All Defined benefit articles – Page 195
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News
What the regulator's £8.5m Carrington Wire deal means for your scheme
The Pensions Regulator has settled with two linked Russian companies for £8.5m over their UK pension fund obligations, prompting calls for trustees to re-examine covenant agreements.
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News
Civil Service scheme looks to widen comms after payment delays
The Civil Service Pension Scheme plans to turn to Instagram and mobile technology to communicate with members as it recovers from the fallout of its administration transfer in September.
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News
NHS scheme sees positive response for overhauled comms
The NHS Pension Scheme has sought to turn around criticism from employers on its communications approach, with the launch of online statements for employees detailing their various entitlements.
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Opinion
Class actions are on the rise. Should trustees pick up their cudgels?
Almost from nowhere, pension managers and investment committees are being bombarded with class actions. But how do you manage these, and what are trustees’ duties in these cases?
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Opinion
Communicating difficult benefit changes: a scheme guide
Is there a good way to give bad news? Close Brothers’ Jeanette Makings details some best-practice approaches when delivering potentially tough messages to scheme members.
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Opinion
Why trustees will be spending more time on PPF certification, not less
It was no surprise the Pensions Regulator’s latest defined benefit code recognised the potential value to both schemes and sponsors of contingent assets where trustees agree “to accept more risk than can be supported by their available employer covenant”.
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News
LPFA: £500m GMPF tie-up not limited to infra
The chief of the London Pensions Fund Authority has said the £500m tie-up with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, announced las week, will consider “infrastructure in a broad definition”.
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News
Webb backs mastertrusts to lead CDC vanguard
Pensions minister Steve Webb has signalled support for mastertrusts delivering a collective defined contribution option for members, at a Trades Union Congress conference on Wednesday – but at least one of the large mastertrusts has rejected the idea.
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News
Schemes plan partial DB-DC transfers to trim liabilities
Legal experts have reported an increase in pension schemes planning to reduce their liabilities by changing their rules to allow partial transfer of members' pure defined benefit assets into defined contribution arrangements.
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News
Kent sees 75% reduction in overpayment write-offs
Kent Pension Fund has driven down its overpayment write-offs by 75 per cent after the implementation of monthly mortality screening – as administration experts raise concerns about schemes’ data holes.
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News
Inflation hedging on the rise with smaller scheme LDI
Inflation hedging activity saw a jump towards the end of last year as medium-sized schemes took advantage of favourable pricing, ahead of further inflation falls.
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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
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
Invensys blitzes liabilities with cash, PIE and closure plans
Invensys Pension Scheme has launched a three-pronged attack on its liabilities by offering defined benefit members cash for smaller pensions and the option of trading in pension increases on larger pots – while planning to cease all accrual.
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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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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
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
How the DB code’s employer growth objective affects scheme funding
In a world where just one in five UK sponsors have a ‘strong’ covenant, Spence’s Marian Elliott explains how trustees of such schemes can strike the balance between an appropriate investment risk strategy and reliance on employer contributions.
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Opinion
PPF: How the pensions landscape is changing
Talking head: The Pension Protection Fund’s Stephen Rice uses the Purple Book to demonstrate that while certain DB asset allocation trends are tailing off, the derisking journey has some way to run.
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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.