calls for pensions triple lock to be scrapped
On the go: The pensions triple lock should be scrapped following the coronavirus crisis so that all generations pay their fair share to meet the costs of the pandemic, according to a think tank.
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NewsPodcast: Three-month DB contribution holiday ‘might not be enough’
Podcast: Measures introduced by the Pensions Regulator – which allow employers to freeze their defined benefit obligations for three months in response to the economic fallout from coronavirus – might need to be reviewed, warned Emma Watkins, annuities director at Scottish Widows. However, she says the plan gives “breathing space to the most stressed pension schemes”, an opinion shared by Simon Kew, covenant adviser and former manager at the regulator.
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News
Newspaper group asks for deficit deferment
On the go: Reach, the publisher of Daily Mirror and Daily Express, has requested discussions with the regulator around a deferment of current deficit recovery contributions.
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News
Debenhams’ trustees working with TPR as retailer eyes administration
On the go: The trustees of the Debenhams pension schemes are working with the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund, as the company filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator on Monday.
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NewsCovid-19: Volatility returns to markets after UK banks scrap dividends
While UK banks suspended dividend payments amid pressure from the regulator, European markets returned to volatile conditions. Meanwhile, FTSE 350 companies’ defined benefit schemes reached an accounting surplus.
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News
USS sticks with March valuation despite battered funding level
Market volatility has seen the Universities Superannuation Scheme’s asset portfolio shed more than 13 per cent of its value and its deficit pass £11bn in recent days, triggering concerns, but as yet no action, from trustees.
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News
Govt to fund Railways scheme deficit contributions
On the go: Emergency measures introduced by the government – nationalising the railways – mean that taxpayers will be called to fund the Railways Pension Scheme deficit.
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News
Arcadia to halt deficit repayment contributions
On the go: Arcadia Group, Philip Green’s retail conglomerate, is planning to defer the deficit recovery contributions agreed with the Pensions Regulator in 2019.
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News
USS likely to breach deficit trigger
The Universities Superannuation Scheme could breach funding triggers relating to the size of its deficit, as coronavirus continues to cause turmoil in markets.
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News
BoE adds to DB woes as stimulus struggles to ease covenant strain
On the go: The Bank of England's decision to slash its base interest rate to 0.25 from per cent 0.75 per cent will swell defined benefit liabilities, according to experts, who doubt the ability of monetary policy to ease covenant concerns but say Budget measures may offer some help.