All Covenant articles – Page 2
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NewsTPR predicts improvements in funding levels
Pension schemes with recent valuation dates are expected to achieve improved funding levels, the Pensions Regulator has predicted, while many schemes in deficit should be able to maintain or reduce deficit repair contributions.
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NewsWater Companies scheme trustee stands firm over surplus transfer
David Sankey, chair of the £710mn Water Companies Pension Scheme, has assured MPs that the trustee has fulfilled its duties with respect to the planned transfer of the Bristol Water section’s surplus to its sponsor.
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OpinionThe annual funding statement: Creating certainty from uncertainty
The release of the Pensions Regulator’s 2022 annual funding statement in April was set against a risk background quite different to that to which pension schemes have become accustomed.
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NewsProfit warnings from companies with DB scheme surge 46%
Profit warnings from UK public companies with a defined benefit pension scheme increased 46 per cent between the starts of 2021 and 2022, as consumer and industrial sectors bear the pain of rising costs and supply chain disruption.
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NewsMorrisons promises to protect McColl’s pensions in takeover
On the go: Supermarket chain Morrisons has prevailed in the bidding war for troubled retailer McColl’s, beating a rival bid from EG Group. The acquisition will reportedly uphold all promises made to McColl’s pension schemes.
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NewsTPR aims for transparency in consolidated enforcement powers
The Pensions Regulator has launched a consultation into a new draft enforcement policy document that aims to consolidate existing enforcement policies governing defined benefit, hybrid, public sector and defined contribution pension schemes.
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NewsTPR: Smaller scheme trustees can do more
Some trustees at smaller pension schemes need to raise their game in areas like governance, David Fairs, the Pensions Regulator’s executive director of regulatory policy, has said.
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OpinionNew DB funding code should focus on transparency
The Pensions Regulator recently delayed its new code of practice on defined benefit scheme funding. It initially consulted with the industry in 2020 on the principles that should underpin the new code — a second consultation on the draft code is expected in late summer.
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NewsTPR funding statement flags uncertainty impact for valuations
High levels of uncertainty surrounding inflation, interest rates, mortality, energy prices and economic growth will put additional pressure on trustees completing their tranche 17 valuations this year, according to the Pensions Regulator’s annual funding statement.
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NewsPodcast: ‘Pot follows member’ legislation needed to solve small pots problem
Podcast: Industry consensus is needed to support a ‘pot follows member’ solution to the small pots problem, with previous attempts to solve it having failed, says Henry Tapper, executive chair of AgeWage. He is joined by Tom McPhail, director of public affairs at the Lang Cat, to discuss small pots, commercial consolidators, and more McCloud woe for the Local Government Pension Scheme.
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NewsClara-Pensions plans Q3 deal after regulatory approval
Clara-Pensions is planning to announce its first transaction in the third quarter of this year, as founder and outgoing chief executive Adam Saron details the types of pension schemes that are likely to find value in the defined benefit consolidator’s business model.
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NewsNew strike mandate at universities over USS pensions row
On the go: Staff at 27 universities have a mandate to take strike action over pensions that will last until October 2022, after the University and College Union secured the support of its members.
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NewsRussia business suspension disrupts Mothercare deficit repayments
Retailer Mothercare will not fully pay the first instalment of its deficit repair contributions schedule this month and will enter into negotiations with its schemes’ trustees over its timetable for future payments.
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NewsNatWest pumps £427mn into pensions as govt reduces its stake
NatWest Group has paid £427mn into its pension scheme as a result of an off-market purchase of ordinary shares from HM Treasury, which saw the government’s stake in the banking group drop beneath 50 per cent for the first time since the 2008 financial crash.
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NewsPlumbing Pensions to use member funds to fight section 75 claims
The Court of Session in Edinburgh has granted Plumbing Pensions permission to use member funds to defend against legal claims from employers over its pursuit of section 75 liabilities.
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News‘Quirk’ sees public sector pay freeze hit teachers’ pensions annual hikes
A ‘quirk’ in the way teachers’ pensions are calculated could mean some teachers stand to suffer an extra loss as a result of the public sector pay freeze, as pension calculations normally triggered by a change in earnings have not occurred.
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NewsTPR to issue new guidance on employer covenant
On the go: The Pensions Regulator is working on fresh guidance regarding employer covenant, which may emerge in autumn of this year.
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NewsClimate change could impact sponsor cash flow and longevity
On the go: Climate change could have significant impact on sponsor covenant, hitting cash flows and potentially impacting sponsor longevity, according to a report from the Employer Covenant Practitioners Association.
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NewsEmployers look to modify USS proposals in light of inflation
On the go: Universities UK, the group representing 340 employers in the Universities Superannuation Scheme, has proposed temporarily removing a cap on inflationary increases proposed as part of its solution to the scheme’s controversial 2020 valuation, following member concerns.
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NewsProfit warnings from DB sponsors jump two-thirds
On the go: Profit warnings issued by UK-listed companies with defined benefit pension schemes leapt by 69 per cent between the third and fourth quarters of 2021.