All IPE articles in May 2009 (Online) – Page 4

  • News

    Life expectancy ‘rising faster than forecast’

    2009-05-13T16:15:00Z

    [17:15 CEST 13-05] NETHERLANDS - The life expectancy of the Dutch population has increased much more than initially forecast, the Actuarial Society (AG) has suggested.

  • News

    ATP heads up personal accounts admin shortlist

    2009-05-13T16:20:00Z

    [17:20 CEST 13-05] UK – ATP is among a shortlist of four potential suppliers of scheme administration services for the new system of personal accounts.

  • News

    Downturn unlikely to drive Ombudsman complaints

    2009-05-13T16:25:00Z

    [17:25 CEST 13-05] UK – The Pension Ombudsman has predicted the economic downturn will not have a “direct or obvious effect” on its workload over the next three years, although the switch from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) schemes could lead to more investment-related complaints.

  • News

    1 in 4 Danes to work past retirement

    2009-05-13T16:30:00Z

    [17:30 CEST 13-05] DENMARK – Almost 50% of Danish workers intend to take early retirement before the age of 65, while just over a quarter plan to continue working past the normal retirement age, according to Forsikring & Pension, the Danish Insurance Association (DIA).

  • News

    Pension funds act on negative swap spread

    2009-05-14T12:00:00Z

    [13:00 CEST 14-05] GLOBAL - Pension funds have been lining up to take profits from the interest-rate swaps they have put in place for liability-driven investing (LDI), according to their fixed income managers and advisers.

  • News

    Ombudsman attacks DC pensions marketing

    2009-05-14T14:30:00Z

    [15:30 CEST 14-05] IRELAND - Paul Kenny, the Pensions Ombudsman, has hit out at defined contribution pension providers and trustees for what he describes as misleading communications around the marketing of DC schemes’ funds and terms and insufficient analysis of charges.

  • News

    BT told to delay actuarial valuation results

    2009-05-14T14:45:00Z

    [15:45 CEST 14-05] UK – The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has asked BT and trustees of the £29.3bn (€32.6bn) BT Pension Scheme (BTPS) not to finalise or disclose the results of the latest triennial valuation until TPR has completed discussions regarding the basis of the valuation.

  • News

    Royal Mail pension deficit nears £7bn

    2009-05-14T15:00:00Z

    [16:00 CEST 14-05] UK – Royal Mail Group has revealed the deficit in its £20bn (€22.3bn) pension scheme has more than doubled over the year to £6.77bn at the end of March 2009.

  • News

    Provisum kept cover ratio afloat

    2009-05-14T15:15:00Z

    [16:15 CEST 14-05] NETHERLANDS - Provisum, the €900m pension fund of retailer C&A, managed to sustain a cover ratio of over 120% by the end of last year, thanks mainly to its comfortable starting position.

  • News

    Swiss funds see long-term returns erased

    2009-05-14T15:25:00Z

    [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.

  • News

    Pensions Board grants DB schemes further reprieve

    2009-05-14T15:40:00Z

    [16:40 CEST 14-05] IRELAND – The Pensions Board has further extended the deadline by which defined benefit (DB) schemes must file funding proposals for approval, following the introduction of new measures for DB schemes announced by the government last month.

  • News

    EC steps up action against Poland

    2009-05-14T16:00:00Z

    [17:00 CEST 14-05] EUROPE – The European Commission has moved to stage two in its pursuit of changes to Polish taxation policy, for what officials claim is discrimination against foreign pension and investment bodies.

  • News

    Croatian funds back in positive territory

    2009-05-15T15:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    NAPF backs UK short-selling strategy

    2009-05-15T15:40:00Z

    [16:40 CEST 15-05] UK – The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has urged the UK’s Financial Services Authority to steer clear of a blanket ban on short-selling of equities, arguing certain investments strategies “depend on the ability to go short”.

  • News

    Reforms urged on sterling corporate bond market

    2009-05-15T16:10:00Z

    [17:10 CEST 15-05] UK – The Investment Management Association has warned appropriate reforms are needed in the UK corporate bond market, to prevent the sector from becoming a “backwater” and in turn presenting both a lack of funding and higher costs for all investors concerned.

  • News

    East Sussex bank plan is 'madness'

    2009-05-15T16:15:00Z

    [17:15 CEST 15-05] UK – Proposals by East Sussex County Council to use money from its local government pension scheme (LGPS) to establish a bank to help local businesses have been criticised as "utter madness" by the GMB.

  • News

    Buy-in security 'helps credibility'

    2009-05-15T16:15:00Z

    [17:15 CEST 15-05] UK – Over 90% of trustees and industry professionals believe insurance companies do not always need to offer additional security in pension-buy-in transactions, although it improves their credibility if they do so, Hewitt Associates has revealed.

  • News

    Fujitsu mulls closing UK DB scheme to future accrual

    2009-05-15T16:20:00Z

    [17:20 CEST 15-05] UK – Fujitsu Services UK has confirmed it is initiating a three-month consultation with staff and trade unions over the closure of its defined benefit (DB) scheme to future accrual.

  • News

    Irish tourism authority seeks pensions admin

    2009-05-15T16:20:00Z

    [17:20 CEST 15-05] IRELAND - Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, is tendering a contract for consultancy and administration services to its three pension funds.

  • News

    Croydon pension fund targets GTAA

    2009-05-15T16:25:00Z

    [17:25 CEST 15-05] UK – Croydon Council is seeking a supplier for the combined roles of providing Tactical Asset Allocation (TAA) advice to its pension fund while also managing a £25m (€28m) Global Tactical Asset Allocation (GTAA) mandate.