Defined Benefit

Helen Morrissey looks at how pension schemes make returns while de-risking their portfolios

The latest figures from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) show a minor rise in defined benefit (DB) deficits after months of continuous reductions.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has appointed 23 firms to its restructured legal panel and named a "core panel" of three which will provide the majority of its legal advice.

More than three quarters of contributors predicted the drive by Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS) to invest in local infrastructure would lead to conflicts.

Upcoming governance regulations for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) are likely to separate the roles of pension board and scheme manager, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) official Bob Holloway suggests.

A number of pension funds are avoiding poor valuation results because of the fortunate timing of their three-year cycles, according to Hymans Robertson partner Patrick Bloomfield.

Tobacco investment is a "big example" of conflicts of interest in local authority pensions, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) official Bob Holloway says.

The incoming Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) 2014 benefit structure may be changed in the next 10 years, Barnett Waddingham partner Graeme Muir warns.

Naomi Rainey looks at responses to DCLG and LGA’s call for evidence on the future of the scheme

Tesco has seen its defined benefit (DB) deficit rise after asset rises failed to halt liability increases with a fall in the discount rate.