PwC

Employers forced to cut pay rises to pay for pension plans; Companies warned not to dismiss pay revolts; Axa asks staff to give up index-linked pensions; Pensions worry QE2 will raise liabilities; High price for overstating inflation

Overestimated inflation projections could be costing UK defined benefit scheme sponsors over £50bn in unnecessary funding commitments, a corporate adviser warns.

The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of The Pensions Regulator in the Nortel/Lehman Brothers legal challenge.

Industry figures are expecting a host of de-risking insurance deals to be undertaken by "quasi-public sector" schemes in the coming months.

HSBC Workplace Retirement Services has appointed Mark Winstanley as a senior client relationship manager.

Longevity swaps leave schemes open to the risk that younger members live twice as long in retirement than current pensioner members, Punter Southall warns.

A dozen longevity swap deals are set to complete in the next 18 months after the £1.7bn ITV Pension Scheme deal reinvigorated the market, a consultant says.

How DC schemes are coping with volatility

The ITV pension scheme has entered into a £1.7bn longevity swap with Credit Suisse to fully hedge the longevity risk for 12,000 of its pensioner members.

The conclusion of HM Revenue & Customs' consultation on tax-relief for asset-backed contributions will bring welcome clarity and make such arrangements accessible for smaller schemes, says PwC.