All articles by Sophie Wilcock
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NewsGrowing momentum behind derisking solutions
Data crunch: With the momentum added to the derisking market in the fourth quarter of 2022, it is little wonder that 2023 is being touted as a bumper year for derisking strategies, with many getting their endgame over the line.
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NewsMarkets forced public sector funds to mull direction change in Q4 2022
Data crunch: UK local government pension schemes continued to review their investment strategies in the fourth quarter of 2022 in light of the results of March’s round of triennial actuarial valuations.
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NewsCo-operative Pension Scheme completes £1.2bn full section buy-in
On the go: The £11.8bn Co-operative Pension Scheme’s £2.1bn Bank Section has completed a full £1.2bn buy-in with Rothesay.
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NewsRobinson & Sons scheme completes £44mn full buy-in
On the go: The circa £69.1mn Robinson & Sons Limited Pension Fund has agreed a full buy-in of its £44mn of pension scheme liabilities with Legal & General.
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NewsRailways Pension Scheme manager updates voting policy
On the go: Railpen, the manager of the £35bn Railways Pension Scheme, has introduced new voting policies on cyber security, climate transition and biodiversity, and mental health for its 2023 annual meeting season.
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NewsAgfa UK Group Pension Plan signs £200mn buy-in
On the go: The Agfa UK Group Pension Plan has completed a second annuity buy-in with Standard Life, covering the vast majority of the fund’s remaining liabilities.
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NewsMedway Packaging scheme completes full £52mn buy-in
On the go: The Medway Packaging Pension Scheme has completed a full buy-in with Pension Insurance Corporation covering £52mn of liabilities.
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NewsNest seeks ESG provider, IIGCC releases infra net zero guidance
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including Nest’s tender for an ESG data provider, and the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change’s new net zero guidance for infrastructure investments.
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NewsLondon Pensions Fund Authority launches transparency dashboard
On the go: The £6.9bn London Pensions Fund Authority has launched a transparency dashboard in partnership with fintech company Tumelo that displays a breakdown of its equity investments.
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NewsMencap completes £61mn bulk annuity deal with Canada Life
On the go: The circa £152.1mn defined benefit section of the Mencap Pension Plan has signed a £61mn bulk annuity transaction with Canada Life.
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NewsLGPS funds finish 2021 with an increased ESG equity focus
Data crunch: Making a broad equity allocation without incorporating environmental, social and governance criteria is now almost anathema to local authority pension schemes, at least according to the data collected by MandateWire over the fourth quarter of 2021.
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NewsSupermarket pension schemes commit to net zero
On the go: The Tesco Plc Pension Scheme and the Tesco Retirement Savings Plan, which together have assets of more than £24bn, have pledged to reach net zero by no later than 2050.
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NewsKeysight plan agrees buy-in, motor industry section reaches buyout
Risk Watch: A roundup up of the latest derisking transactions, including the Keysight Technologies plan’s £250m deal with Just Group and Ashwal Garage’s insurance transaction with Aviva.
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NewsHaringey Council scheme commits to London Fund
On the go: The circa £1.6bn London Borough of Haringey Council Pension Fund has invested £45m in The London Fund, the property and infrastructure fund established by the London CIV and Local Pensions Partnership.
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NewsUSS invests in climate fund, Aegon’s ESG assets top £10bn
ESG Spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with the Universities Superannuation Scheme investing in a climate fund, Aegon strengthening its commitments to make default funds net-zero and banks calling for support of a new sustainable infrastructure label.
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NewsPLSA launches new RI standards at first ever ESG conference
The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association is consulting on a new set of standards designed to help pension savers identify whether their schemes are meeting the highest standards for incorporating environmental, social and governance factors.
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NewsDover Harbour scheme appoints fiduciary manager
On the go: The £221m Dover Harbour Board Pension and Life Assurance Scheme has appointed River & Mercantile to handle its assets via a fiduciary management mandate following a search conducted in September last year.
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NewsAIB signs £61m buy-in with L&G after pioneering derisking solution
On the go: The £1.1bn AIB Group UK Pension Scheme has agreed a £61m deal with Legal & General Assurance Society that will see a tranche of an existing assured payment policy converted into a buy-in policy.
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NewsIndex funds present challenge for East Sussex scheme’s ESG aspirations
On the go: The East Sussex Pension Fund was one of the first Local Government Pension Schemes in the country to carbon footprint its portfolio, and also one of the first to explore and adopt a climate-aware index.
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NewsBrunel pool lowers carbon intensity
On the go: The Brunel Pension Partnership, composed of 10 Local Government Pension Schemes with around £30bn in assets under management, has reduced the carbon intensity of all its active portfolios and all but one of its index-tracking portfolios by at least 7 per cent compared with its 2019 baseline.