All News articles – Page 271
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Premier Coffee's AE staging met by radio silence
After a year preparing for auto-enrolment, Costa franchise Premier Coffee did not receive a single follow-up enquiry from its 120 eligible staff, and only a handful of opt-outs, demonstrating the engagement challenge facing UK employers.
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Coal ditches surplus-sharing to stabilise pension increases
The British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme has announced pension increases for its members, as it ends the surplus-sharing arrangement established after the privatisation of the scheme's employer in 1994.
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Merseyside uses FX rate benchmark to cut fees
Merseyside Pension Fund has used foreign exchange rate benchmarking to hold its banks to account and secure cost reductions, as local authority schemes put increasing fee pressure on their investment counterparties.
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How Devon is approaching its alt equity smart beta strategy
Devon Pension Fund has set out its approach to its mixed alternative equity index, using the smart beta strategy as a middle way between active management and the fund’s large passive allocation.
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European pension funds swarm into alts for yield
European pension funds moved deeper into alternative investments last year as they sought fresh avenues of returns and liability matching in tricky market conditions.
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Lloyds scheme turns to alt credit as it shrinks equity risk
Lloyds Bank’s larger defined benefit pension fund has ditched a proportion of its equity holdings in favour of credit and hedge fund strategies, as pension funds widen their search for diversified sources of return.
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Pension tools not up to scratch for post-April flexibilities, say experts
Communication experts have called for schemes to avoid jargon and break down complexity in online illustration tools, as research reveals wide variation across offerings and patchy understanding of reforms.
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Regulator reassures on DB-DC transfers but capacity crunch predicted
The industry has welcomed the pensions watchdog’s clarification on trustees’ duties around the new flexibilities, but some are concerned scheme administrators will face capacity issues around rising transfer value requests.
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BA allows AVC transfer to meet flexibility demand as schemes seek middle way
British Airways’ pension schemes have introduced a new additional voluntary contribution transfer option allowing members to take advantage of the greater retirement flexibility available after April.
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Why three in four say they will shun guidance guarantee
Only one in four over-55s intend to use the government’s free retirement guidance service, falling below one in 10 for women approaching retirement, in another sign of the challenge facing the system.
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DWP opts for network of registers to facilitate PFM transfers
The government has revealed further detail on its long-awaited federated model for pension consolidation, as it moves to take the infrastructure development process to the next stage.
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Energy group sells ships to buoy funding
UK energy major BG Group is using the $460m (£299m) sale of two liquid natural gas carrier ships to quell a rising deficit, the latest development in a 15-year funding deal.
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How institutional managers are using animal welfare index
Proponents of a benchmark monitoring global food companies on animal welfare are pushing for wider adoption of by institutional investors as a tool to evaluate management boards and control risk.
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PPF index highlights DB funding trough, expected to normalise
The Pension Protection Fund’s latest 7800 Index figures showed further deteriorating funding deficits among defined benefit schemes, but industry commentators expressed caution against knee-jerk reactions to the slide.
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Fund management body sets out charges disclosure plan
Industry experts have welcomed proposals on charges and transaction costs from the Investment Association, but warned trustees should not make fees their only focus.
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Default fund design hamstrung by lack of behavioural data
Defined contribution experts have said a lack of sufficient data on members’ likely reaction to April's pension flexibilities is leaving default fund design in a state of limbo.
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Regulatory overhaul creates 'perfect storm' for DC schemes
Defined contribution schemes were hit with a slew of regulation last week across contract-based and trust-based provision, as the government and the City watchdog attempted to unify standards in these two areas.
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Schemes win extended reprieve from European OTC clearing rules
The European Commission has recommended schemes be given a two-year reprieve from over-the-counter derivative clearing requirements. But industry experts still expect pension funds to end up paying higher transaction costs.
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Jaguar Land Rover drives down DC charges by a tenth as cap bites
Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover has cut its defined contribution scheme charges by 10 per cent as the imminent fees cap pushes down costs for savers across trust and contract-based schemes.
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Active share a crude metric when used in isolation, investors say
Asset manager Woodford has joined Neptune Investment Management as the latest investment companies pledging to list the active share for each of their funds. The measure, presented as a percentage, tracks how similar a fund is to the benchmark on which it is based.