The year in pensions - 2014

A lot happened in the last 12 months. Refresh your memory with our 2014 timeline

Helen Morrissey
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This year has been a momentous one for the pensions industry and it can be hard to keep track of everything that happened. Refresh your memory with our pensions timeline for 2014.

January to March

17 January - It is announced that pensions minister Steve Webb's proposed cap on workplace pension charges has been delayed by up to a year.

23 January - Pensions minister Steve Webb confirms planned reforms for defined contribution charges, governance and transparency will not take effect before April 2015.

11 February - PP reveals the number of pension liberation complaints under investigation by the Pensions Ombudsman has risen to 41.

5 March - PP reveals The Pensions Regulator investigated more than 500 suspected breaches of auto-enrolment legislation in just six months and 590 in total since October 2012.

6 March - The Aviva Staff Pension Scheme secures the largest longevity swap written so far, in the first UK deal to dispense with a traditional intermediary. The deal will pass the longevity risk associated with 19,000 members with £5bn of liabilities to three reinsurers, Munich Re, Scor and Swiss Re.


UK Coal, a £1.6bn buy-in and TPR's DB code - see what  happened from April to June.

 

Law commission reports, a £16bn longevity swap, and the Scottish referendum - see what happened from July to September.

 

TPR shuts down liberation schemes, failings identified in annuities and DC - see what happened from October to December.

 

12 March - Figures released from The Pensions Regulator show that more than three million people are now auto-enrolled into a qualifying workplace pension.

13 March - PP reveals The Pensions Regulator is investigating 27 cases relating to pension liberation.

19 March - Chancellor George Osborne uses the Budget to deliver a radical shakeup of the retirement income market. Measures introduced included the ability to take an entire pension pot as a lump sum subject to marginal rate tax. The minimum income requirement for flexible drawdown was lowered from £20,000p.a to £12,000pa. Osborne also announces the development of the guidance guarantee service - a free service giving all retirees access to retirement information. 

26 March - The ICI Pension Fund trustees enter into two buy-ins with Legal & General and Prudential Retirement Income Services worth £3.6bn. The deal is part of a de-risking strategy employed by the scheme sponsor AkzoNobel.

 

 

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