All articles by Benjamin Mercer – Page 31
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News
Trustees cannot outsource responsibility for cyber risk
On the go: Trustees bear ultimate responsibility for managing cyber risk even when they outsource administration to a third party, and must ensure they carry out due diligence, according to a new report.
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NewsEdinburgh Woollen Mill collapse leaves £17.5m pension black hole
Clothing and homeware manufacturer Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s collapse into administration has sparked fears its defined benefit scheme will not recover the £17.5m owed to it.
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Plumbing business freed of DB scheme liability
On the go: UK-based heating and plumbing distribution business Wolseley is set to be freed of its defined benefit scheme liability following its acquisition by a private investment company.
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TCFD reporting requirements leave too little time for compliance
On the go: Almost half of respondents to a poll carried out by Eversheds Sutherland expressed a fear that trustees will not have time to comply with new climate change reporting requirements before they are introduced.
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Small pots report recommends member exchange trials
The pensions industry should begin work to facilitate mass exchanges of sub-scale defined contribution accounts, according to a government-commissioned working group looking to address the problem of small pots.
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Threat of TPR action forces changes to merchant navy trustee board
On the go: A four-year bitter dispute over the running of a naval industry pension scheme has finally been brought to a close by the Pensions Regulator, after it identified governance failings that had cost the scheme £1m.
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Aftershocks from 2020 could see wave of DB scheme closures
On the go: The events of 2020, combined with exacerbating longer-term trends, could spark a wave of benefit reviews by UK companies, which in turn could result in a large number of defined benefit schemes closing in 2021, according to a new report by Aon.
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NewsSchemes to decide on dashboard data verification levels
Pension schemes and providers will be able to set up their own standards for individual data verification, which could lead to missing information on dashboards if pension funds opt for a risk-averse position.
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NewsMore work needed to make ESG meaningful
Scarcely a week passes without an announcement of a new environmental, social and governance-oriented venture. But experts warn more needs to be done if onlookers are to be confident that words have meaning.
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PodcastsPodcast: Trustees advised to self-certify before Christmas
Podcast: Jo Myerson, trustee director at Ross Trustees, tells Pensions Expert it is important that trustees comply with the Competition and Markets Authority’s self-certification rules early in order to avoid a mad, post-Christmas dash to meet the January 7 deadline. She is joined by David Rae, head of strategic client solutions at Russell Investments, in an episode also covering insolvencies, superfunds and the fallout from the reform of the retail price index.
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2021 could see ‘gold rush’ in DB transfers after 50% drop in 2020
After member interest in transferring out of defined benefit schemes dropped by 50 per cent during the first lockdown, transfer values have recovered and 2021 could even see a “gold rush” in activity.
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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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Mad December dash to include GMP top-ups in 2020 accounts
On the go: Around one in six companies face the unwelcome prospect of having to include the cost of guaranteed minimum pensions adjustments in their 2020 annual accounts, according to analysis by LCP.
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RPI reform drives up inflation hedging cost
Demand for inflation hedging is now returning after it was suppressed during the government’s consultation on the retail price index. However, the limited supply of index-linked bonds is itself having an inflationary effect, according to Insight Investment.
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NewsWeekly roundup: It’s not easy being Green
Welcome to Pensions Expert’s roundup of a week in which we bade farewell to a few of the high street’s better-known names, and the Pension Protection Fund brightened everyone’s mood with its new doomsday scenario.
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Alternative strategies could wipe out UK’s £190bn DB deficit
On the go: Alternative approaches to scheme funding and investments could eliminate the UK’s current £190bn defined benefit pension deficit, according to new analysis by PwC.
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Arcadia trustees in talks with The Pension SuperFund
On the go: Trustees of the embattled Arcadia pension funds are in talks with The Pension SuperFund, which could result in the schemes being absorbed by the consolidator.
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GardaWorld offers G4S trustees £770m funding package
On the go: Trustees of the G4S pension scheme have been offered a £770m funding package by Canadian security company GardaWorld, the latest development in its attempt at a hostile takeover of the UK outsourcing company.
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Coronavirus pandemic causes one in eight to delay retirement
On the go: The government’s anti-Covid lockdown strategy has forced one in eight people over the age of 55 to delay their retirement, according to new research from YouGov.
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L&G to halve emissions of annuity book by 2030
On the go: Legal & General has announced it is to cut the carbon emissions intensity of its £80.7bn annuity book by 18.5 per cent by 2025 and 50 per cent by 2030 as part of its drive to become net-zero by 2050.