All Defined benefit articles – Page 80
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NewsDashboards programme ‘on track’ amid industry concerns
The pensions dashboards project is expected to remain on track to meet its publicised timeline, the programme’s principal Chris Curry told a Work and Pensions Committee hearing on Wednesday, amid industry concerns that the existing timeline is not feasible.
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NewsGuidance ‘stronger nudge’ still poses more questions than answers
Regulators are unclear about how the take-up levels of pensions guidance should look like as a result of the “stronger nudge”, since parts of the proposal have yet to be tested, the Work and Pensions Committee has heard.
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NewsDB schemes faced with £46bn in extra liabilities as inflation spikes
On the go: Defined benefit schemes were hit by a £46bn spike in liabilities in September due to the fall in net interest rates, following the biggest hike in consumer prices since 1997 in August, according to analysis from XPS Pensions Group.
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NewsKeysight plan agrees buy-in, motor industry section reaches buyout
Risk Watch: A roundup up of the latest derisking transactions, including the Keysight Technologies plan’s £250m deal with Just Group and Ashwal Garage’s insurance transaction with Aviva.
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NewsStrike ballot set for October in ongoing USS row
On the go: The University and College Union has announced it will ballot staff over strike action in October following a breakdown in negotiations over the Universities Superannuation Scheme’s controversial 2020 valuation.
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NewsTaskforce lays out measures to boost schemes’ voting powers
The Taskforce on Pension Scheme Voting Implementation has called on the Department for Work and Pensions and the Financial Conduct Authority to create templates and requirements aimed at boosting asset owners’ ability to vote, especially in pooled funds.
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NewsInsurers called to protect trustees against GMP claims
The lack of statutory protection afforded to trustees means the insurance industry will have to shield these professionals against claims related to guaranteed minimum pension equalisation in cases where benefits are secured with annuity providers, legal experts have warned, while uncertainty about trustees’ obligations remains.
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NewsPension risk transfer activity expected to increase in H2 2021
Data crunch: Although UK pension schemes have shown a reduced appetite for risk transfers so far this year, there could be a rise in the number of buyout and buy-in deals that will be completed during the second half of 2021.
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NewsBulk annuity deals’ strong momentum to carry on into 2022
On the go: Around £25bn worth of bulk annuity transactions is expected by the end of the year, recovering from a slow start and creating momentum expected to carry over to trades in 2022, according to Aon’s latest risk settlement market update.
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NewsJohn Laing agrees £320m deal with Aviva, Artemis finalises full buy-in
Risk Watch: A roundup up of the latest derisking transactions, including the John Laing Pension Fund deal with Aviva, and Artemis Pension Plan’s full buy-in with Just Group.
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NewsStatements season could cause mayhem for admins, PASA warns
On the go: The creation of a statements season could cause “significant difficulties, additional and unnecessary costs, and adverse implications” for schemes and administrators if a route of a common valuation date is chosen, the Pensions Administration Standards Association has warned.
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OpinionPension Awareness Week: It’s time to wake up the ‘sleepwalkers’
As Pension Awareness Week unfolds, The Investing and Saving Alliance’s head of retirement, Renny Biggins, warns that schemes need to increase engagement with their members as delays to auto-enrolment changes are to be expected.
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NewsPension Awareness Day: Savers still in the dark amid Covid-19 downfall
A roundup of the news marking the 2021 Pension Awareness Day, with £5.3bn lost from over-fifties pension pots during the pandemic, retirement security in the UK declining for the fourth consecutive year, and a new guide launched to help employers and schemes to support members’ financial wellbeing.
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PodcastsPodcast: Trustees need to address sponsor covenant climate risk
Podcast: With climate change becoming central to investment discussions, trustees also need to think about how similar risks can affect the strength of their scheme’s sponsor and its ability to stand behind the pension fund. In this podcast, Lincoln Pensions managing director Michael Bushnell explains what questions trustees need to ask, what to do with the information they get, and why employers really need to pay attention to climate change in their pension finance discussions.
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NewsNational Grid scheme appoints outsourced investment manager
On the go: The circa £12bn National Grid UK Pension Scheme has appointed Russell Investments as its outsourced investment manager.
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OpinionThe last great risk facing defined benefit pension schemes
Insight Investment head of solution design Jos Vermeulen argues that longevity swaps are an appealing solution for schemes, but further standardisation is required to make these transactions more popular and cost-effective.
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NewsInflation jump poses ‘a real challenge’ for pension schemes
The surge in inflation in August – the highest since records began in 1997 – could prove “a real challenge” for pension schemes, experts have warned, especially if it proves not to be a transitory phenomenon.
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NewsDB schemes’ surplus increases £20.8bn in August
On the go: The aggregate surplus of the 5,318 defined benefit schemes in the Pension Protection Fund 7800 index increased by £20.8bn in August.
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NewsABI calls for govt to 'rethink' normal minimum pension age hike
The Association of British Insurers has called on the government to scrap its “complicated”, “arbitrary” and “confusing” plans to raise the normal minimum pension age “until something fit for purpose” has been developed.
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NewsMorrisons schemes granted additional security in takeover bid
On the go: An agreement has been reached between a private equity manager and the trustees of Morrisons’ defined benefit schemes to grant additional security, as the attempted takeover of the supermarket chain progresses.