All IPE articles in July 2008 (Online) – Page 2
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NewsMarket turmoil impacts little on SBZ’s cover ratio
[15:45 CEST 29-07] NETHERLANDS - The €2.6bn pension fund for care insurers SBZ closed the first half of 2008 with a funding ratio of 145% - down only three percentage points from the year-end.
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NewsCheshire places £130m in high alpha fixed income
[13:45 CEST 29-07] UK – The £2.3bn (€2.8bn) Cheshire County Council Pension Fund has awarded three fixed income mandates, including £130m into two high alpha funds managed by Henderson Global Investors.
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NewsING takes AZL's fiduciary offering abroad
[12:30 CEST 29-07] NETHERLANDS – ING Investment Management, which has been offering fiduciary management to medium-sized Dutch pension funds since its acquisition of pension fund manager AZL last year, plans to launch a fiduciary proposition abroad.
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NewsPrivate equity may trigger buyout consolidation (amended)
UK – Consolidation in the buyout market is only going to increase, according to actuarial consultants, as it is suggested the private equity companies backing behind some newer entrants are more used to higher returns on their investment than competition in the bulk annuity sector is producing.
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NewsAlexander Forbes offers TrustEase relief
[16:50 CEST 28-07] UK – Alexander Forbes Trustee Services has today launched a service that it claims frees insolvency practitioners (IPs) from the liability of being a trustee of an insolvent company’s defined contribution (DC) pension scheme.
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NewsPKZH suspends rebalancing on solvency drop
[16:30 CEST 28-07] SWITZERLAND – The CHF14.5bn (€8.9bn) City of Zürich Pension Fund has decided not to make any major changes to its portfolio in light of the credit crisis, even though its funding level has now dropped from 130% in 2007 to an estimated 116% today.
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NewsEntering IPE Awards 'boosted member relations'
[16:20 CEST 28-07] EUROPE – Officials at a Swedish pension fund have told pension fund executive the winning of an IPE European Pension Fund Award added “real value” to their relations with members, so entries are now being invited for this year’s event.
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NewsNIB hybrid plan accepted by union members
[15:30 CEST 28-07] IRELAND – The National Irish Bank's (NIB) plans to introduce a hybrid pension scheme from August 1 2008 have been accepted by members of the Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA) trade union.
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NewsIreland denies plans for 'pension holiday'
[15:00 CEST 28-07] IRELAND – Officials of the Irish ministry of finance have today strenuously denied the government is working on legislation to take a two-year pension holiday from the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF).
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NewsTop 100 firms see £2.4bn of 'irrecoverable' surpluses
[14:45 CEST 28-07] UK – The overall funding position of the FTSE 100 pension schemes has fallen to a deficit of £8bn (€10bn) in the last year, while at least 20 companies have reported what would be a total irrecoverable surplus of £2.4bn under new accounting standards.
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NewsProposed ASB pension reporting seen as "misleading"
[12:00 CEST 28-07] UK – Proposals by the Accounting Standards Board (ASB) to recognise actuarial gains and losses on a company's profit and loss account would be "misleading", Mercer has claimed.
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NewsLAPFF issues deadline for M&S governance
[16:50 CEST 25-07] UK – The Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) has confirmed plans to file a resolution calling for an independent chair of Marks & Spencer (M&S) if the retailer fails to split the roles of chairman and chief executive by 2009.
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NewsFall in Irish equities drives diversified funds
[16:45 CEST 25-07] IRELAND – A sharp decline in Irish equities over the last 12 months has highlighted the “inherent lack of diversification” in Irish balanced funds and driven managers to look at other asset classes, Hewitt has revealed.
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NewsFTSE 100 pensions yet to review VaR target
[16:40 CEST 25-07] UK – Only a handful of pension funds linked to FTSE 100 are reviewing their Value at Risk (VarR) target and so many are increasing the risk to corporate balance sheets, according to research conducted by accounting firm Deloitte.
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NewsBoNYM to service APG’s GTAA assets
[15:45 CEST 25-07] NETHERLANDS – APG Investments, the asset management arm of the giant ABP pension fund, has appointed Bank of New York Mellon to manage the asset administration for its global tactical asset allocation strategy.
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NewsPPF seeks actuarial software provider
[14:45 CEST 25-07] UK – The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is seeking a software provider for services enabling the organisation's actuarial team to complete its job.
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NewsPensions Bill may be amended to include earnings test
[14:30 CEST 25-07] UK – The UK government has confirmed it will amend the Pensions Bill 2008 at the next parliamentary stage if necessary, to clarify the definition of qualifying earnings for a pension scheme and allow the introduction of an annual test.
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NewsIs real estate increase only statistical?
[14:00 CEST 25-07] SWITZERLAND – According to the Credit Suisse Pensionskassenindex for the second quarter pension funds' exposure to foreign equities, real estate and alternative assets has increased over the last three months – but this may not have been down to active allocation decisions.
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NewsIndustry-wide fund searches for high-yield gains
[13:00 CEST 25-07] EUROPE – An industry-wide continental European pension fund is seeking to hire a global high-yield fixed income provider to manage a $80m (€51m) mandate, using IPE Quest.
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NewsSaving should be the new investing - BlackRock
[17:00 CEST 24-07] EUROPE – A study into the attitudes of pension scheme members has revealed many individuals are put off by messages suggesting pensions are an investment, and are more amenable to the concept if described as ‘savings’.
