All Covenant articles – Page 10
-
News
Trustees warned to be vigilant before approving superfund deals
Trustees eyeing a transfer into one of the UK’s nascent superfunds must consider the viability of the acquiring consolidation vehicle before consenting to a ‘buyout-lite’ deal, the Pensions Regulator’s executive director of frontline regulation has warned.
-
OpinionTrustee negotiation need not always result in a winner and a loser
As has been highlighted by some recent high profiles cases, negotiating with the employer can be one of the biggest challenges faced by the trustees of defined benefit pension schemes.
-
News
Industry backs alternative to mandatory clearance
Requiring companies to prepare a formal statement on how corporate activity might affect their pension schemes could help protect members from being put at risk, a survey of restructuring professionals has suggested.
-
News
Scheme support levels at highest level since financial crisis
FTSE 350 companies are in the strongest position to support their defined benefit schemes since the 2007/08 financial crisis, a new report has found. However, the gap between the index’s winners and losers continues to rise.
-
OpinionHow to guide your pension fund through M&A activity
While corporate transactions can be unsettling, it is worth bearing in mind that management will most likely be undertaking merger and acquisition activity for good reason – to grow the business, to increase competitive advantage, to diversify, or to simplify.
-
FeaturesTaylor Wimpey pension plan reaches full funding
Trustees of housebuilder Taylor Wimpey’s pension plan, which completed a medically underwritten mortality study last year, have announced that the scheme has reached full funding following a £23m injection from the company in April.
-
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.
-
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.
-
News
Brewery and chair plead guilty in regulator's s72 case
Samuel Smith Old Brewery and its chairman Humphrey Smith have pleaded guilty to failing to provide information about its schemes to the Pensions Regulator.
-
OpinionDDAs will require scrutiny to ensure security of benefits is not affected
From April 6 2018, a new deferred debt arrangement has been made available to sponsors in active, multi-employer defined benefit pension schemes to manage section 75 debts alongside methods such as flexible apportionment arrangements.
-
NewsAssociated British Ports consults on accrual change
Associated British Ports has proposed to change the accrual rate for its defined benefit pension scheme, in a bid to cut costs and focus on fairness while keeping the scheme open to accrual.
-
NewsTourist board employers block scheme valuation
The British Tourist Authority and VisitScotland have yet to sign off on their scheme’s 2015 valuation as they are looking to secure guarantees from the UK and Scottish governments, in what has been described as a “torturous” process.
-
NewsReuters steps up member comms during sponsor M&A
Trustees of the defined benefit schemes of Thomson Reuters have been updating members about the agreed sale of part of the business, as experts stress the fine line between saying too much or too little about a deal.
-
FeaturesRobo-trustees: Would you welcome one on your board?
Any other business: For those feeling uneasy about the idea of sitting next to a Star Wars-style droid at a quarterly meeting, you can rest assured we are not likely to witness the rise of the robo-trustee anytime soon.
-
NewsMPs accuse Carillion of trying to 'wriggle out' of pension obligations
The Work and Pensions Committee has accused Carillion of trying to “wriggle out” of its pension obligations for the past decade, amid calls for stronger laws to prevent future scandals.
-
OpinionTrustees must adopt more transparent practices
Another new year, another set of pension crises. Following on from the likes of BHS and British Steel, we now have Carillion, and this time pension trustees are in the spotlight more than ever before.
-
News
Chappell to be sentenced next month
The Pensions Regulator has said the sentencing of former BHS owner Dominic Chappell, who was found guilty of withholding information from the regulator, will take place on February 23.
-
News
Select committee questions TPR on Barclays scheme sponsorship
The Work and Pensions Committee is questioning the Pensions Regulator on the sponsorship of Barclays Bank’s pension scheme in relation to the company’s restructuring plans.
-
News
GKN hits out at Melrose over pensions
Engineering company GKN has rejected what it said are indirect claims made by unsuccessful bidder Melrose Industries that GKN's pension liability has increased due to delays in closing its main scheme to accrual.
-
Features
Do UK DB schemes have a covenant problem?
Analysis: Sponsor covenant and failed defined benefit promises are in the headlines again with the collapse of outsourcing giant Carillion. Could the liquidation be indicative of a wider national inability to pay pensions, and how should trustees react to a deterioration in their covenant?