All Defined benefit articles – Page 187
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News
West Midlands plans online growth after web traffic more than doubles
West Midlands Pension Fund plans to develop its online member portal after further growth in traffic and member engagement, as digital communication becomes a mainstay of the sector.
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News
MNOPF: captive insurance longevity swap saved £10m
The Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund has said the use of a captive insurance company halved the cost of its £1.5bn longevity swap, and opened the door for smaller scheme derisking.
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News
Half of DB schemes unsure how to tackle end of contracting out
Half of defined benefit schemes have not yet decided how they will deal with the end of contracting out, a survey of scheme decision-makers has indicated.
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News
Secondhand annuities could offer DB funds income, but pricing tricky
The pensions minister’s proposal to allow retirees to cash in annuities could suit defined benefit schemes eager to access the resultant long-term cash flows, but pricing “secondhand” annuities could be a sticking point.
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Opinion
How the DB code's employer growth objective affects scheme funding
The Pensions Regulator last summer published a revised version of Code of Practice 3 for funding defined benefit pension schemes.
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News
Volunteering charity makes £2.9m deficit payment after property sale
London-based charity Community Service Volunteers has reported using the sale of property assets to reduce the risk posed by its pension deficit, as defined benefit schemes reach their lowest aggregate funding level in 18 months.
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Opinion
Six hurdles for DB and DC schemes to get over in 2015
By now, you'll have waded through all manner of 2014 round-ups, but what lies ahead for the pension trustee or scheme manager is certainly more pressing.
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Opinion
Lafarge, Channel 4 and Lloyds feature in the top five derisking stories of 2014
Many schemes worked hard this year to make a dent in their pension fund deficit as liabilities soared, employing methods ranging from simple payment increases to complex recovery plans.
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News
Doncaster takes low-rate £28m loan in novel move to fund scheme
Doncaster council has sought to turn the low interest rate environment to its advantage by taking out £28m in short-term loans to help fund its employer contributions to South Yorkshire Pension Fund.
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News
GMP reconciliation to be major 2015 challenge for schemes
Pensions professionals have said guaranteed minimum pension equalisation will be their biggest project in 2015, a survey has shown, as the end of contracting out forces schemes to undertake exercises.
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News
BT reboots flexible retirement with safety mechanism
BT has reactivated its flexible retirement option following a controversial review, adding a requirement for members to seek advice to ensure they understand its impact on their benefits.
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News
TPAS: Wave of requests to hit schemes and administrators in April
The Pensions Advisory Service has warned that scheme trustees and administrators risk being overwhelmed in April by members eager to access their savings at the earliest opportunity, having waited a year for the pension freedoms to come into play.
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News
Pennon saves £15m with pensionable pay cap
Utilities company Pennon has become the latest private sector employer to impose a cap on future increases in members’ pensionable pay, saving the company £15m, while installing a voluntary top-up for members.
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News
Webb defends 'revolutionary' CDC legacy against industry critics
Pensions minister Steve Webb told an industry event this week the “pendulum is going to swing back” from individual defined contribution pension provision, but delegates challenged the viability of risk-sharing schemes.
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News
Selex grows surplus to £72m but future costs rise
The £530m Selex Pension Scheme has further grown its funding surplus, but its pensions head is unfazed about overfunding as the interest rate environment has pushed up future service costs.
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News
Consultants report evidence of Osborne boost to DB-DC transfers
Consultants have reported an increase in the number of defined benefit to defined contribution transfer requests from scheme members following George Osborne's announcement of greater retirement flexibility in the March Budget.
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News
Pensions Trust reflects on trustee election after diversity move
The Pensions Trust did not see a bump in engagement in its latest round of trustee elections despite adding online voting, following a controversial decision to take names off the ballot to avoid “unconscious bias” towards male candidates.
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Features
WMPF markets third-party services to neutralise costs
West Midlands Pension Fund plans to market its internal support services to third parties in order to become cost-neutral by offsetting its administration costs.
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Features
CofE scheme mulls infrastructure diversification to drive returns
The Church of England Pensions Board is considering spreading its infrastructure portfolio outside Europe, following a similar decision to rebalance its property portfolio towards the US and Asia in a hunt for return.
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Features
Lloyds scheme saves £710m with pensionable pay freeze
One of the UK’s ‘big four’ banks Lloyds Banking Group has made a £710m saving by halting pensionable pay increases, as it looks to reduce the cost of its defined benefit arrangement.