Victoria Tichá
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Articles by Victoria Tichá
HSBC pension scheme to invest £250m in wind and solar
The HSBC Bank UK Pension Scheme is to invest £250m in renewable energy infrastructure, such as solar plants and wind farms, with Greencoat Capital.
Pension freedoms could rake in £19.2bn of tax over next decade
Pension freedoms could generate as much as £1.9bn a year in tax revenue for the next 10 years, according to research by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI).
Teachers' union members vote to strike over pension changes
GMB members working for the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) have voted for strike action over proposed changes to their defined benefit (DB) pension scheme.
BlackRock wins £30bn Scottish Widows mandate
BlackRock has won over a quarter of a £109bn Scottish Widows mandate following a competitive tender process, as the battle for the remaining £79bn in assets continues.
Government should not require schemes to offer partial transfers - PP research
In this week's Pensions Buzz, respondents warned schemes being required to offer partial transfers could lead to too many administrative burdens
Five stories you may have missed this week
This week's top stories include Smart Pension and Legal & General revealing a prototype demo of their workplace retirement income product, combining drawdown and annuities.
One in eight FTSE 100 DB schemes 'still in worry zone'
The aggregate risk across defined benefit (DB) schemes in the FTSE 100 has fallen by almost a quarter since 2017 but 12.5% are still at risk of failure, research suggests.
SPPA asks Scottish government for £18.4m after Capita IT project cancelled
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) has requested £18.4m from the Scottish government over the next five years in order to deliver a replacement IT project after a Capita project was cancelled.
PPF 7800 index hits highest funding level since 2011
The combined defined benefit (DB) funding level increased to 97.7% at the end of September, according to the Pension Protection Fund's (PPF) latest update.
Mercer and Morningstar form alliance to deliver investment data
Mercer and Morningstar have teamed up to develop a global platform for investment data, research and analytics.
What to expect from the High Court decision on Lloyds' GMP equalisation
With the High Court's judgment expected imminently, Victoria Ticha examines the possible outcomes and what it could mean for schemes
FTSE 100 pension schemes see small funding improvement
Defined benefit (DB) schemes sponsored by the UK's 100 largest listed companies saw their combined funding level improve by 10 basis points during September, according to JLT Employee Benefits.
Industry split over combination of pensions with other savings products
Respondents disagree whether mixing of products would be beneficial for savers
Rothesay Life to acquire £860m equity release portfolio as PRA seeks higher security for asset
Rothesay Life has purchased an £860m portfolio of equity release loans as the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is due to end its consultation on insurers' use of the asset to back business.
AA UK Pension Scheme completes £351m buy-in with Canada Life
Canada Life has signed a £351m bulk annuity contract insuring the pensioner liabilities of 2,510 members and dependents in the AA UK Pension Scheme.
Four trustee directors banned after mismanaging members' pension funds
The Insolvency Service has disqualified four directors of trustee firms from running companies for a total of 34 years following an investigation.
Life expectancy improvements grind to a halt; Number of people aged over 90 hits record high
Life expectancy in the UK saw no improvement between 2015 and 2017 as the number of people aged over 90 hit a record high, latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals.
Third of over-55s spend more time choosing a car than preparing for retirement
More than half of people over the age of 55 see financial security as a top priority in retirement, yet a third allocate more time to buying a new car, finds Legal & General (L&G) research.
Dominic Chappell loses appeal against BHS conviction
Former BHS owner Dominic Chappell has lost the appeal against his section 72 conviction and sentence for failing to hand over information to The Pensions Regulator (TPR).
DB deficit could be halved by adopting new 'end-game' solutions
The funding gap across FTSE 350 schemes could be slashed by as much as £275bn if schemes look beyond traditional ways of creating value. Victoria Ticha examines how
Field questions TPR over lessons learnt from Kodak Pension Plan
Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) chairman Frank Field has questioned the regulator on what lessons it can learn from the experience of the Kodak Pension Plan No.2 (KPP2).
Kodak Pension Plan 'likely to move into the PPF', say trustees
The trustees of the Kodak Pension Plan No.2 (KPP2) have said it will likely enter the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) in "due course" after reviewing the scheme's investment in Kodak Alaris.
L&G completes £285m buy-in with Fortune 500 company
A US company has completed a £285m pensioner bulk annuity for around 1,100 of UK members with Legal & General (L&G).
Greene King completes £50m buy-in with Scottish Widows
Pub retailer and brewer Greene King has signed a £50m bulk annuity contract with Scottish Widows for the Spirit Pension Scheme.
One in five vote against remuneration report at XPS AGM
XPS Pensions Group saw over 20% of its shareholders revolt when voting on its remuneration report at its annual general meeting (AGM) this week.
NEST appoints CFO to trustee board as it continues move to unitary structure
NEST has appointed its chief financial officer (CFO) Richard Lockwood as a member of its reshaped trustee board which unites executives and non-executives.
Hammond open to RPI reform but up to 'ONS to initiate'
Chancellor Philip Hammond has said he would be happy to hear about reforming the retail prices index (RPI) as long as the Office of National Statistics (ONS) initiates discussions.
Transparency failings blamed on 'operationally inefficient' industry
The WPC's cost and transparency inquiry reveals it is impossible to know exactly how much consumers and trustees are paying in charges. Victoria Ticha takes a closer look
PIC racks up £4.5bn of bulk annuity business in 'best ever' year so far
Sales in Pension Insurance Corporation's (PIC) bulk annuity business rose by 73% compared to the same period last year, its half-year results have revealed.
One in five FTSE 350 companies do not disclose funding deficit or surplus position
FTSE 350 companies are failing to disclose to stakeholders a range of important data about their defined benefit (DB) obligations, a Lincoln Pensions study finds.
DB deficit falls again in August
All UK private sector defined benefit (DB) schemes saw a £10bn improvement in funding on a gilts plus basis last month, according to PwC's Skyval index.
Smart Pension appoints former Virgin CEO as board chairman
Smart Pension has appointed former Virgin Group chief executive Stephen Murphy to take over from Sir Anthony Jolliffe as chairman of its board.
UK moves up one place in global retirement ranking
The UK has moved up one place in this year's Natixis Global Retirement Index (GRI) - seeing improvements in health and wellbeing dragged down by performance of retirement prospects in general.
Field: Lack of fee transparency leaves pension savers 'deeply depressed'
Asset managers' failure to provide clear transaction costs incurred in pension funds leaves savers "deeply depressed", Frank Field says.
PensionBee teams up with money app to create personal finance dashboard
PensionBee has joined forces with money app Yolt to enable its customers to access their live pension balance along with other personal finances for the first time.
More than half not saving into a pension blame low income
Lack of adequate income is increasingly to blame for why people do not choose to save towards retirement, according to research by Equiniti.
FTSE 100 pension schemes slip back into deficit
The UK's 100 largest listed companies saw their combined defined benefit (DB) funding level fall by 80 basis points during August, according to JLT Employee Benefits.
B&CE appoints two directors to board
B&CE has announced it has appointed Jim Islam and Jim McKinnon to its board of directors.
Why are smaller schemes still paying higher administration fees?
Access to automation could explain why there is still a large gap in fees for large and small schemes, according to KGC Associates' ninth administration survey. Victoria Ticha looks at the findings
L&G transacts £507m bulk annuities in quieter H1 but expects 'exceptionally busy' H2
Legal & General (L&G) has announced bulk annuity sales in the first half were £1bn lower than last year, but it expects another £7bn of deals in the second half.
Aviva completes £1bn longevity reinsurance deal with Prudential
The Prudential Insurance Company of America (PICA) has agreed to assume approximately £1bn of pension liabilities from Aviva's bulk annuity business.
DB transfer members risk running out of money seven years earlier
An individual transferring a £230,000 defined benefit (DB) pension could lose up to seven years of retirement income if they draw a fixed sum of £10,000 a year, according to XPS Pensions Group research.
TPO finds Northumbria Police Authority guilty of maladministration; Gives 'new hope' to scam victims
A ruling by The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) could mean past victims get redress if it finds trustees failed to alert members to pension transfer risks or did not perform mandatory checks.
TPR appoints five to Determinations Panel ahead of authorisation regime
The Pension Regulator's (TPR) Determinations Panel has appointed five members as it prepares to rule on master trust authorisation applications
Phoenix Group appoints Nicholas Lyons as chairman
Nicholas Lyons is to take over from Henry Staunton as chairman of Phoenix Group.
Hymans Robertson appoints new investment consultancy head
Anthony Ellis has taken over from John Walbaum to head Hymans Robertson's investment consultancy practice.
FTSE 100 schemes increase bond allocation to de-risk
Two-thirds of FTSE 100 DB schemes invest more than 50% of assets in bonds to tackle investment mismatching, according to JLT research. Victoria Ticha takes a closer look
Scottish Widows transacts £1bn of bulk annuities in H1
Four bulk annuity transactions worth over £1bn were transacted by Scottish Widows in the first half of the year, according to its half yearly report.