All Pension Protection Fund (PPF) articles
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OpinionThe Friday Takeaway: A gathering storm?
Amid future-focused reforms and new types of pension schemes, Pensions Expert editor Nick Reeve argues that we must not ignore the mistakes of the past if the industry’s efforts are to succeed.
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NewsUK’s largest pension funds back regional investment drive through ‘Sterling 20’
The move builds on the Mansion House Accord agreed in July, and will be launched at the government’s inaugural Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham.
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In DepthIn Depth: The battle for pre-1997 indexation [updated]
Pensions Expert explores the debates around pre-97 indexation and how the Pension Protection Fund could use its reserves to support affected pensioners – if the government allows it.
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NewsPPF confirms main levy bill of zero for 2025-26
he Pension Protection Fund will not charge a scheme-based or risk-based levy in 2025-26, it has confirmed, as the Pension Schemes Bill brings in new flexibilities.
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NewsThe pension fund that put its own sponsor into administration
Pensions Expert uncovers the unusual case of Biwater, recently wound up by the court at the request of the trustees of its defined benefit pension scheme in order to access PPF protection for members.
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NewsSPP pushes for bill amendment to scrap PPF admin levy
Liberal Democrat MPs Steve Darling and John Milne have tabled the amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill, aimed at ensuring the PPF can pay costs from its existing reserves rather than charging defined benefit pension schemes.
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NewsRetailer escapes regulatory intervention with ‘proactive’ action on PPF-bound scheme
The owner of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill chain collaborated with trustees and the regulator to secure a £7m cash injection and lift the scheme out of the PPF’s assessment process.
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NewsDB schemes ride out Q2 volatility to retain strong funding position
Ongoing tariff negotiations and the Autumn Budget are among the risks trustees must navigate over the coming months, as well as ongoing discussions around surplus release.
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NewsCall for levy reform as pension schemes hit with ‘surprise’ £15m PPF bill [updated]
Pensions UK is calling for urgent government action after DB pension schemes were unexpectedly billed for an administration levy connected to the PPF, with the largest schemes facing bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
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NewsMcGregor Construction scheme secures £7m buy-in with Just Group
The buy-in secured members’ benefits at or above those provided by the Pension Protection Fund, after the sponsor went into insolvency in 2022.
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NewsConsolidator in waiting? Government taking its time to assess extension of PPF remit
The government will not legislate for a new consolidator for DB pension schemes in the upcoming Pension Schemes Bill, but is still exploring the potential for the Pension Protection Fund to take on the role in future.
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NewsTrustees to be given full discretion over DB scheme surplus release
Defined benefit pension schemes will be able to release surplus if they are overfunded on a low dependency basis, under proposals outlined by the government this week.
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NewsWhat the government’s WPC response means for PPF compensation
The Pension Protection Fund has been urged to use its substantial surplus to provide indexation to pre-1997 benefits.
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OpinionFinancial distress: When a trustee’s role steps up a gear
What happens when a pension scheme’s sponsoring employer becomes financially distressed? There are many options and elements to consider – and it’s not all about the Pension Protection Fund, says Vidett’s Kevin Dolan.
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NewsThink tank calls for full PPF underpin to boost surplus release case
The Social Market Foundation has set out recommendations for the government to make releasing surplus assets from DB pension schemes more attractive and secure.
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OpinionMore work needed on PPF levy: Railpen
The planned reduction in the PPF levy is a welcome reform, but there’s still work to do, argues Railpen’s pensions policy manager Tim Miller.
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NewsDWP to consider changes to PPF levy [updated]
The next PPF levy bill could be smaller or even zero, after the DWP agreed to consider changes to the levy rules.
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NewsIndustry calls for change to levy rules as PPF seeks to raise £100m
Current rules mean the PPF cannot stop taking a levy without compromising its ability to raise capital in the future.
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OpinionWill the PPF become a new endgame option?
Arc Pensions Law’s Sonya Fraser delves into the detail of the government’s plan for the PPF to become a consolidator of small pension schemes.
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OpinionPPF as consolidator poses unanswered questions
Acting as a consolidator would be a new direction for the PPF. What challenges need to be resolved for it to work?