All articles by Tom Dines
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NewsHenderson agrees recovery plan after funding fall
Investment manager Henderson Group has agreed a recovery plan with its trustees after its defined benefit scheme fell out of surplus at the latest triennial valuation.
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NewsDiageo DB deadlock set to end after union split
Drinks company Diageo has avoided a strike by members of its defined benefit pension schemes after union members accepted a deal, bringing to an end months of back-and-forth.
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News
AE review prompts calls on contributions and self-employed
The government has this week appointed an advisory group to support its 2017 auto-enrolment review, as the industry calls for more action to increase coverage and contribution rates.
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NewsJohn Lewis slashes deficit with CPI switch
Retailer John Lewis has agreed a new recovery plan with the trustees of its defined benefit scheme after a large reduction in the funding deficit, due in part to a change in inflation indexing.
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News
AE compliance action holds steady amid calls to expand
Auto-enrolment enforcement action is rising, but remains limited to a small proportion of employers enrolling, the Pensions Regulator has said, as experts call for action to widen the scope of the policy.
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NewsUnions reluctantly back BSPS closure proposal
Unions have backed a proposal to close the British Steel Pension Scheme to future accrual, raising questions about the future of private sector defined benefit schemes in the UK.
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News
DGF growth expected to continue despite challenges
Experts predicted the continued growth of the diversified growth fund market this week, even as the asset class comes under increased scrutiny over performance and competition from advisers.
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News
Brexit speech calms markets but leaves questions over ECJ cases
Prime Minister Theresa May this week laid out the government’s plans for Brexit, prompting questions from the pensions industry over the role of EU law in UK pensions over the longer term.
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News
Johnson Service Group adds £1.5m on top of recovery plan
Textile rental provider Johnson Service Group has committed to paying £1.5m to its defined benefit scheme following the £8.25m sale of its dry cleaning business to Timpson Group.
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News
TPR bares its teeth with first mastertrust fines
The Pensions Regulator has imposed its first fines against mastertrusts for failing to complete a chair’s statement, as it signals a hard approach to dealing with defined contribution administration lapses.
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Opinion
Shout above the crowd
From the blog: The last print issue of Pensions Expert for the year went out on Monday, so as we cool our heels and begin winding down for Christmas I am left wondering what we as an industry will be talking about next year.
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News
From RAAs to hedging: Top DB and derisking stories from 2016
Year in review: 2016 was the year the dam finally broke and defined benefit funding issues jumped into the mainstream news, with stories such as Tata Steel and BHS’s funding woes striking a chord.
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News
High charges could affect £26bn of scheme assets, review warns
The Financial Conduct Authority and Department for Work and Pensions’ Independent Project Board has found that about £26bn of pension scheme assets are potentially facing charges of 1 per cent or higher.
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News
OECD calls for DC redesign and stronger education
The OECD, a Paris-based group of mostly wealthy nations, has stressed the need to strengthen defined contribution pension design, as well as the education and advice offered to members.
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NewsStagecoach chair stresses need for accurate cash flow data
Accurate data on scheme balance sheets and a willingness to seek out information independently of consultants and advisers is crucial to managing a scheme facing changing cash flows, the chair of the Stagecoach Group Pension Scheme said this week.
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NewsOne year wiser: What trustees have learnt in 2016
Any other business: From Brexit to Trump, 2016 has been a year of the once-inconceivable coming to pass. Faith in institutions, already low, has taken repeated batterings as prediction after prediction has turned out to be wrong.
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News
Select committee sets sights on gig economy
The Work and Pensions Committee has this week launched an inquiry into self-employment and the so-called gig economy, focusing on pensions as well as universal credit, support and labour market participation.
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News
HMRC consults on GMP equalisation despite Brexit
The government has this week launched a consultation on the methodology for equalisation of guaranteed minimum pensions, indicating commitment to the issue, which goes back to EU law, despite the Brexit vote.
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News
FCA reveals transfer data as experts note 'dramatic' increase
Close to 8,000 people transferred out of defined benefit schemes and into defined contribution between Q3 2015 and Q1 2016, figures from the Financial Conduct Authority show, but experts estimate the numbers may be even higher.
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FeaturesSouth Yorkshire admin issues highlight LGPS challenges
A number of local authority schemes have faced administration challenges and missed deadlines after implementing new software, as the provider struggled with capacity troubles.