All Defined benefit articles – Page 131
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FeaturesDoctors express anger at NHS scheme failings
The leviathan NHS Pension Scheme is under fire again, with a Byzantine labyrinth of responsibilities, administration failings, and frustrations at government pensions policy infuriating medical staff.
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NewsTrustees not responsible for bad IFA transfer work, scheme professionals say
Advisers to pension schemes have hit out at proposals that British Steel Pension Scheme should award discretionary payouts to members who mistakenly left the plan, saying it shifts the blame for bad financial advice on to trustees.
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OpinionBetter communication can ease rush to transfer out of DB
Transfers from defined benefit pension schemes have proved attractive in recent years, but there are serious questions over their suitability for many. Trustees cannot afford to shy away from helping their members, and the Pension Protection Fund wants to help.
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NewsRBS scheme slashes equities after £2bn contribution
The Royal Bank of Scotland's UK defined benefit schemes have dramatically cut their exposure to equities, derisking their portfolios into corporate and government bonds to improve the plans' risk level.
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Features
LGPS funds strive to make an impact with build to rent
A minor revolution is taking place in town halls across the country. Local authority pension funds are changing tack, eschewing traditional equities for alternatives, and looking to make a difference with their allocations.
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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
PPF beset by fresh court proceedings over 50% payout level
On the go: Court proceedings have started against the Pension Protection Fund, seeking to challenge its approach for calculating any increases due to its members as a result of a European Court of Justice ruling last September.
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OpinionSuperfunds: A safer prospect for members?
Aside from the constant, almost deafening chatter surrounding Brexit, the Department for Work and Pensions consultation on defined benefit consolidation – or superfunds – has been the talk of the pensions town over the past few weeks.
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Features
Caffyns appoints fiduciary manager and overhauls portfolio
Trustees of the £86m Caffyns Pension Scheme have appointed a fiduciary manager to improve the performance of the fund’s assets, leading to a restructuring of its investment portfolio.
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FeaturesLafarge pension scheme enters into longevity swap to reduce risk
The Lafarge UK Pension Plan has entered into a longevity swap with a global reinsurance company, in a bid to reduce the scheme’s exposure to longevity risk.
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News
UK pension schemes’ deficit falls to £23.1bn
On the go: UK pension schemes have beaten the January blues, with their total deficit down by £8.8bn, according to recent Pension Protection Fund figures.
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News
Relief for pension schemes as CPI falls to 1.8 per cent
On the go: UK pension schemes will get a small measure of comfort from the current inflation figure, with the consumer price index falling for the third month in a row to 1.8 per cent in January, the lowest level since January 2017.
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PodcastsPodcast: How to approach the bulk annuity market
Podcast: 2019 is predicted to break last year’s record for bulk annuity deals. But with insurers being more selective, experts have stressed the need for defined benefit pension scheme trustees to make sure they are well prepared before approaching the market. In this episode, Marian Elliott, head of integrated actuarial at consultancy Redington, discusses the main drivers behind increased derisking activity in recent years, and explains how pension funds should prepare for transactions.
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News
New criminal sanctions could be difficult to enforce, experts say
The government has said that it plans to go ahead with proposals for new criminal offences to prevent and penalise mismanagement of pension schemes, but enforcing these sanctions may prove challenging, experts say.
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News
PASA looks to future of e-administration with scheme survey
The Pensions Administration Standards Association is calling on the pensions industry to open up about the quality of their administration and members' use of technology in a new survey.
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News
PPF confirms new compensation cap
On the go: The Pension Protection Fund has confirmed new compensation cap limits.
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News
Insurers brace themselves for DB superfund disruption
Insurers are bracing themselves for disruption by superfunds, but their desire and capability to establish their own defined benefit consolidation vehicles remains unclear.
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News
UK pension deficit falls by £80bn to £210bn
On the go: January saw a significant in improvement in the funding level of the UK’s 5,450 defined benefit pension schemes.
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OpinionTrustees must go the extra mile for their members on transfers
Trustees are often caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to defined benefit transfers.
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Features
UK schemes slash equities following long bull market
The global financial crisis gave rise to a record-long bull run, but in recent years many DB pension funds have been preparing for the inevitable end to these highs by reducing their reliance on equities.