Defined Benefit

Macfarlane Group has introduced a pension increase exchange option for active and deferred members after reducing pensioner liabilities by 35% through a similar exercise.

Aga Rangemaster has withheld an interim dividend to shareholders as part of a recovery plan agreed in principal with trustees of its pension scheme.

Consultants are seeing a surge of interest in incentivised transfer exercises after the publication of a code of practice earlier this summer brought some certainty to the market.

Dawson International has entered administration after directors and trustees failed to agree on a solution to plug the firm's scheme deficit.

PRS for Music has named Aon Hewitt as its pension services consultant.

Johnston Press has boosted contributions to its scheme by 60% after seeing its shortfall double last year.

Research conducted by Barnett Waddingham on FTSE350 companies shows the negative effect of scheme liabilities is increasing.

A PPF update released today has shown an increase in scheme deficits from June to July this year, with the aggregate balance of schemes falling from -£267bn to -£283bn on the lifeboat funds' 7800 Index.

Morgan Stanley's list of the 20 UK firms facing the biggest pension risk.

Share prices of firms with the biggest pension deficits relative to their size have significantly underperformed the market average in the last three years, says Morgan Stanley Research.