All Defined benefit articles – Page 144
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News
Regulator threatens greater discipline over poor admin
The number of public service pension schemes disclosing inadequate processes for monitoring data accuracy and completeness has risen, as the Pensions Regulator pledges to clamp down on those falling below the standards it expects.
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FeaturesWest Midlands to divest from arms manufacturer
The West Midlands Pension Fund has agreed to divest from South Korean arms manufacturer Hanwha Corporation after years of sustained pressure on the company from institutional investors across the globe in relation to cluster munitions.
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News
Just Group aims for increased education on DB freedoms
Retirement provider Just Group claims it has disrupted the market for defined benefit member option exercises with a new product launch, as trustees come under increasing pressure to keep members informed about their options under freedom and choice.
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News
Select committees question regulator’s ambition on DB
On the go: The Pensions Regulator’s commitment to engaging proactively with poorly funded defined benefit schemes and their employers has been called into question by two parliamentary select committees, in a stinging letter that discusses the future of chief executive Lesley Titcomb.
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News
FTSE 100 schemes in surplus, but experts warn that risks remain
FTSE 100 pension schemes have reflected a year-end accounting surplus for the first time since the financial crash, according to consultancy LCP, but experts say trustees and sponsors should continue to be prudent in case of potential future market downturns.
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OpinionIs it time to trim your hedge funds?
Analysis: Since 2000, there has been an extraordinary rise in hedge fund investment. While only 2.1 per cent of large institutional investors had money in hedge funds in 2000, cost analysis service CEM Benchmarking says that this figure surpassed 50 per cent in 2016.
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OpinionWhat are trustees' responsibilities when it comes to DB transfers?
Some 100,000 defined benefit transfers took place in the 2017/18 financial year, according to estimates by the Pensions Regulator. This figure marries with the experience of pensions administrators, who have recorded significant increases in transfer activity since pension freedoms were introduced.
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NewsBox Clever judgment sees scheme inch closer to ITV funding
The Pensions Regulator was right to seek to impose a financial support direction on ITV in relation to the Box Clever defined benefit pension scheme, according to a court judgment published on Friday.
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News
Government consults on reforms to NDA schemes
The government has launched a consultation on its approach to reforming two schemes within the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s group, after proposals for a bespoke career average revalued earnings scheme were accepted by unions in 2017.
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News
Rate of investment consultant tenders has plummeted, survey finds
Less than 3 per cent of pension schemes retendered for investment consulting services last year, compared to 18.6 per cent of schemes in 2008, according to research from selection specialists IC Select.
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OpinionCarillion's post-mortem
It is not unusual for Work and Pensions Committee chair Frank Field to show off an impressive vocabulary when launching a salvo against political and personal foes. But even by his standards, the imagery used to put to bed the failed outsourcer Carillion has taken a turn for the macabre.
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FeaturesHaringey to swap passive equities for multi-factor strategy
The London Borough of Haringey Pension Fund has agreed to convert nearly half of its equity allocation from a passive fund into a multi-factor global strategy. It has also recently trimmed an overweight position in equities into its multi-asset absolute return and credit strategies.
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News
Marks and Spencer scheme completes £1.4bn buy-ins
On the go: Trustees of the Marks and Spencer Pension Scheme have purchased buy-in policies with Phoenix Life and Aviva totalling £1.4bn.
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NewsRegulator rebuked for 'feeble' response to Carillion underfunding
Carillion’s corporate culture was at the heart of the contractor’s collapse, MPs have concluded, but the Pensions Regulator has also come under fire for “failing in all its objectives” regarding the company’s pension funds.
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Opinion
Pension funds are making good progress with ESG, says Brunel CEO
Pension funds are making good progress when it comes to responsible investment, according to the £29bn Brunel Pension Partnership’s chief executive Dawn Turner.
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FeaturesKent stands by Neil Woodford despite massive underperformance
Despite concerns over the performance of its UK equities mandate with Woodford Investment Management, the Kent County Council Superannuation Fund has elected to retain its mandate with the embattled asset manager.
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News
National Grid and Zurich complete longevity transaction
More than £2bn of pensioner liabilities of the National Grid Electricity Group of the Electricity Supply Pension Scheme have been covered by an intermediated longevity swap deal with insurer Zurich.
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News
Brewery and chair plead guilty in regulator's s72 case
Samuel Smith Old Brewery and its chairman Humphrey Smith have pleaded guilty to failing to provide information about its schemes to the Pensions Regulator.
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News
TPR plan welcomed, but concerns remain over consistency
The industry has welcomed the Pensions Regulator's new corporate plan, which outlines how it plans to become “clearer, quicker and tougher”, but concerns remain over consistency and the watchdog's focus on smaller schemes.
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Features
Strathclyde ups commitment to emerging market debt
The Strathclyde Pension Fund has nearly doubled its investment in emerging market debt as part of a drive to diversify its portfolio and participate in 'the growth story' of emerging economies.