All articles by Jan Wagner – Page 7
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News
Germany’s BVV to put €1bn in alternatives
GERMANY – BVV, the €18bn pension fund for Germany’s financial industry, says it has earmarked €1bn this year for new investments in several asset classes, notably private equity and hedge funds.
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News
Hannover scheme seeks investment head
GERMANY – Hannoversche Kassen (HK), a €113m multi-employer pension fund in the state of Lower Saxony, is seeking a new team leader for its investments department.
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News
Swiss government mulls new governance standards
SWITZERLAND – The government is planning a host of measures aimed at improving corporate governance at local pension funds in the aftermath of the Swissfirst affair.
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News
Universal chief confirms resignation
GERMANY – Bernd Wagner, managing director of Universal-Investment, a leading German institutional fund administrator, has confirmed to IPE that he will resign at the end of March.
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Features
Consultants reject information probe
A recent transparency initiative from the German fund manager association has met with a luke-warm response from consultants. Jan Wagner explains why
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News
Liabilities rise as equities and bond yields drop
EUROPE – Pension funds are facing a two-way hit as the current market correction co-incides with a fall in bond yields. But this is only a short-term problem, say pension funds.
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News
German Pensionskassen stay steady with bonds
GERMANY – Pensionskassen, or insurance-type German pension funds, continue to invest heavily in bonds while keeping exposure to equities well below that of their Swiss and Austrian peers, a new survey by international accountant Ernst & Young reflects.
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News
Buck Heissmann snaps up French consultancy
FRANCE – Consultant Buck Heissmann has further strengthened its presence in France by acquiring MODAC, a French actuarial and benefits consulting firm. Financial details were not disclosed.
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News
Equity and real estate drive Swiss returns to 6.9%
SWITZERLAND – Swiss pension fund lobby ASIP says its members finished 2006 with an average return of 6.9% – slightly higher than a previously reported 6.6% for the Credit Suisse Pension Fund (CSPF) index.
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News
Zurich civil servants enjoy 7.3% return
SWITZERLAND – BVK, the CHF21bn (€12.9bn) canton of Zurich pension fund, says it finished 2006 with an above-average return and fully-funded status.
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News
Emmental scheme asked to plug CHF700,000 hole
SWITZERLAND – The pension fund for RSE, a small medical firm in Emmental, has been hit by a CHF700,000 (€430,000) funding loss caused by the actions of a former director.
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News
Ethos plans Novartis revolt
SWITZERLAND – Socially-responsible manager Ethos says it will oppose the re-election of a senior official at the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis during the firm’s annual shareholder meeting on March 6.
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News
UBS to exit Baer stake – reports
SWITZERLAND – Banking giant UBS is reportedly planning to divest its 20.7% stake in Swiss private bank Julius Baer nearly two years after acquiring it.
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News
Swiss Transparenta boosts assets by 39%
SWITZERLAND – Transparenta, a multi-employer pension scheme, has reported significant gains in assets and in the number of people it insures for 2006 while finishing the year with a net return of 5.3%.
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News
LV 1871 hires Großmann for Liechtenstein
GERMANY – Life insurer LV 1871 has named Martin Großmann, the former head of Chemie Pensionsfonds, as one of two managing directors for its new corporate pension fund in Liechtenstein.
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News
Volksfürsorge reports growth on pensions front
GERMANY – Volksfürsorge, a German insurer, says it took in almost €100m in new contributions from its corporate pension schemes in Germany last year.
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News
Ex-labour minister attacks pension funds
GERMANY – Former labour minister Nobert Blüm has attacked international pension funds for their greed and defended his statement that Germany’s state pension is secure.
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News
Saint Gobain transfers German pension liabilities
GERMANY – French industrial firm Saint Gobain has outsourced €518m in German pension liabilities to Deutscher Pensionsfonds AG (DPAG), an equity-oriented pension fund launched by Deutsche Asset Management (DeAM) and the Swiss insurer Zurich.
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News
G7 go for hedge fund vigilance rather than more regulation
GLOBAL – Finance ministers and central bankers from the G-7 industrial nations decided against any further regulation of hedge funds but said they would remain “vigilant” in scrutinising the risks funds presented.
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News
Hessen MPs refuse to save for own retirement
GERMANY – A majority of MPs in the parliament for the state of Hessen have reportedly rejected a plan under which they would be forced to save for retirement instead of automatically receiving a state pension.