All Governance articles – Page 20
-
OpinionSeven features that define DB pension schemes
Data crunch: The UK private sector defined benefit universe comprises approximately 5,500 schemes with a combined £1.8tn in total assets. The result is a landscape that is uncommonly diverse, although seven key parameters help define scheme characteristics and behaviour.
-
News
TPR: 400 schemes fail to review data within three years
On the go: The Pensions Regulator is demanding that four hundred pension schemes review their data urgently within six months as part of a crackdown on poor record-keeping, with tough sanctions for non-compliance.
-
Features
Catherine Howarth: ESG statements are just the start
Pension schemes are engaging with issues such as climate change more than ever before, but there is still a lot of work to do before the industry starts seeing real implementation and delivery, says ShareAction’s chief executive, Catherine Howarth.
-
OpinionSite visits: Get to know a fiduciary manager before you tie the knot
Selecting a fiduciary manager is just like marriage: you want to take time to select the right partner. Trust comes from knowing people well and seeing them often. Much like selecting a partner for life, you want to know the whole family (firm), not just the edited bits online (the beauty parade that many rely on in selection).
-
News
Now Pensions among four new authorised master trusts
On the go: The Pensions Regulator has authorised a further four master trusts to continue operating in the defined contribution market, including the once embattled provider Now Pensions.
-
News
Skeleton staff levels pose hidden dangers for pension funds
On the go: Smaller pension schemes may be underestimating the risks posed to their funds by trustee governance gaps and over-reliance on key individuals.
-
OpinionTurkeys don’t vote for Christmas
Too much of the pensions industry serves its own interests rather than those of its members, says CEM Benchmarking’s John Simmonds. The problem, he argues, lies in the role of scale. But is bigger truly better when it comes to pensions?
-
News
Pension funds totalling £367bn demand climate action
On the go: Some of the UK’s largest pension funds, representing 4m members, are demanding asset managers take immediate action on climate change.
-
News
Aegon and Nest join list of authorised master trusts
On the go: Nest, the master trust set up by the government to back auto-enrolment, has received authorisation from the Pensions Regulator, along with four other multi-employer schemes.
-
PodcastsPodcast: Tackling the 'long tail' of underperforming smaller schemes
Podcast: The Pensions Regulator’s latest defined contribution survey revealed that only 4 per cent of micro schemes and 1 per cent of small schemes are meeting all of the watchdog’s governance standards. David Fairs, TPR’s executive director for regulatory policy, analysis and advice, has previously described the “long tail” of underperforming smaller schemes as “unacceptable”. In this podcast, Mr Fairs talks to Pensions Expert about what the survey’s findings mean, and how the DC landscape might change.
-
News
TPR turns up the heat on 99% failing small schemes
The Pensions Regulator continued to press for consolidation on Thursday, after its annual survey found 99 per cent of small schemes are missing statutory governance requirements.
-
NewsShell MND elections reignite debate over selection panels
The Shell Contributory Pension Fund announced elections for member-nominated trustees last month, with campaigners calling on members to seize the opportunity and appoint climate risk-conscious representatives.
-
News
Half of public sector pension boards meet fewer than four times a year
On the go: Only half of public sector schemes held four or more pension board meetings in the previous 12 months, the Pensions Regulator has found.
-
News
DB governance not up to scratch, finds XPS
On the go: Only 22 per cent of pension schemes have a defined plan of action if their funding level falls, according to a recent XPS Pensions governance survey, which found huge variations in standards of scheme management across the sector.
-
PodcastsPodcast: The future of trusteeship
Podcast: Is there a big difference in governance standards between boards with a professional trustee and boards without? Should lay trustees have to demonstrate how they have acquired a minimum level of knowledge and understanding? And what can be done to increase diversity on boards? In this episode, Laura Andrikopoulos, head of governance consulting at Hymans Robertson, discusses some of the Pensions Regulator’s ‘Future of trusteeship and governance’ consultation proposals, and what impact they might have on the industry.
-
News
Lancashire hails portfolio's positive impact on local area
The Lancashire County Council Pension Fund, which has invested £200m in its local community since 2013, has become an industry trailblazer amid growing interest in social impact investments.
-
News
TPR ponders mandatory professional trustee requirement
The Pensions Regulator is consulting on proposals to make it mandatory for a professional trustee to sit on every trustee board, in a bid to ramp up standards and drive consolidation.
-
News
TPR publishes new DC investment guidance
On the go: The Pensions Regulator has updated its DC investment guidance to incorporate new regulations on environmental, social and governance risk coming into force from October 2019 and October 2020.
-
FeaturesMcKibben: Smart money leaves fossil fuels well alone
How do you change the world? This singular question has occupied Bill McKibben his entire career, and he has no intention of stopping anytime soon.
-
FeaturesLloyds Banking Group completes second trustee board merger
Lloyds Banking Group now has a single trustee board for its four largest pension schemes, after completing its second pension trustee board merger in three years.