Pension Protection Fund

This week's top stories include speculation about what the snap general election may mean for pensions, and Bernard Matthews' owners accused by MPs of throwing out a deal to save the DB scheme for their own benefit.

The former owners of Bernard Matthews have been criticised for rejecting a takeover deal which would have stopped its defined benefit (DB) scheme from entering the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a consultation which considers allowing contracted-out pensioner members to transfer to schemes which have never been contracted-out.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has confirmed its new levy rule for schemes without a substantive employer for the 2017/18 year.

A deal on separating the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) from Tata Steel may be just two or three months away, according to reports.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is proposing changes to its levy rules for the next triennium from 2018/19 to develop a more accurate assessment of insolvency risk.

Imposing a higher levy on schemes without a substantive sponsor would be fairer and act as a deterrent, according to Pensions Buzz respondents.

The combined deficit of defined benefit (DB) schemes increased by £45.5bn over February to £242bn according to the Pension Protection Fund's (PPF) latest update.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has advocated a "full merger" of defined benefit (DB) schemes which splits employers from their burgeoning obligations.

A scheme to allow British Home Stores (BHS) members to avoid large cuts through the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) could be the first to be assessed under new levy calculations.