All Defined benefit articles – Page 172

  • Source: KPMG
    News

    Smaller schemes dive into LDI pools

    2016-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Smaller schemes are increasingly using liability-driven investment strategies, as the number of pooled mandates powers growth in the market, research this week from consultancy KPMG has shown.

  • News

    LDI crucial part of portfolio despite low yields, experts say

    2016-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Schemes must not leave themselves vulnerable to interest rate risk by ignoring seemingly expensive liability-driven investment strategies, according to panellists at a Pensions Expert event on LDI held last week.

  • News

    British Steel’s proposed changes raise difficult questions

    2016-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Discrepancies between the government’s recommendations for how BSPS should proceed and the scheme’s proposed alterations to its rules might make reaching a decision about its future on June 23 harder.

  • Mineworkers Pension Scheme
    Features

    MPS mines for income with alternative credit and shipping

    2016-06-16T00:00:00Z

    The Mineworkers Pension Scheme is hunting for income with new allocations to shipping and special situations debt, alongside increased exposure to private debt and property.

  • News

    Active debt management key to exploiting bond opportunities

    2016-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Schemes hunting for cash flow in a record-low gilt yield environment are turning to corporate bonds, emerging markets and active management of their debt portfolios, a study has revealed.

  • Opinion

    Leadership is needed for the future of DB

    2016-06-14T00:00:00Z

    The UK’s defined benefit pensions sector has come under growing pressure in recent decades. But events surrounding the likes of BHS and British Steel have brought those issues to the attention of a much wider audience.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Market instability tops referendum fears

    2016-06-13T00:00:00Z

    Negative portfolio returns and prolonged unpredictability are the top concerns potential Brexit raises for pension stakeholders according to a new survey by pensions platform Mallowstreet. However, pensions insiders said these risks should already have started being addressed.

  • Opinion

    Will PLSA’s DB consultation bolster embattled industry?

    2016-06-10T00:00:00Z

    From the blog: The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has called for evidence to support its Defined Benefit Taskforce, as record-low gilt yields pile yet more pressure on the industry.

  • News

    Strathclyde adds EMD as cash flow turns negative

    2016-06-10T00:00:00Z

    Strathclyde Pension Fund has approved a range of investment changes, including up to £300m in emerging market debt and £30m in core UK infrastructure.

  • News

    Longevity risk anxiety overshadows subtler threats

    2016-06-09T00:00:00Z

    New research commissioned by investment bank State Street has shown that a quarter of pension professionals consider longevity risk to be the biggest threat to pension schemes, but some say it should not take priority. 

  • News

    Recent pension deficit reductions are unlikely to be sustainable

    2016-06-07T00:00:00Z

    A survey of FTSE 100 companies’ pension schemes showed that during 2015 the overall pension deficit was reduced by £15bn, mostly by lower salary assumptions and higher discount rates, but experts say the trends responsible for the reduction have now reversed.

  • Staveley agrees £73.6m recovery plan
    News

    Staveley agrees £73.6m recovery plan

    2016-06-03T00:00:00Z

    The Staveley Pension Scheme has agreed a new, £73.6m recovery plan with its sponsoring employer after its most recent actuarial valuation found a £100m deficit.

  • Getty Images
    News

    What will British Steel’s rule changes mean for pensions?

    2016-06-02T00:00:00Z

    Experts agree the changes being proposed to the British Steel Pension Scheme will impact salary-related pensions more broadly, but differ on whether the long-term effects will necessarily be negative.

  • News

    DB schemes’ negative cash flow matters, but is not a crisis

    2016-06-01T00:00:00Z

    A survey by Hymans Robertson has found that 50 per cent of FTSE 350 defined benefit schemes are or soon will be cash flow negative, and that chief financial officers are more worried about forced disinvestment than trustees.

  • Duncan Buchanan
    Opinion

    Buchanan: How to tackle zombie DB schemes

    2016-05-31T00:00:00Z

    The troubles faced by BHS and Tata Steel have thrust pensions into the spotlight for the burden they can pose to employers, but can benefit cuts be justified? Duncan Buchanan gives his thoughts.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Switching BSPS indexation to CPI could set legal precedent

    2016-05-27T00:00:00Z

    A four-week public consultation on the British Steel Pension Scheme launched by the government this week could pave the way for an indexation switch aimed at significantly reducing Tata Steel’s pension liabilities, which could reverberate across the private sector.

  • News

    Illiquidity premiums move up agenda, but questions over cash flow remain

    2016-05-26T00:00:00Z

    The new market liquidity regime will make it harder for pension schemes to access credit, says a new report, which recommends they take steps – in particular, to exploit illiquidity premiums – to protect themselves.  

  • News

    Field’s proposal for scheme deficits bill raises pension cut fears

    2016-05-25T00:00:00Z

    Former pensions minister Steve Webb has warned that a new bill proposed by Work and Pensions Committee chair Frank Field to deal with DB deficits – including by introducing flexible benefits – is a “worrying” development that could undermine people’s confidence in the pension system.

  • On track to reduce NIC impact
    News

    Network Rail plans £19m savings following NI cost hike

    2016-05-20T00:00:00Z

    Network Rail expects to save around £19m annually following a swath of amendments to two of its schemes to mitigate the increased costs of contracting-out cessation, as many schemes either absorb the cost or close.

  • News

    Nilgosc to allow lump sum contributions

    2016-05-18T00:00:00Z

    The Northern Ireland Local Government Officers Superannuation Committee plans to ask for upfront deficit contributions for this year’s LGPS valuation from its employer members as the public sector in Northern Ireland shrinks.