Angus Peters
FeaturesPension fund focus on ESG opens questions over insurer back books
Billions of assets purchased by insurers to back UK retirement promises have the potential to drive corporate progress on issues such as climate change, and pension fund trustees are now indicating a willingness to pay extra for better stewardship.
NewsSchemes retaliate over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Some of the UK’s most prominent pension schemes are dialling down their exposure to Russian assets in response to its attack on Ukraine.
FeaturesIs any sovereign worth the greenium?
Issuance of green sovereign debt is rocketing and investors remain prepared to pay a greenium, but standard paper still has a role to play.
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ClearGlass to offer free cost collection for sub-£20m DB schemes
On the go: Small UK pension schemes are to be offered free collection and analysis of their asset management costs, under corporate social responsibility plans revealed by ClearGlass.
NewsTPR criticised for year-long delay in collection of ESG statements
A Conservative peer and former pensions minister has hit out at delays in the Pensions Regulator’s efforts to police the content of pension schemes’ statements of investment principles.
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Trustee flagged as scam concern banned over ‘serious’ failings
On the go: The Pensions Regulator has banned the corporate trustee of the Audax Pension Trust from acting as a trustee, following concerns of improper management and links to potential scam activity.
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Now Pensions members’ data leaked by service partner
On the go: Master trust Now Pensions has confirmed that some of its members have had their personal data shared online by a service partner.
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Arcadia schemes to enter PPF assessment ‘shortly’
On the go: The defined benefit pension schemes belonging to the collapsed retail group Arcadia are set to transfer into the Pension Protection Fund’s assessment period, according to a letter to MPs from the Pensions Regulator.
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Ferry company staff ballot for strike action over DB scheme closure
On the go: Unionised staff of the Wightlink ferry operator are to be balloted on possible action, including strikes, over the closure of their defined benefit scheme and new working conditions.
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Govt floats new general levy for master trusts but mulls 100% hikes
On the go: A government consultation has warned that the general levy on schemes used to fund the Pensions Regulator will need to rise steadily to reverse a widening deficit, but floated a fairer methodology for master trusts.
NewsDB schemes to face 120% rise in general levy with new govt proposals
Defined benefit schemes face a 120 per cent general levy increase by 2024 proposed in a new consultation launched on Wednesday, while master trusts will be granted a different rate.
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Nest converts EM to climate-aware and doubles allocation
On the go: Master trust Nest is to double its allocation to emerging market equities across its retirement date funds, while adding a climate-aware tilt to the strategy.
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NY divests and managers pledge, but are companies doing enough?
Data crunch: Thirty leading asset managers have pledged net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, on the heels of a landmark divestment announcement by the $226bn (£171bn) New York public pension. But a key datapoint suggests companies’ capital expenditure does not yet match managers’ sustainability rhetoric.
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Employers give cautious backing to Nest's sidecar project
On the go: Businesses trialling Nest Insight’s sidecar savings project say it can provide a boost to financial wellbeing, but caution that questions of inertia and affordability need to be overcome.
NewsOmbudsman rejects ex-plumber appeal to dismiss section 75 debt
The Pensions Ombudsman has rejected an ex-plumber’s appeal against paying £977,000 in Section 75 debt, as an updated trustee board membership tries to address historical issues in the Plumbing & Mechanical Services (UK) Industry Pension Scheme.
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Coalition bemoans lack of climate progress in transport industries
The UK’s largest pension funds are among those hailing a “moment of reckoning” for transport companies failing to align with the Paris agreement on climate change, as the investment community evaluates its own success in engagement.
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Opperman follows through on share-voting promise
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a new working group to examine ways to give investors in pooled fund products greater influence in voting shares and securities owned on their behalf.
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AA goes private again with detailed pensions agreements
On the go: Trustees of defined benefit schemes belonging to troubled motoring group the AA have agreed funding principles with the company’s new private equity backers, including a commitment not to increase technical provisions where possible.
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Employers support tax reform to help low paid
On the go: UK employers have voiced overwhelming support for reform of the UK’s complex system of pensions taxation, even if it means that some are worse off.
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Investors keen to play role in green recovery
On the go: Four in five institutional investors predict an increase in their exposure to renewable energy infrastructure in the next five years, according to a new survey.