More defined benefit news – Page 148

  • News

    Risk-averse DC members shy away from DGFs

    2016-07-06T00:00:00Z

    At a Pensions Expert event this week, panellists debated how best to incorporate multi-asset strategies into defined benefit and defined contribution portfolios, agreeing that such strategies will become much more geared towards DC in the future.

  • News

    Experts eye hedging and CPI as UK DB deficit up £170bn in weeks

    2016-06-24T00:00:00Z

    UK defined benefit pension deficits grew by £170bn over seven weeks in the run-up to the EU referendum, jumping to £900bn as market volatility following the result put further strain on funding positions.

  • News

    LDI crucial part of portfolio despite low yields, experts say

    2016-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Schemes must not leave themselves vulnerable to interest rate risk by ignoring seemingly expensive liability-driven investment strategies, according to panellists at a Pensions Expert event on LDI held last week.

  • Source: KPMG
    News

    Smaller schemes dive into LDI pools

    2016-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Smaller schemes are increasingly using liability-driven investment strategies, as the number of pooled mandates powers growth in the market, research this week from consultancy KPMG has shown.

  • News

    British Steel’s proposed changes raise difficult questions

    2016-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Discrepancies between the government’s recommendations for how BSPS should proceed and the scheme’s proposed alterations to its rules might make reaching a decision about its future on June 23 harder.

  • News

    Active debt management key to exploiting bond opportunities

    2016-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Schemes hunting for cash flow in a record-low gilt yield environment are turning to corporate bonds, emerging markets and active management of their debt portfolios, a study has revealed.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Market instability tops referendum fears

    2016-06-13T00:00:00Z

    Negative portfolio returns and prolonged unpredictability are the top concerns potential Brexit raises for pension stakeholders according to a new survey by pensions platform Mallowstreet. However, pensions insiders said these risks should already have started being addressed.

  • News

    Strathclyde adds EMD as cash flow turns negative

    2016-06-10T00:00:00Z

    Strathclyde Pension Fund has approved a range of investment changes, including up to £300m in emerging market debt and £30m in core UK infrastructure.

  • News

    Longevity risk anxiety overshadows subtler threats

    2016-06-09T00:00:00Z

    New research commissioned by investment bank State Street has shown that a quarter of pension professionals consider longevity risk to be the biggest threat to pension schemes, but some say it should not take priority. 

  • News

    Recent pension deficit reductions are unlikely to be sustainable

    2016-06-07T00:00:00Z

    A survey of FTSE 100 companies’ pension schemes showed that during 2015 the overall pension deficit was reduced by £15bn, mostly by lower salary assumptions and higher discount rates, but experts say the trends responsible for the reduction have now reversed.

  • Staveley agrees £73.6m recovery plan
    News

    Staveley agrees £73.6m recovery plan

    2016-06-03T00:00:00Z

    The Staveley Pension Scheme has agreed a new, £73.6m recovery plan with its sponsoring employer after its most recent actuarial valuation found a £100m deficit.

  • Getty Images
    News

    What will British Steel’s rule changes mean for pensions?

    2016-06-02T00:00:00Z

    Experts agree the changes being proposed to the British Steel Pension Scheme will impact salary-related pensions more broadly, but differ on whether the long-term effects will necessarily be negative.

  • News

    DB schemes’ negative cash flow matters, but is not a crisis

    2016-06-01T00:00:00Z

    A survey by Hymans Robertson has found that 50 per cent of FTSE 350 defined benefit schemes are or soon will be cash flow negative, and that chief financial officers are more worried about forced disinvestment than trustees.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Switching BSPS indexation to CPI could set legal precedent

    2016-05-27T00:00:00Z

    A four-week public consultation on the British Steel Pension Scheme launched by the government this week could pave the way for an indexation switch aimed at significantly reducing Tata Steel’s pension liabilities, which could reverberate across the private sector.

  • News

    Illiquidity premiums move up agenda, but questions over cash flow remain

    2016-05-26T00:00:00Z

    The new market liquidity regime will make it harder for pension schemes to access credit, says a new report, which recommends they take steps – in particular, to exploit illiquidity premiums – to protect themselves.  

  • News

    Field’s proposal for scheme deficits bill raises pension cut fears

    2016-05-25T00:00:00Z

    Former pensions minister Steve Webb has warned that a new bill proposed by Work and Pensions Committee chair Frank Field to deal with DB deficits – including by introducing flexible benefits – is a “worrying” development that could undermine people’s confidence in the pension system.

  • On track to reduce NIC impact
    News

    Network Rail plans £19m savings following NI cost hike

    2016-05-20T00:00:00Z

    Network Rail expects to save around £19m annually following a swath of amendments to two of its schemes to mitigate the increased costs of contracting-out cessation, as many schemes either absorb the cost or close.

  • News

    Nilgosc to allow lump sum contributions

    2016-05-18T00:00:00Z

    The Northern Ireland Local Government Officers Superannuation Committee plans to ask for upfront deficit contributions for this year’s LGPS valuation from its employer members as the public sector in Northern Ireland shrinks.

  • News

    Cash flow is important but not pressing, experts say

    2016-05-17T00:00:00Z

    For the first time, the Pensions Regulator explicitly included cash flow considerations in its annual funding statement, published last week. Industry insiders welcomed the move, but said the statement has raised other equally important concerns.

  • News

    DWP launches online tracing site as demand booms

    2016-05-13T00:00:00Z

    The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a new website for the government's pension tracing service, as the number of people seeking their deferred pots has ballooned over the past decade.