More defined benefit news – Page 155
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Lothian adds benefit extension as it looks to upgrade online services
Lothian Pension Fund has extended its online member services to allow members to calculate the pension they would get under voluntary redundancy, as well as introducing a data transfer system for employers to ensure accuracy.
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Northern Powergrid scheme looks to reduce risk with new investment strategy
Northern Powergrid Group Pension Scheme is exploring alternative means of reducing risk as its investment strategy matures, and is reviewing its property investment after “stagnant” performance.
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One in seven trustees think sponsor relationship needs work
Around one trustee on each board feels their relationship with the scheme sponsor needs to be improved, according to a survey of 100 scheme representatives, conducted as fresh regulation seeks to strengthen this bond.
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Schemes plough £24bn into gilts despite low yields
Pension schemes compelled last year to derisk at historically low yields quadrupled the previous year’s gilt purchases, according to official data that have left investment experts surprised.
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10,000 retained firefighters could take up benefits extension, union predicts
The UK’s largest firefighters union has said 10,000 ‘retained’ personnel are expected to take up the option of extended pension benefits, which bring them into line with those offered to their full-time peers.
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Daily Mail grabs alternative inflation linkage in place of pricey gilts
The Daily Mail and General Trust pension fund has used alternative assets to provide inflation linkage, after demand and monetary policy drove up the cost of using gilts to mitigate inflation risk.
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Buy-in market predicted to reach new heights
The amount of scheme liabilities underwritten by insurers is expected to reach a record high this year as buy-ins become more affordable and scheme confidence grows, derisking consultants have said.
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Revised DB code emphasises integrated risk management
The Pensions Regulator this week released a new code of practice for defined benefit schemes, focusing on trustees and employers working collaboratively on scheme funding.
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Override sought ahead of state pension reforms
Legal experts have called for a statutory override in scheme rules to avoid members getting more benefits than originally intended from bridging pensions, as the industry approaches the switch to a single-tier state pension in 2016.
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PPF targets transparency with insolvency levy changes
Schemes will be able to more precisely focus their efforts to reduce their Pension Protection Fund levy, following the lifeboat’s proposals to make its insolvency risk system more transparent.
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Gilt yield falls confound expectations and depress funding
Investment advisers have been taken by surprise by the recent drop in government bond yields which have inflated schemes’ liabilities and delayed derisking strategies.
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PPF assesses out-of-cycle valuations for schemes affected by 'money purchase' definition
The Pension Protection Fund launched a consultation last week to assess the material change in risk to the lifeboat brought about by the changes to the definition of money purchase benefits, which will come into force later this year.
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Pharma company sees tenth of staff up contributions after face-to-face comms
Pharmaceutical company Bayer has seen increased engagement from employees towards pension saving after a communication campaign relying heavily on face-to-face interaction.
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Next splits pension fund in bid to turn buy-in to buyout
High-street retailer Next is planning to complete a partial buyout worth around £150m within three months, after completing an innovative split of its pension fund to hive off the lion’s share of its pensioner liabilities.
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University calls for greater employer control within LGPS
The University of East London has called for a greater say in the running of the Barking & Dagenham Pension Fund, as it says funding the scheme has become a growing financial burden.
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Wiltshire: Early engagement key to managing LGPS reform
The head of Wiltshire Pension Fund said early engagement has been crucial to its implementation of this year’s Local Government Pension Scheme reforms, as local authority decision-makers stress the importance of staff training.
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Analytics providers call for safeguards on member data
Schemes using online data analytics systems to inform investment and risk-management decisions have been urged by system providers to put in place governance procedures to ensure data security.
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Shell introduces reserve account to prevent contribution volatility
The Shell Contributory Pension Fund has created a contribution reserve account to prevent a trapped surplus as it exceeds full funding.
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Isle of Wight hunts admin software to meet reform obligations
Isle of Wight Pension Fund is tendering for pensions administration software as its current infrastructure is set to be decommissioned, in a move expected initially to cost up to £267,000.
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Is Shell's bid to avoid trapped surplus a contribution holiday 2.0?
The around £13bn Shell Contributory Pension Fund has revealed changes to the way the company will make contributions to the scheme.