More defined benefit news – Page 144
-
News
Is groupthink at play on your trustee board?
A desire for conformity could stifle debate in trustee meetings, new research has suggested, but industry experts say lay trustees are encouraged to challenge the status quo.
-
News
Strong covenants offer schemes more slack on investment risk
Schemes with strong employer covenants could find it easier to take on more investment risk, experts have said, in light of the Pensions Regulator’s increased focus on integrated risk management.
-
NewsBank error slows Shell pension payments to members
A Bacs processing error at Royal Bank of Scotland last week caused delays in pension payments to 30,000 members of oil giant Shell’s UK defined benefit schemes.
-
News
Burgeoning buyout arena threatens pricing, schemes urged to prepare
The growing number of players in the UK buyout market may, counterintuitively, make it more difficult for pension schemes to get quotations from insurers, industry experts have said.
-
NewsNI police pension payment glitch puts spotlight on admin
A technical error at the Police Service of Northern Ireland pension scheme has caused a delay in the payment of pensions to 12,000 former police officers and dependants.
-
NewsAsset derisking could leave a funding gap
UK defined benefit pension schemes have removed nearly half of their funding level risk over the past decade, but new research has questioned whether asset derisking has gone too far.
-
News
NI government offers early retirement to teachers aged 55+
The Department of Education in Northern Ireland has approved a £33.1m scheme offering premature retirement terms to members over 55 years old to make space for new hires in the workforce.
-
NewsTesting market conditions greet 2016
Market volatility is here to stay, experts have said, urging defined benefit trustees to assess their risk management frameworks and eliminate unintended exposures as the year kicks off.
-
NewsSiemens issues resolution to prevent trapped surplus
Siemens, one of the world's largest electrical companies, is allowing its defined benefit scheme to make payments to the sponsoring employer, as schemes scramble to maintain their ability to prevent trapped surplus.
-
NewsLow for longer (but longing for higher) rates
Analysis: The US Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday to push rates up may mark the end of an era, but investment experts say UK pension funds should expect little more than a small amount of volatility as a result.
-
News
LGPS under fire on costs to members
Reporting and cost disclosure across the Local Government Pension Scheme must become more transparent, experts have said, as a new report highlights wide disparity in the levels of charges passed on to scheme members.
-
News
Just over half of LGPS have procedures for legal breaches
A little over half of public sector pension schemes have procedures set up to handle breaches of law, but experts have said scheme governance is improving markedly among local government pension schemes.
-
News
GMP reconciliation: Digging up the bodies
With the arrival of the new state pension and the end of contracting out, schemes have until 2018 to clean up their act on guaranteed minimum pensions data, but they need to get in the queue by April.
-
NewsSecondary annuities: Govt starts putting down advice parameters
Many pensioners hoping to sell their annuities on the open market will be required to seek financial advice before doing so, the government has announced, as the industry awaits further detail on the structure of the secondary annuity market.
-
NewsScapa saves £600k through flexible retirement exercise
Adhesive tape manufacturer Scapa Group has saved around £600,000 by offering flexible retirement options to some deferred members of its defined benefit scheme, clearing more than £10m of liabilities.
-
News
Regulator aims to 'eradicate surprises' with risk management guide
The Pensions Regulator has issued a practical guide on integrated risk management to help trustees assess and respond to covenant, investment and funding risks, but experts have said schemes will need additional help.
-
News
Fid man assets surpass £100bn but cynicism persists
Pension assets under fiduciary management hit £114bn during 2015, but independent trustees remain sceptical of the alignment of interests underpinning such arrangements.
-
News
DB funding pressure rises but scheme closures plateau
Data Analysis: The aggregate funding level of UK defined benefit schemes has deteriorated again despite asset allocation trends moving towards lower-risk investments, but the number of schemes open to new members has stayed level.
-
NewsShire funds ‘keeping options open’ for asset pooling
A group of seven Local Government Pension Scheme funds has appointed a manager to run a joint £6.5bn passive mandate, but funds involved in the arrangement say longer-term plans for pooling are still under discussion.
-
NewsBrewer's 'salami' derisking tactic is no small beer for liabilities
Midlands-based brewer Marston’s has bought in more than a third of its pension scheme liabilities since 2013 through a series of deals aimed at reducing volatility across its long-dated obligations and providing added security for members.