Defined Benefit

A looming court decision on gender equalisation of pension schemes could hit FTSE 100 profits by up to £15bn, Lane Clark and Peacock (LCP) says.

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.

In this week's Pensions Buzz, respondents warned schemes being required to offer partial transfers could lead to too many administrative burdens

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.

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.

Collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes could be a "halfway house" for the public sector but will appeal to "very much a minority" in the private sector, Baroness Ros Altmann says.

Partial defined benefit (DB) transfers are easier than trustees think and all schemes should offer them, XPS Pensions Group says.

Around three-fifths of respondents in this week's Pensions Buzz backed the view that trustees should take a proactive approach to engage with members when they are seeking to transfer out of their defined benefit (DB) scheme.

Lack of transparency means employees are in the dark over whether they are getting value for money from their pension, according to a report by the international labour union network.

As the volume of transfer value requests grows, trustees must decide whether to take a minimalist or proactive approach with members. James Phillips explores the pros and cons.