Asset-backed contribution structures (ABCs) are increasingly being used to fund smaller deficits, according to research from Deloitte.

Mercer has launched an app that gives clients access to daily information about the funding status of their schemes.

This week respondents give their thoughts on which defined ambition options will appeal to businesses, large and small.

Target date funds (TDF) are the most popular option among Buzz respondents for making defined contribution (DC) saving more predictable.

The majority of respondents said trustee boards should do more to review the performance of trustees, although many acknowledged this was a difficult task.

The majority of Buzz contributors believe an annual management charge (AMCs) is generally the most appropriate charging structure for workplace defined contribution (DC).

The industry is less convinced that DA will be taken up by smaller companies, with almost half this week's respondents saying no option under consideration would appeal to this sector.

Many Buzz respondents believe large employers will be interested in the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) defined ambition (DA) proposals.

The government should stop "banging on" about defined ambition (DA) and let the pensions industry focus on applying defined benefit (DB) investment strategies to defined contribution (DC) schemes, says Lord Hutton.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has urged trustees to examine asset-backed contribution structures (ABCs) carefully and explore "less risky alternatives" before entering into such an arrangement.