All Defined benefit articles – Page 31
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NewsFCA urges LDI stress-testing in the face of rising buffer costs
The Financial Conduct Authority has called on asset managers to stress-test the “operational consequences” of improved liquidity buffers for liability-driven investment funds, recognising the additional costs that these buffers impose on pension schemes.
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NewsRules to remove DC charge cap fees due in the new year
The government will lay regulations to remove fees from the defined contribution charge cap early next year, one of a number of pensions-related proposals included in the reforms aimed at improving the competitiveness of the UK’s financial services sector.
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NewsRobinson & Sons scheme completes £44mn full buy-in
On the go: The circa £69.1mn Robinson & Sons Limited Pension Fund has agreed a full buy-in of its £44mn of pension scheme liabilities with Legal & General.
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NewsHalf of defined benefit schemes now closed to future accrual
Fifty per cent of defined benefit schemes are now closed to future accrual, according to new figures from the Pensions Regulator.
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NewsBigger LDI collateral buffers will increase sponsor reliance, MPs told
The Work and Pensions Committee has been reminded of the trade-off between bigger collateral buffers and investment returns, with one chief executive warning that buffers of 400 basis points would force some schemes to “pare back their growth ambitions” and increase their reliance on sponsor contributions.
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NewsRailpen leads bondholder stewardship group
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including the launch of a new bondholders’ stewardship working group, the adoption of a formal ESG policy by BlackRock’s LifePath UK DC investment strategy, and a new global standard for stewardship resourcing.
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NewsCoats UK scheme agrees £350mn bulk annuity deal with Aviva
On the go: The $3.1bn (£2.5bn) Coats UK Pension Scheme, which merged with the Brunel Holdings Pension Scheme and the Staveley Industries Retirement Benefits Scheme in 2018, has agreed a £350mn bulk annuity deal with insurer Aviva.
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NewsMorgan Advanced Materials makes £67mn advance contribution
On the go: Manufacturing company Morgan Advanced Materials has agreed to make an accelerated contribution of £67mn to its UK defined benefit pension schemes, as part of a deal that will see the trustees increase inflation and interest rate hedging levels.
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NewsPublic sector pension judicial review hearing set for January
On the go: Five trade unions will make their case against the government in the High Court, in the last week of January 2023, over an alleged “ongoing robbery” of public sector scheme members’ money.
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NewsNHS staff offered ‘partial retirement’ with scheme eligibility expanded
Members of the NHS Pension Scheme will have the option of “partial retirement” under proposed government reforms aimed at stemming the flow of health workers leaving the NHS.
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News‘Lower leverage is here to stay’: industry responds to LDI inquiry
The use of leverage in liability-driven investments should be reassessed, according to respondents to a Work and Pensions Committee inquiry.
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NewsMusicians’ Union scheme agrees full buyout
On the go: The £13mn Musicians’ Union Permanent Officials and Staff Pension Fund has agreed a full buyout with Aviva.
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NewsFCA: Liquidity buffers are a ‘necessary but partial solution’
On the go: The Financial Conduct Authority has urged managers of liability-driven investment funds to learn the lessons of the autumn liquidity crisis, claiming that liquidity buffers represent only part of the solution to future volatility.
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NewsPPF: Funding worsened for some schemes due to market turmoil
The Pension Protection Fund is expecting some schemes to have a deterioration in funding due to the forced selling of assets in response to market turmoil, despite the overall improvement in the defined benefit sector, its chief finance officer and chief actuary has said.
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NewsBalfour Beatty Pension Fund completes £1.7bn longevity swap
On the go: The £4bn Balfour Beatty Pension Fund has signed a £1.7bn longevity swap transaction with Zurich Assurance and Scor.
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NewsLDI pooled funds determined Bank of England intervention
The Bank of England’s bond market intervention was determined by the lack of ability of liability-driven investment pooled funds to receive the liquidity needed from schemes to rebalance in a short period of time, Andrew Bailey has revealed.
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NewsTPR expects improved LDI liquidity buffers to be maintained
The Pensions Regulator has set out its expectation that liquidity buffers be maintained across pooled and leveraged liability-driven investment mandates, going beyond the demands of Irish and Luxembourgish regulators.
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NewsTPR investment lead mulls role of ‘groupthink’ in LDI crisis
The Pensions Regulator’s lead investment consultant, Fred Berry, has suggested that industry “groupthink” may have played a part in creating the conditions for the liquidity crisis which engulfed defined benefit pension schemes in the autumn.
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NewsRetirement standards compromised by changes in pensions system
On the go: Changes made to the UK pensions system are positive for sustainability but are leaving savers’ retirement standards compromised.
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NewsUSS surplus hints at ‘positive choices’ over contribution rates
On the go:The Universities Superannuation Scheme has swung into a £5.6bn surplus, according to its latest monitoring report, offering the possibility of “positive choices” regarding future contribution rates, while sparking fury among those taking strike action against scheme reforms.





