All Law & regulation articles – Page 80

  • News

    Lords looks to mandate guidance on pension transfers

    2020-06-25T00:00:00Z

    On the go: An amendment to the pension schemes bill could see savers forced to obtain guidance before they are allowed to proceed with a pension transfer.

  • News

    DWP to introduce flat-fee limits to protect small pots

    2020-06-25T00:00:00Z

    The Department for Work and Pensions has concluded that a flat-fee structure implemented by some master trusts does not provide “adequate protection”, especially for lower earners, and is proposing an application limit to protect small pots.

  • News

    Lords’ climate amendment could dilute trustee power

    2020-06-25T00:00:00Z

    An amendment to climate risk provisions in the pension schemes bill could force schemes to align their investment strategies with the Paris agreement, going one step further than the government’s own provisions for reporting against sustainability criteria.

  • News

    Part-time judges get owed pensions as govt consults on new rules

    2020-06-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Ministry of Justice is consulting on new rules for the Fee-Paid Judicial Pension Scheme in response to recent court cases, with 4,600 judges being owed past pension contributions.

  • News

    Regulator finds lack of consistency in IGCs

    2020-06-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Financial Conduct Authority is concerned about a lack of consistency in the way independent governance committees operate, which means that members of some workplace pension schemes may not be receiving value for money.

  • News

    BoE governor reignites row between superfunds, insurers and regulators

    2020-06-24T00:00:00Z

    In an intervention which laid bare a deep divide both in the industry and between regulators, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has reignited a long-running feud between traditional insurers and advocates of new superfund models, while casting doubt on the Pensions Regulator’s ability to oversee consolidators.

  • News

    United Biscuits awaits CJEU ruling in long-lasting VAT saga

    2020-06-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The trustees of United Biscuits’ defined benefit pension scheme are waiting for a final ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union, after the advocate general sided with HM Revenue & Customs on a long-lasting battle on value added tax.

  • News

    High Court rules ‘drafting errors’ sufficient to justify switch to CPI

    2020-06-23T00:00:00Z

    A High Court decision has found in favour of a pension scheme switching to the consumer price index from the retail price index, but only because of a drafting error in the scheme’s rules.

  • News

    MPs urge regulator to reassure struggling employers

    2020-06-22T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Work and Pensions Committee has called for clarity from the Pensions Regulator over its Covid-19 enforcement procedures, voicing concerns that some “conscientious employers” will be reluctant to take advantage of easements.

  • News

    PPF cap is age discrimination, court rules

    2020-06-22T00:00:00Z

    A High Court judge has ruled that a key feature of the Pension Protection Fund’s benefit structure is illegal on age discrimination grounds, leaving the defined benefit lifeboat liable for back payments to wealthier pension members.

  • News

    Cash-strapped money printer cuts deficit repair contributions

    2020-06-19T00:00:00Z

    British banknote printer De La Rue has cut deficit repair payments to its defined benefit pension scheme, contingent on the success of its bid to raise an extra £100m in capital.

  • News

    Minister questions schemes on dashboard data readiness

    2020-06-18T00:00:00Z

    UK pension schemes are being asked by the pensions minister to report on the readiness of their data for the dashboards project, but specialists argue the lack of legislation and data standards could make it difficult to obtain accurate responses.

  • News

    Peers push for clarity over insolvency measures

    2020-06-18T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Members of the House of Lords have pressed the government to provide clarity over the impact of new insolvency laws on pension schemes.

  • News

    DB employers mandated to justify further payment holidays

    2020-06-16T00:00:00Z

    Trustees of defined benefit pension schemes will have to report decisions to allow sponsors to skip or delay deficit payments to the Pensions Regulator from July, as the watchdog drew fire for not insisting on this transparency from the start of its Covid-19 easements.

  • News

    Pensions compliance with furlough tapering ‘horrendously complicated’

    2020-06-16T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Regulator’s updated guidance on auto-enrolment and defined contribution schemes is likely to lead to large numbers of mistakes being made, some experts predict, as employers have to grapple with the bifurcated system resulting from the slow death of furlough.

  • News

    Poor data management keeps ombudsman busy

    2020-06-12T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Ombudsman has ruled in favour of a former bank employee in a dispute about the transfer of deferred pension liabilities, in a case reinforcing the impact that poor data management can have for schemes and members.

  • News

    No-deal Brexit could deny thousands lifeboat protection

    2020-06-12T00:00:00Z

    As Covid-19 continues to wreak its devastation on the corporate landscape, dozens of pension schemes could fall into the Pension Protection Fund. However, a no-deal Brexit could scupper that option for up to one-fifth of distressed employers with an EU connection.

  • News

    Regulator appoints 91 trustees during first quarter

    2020-06-12T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Pensions Regulator has appointed 91 trustees to ensure the proper administration of pension schemes between January and March, according to new data.

  • News

    Industry bodies lobby government to change insolvency bill

    2020-06-11T00:00:00Z

    Pensions industry bodies are lobbying the government to make changes to the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill, which unless revised will “inevitably lead to more pensioners not receiving their benefits in full and greater strain on the Pension Protection Fund”.

  • News

    Pandemics, climate change pose ‘systemic risks’ to actuarial work

    2020-06-11T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Global pandemics and the threat of a climate catastrophe present dire risks to the quality of actuarial work, according to a new report by the Joint Forum on Actuarial Regulation.