All articles by Barbara Ottawa – Page 57
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FeaturesSwitzerland: Second pillar in transition
New investment rules are being implemented, the supervisory structure is up for reform and the financial crisis prompted an investigation into admin costs, writes Barbara Ottawa
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NewsMacquarie snaps up Siemens Austria's asset management business
AUSTRIA – Siemens Austria has sold its asset management arm Innovest to the Macquarie Group.
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NewsGerman province to top up public fund with €114m
GERMANY – The German province of Northrhine-Westphalia (NRW) is seeking parliamentary support for an additional €114m one-off payment into the pension fund for civil servants.
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NewsKölner Pensionskasse to manage Germany's first 'Jewish' scheme
GERMANY – The Kölner Pensionskasse is set to manage the first pension fund for employees of Jewish communities in Germany.
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NewsGerman roundup: Gothaer, Standard Life, Union
GERMANY – Only 38% of Germans are using second-pillar pension schemes, life insurance company Gothaer has found.
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News
Romanian pension funds return 13.3% to end of third quarter
ROMANIA – Pension funds in the Romanian mandatory second pillar returned 13.3% for the first nine months, according to the pension fund association APAPR.
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NewsGerman pension schemes invest in funds offering student loans
GERMANY – The pension fund for chartered accountants in the German province of Northrhine-Westphalia (WPV) is considering additional investments in a university student support programme.
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NewsSwiss roundup: Complementa, Swisscanto, second-pillar reform
SWITZERLAND – The true amount of asset management fees paid by Swiss Pensionskassen is unclear and difficult to compare, according to consultancy Complementa.
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NewsSwisscanto justifies pension funding statistics
SWITZERLAND – Swisscanto has defended its figures on funding levels of Swiss Pensionskassen, saying divergences with official stats can be explained by differing samples and methods.
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NewsGerman province to promote fund-based pensions
GERMANY – The German province of Hessen is aiming to increase the share of small and medium-sized enterprises in the second pillar by promoting fund-based pensions.
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News'Burdensome' PSV levy drives IBM Germany to set up Pensionsfond
GERMANY – IBM Germany is planning to set up a Pensionsfond to evade high pension solvency levies.
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NewsSwiss government 'reluctant' to take legal action against former UBS board
SWITZERLAND – Taking legal action against the former board at UBS has to be weighed against public pension funds' interests, as they will have "little interest" in paying large sums for lawsuits, Swiss finance minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has told parliament.
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NewsGerman companies keeping workers in dark on pension schemes
GERMANY – The number of occupational pension schemes would be much higher in Germany if employees were better informed, according to a survey by the Institute for Management and Economic Research (IMWF).
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NewsSwiss roundup: BVK, AFIAA, Canton Pensionskassen
SWITZERLAND – A parliamentary commission has been set up to investigate allegations of corruption at the Swiss public fund BVK.
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NewsGerman companies turning to LDI, alternatives for pension schemes
GERMANY – German multinational companies have been using hedging strategies, liability-driven investment (LDI) and alternatives increasingly, but are still reducing equities, according to a survey by Towers Watson.
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NewsSwiss canton of Solothurn goes solo on supervision
SWITZERLAND – The Canton of Solothurn in the northwest of Switzerland has decided to keep its own Pensionskassen supervisor, thereby rejecting government recommendations to join forces with other cantons.
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NewsSwiss pension funds fret over demographic changes, poor returns
SWITZERLAND – Demographic changes and lower than expected returns have been the biggest headaches for Swiss Pensionskassen this year, according to an Ernst & Young survey.
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NewsConsultancy sees trouble for smaller custodians in Germany
GERMANY – New regulatory requirements from the German supervisor and increasing demands from institutional investors will lead to consolidation in the local custodian market, according to Kommalpha Institutional Consulting.
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NewsGerman occupational pensions still financial burden for SMEs – Kienbaum
GERMANY – Only 50% of German SMEs offer occupational pensions to directors, research by Kienbaum consultancy has found, and they do not anticipate this to change soon.
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NewsSwiss Canton considers loan for pension fund to boost investments
SWITZERLAND – The finance department for the Swiss canton of Basel-Land is considering a loan to regional public pension fund BLPK in an effort to boost its investments as part of a recovery plan.
