All XPS Pensions Group articles – Page 4
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Features
Alternative risk premium funds fail to deliver on promises in testing 2018
Analysis: Pension schemes continue to pour assets into fast-growing alternative risk premium strategies, despite a torrid 2018 for returns and concerns over the diversification benefits delivered by the funds.
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News
Unregulated companies source of 52% of all scams
On the go: More than half of all scams can be linked back to unregulated introducers or advisers, according to research by the Pension Scams Industry Group.
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News
XPS: ‘GMP equalisation will be less costly than feared’
On the go: The cost of addressing inequality in guaranteed minimum pensions may be a lot lower than expected at less than 1 per cent of total liabilities for over half of all schemes, according to consultancy XPS Pensions.
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News
CMA ups pressure on trustees and advisers to seek best deal
New requirements on trustees to shop around for fiduciary management and challenge their advisers will generate better value for members, experts have said in response to measures set out by the Competition and Markets Authority.
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News
DB health improves but covenant strength ignored
Defined benefit pension schemes are not paying enough attention to the likelihood of their employer going bust when setting investment strategy, according to a new study assessing funding levels in the context of sponsor health.
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Features
Investment consultants could be under microscope for next decade
Analysis: Investment consultants may have escaped the more stringent of the recommendations in the Competition and Markets Authority’s provisional decision earlier this year, but experts have said that the scrutiny of the market is unlikely to end at Christmas.
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FeaturesJaguar scheme opts for forestry and farmland
The Jaguar Pension Plan has invested in agriculture and timber funds in a bid to diversify its portfolio and develop its exposure to opportunistic private markets.
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FeaturesBBC matches cash flows after strong 2017 returns
The BBC Pension Scheme has slashed its exposure to equity markets, in an attempt to lock in recent outperformance with liability-driven investment, private credit and alternative matching assets.
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News
Mercer parent's JLT acquisition brings consulting giants under one roof
On the go: Marsh & McLennan, the insurance broker and consultancy that owns Mercer, has announced it is to buy Jardine Lloyd Thompson for $5.6bn (£4.3bn) in cash.
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Opinion
Should shareholder distribution take a back seat to deficits?
Chris Sier is halfway through an imperious display at day one of the Work and Pensions Committee’s inquiry into pensions cost transparency.
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News
One-fifth of FTSE 350 companies do not declare DB funding positions
Employers should be legally required to disclose their defined benefit scheme deficits on a technical provisions basis, along with details of the associated recovery plan durations and contributions agreed, Lincoln Pensions has said.
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Features
Automation improves insurer scheme admin but work still to do
The Royal Insurance Group Pension Scheme has reported a “considerable improvement in service” from administrator Willis Towers Watson, after two years of problems that have hurt the scheme’s ability to service transfer requests.
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News
DB transfers heading into costly drawdown products, research finds
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.
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News
Mastertrust transfers and charges blasted in ‘worst in pensions’ study
Two of the UK’s largest mastertrusts have been named the worst performing providers in pensions over high charges and slow transfer processes.
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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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NewsMandatory tenders welcomed by pensions industry
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.
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News
Record corporate debts – a covenant warning signal?
UK companies’ net debts hit record highs over 2017/18, a new study has found, prompting concerns about how some sponsors of the UK’s defined benefit pension schemes will weather a turn in the interest rate cycle.
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FeaturesElectrocomponents scheme invests in bespoke pooled fund
The UK defined benefit scheme of FTSE 250 distributor Electrocomponents has moved much of its fixed income exposure into a qualifying investor alternative investment fund.
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Opinion
GDPR - A brave new world for the pensions industry
It is easy to imagine bunkers in remote corners of England, hatches locked, filled with trustees who are desperate not to hear any more about the General Data Protection Regulation.
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News
Can schemes still justify active management?
The average active fund manager cannot outperform their benchmark net of fees, and according to the Competition and Markets Authority, the average investment consultant cannot reliably identify those managers who do. Can an average trustee board reasonably keep the faith in active management?