Latest articles from Jem Bartholomew

Investor not warned before Woodford locked in its cash

On the go: Kent County Council’s pension fund claimed on Tuesday it was not warned of Woodford Investment Management’s intention to cease trading, as the investment manager locked in investors’ cash to its flagship fund.

Tackle ‘motherhood pensions penalty’, Which? urges government

Women who take time off work to care for their children face a pensions gap of up to £15,000, a report released on Monday by Which? found.

Housing secretary: Let young people raid pension pots for housing

Young people should have access to pension pots to help fund the deposit for their first home, housing secretary James Brokenshire said on Monday, raising the prospect of a rewrite of the UK’s pension rules.

HMRC withdraws appeal in pensions tax case

HM Revenue & Customs has dropped a £400k legal battle with a pension saver who inadvertently exceeded his lifetime tax-free allowance, making further litigation more likely.

Resign over pensions dispute, RMT urges Grayling

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The UK’s railway union called for the resignation of transport secretary Chris Grayling on Thursday, threatening strike action over the escalating railway procurement row.

Return to equities not a sign of volatility ending, consultants say

Data crunch: UK pension fund allocations to equities ticked upwards in the first quarter of 2019, according to data collected by Pensions Expert’s sister title MandateWire, as managers sought to capitalise on falling prices in late 2018.

Stagecoach announces next wave of legal action against DfT

On the go: Stagecoach started the second wave of its legal action against the Department for Transport on Friday, claiming it was illegally excluded from three rail franchise contests in April over pensions liabilities.

Ex-energy secretary: Force divestment from companies flouting Paris accord

Former energy secretary Sir Ed Davey outlined his “radical but practical” vision to tackle climate change in Westminster on Wednesday, as cross-party pressure mounts on the government to take action.

USS targets steady returns with KCom investment

Source: Bloomberg

The actions of bellwether schemes like the £64bn Universities Superannuation Scheme are always closely watched, but scrutiny on USS is particularly acute after widespread strike action last year. Last month, the UK’s largest private plan agreed a £504m cash takeover of telecoms business KCom.

Global Pensions Wrap: May 11 2019

AP

A round-up of the global pensions industry stories published across the FT Group – from yet another row over pay at a US state pension, to a Spanish bank’s innovative use of Amazon Alexa to sell funds.