De-risking

A national debate is needed to consider whether the investment approach of defined benefit (DB) schemes is storing up problems for the future, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) president Sir Brian Souter has said.

Trustees are increasingly using buy-ins to reduce pensioner liabilities. But, as James Phillips discovers, they could be failing to extract maximum value from these deals.

More than half (55%) of defined benefit (DB) schemes are now cashflow negative, yet many do not have formal de-risking plans, according to research.

The trustees of the Cancer Research UK Pension Scheme have signed a £250m pensioner buy-in with Canada Life, bringing the insurer into the mid-range de-risking market.

The Aon Minet Pension Scheme has successfully completed a bulk enhanced transfer value (ETV) exercise in the latest stage of its de-risking strategy.

Aon Hewitt is reiterating its call for pension schemes to review the emerging lower rates of UK mortality improvement to ensure fair pricing of longevity insurance transactions.

JRP Group has revealed its defined benefit (DB) de-risking sales were 24% down in 2016 compared to 2015 due to stagnation following a rush to beat incoming Solvency II requirements.

The ABI is charging too high fees for providers to take part in the pension dashboard and it would alienate smaller firms, the industry has said.

It has been 10 years since the first pensioner buy-in was completed. Helen Morrissey looks at how the industry has evolved.

The trustees of the Alcatel-Lucent Pension Scheme have agreed a £100m pensioner buy-in with Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC).