Articles by Natasha Browne
TPR steps up performance after hitting most targets
The Pensions Regulator has built on its past successes despite working in an increasingly challenging environment, Natasha Browne finds
PO faces 240% surge in pension liberation cases
The Pensions Ombudsman (PO) has experienced a 240% increase in the number of new investigations opened in relation to suspected pension liberation.
Aon launches pensions 'buffer' account to tackle trapped surpluses
Aon Hewitt has launched a charged custody account targeted at defined benefit (DB) schemes to act as a "buffer" in preventing trapped surpluses.
TPR to probe schemes on DC transfer procedures
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has launched an investigation into exit fees, charges and the defined contribution (DC) transfer process, in a bid to improve processes.
PBUK 2015: PPF warns against banking on rising rates
The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has raised concern that low interest rates could persist into the future despite expectations of a reversal to historic norms.
PBUK 2015: Too much legal liability risks turning trustees into 'lemmings'
Placing too much legal liability on trustees risks "catastrophic" consequences for the financial system, according to a leading industry thinker.
Court to determine if survivor benefits will be equalised for same-sex spouses
The Court of Appeal is set to decide whether a judgment allowing schemes to restrict survivor benefits for civil partners and same-sex spouses is compatible with EU law.
Is sacking workers easier than changing scheme rules?
Natasha Browne examines how employers can amend their pension provision without ending up in court
Is good governance only for large pension schemes?
Natasha Browne asks whether TPR is right to say small schemes will never meet its governance targets
Income gap between pensioners and workers starts to close
The weekly income gap between pensioners and the working-age population has narrowed to 8% over the past two decades, according to official figures.
PO sets minimum compensation for inconvenience of maladministration
New Pensions Ombudsman (PO) Anthony Arter has introduced a minimum compensation level of £500 for "inconvenience" or "distress" caused by maladministration.
Over-50s confused over single-tier state pension
People approaching retirement are confused about the potential benefits of the single-tier state pension set come into effect next April, according to Saga.
ONS: Workplace schemes most attractive retirement savings vehicle for staff
There has been a steady climb in the proportion of Britons who see workplace pension schemes as the best way to save for retirement.
Second-hand annuities would help DB schemes hedge longevity risk
A secondary annuity market would help with hedging longevity risk in defined benefit (DB) pension schemes, experts say.
TPR 'accepts' small schemes will never meet governance standards
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) "accepts" that many small pension schemes will never achieve the necessary standards it has laid out on governance.
IFoA: Half of annuitants would resist urge to cash in contract
Most annuity holders would resist the urge to cash in their policies on a secondary market despite concerns people had got a bad deal from insurers, according to research.
High Court forces two companies into liquidation over £12m pension scam
Two north-west businesses have been wound up by the High Court after convincing 209 people to put total pension savings of £11.9m into a fraudulent investment scheme.
Auto-enrolment providers in duplication error
Some workers put into Now Pensions and the People's Pension have been mistakenly enrolled multiple times, PP understands.
The perils of poorly negotiated scheme investment management agreements
Trustees need to set clear investment objectives with their managers to ensure the contract works in their favour, Natasha Browne finds
Longevity risk: 'it's the demographics stupid'
The development of a capital market for longevity risk would ease the debt burden on future generations, Natasha Browne hears
Altmann 'disappointed' by providers' refusal to offer full freedoms
Pensions minister Ros Altmann is disappointed that many providers have failed to offer the full range of pension freedoms to their customers.
Mandatory advice crucial for secondary annuity market
People looking to trade in their annuities for cash should be obliged to take independent financial advice, industry pundits agree.
Contagion risk from Greek default is 'low'
Concerns of a Greek default on its €1.5bn (£1.1bn) repayment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due by the end of the month are mounting.
Rate rise expected in early 2016 despite strong wage growth
The Bank of England (BOE) is unlikely to increase interest rates until the beginning of next year even though real wages have grown 2.7% in a year, economists say.
Blake warns of dangerous concentration of longevity risk among insurers
The insurance industry faces a "severe" concentration of systematic longevity risk through the market for buy-ins, buyouts and longevity swaps, according to professor David Blake.
ABI warns against 'blame game' on access to pension freedoms
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has hit back at proposals that providers would be "named and shamed" for not offering the full range of pension freedoms.
PO Arter orders refund for pensioner penalised in overpayment
The Pensions Ombudsman (PO) has ruled that a pensioner in the Civil Service Pension Scheme be refunded for repayments he made to the scheme after an overpayment error.
DB liabilities outstrip GDP by £200bn
Private sector defined benefit (DB) pension schemes have total liabilities of over £2trn, according to figures published today.
Government will 'name and shame' providers creating barriers to freedoms
The government has warned providers it is their responsibility to deliver the options promised by the ‘freedom and choice' reforms.
Why a secondary annuity market has legs
Natasha Browne takes a look at some of the proposals for a successful secondary annuity market as the consultation closes
Authorities come down hard on trustees involved in £19m scam
The Insolvency Service has made a successful application to the High Court to place two trustee firms linked to pensions scams into provisional liquidation
Is the weight of pension freedom bearing down on providers?
Should pension providers be forced to offer the full range of freedom and choice products to consumers? Natasha Browne investigates
Kuwait Petroleum scheme agrees £42.3m enhanced bulk annuity deal
The Kuwait Petroleum Services Company Pension Scheme has secured a medically underwritten bulk annuity policy worth £42.3m with Partnership.
Baker Tilly to rebrand as RSM
Baker Tilly has announced it will be adopting the RSM brand name from 26 October in a bid to cement its global position in audit, tax and consulting services.
Trustee firms overseeing £19m in suspicious schemes forced into provisional liquidation
The High Court has put two trustee companies connected with suspected pension liberation schemes into provisional liquidation following applications made by the Insolvency Service.
Dentist multi-employer specialist to auto-enrol with Aon's Littleblue
The dental industry's multi-employer specialist Denplan has selected Aon Employee Benefit's Littleblue solution for auto-enrolment (AE).
Northern Bank Pension Scheme agrees £680m buy-in with Pru
The Northern Bank Pension Scheme has entered into a £680m buy-in with Prudential, marking the largest bulk annuity deal agreed so far this year.
Eurozone GDP expands 1% year-on-year
The Eurozone experienced a 1% increase in gross domestic product (GDP) on a year-on-year basis in the first quarter of 2015.
PPF: Deficits down by a third since January peak
The total deficit of schemes in the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) 7800 Index has fallen by more than a third since the record high of £367.5bn in January.
Ombudsman forces managers to make up losses suffered in late transfer
The Pensions Ombudsman (PO) has ordered two wealth managers to make up the investment losses incurred by a pensioner on the late transfer of his drawdown fund.
Cameron warns providers against exploiting pension freedoms
Prime minister David Cameron has vowed to keep a watchful eye on pension providers to ensure they do not hike up charges in the wake of the freedom and choice reforms.
DWP suffers 'extremely worrying' staff cuts of 30%
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has seen its staff headcount slashed by 29% since 2010, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
TPR to probe DC trustees on charge cap compliance
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is set to assess whether or not trustees of defined contribution (DC) pension schemes have applied the 0.75% charge cap which came into effect in April.
TPR publishes compliance policy for LGPS governance laws
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published a compliance and enforcement policy for public service schemes, including the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
UPDATED: Friends Life backtracks on freedom and choice offering
Friends Life will not be offering its customers the uncrystallised funds pension lump sum (UFPLS) option under the freedom and choice reforms, the provider has confirmed.
Lesley Titcomb: 'TPR has used its powers when necessary - and they are strong powers'
TPR chief exec on the challenges ahead
Disabilities minister Tomlinson to be government's Commons pensions spokesman
Minister for disabled people Justin Tomlinson will be the spokesman for pensions in the House of Commons, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed.
Cash requests tail off as pension freedoms bed down
The proportion of people looking to take their pensions as cash has declined by almost a third over the weeks since the launch of the freedom reforms, according to research.