All News articles – Page 218

  • News

    Mid-market direct lending approach 'too constraining', WTW says

    2018-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Mid-market direct lending is “now demonstrating signs of material deterioration in credit underwriting and future return potential”, according to a report by consultancy Willis Towers Watson, which is instead recommending its clients invest in debt for US real estate and UK commercial real estate.

  • News

    Scam victims lose £91,000 on average

    2018-08-13T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority have launched a joint media campaign to combat pension scams, amid the revelation that average losses from fraudulent and inappropriate inducements eclipsed the size of the average pension pot in the UK.

  • News

    Bulk annuity volumes break H1 record

    2018-08-09T00:00:00Z

    On the go: UK pension schemes entered into a record £7.8bn of buy-ins and buyouts in the first half of 2018, as large 'back book' transfers between insurers failed to disrupt the market's capacity.

  • News

    DB transfers heading into costly drawdown products, research finds

    2018-08-08T00:00:00Z

    Defined benefit members transferring out of their scheme to take advantage of freedom and choice may be wasting money on fees for flexibilities they are unlikely to use, according to a new report.

  • News

    SES Water cites Ofwat price review in proposed scheme closure

    2018-08-07T00:00:00Z

    SES Water, formerly known as Sutton and East Surrey Water, has opened a consultation with members on the closure of its defined benefit section to future accrual, citing efficiencies demanded by water regulator Ofwat.

  • News

    Regulator charges third party for supplying false information

    2018-08-06T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Regulator is prosecuting an accountant for falsely claiming that the business he was working for had enrolled its staff into an occupational pension. It is the first time that the regulator has charged a third party for this offence.

  • Source: Getty Images
    News

    Ombudsman’s police ruling highlights trustee duty of care

    2018-08-06T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Ombudsman has upheld a police officer’s complaint that Northumbria Police transferred his pension to a new scheme without having conducted adequate checks or provided him with sufficient warning about scams.

  • News

    Select committee launches costs and transparency inquiry

    2018-08-03T00:00:00Z

    The Work and Pensions Committee is to conduct an inquiry into transparency in the pensions industry, questioning whether individuals are able to understand the cost, performance and value for money of their pension products.

  • News

    Bank of England raises base rate to 0.75%

    2018-08-02T00:00:00Z

    The Bank of England has raised its base interest rate to 0.75 per cent, its highest level since February 2009.

  • News

    Mastertrust transfers and charges blasted in ‘worst in pensions’ study

    2018-08-01T00:00:00Z

    Two of the UK’s largest mastertrusts have been named the worst performing providers in pensions over high charges and slow transfer processes.

  • News

    Johnson: With-profits a better alternative to risky CDC

    2018-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Plans for collective defined contribution schemes are "a risk too far", and savers should instead be offered individual savings pots invested in with-profits funds, according to one of the architects of freedom and choice.

  • News

    Select committee chair loses no confidence vote by local party

    2018-07-30T00:00:00Z

    Labour MP Frank Field has lost of vote of no confidence in his constituency, as local party members try to oust the Work and Pensions Committee chair over his support for Brexit.

  • News

    Brewery fined for refusing to share information with TPR

    2018-07-30T00:00:00Z

    Samuel Smith Brewery and its chairman must pay fines of almost £28,000 for failing to hand over to the Pensions Regulator requested information relating to its defined benefit schemes, Brighton Magistrates Court ruled on Monday. 

  • FTSE 100 (Getty)
    News

    FTSE 100 steps up derisking drive as deficits shrink

    2018-07-30T00:00:00Z

    Defined benefit schemes of FTSE 100 employers continue to derisk investment portfolios at a rapid rate, despite mismatching of assets and liabilities generating attractive returns over the last year.

  • News

    Communications essential as cold-calling ban takes step forward

    2018-07-23T00:00:00Z

    The Department for Work and Pensions has taken a further step towards implementing a ban on cold calls related to pensions, but experts have cautioned that the delayed measure will not be sufficient on its own to stamp out scams.

  • News

    Northumbrian Water makes moves to manage liabilities

    2018-07-19T00:00:00Z

    Northumbrian Water has embarked on a multi-pronged liability management exercise in a bid to control its defined benefit obligations, including a pension increase exchange and employer-funded financial advice.

  • Mandatory tenders welcomed by pensions industry
    News

    Mandatory tenders welcomed by pensions industry

    2018-07-18T00:00:00Z

    UK pension schemes will be required to conduct competitive tender processes before hiring their first fiduciary manager, under recommendations set out by the Competition and Markets Authority on Wednesday.

  • News

    CMA wants mandatory tendering to tackle competition weaknesses

    2018-07-18T00:00:00Z

    On the go: UK pension schemes will be required to conduct competitive tender processes before hiring their first fiduciary manager, under recommendations set out by the Competition and Markets Authority on Wednesday.

  • News

    ABI expresses concerns over dashboard speculation

    2018-07-18T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Association of British Insurers has expressed concerns over the “threat to the pensions dashboard”, following speculation yesterday that secretary of state for work and pensions, Esther McVey, wants to kill off the project.

  • News

    Select committee hails CDC as 'new Beveridge' for UK pensions

    2018-07-16T00:00:00Z

    Collective defined contribution schemes could usher in a new era of progress for the welfare state, according to the Work and Pensions Committee’s latest report, as the influential group of MPs seeks to increase pressure on government to facilitate the swift creation of CDC schemes.