All articles by Emma Powell – Page 4
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News
Collective schemes to be enforced by valuation and reporting framework
Collective schemes – which pool members’ assets and risk – will have to comply with new valuation and reporting requirements, under initial proposals outlined yesterday in the Queen’s Speech.
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News
Transfer industry: pot-follows-member transfers can cost just £1
Pension transfer systems have countered concerns raised by industry figures that implementing pot-follows-member could result in high costs, which may be passed onto members.
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NewsPPF targets transparency with insolvency levy changes
Schemes will be able to more precisely focus their efforts to reduce their Pension Protection Fund levy, following the lifeboat’s proposals to make its insolvency risk system more transparent.
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News
Industry calls for better DC risk guidance to hit target outcomes
Industry figures have called for better guidance for defined contribution members to help them choose the appropriate level of risk pre-retirement to achieve their target outcomes.
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Features
Mercer parent shuts DB scheme to equalise benefits
Marsh & McLennan Companies, the US-based parent of global consultancy Mercer, has decided to close its UK defined benefit scheme to future accrual in a stated attempt to create a level playing field between employees.
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News
Managers boost pre-retirement risk to match DC flexibility
Providers are revising products offered to defined contribution pension scheme members to incorporate greater risk in the decumulation phase, as a result of the greater flexibility afforded by the Budget.
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News
Analytics providers call for safeguards on member data
Schemes using online data analytics systems to inform investment and risk-management decisions have been urged by system providers to put in place governance procedures to ensure data security.
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Features
Half of schemes lack trustee training plan, survey finds
Two employers have explained how they make sure trustees are regularly trained, after a Pensions Regulator survey shows half of schemes do not have a training plan.
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Features
Branching out to hedge against inflation rises
Clwyd Pension Fund has allocated 2 per cent of its assets to timberland and agriculture, attracted by the chance to earn higher returns and hedge against a rise in inflation.
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News
Schemes face LDI rethink to meet Emir collateral demands
Industry experts have warned that schemes using liability-driven investment strategies may face higher costs and additional risks when the European Market Infrastructure Regulation’s collateral diversity requirements come into force.
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Features
SPPA works to curb admin integration risks
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has produced a contingency plan to mitigate against administrative risks, as it combines the service provisions for two other emergency service public sector schemes.
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News
Webb seeks to alleviate scheme guidance concerns
Pensions minister Steve Webb has tried to assuage the concerns of defined contribution schemes by implying the guaranteed retirement guidance could be delivered in less intensive ways than face-to-face meetings.
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News
Regulator considers stringent testing for indy trustees to raise standards
The Pensions Regulator is considering requiring formal qualifications for independent trustees and trustee chairs, in order to raise governance standards, its executive director told delegates at Wednesday’s conference.
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News
Local authority schemes welcome government CIVs
Local authority pension schemes have come out in support of proposals to pool local government pension scheme assets into two common investment vehicles.
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NewsSchemes drop gilts to diversify fixed income
UK pension funds were at the forefront of European institutional investors dumping government bonds for higher-yielding fixed income assets in the first three months of 2014, investment data have shown.
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Features
LPFA reports doubling in employers needing covenant review
The London Pensions Fund Authority’s risk-based approach to setting contribution rates has identified around twice the number of employers that may need to provide greater solvency guarantees after its recent valuation.
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Features
Employers ensure AMD ban does not drive up active member fees
Employers have managed to keep active scheme member fees steady while scrapping higher charges for deferred members, after one provider agreed to swallow the cost of next year's ban.
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Features
Hampshire funding level jumps after sticking with heavy equity weighting
Hampshire Pension Fund has benefited from keeping its faith in equities, seeing its funding level increase by 8 percentage points over three years as a result of strong investment returns and additional employer contributions.
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Features
NESPF automates employer data submission to plug gaps
North East Scotland Pension Fund is working towards implementing a fully automated process for employers submitting member data, after narrowly failing to hit all the Pensions Regulator’s targets for common data accuracy.
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News
Greater DC flex forecasted to raise member savings
Increased at-retirement flexibility for defined contribution members introduced by the Budget may lead to higher member contributions, experts have predicted, which could put pressure on some employers' pension structures.