All Features articles – Page 30
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Features
BAA picks long-lease property as schemes hunt inflation linkage
BAA Pension Scheme has allocated £100m to long-lease property, as defined benefit schemes continue to invest in the asset class to act as a long-dated inflation hedge, consultants have said.
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Features
Shell surpasses legal minimum by equalising same-sex spouse benefits
Shell has gone above the legal minimum to guarantee same-sex married couples equal spousal benefits in its defined benefit pension fund, while other schemes have maintained a tiered benefit for same-sex partners.
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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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Features
Property tops the table while infra waits in the wings
Defined benefit schemes are increasingly investing in real assets, including property, infrastructure and forestry to use their inflation-linked characteristics to shore up portfolios against expected rate rises.
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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
The Specialist: Schemes move down the property ladder
Pensions Expert presents case studies, data and analysis on how schemes are investing in property and real assets, such as infrastructure, farmland and timber, in the latest edition of The Specialist.
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Features
Avon links up with peers to gain exposure to infrastructure
Avon Pension Fund is looking to invest £150m in infrastructure, in conjunction with other local authority funds.
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Features
Second-tier wins out against core property investments
The ground underneath the bricks and mortar asset class trembled after the downturn in 2008, when a housing and mortgage implosion triggered the global financial crisis.
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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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FeaturesHow FirstGroup doubled its online engagement through AE comms
Transport operator FirstGroup has seen its online engagement more than double since before auto-enrolment following a tailored, multimedia communication exercise last year to educate its 30,000-plus employees on pensions.
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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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Features
Mastertrusts call for governance standards to be made mandatory
Two of the country's largest mastertrusts have called for a legal standard to raise the barriers to entry for providers, as the industry evaluates the Pensions Regulator's assurance framework.
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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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Features
Accounting body pushes government to scrap outdated reporting regs
Industry body Pensions Research Accountants Group, together with the Financial Reporting Council, has had initial discussions with the government on jettisoning out-of-date requirements for pension scheme reporting to make way for its own enhanced disclosure regime.
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Features
Lancashire increases employer contributions to mitigate maturing membership
Lancashire Pension Fund has added lump-sum payments to its annual employer contributions to make up for reduced cash flow from a declining active membership.
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Features
Regulator reports sharp rise in non-compliance as AE expands
The number of employers failing to comply with their auto-enrolment duties over two months to March 25 nearly matched figures for the entirety of 2013, as the amount of organisations auto-enrolling ramps up.
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Features
NHS scheme moves to improve struggling employer comms
The NHS Pension Scheme will tailor its communication to different employer types to provide them with more support in fulfilling their obligations, after a survey revealed substantial criticism of its approach.