All scheme funding articles – Page 20
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News
FTSE 100 DB risk drops nearly a quarter
The aggregate risk across FTSE 100 defined benefit schemes has fallen to its lowest level in four years, according to research that seeks to integrate covenant and investment risk.
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News
PPF: UK DB liabilities drop by another £40bn
On the go: Defined benefit funding levels have risen over September, bringing the UK's aggregate deficit to £38.7bn on the Pension Protection Fund's section 179 basis.
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OpinionHow should schemes react to stagnating life expectancy?
Life expectancy in the UK has flatlined in the past two years. Is this a blip, or will we see a return to the fast improvements seen at the start of the century? Hugh Nolan, director at Spence & Partners, discusses how trustees can manage scheme funding despite this uncertainty.
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OpinionDo you want to live forever?
Editorial: Longevity serves as a useful euphemism in the pensions world.
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News
Life expectancy flatlines for first time in decades
Life expectancy in the UK has flatlined in the last two years, according to the Office for National Statistics, with drops in the life expectancy of babies born in Scotland and Wales putting an end to decades of improving longevity.
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OpinionTrustees must not shirk responsibility on DB transfers
From the blog: The Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund has, in common with many other defined benefit pension schemes, seen a significant increase in transfers out of the fund since the introduction of pensions freedoms introduced three years ago under the then pensions minister, Steve Webb.
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OpinionNew regulator powers will only accelerate DB disappearance
From the blog: The government has floated well-intentioned reforms intended to strengthen the arm of regulators against dodgy bosses, but the proposed changes risk undermining trustees and making further scheme closures more likely.
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News
DB schemes inch closer to full PPF funding
On the go: Defined benefit schemes in the UK are nearing full funding on the Pension Protection Fund's section 179 basis, with an aggregate deficit of £62.8bn at the end of July.
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NewsFTSE 100 steps up derisking drive as deficits shrink
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.
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FeaturesBT’s 'sleight of hand' bond gift slashes accounting deficit
BT’s defined benefit scheme has seen its accounting deficit drop by £1.8bn over the past quarter after investing in the bonds of its own sponsor, but some experts have questioned whether the move has any meaningful impact on member security.
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OpinionWhat the DWP’s new DB funding code could mean for trustees
The Pensions Management Institute’s Lorraine Harper discusses the revised regime for scheme funding set out in the Department for Work and Pensions’ white paper on defined benefit pension schemes, published earlier this year.
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OpinionSchemes must be prepared for an interventionist regulator
Defined benefit trustees and employers should both expect to see more of the Pensions Regulator in the coming years, says Sackers’ Peter Murphy, as its new approach and suite of powers look set to target scheme funding and corporate transactions.
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News
Less than a third of trustees think TPR will monitor fairly
Just 31 per cent of trustees are confident the Pensions Regulator will police funding agreements fairly and effectively in future, according to a survey by consultancy Willis Towers Watson.
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NewsS&N scheme to review impact of pubs takeover
Trustees of the Scottish & Newcastle Pension Plan will be assessing the impact of a recent corporate acquisition made by the pension scheme’s parent company Heineken UK, as part of a full covenant review this year.
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Opinion
How can schemes assess employer covenant strength?
Darren Redmayne chuckles good-naturedly, at what must be the thousandth time a journalist has asked whether the FTSE 100’s recently revealed accounting surplus means their defined benefit pension problems have gone away.
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News
FTSE 100 schemes in surplus, but experts warn that risks remain
FTSE 100 pension schemes have reflected a year-end accounting surplus for the first time since the financial crash, according to consultancy LCP, but experts say trustees and sponsors should continue to be prudent in case of potential future market downturns.
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News
Select committees question regulator’s ambition on DB
On the go: The Pensions Regulator’s commitment to engaging proactively with poorly funded defined benefit schemes and their employers has been called into question by two parliamentary select committees, in a stinging letter that discusses the future of chief executive Lesley Titcomb.
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News
DB deficits slip back up
The UK's aggregate defined benefit deficit increased over March to £115.6bn from £72.1bn on a section 179 basis, according to Pension Protection Fund estimates.
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News
TPR fires warning shot over dividend to DRC balance
Defined benefit trustees and sponsoring employers should act sooner rather than later to secure members' pensions, the Pensions Regulator has said in its latest annual funding statement, and warned against prioritising dividends.
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OpinionDB white paper generates as many questions as answers
The political posturing of criminal sanctions for employers looks set to make bad law, argues Sackers’ Janet Brown, and a crucial question of resource still hangs over the white paper’s many sensible suggestions.