Recently added articles from Pensions Week:

News: Beeb bulks up allocation to alternatives.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley The GBP8.1bn BBC Pension Scheme is to bump up its allocation to alternatives after it provided the one bright note in a poor investment year. High returns in infrastructure and private equity at the end of March were some consolation, after seven ...

News: GP Noble a 'cause for concern' for the regulator.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley An independent trustee firm has been suspended and removed from the Pension Regulator's approved list of trustees due to concern over its activities. The regulator is carrying out an investigation of GP Noble, which has subsequently switched all ...

This week: Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley - Editor Tucked away in a news in brief item on page 5 is an article all about how baby food manufacturer Nutricia has improved the number of its workforce on target to meet their retirement expectations from 8% to 77%. This is pretty amazing ...

News: Lords bid to cut public sector pensions costs.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Willetts A Liberal Democrat peer has tabled an amendment to the pensions bill in a bid to establish an independent commission to review public sector pensions. The move by Lord Kirkwood would set up a body called the Independent Public Sector Pensions ...

News: Poor prognosis for ill-health rules dispute resolution.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley An early settlement to the dispute over new ill-health early retirement rules for local authorities looks unlikely, after doctors claimed their complaints were going unheard. Many local authority pension schemes are refusing to process ...

News: Lead plaintiff duo due extra-large settlements.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley Two local government pension funds stand to gain disproportionately large payouts after becoming lead plaintiffs in a class action against Lehman Brothers. The Lothian Pension Fund and the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' ...

News: Pickering to take chair at Bestrustees.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: Kalpana Fitzpatrick Alan Pickering, author of the simplification report on rules governing private pension provision in 2002, is to become chairman of Bestrustees. He will leave Watson Wyatt in January 2009, where he is a partner.In addition to assuming the ...

News in brief.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Cable & Wireless has added a diversified growth fund to its range of fund choices for DC scheme members. The fund is targeting a return of 5%+RPI and will invest in traditional assets as well as commodities, currency and infrastructure. Run by Schroder Pension ...

News: Employers ramp up scheme contributions.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Willetts Employers are making larger than necessary contributions to their pension schemes, with half overpaying by more than GBP20m a year, according to KPMG. The firm's Pensions Repayment Monitor report estimates 60% of FTSE 100 companies are paying ...

News: It's not what you know, it's who you know - if you want to be a trustee.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Willetts A personal recommendation from friends and acquaintances is the most popular way of selecting trustees, according to Trustee GAAPS, the search and selection firm. More than a third of schemes admitted they restrict trustee recruitment to this ...

News: FP scheme backs up its liabilities.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Willetts The Friends Provident pension scheme has insured the liabilities of members retiring over the next five years in a GBP135m deal. The arrangement is an extension to a buy-in contract signed in May, where the liabilities of 3,200 pensioners were ...

News: Letters - Deficit trackers can prove useful.(Letter to the editor)

Aug 18, 2008 ... I read with interest your editorial of August 4 in which you highlighted the increasing number of 'deficit trackers' used to commentate on the varying fortunes of UK pension schemes. Despite being a key protagonist, I share your concern. The Aon200 index is now in its fourth ...

News: Letter - One member-nominated trustee is enough.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Further to the recommendation from the TUC and Simon Baynes of the Logica defined contribution (DC) scheme to increase the number of member-nominated trustees (MNTs) in DC schemes (PW August 11), I would like to highlight the lower standards which are often accompanied by MNTs. While ...

News: Letter - Make pension comparisons more meaningful.

Aug 18, 2008 ... You should know better than to report comparisons of pension apples with pears. (PW August 11 - 'Willott backs public sector pension reform'). The very important continuing story of high, top mandarin pensions was undermined by contrasting their GBP60k annual pensions with the ...

News in brief.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Profilic author and senior pension lawyer Robin Ellison has had his latest book published. Pension Fund Investment Law sets out legal issues affecting the decision- making of trustees and their advisers, the legal restrictions and controls on diversification as well as the ...

News: Collective DC plans fail to excite firms.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley Demand for collective defined contribution (DC) schemes remains muted two months after the government's proposed legislation to allow them. While several FTSE 100 emplo-yers have voiced strong interest, consultants have reported only casual ...

News: Cash transfer regs too soon for trustees.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley New rules that codify trustees' responsibilities on processing cash equivalent transfers have come in too soon for trustees to adapt, according to Mercer. Draft guidance on the new regulations was published last week by the Pensions Regulator, ...

News in brief.

Aug 18, 2008 ... The aggregate funding position of defined benefit pension schemes fell to a GBP24.1bn deficit at the end of July. The funding position deteriorated from a GBP8.3bn surplus at the end of June, and a GBP83.3bn surplus at the end of July last year, according to the Pension ...

Asset news: Value of corporate bonds is still outstripping gilts.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley Current pricing opportunities in corporate bonds are the best they have been for years, according to Henderson Global Investors. The fund manager was underweight in the asset class until the credit crunch, as the low yield spread compared to ...

News: Global equities to thrive despite downturn.

Aug 18, 2008 ... Byline: David Rowley Cash constraints on UK and US consumers over the following year are not matched by consumers in other markets, providing hope for global equities. Aberdeen Asset Managers said that while consumer debt expressed as a percentage of GDP is 102% and ...