All Defined benefit articles – Page 194
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News
Webb calls for pensions dashboard within two years
Pensions minister Steve Webb last week called on the next government to implement a combined state and private pension statement within the next two years that also incorporates aspects of pot-follows-member.
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Opinion
DB-DC transfer requests will rise. Here is how to handle them
Quantum’s David Deidun says the rise of DB-DC transfers are much ado about nothing, but that trustees should allow enough time to disinvest funds efficiently in such periods of increased demand.
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News
Rentokil sets up escrow as funding level tips into surplus
The Rentokil Initial Pension Scheme has set up an escrow account to prevent employer contributions becoming trapped in the scheme, after its funding level reached surplus.
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Opinion
Four graphs on why auto-enrolment is just the first step
Data released by the Office for National Statistics give more evidence automatic enrolment is driving up participation in pension schemes, but a growing proportion of payments to defined contribution schemes languish at 2 per cent, with public sector contributions outpacing private.
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Opinion
Ready or not: pensions administration post-April 2015
Barnett Waddingham’s Julian Mainwood details the steps trustees and scheme administrators need to take in order to stay on top of the upcoming changes and adapt to scheme members’ needs.
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Opinion
Finding the right ratio of stick to carrot in pensions regulation
Talking head: Lincoln’s Tony Hobman argues the Pensions Regulator will have to develop its oversight in order to strike the right balance in response to an evolving industry.
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News
DB mastertrusts grow but funding risks drag on demand
Competition is growing in the defined benefit mastertrust market as providers promise the benefits of scale, but experts have urged employers to be mindful about the risks of these structures.
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News
Coal ditches surplus-sharing to stabilise pension increases
The British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme has announced pension increases for its members, as it ends the surplus-sharing arrangement established after the privatisation of the scheme's employer in 1994.
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News
Merseyside uses FX rate benchmark to cut fees
Merseyside Pension Fund has used foreign exchange rate benchmarking to hold its banks to account and secure cost reductions, as local authority schemes put increasing fee pressure on their investment counterparties.
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News
Lloyds scheme turns to alt credit as it shrinks equity risk
Lloyds Bank’s larger defined benefit pension fund has ditched a proportion of its equity holdings in favour of credit and hedge fund strategies, as pension funds widen their search for diversified sources of return.
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News
BA allows AVC transfer to meet flexibility demand as schemes seek middle way
British Airways’ pension schemes have introduced a new additional voluntary contribution transfer option allowing members to take advantage of the greater retirement flexibility available after April.
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News
Regulator reassures on DB-DC transfers but capacity crunch predicted
The industry has welcomed the pensions watchdog’s clarification on trustees’ duties around the new flexibilities, but some are concerned scheme administrators will face capacity issues around rising transfer value requests.
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Opinion
Buchanan: Lay trustees play an often unenviable but critical role
Since Duncan Buchanan first became a pensions lawyer more than 23 years ago, he writes, the level of complexity of pensions has increased both in terms of legislation but also the case law set by judges – a recent IBM judgment exceeded 600 pages in length.
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Features
Does your pension scheme work for younger savers?
Young people’s participation in pension schemes is on the up, thanks largely to auto-enrolment, challenging their managers to plug into the needs of their changing membership profiles.
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News
Energy group sells ships to buoy funding
UK energy major BG Group is using the $460m (£299m) sale of two liquid natural gas carrier ships to quell a rising deficit, the latest development in a 15-year funding deal.
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Features
Reports predict bulk derisking boom as deficits rise
Around two-thirds of defined benefit schemes worth more than £1bn are exploring derisking strategies, according to research, with climbing deficits and product innovation seen as key drivers.
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News
PPF index highlights DB funding trough, expected to normalise
The Pension Protection Fund’s latest 7800 Index figures showed further deteriorating funding deficits among defined benefit schemes, but industry commentators expressed caution against knee-jerk reactions to the slide.
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News
Fund management body sets out charges disclosure plan
Industry experts have welcomed proposals on charges and transaction costs from the Investment Association, but warned trustees should not make fees their only focus.
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Opinion
Altmann: Don’t abandon member safeguards in DB-DC transfers
Talking head: Ros Altmann argues for a £5k-£10k threshold for non-advised DB transfers-out, and says it is vital that members receive proper advice to understand the value of the benefits they are rejecting.
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News
How BT structured deal to recover £7bn deficit
The BT Pension Scheme has agreed a revised plan to conquer its £7bn deficit, a deal that experts say will give the scheme particular reliance on the company.