All Securities Services articles – Page 20
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Features
How secure is your lending?
IPE asked three pension funds in three countries – Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands – the same question: ‘Does securities lending represent free revenue for pension funds or does it carry underestimated risks?’ Here are their answers: Michael Nellemann Perdersen, CIO at PKA, which groups eight pension funds in ...
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Features
Inflation on the prowel
The financial setbacks of recent years have left many pension funds in a difficult position. With their concentration in equities, portfolios were damaged by the collapse of the technology bubble, while the simultaneous fall in bond yields raised pension liabilities. Additionally, government reviews and legislative changes have all placed pension ...
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Features
When less can be more
If interest rates rise what should pension funds do? The answer for the majority of pension funds is likely to be the same - nothing. For the minority - those for whom substantial bond portfolios are actively managed by internal pension fund investment staff - the answer is slightly different: ...
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Features
The perils of serving two masters
Anyone who has attempted to serve two masters knows that the risk of conflicts is enormous. Real success is only possible in two cases: where the two masters have no overlapping interests or when they have completely aligned interests. Dutch pension funds have a long history of serving multiple masters, ...
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Features
Tailoring messages to members
Like many aspects of modern life, pensions are becoming less standardised and more complex, with individuals facing more choice and demanding more information tailored to their needs. As pension funds try to meet the requirements of their members, communication is becoming an increasingly important part of the service they provide. ...
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Features
Approach to IT still uneven
Performance and risk are growing concerns at Austrian pension funds and to better measure and manage these factors, the funds are implementing a range of third-party and in-house developed applications. Some funds are using spreadsheets or programming applications from scratch, while others are making use of the performance and risk ...
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Features
Message in a bottle
The spectre of regulation, interference by Europe’s political classes and the perils of industry complacency joined those hardy perennials standards and market practice at the top of the agenda at Sibos – the annual payments and securities processing jamboree organised by messaging co-operative SWIFT, held this year in Copenhagen. Although ...
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Features
Consultants have a role to play
Although many smaller pension funds do not find it necessary to take on the services of a custodian, it becomes necessary at a certain level of complexity. In the UK, at least, if a fund only invests in pooled funds, there is no need for a custodian since the pooled ...
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Features
Simulating DC outcomes
Defined contribution (DC) pension schemes are complicated financial products. However, they are ideal subjects for stochastic simulation methods1, and research on them has developed to the point where we now have the basis of a commercially feasible DC pension model2. This article begins by explaining the structure of this model. ...
