All articles by Barbara Ottawa – Page 72
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News
Swiss pensionskasse born out of buffer concerns
[16:30 CEST 24-06] SWITZERLAND – The local railway operators for the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and the Gornergrat Bahn have decided to leave the Ascoop fund to create their own pensionskasse.
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Delegates told crisis shows Swiss systemic weaknesses
[17:00 CEST 23-06] SWITZERLAND – The financial crisis should be seen as a chance to amend the Swiss pension system, delegates at a retirement provision conference in Zurich have been told.
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Economist warns pensions should not contain equities
[14:00 CEST 22-06] AUSTRIA – Investing in equities is unsuitable for pension fund investment, according to Helmut Kramer, the former head of Austria’s economic research centre Wifo.
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Swiss pension level breaches constitution - union
[16:30 CEST 18-06] SWITZERLAND – Pension benefits provided by the first and second pillars no longer provide enough for a decent retirement and should therefore be seen as in breach of the Swiss constitution, the Swiss union Unia has claimed.
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NewsCzech funds survive stress test, for now
CZECH REPUBLIC – All Czech pension funds have passed a stress test by the country’s national bank (CNB) but the results show major weaknesses should interest rate levels climb steeply.
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Consultancy fears pension 'catastrophe'
[17:20 CEST 16-06] GERMANY – Underestimating the long-term effects of the recent financial crisis on pension schemes and measures to counteract it could lead to a “catastrophe” in the second pillar, German consultancy Longial has suggested.
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NewsVictoria to increase activity in corporate bonds
[17:00 CEST 15-06] AUSTRIA – The €500m Victoria-Volksbanken Pensionskasse intends to raise its exposure to corporate bonds.
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NewsGermany's PSV levy could quadruple
[17:05 CEST 12-06] GERMANY – German employers with book reserve pension schemes could face a fourfold increase in the levy they pay into the pension protection association (PSV) next year, IPE has learnt.
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Romanian second pillar back on schedule
ROMANIA – The IMF has agreed a financial aid package with Romania which will ensure, that the country can return to its original schedule for changes to second pillar contributions and in turn will put in place reforms.
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Austrian pension fund doubts value of reform
[16:30 CEST 10-06] AUSTRIA – The Victoria-Volksbanken Pensionskasse is not convinced that making it easier for people to switch between several pension vehicles will help the second pillar, IPE was learnt.
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German funds catch up on SRI
[17:15 CEST 09-06] GERMANY – Approximately 50% of German retirement providers are using ethical criteria within their investments, but not all of them are adopted on a wider scale, a study has claimed.
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Alternatives as much to blame as banks - Swiss funds
[16:25 CEST 08-06] SWITZERLAND – Swiss pensionskassen believe the main causes of the financial crisis were a lack of appropriate regulation as well as excessive risks taken by the financial sector, among banks as well as managers of alternative asset classes such as private equity and hedge funds.
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Companies are liquid enough to keep pensions - consultant
[17:15 CEST 08-06] AUSTRIA – Consultancy firm Arithmetica has claimed the recent financial crisis is further proof that occupational pensions are better left on the companies’ books than in separate arrangements.
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NewsCzech funds return 1.59% in Q1
CZECH REPUBLIC – Six out of ten Czech pension funds generated a return of more than 1% in the first quarter of 2009, according to the most recent data published by the Czech pension fund association APF.
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Swiss APK moves back into gains
[16:15 CEST 28-05] SWITZERLAND – The Swiss pensionskasse for the canton of Aargau returned 1.5% in the first four months of 2009 while the scheme for Solothurn has just reported a 14.8% loss for 2008.
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Growing private pensions not enough – IMF
SLOVENIA – The Slovenian government wants to increase incentives for people to save privately for their retirement and work longer, but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) thinks this is not enough the pensions regime.
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News
Pension fund members to go to court
[17:00 CEST 27-05] AUSTRIA – 2,600 members of Austrian pensionskassen have hired a lawyer to file a complaint with the constitutional court over the question of ownership of pension fund assets.
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NewsAustrian pensions system 'riskiest' by comparison
[16:35 CEST 26-05] AUSTRIA – A study of defined contributions pensions regimes in Europe suggests beneficiaries of the Austrian second pillar alone bear almost the full risk of the capital market, according to pension expert Gerald Klec.
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News
Croatian funds back in positive territory
CROATIA – Croatia’s four pension fund companies collectively lost 0.9% on investments in the first quarter, but data reveals they are back in positive territory now.
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Swiss funds see long-term returns erased
[16:25 CEST 14-05] SWITZERLAND – Swiss Pensionskassen have now returned virtually nothing from their investments in the last eight years, Swisscanto found in its latest research.
