All articles by Julie Henderson – Page 3

  • News

    Longevity market needs to show depth and maturity, say pension execs

    2010-03-09T14:30:00Z

    UK – Pensions executives have raised concerns about the growth of the longevity hedging market, as some individuals are concerned about whether there is enough capacity and transparency in the market to assist the majority of pension plans.

  • News

    IAS19 could force sponsors to push for lower risk strategies

    2010-03-08T15:15:00Z

    GLOBAL – Changes to international accounting rule IAS19 pension rules could force many sponsors and corporates to encourage lower risk pension strategies, as reforms could mean they are no longer rewarded for taking risks under the 'expected return on assets' portion of their profit and loss accounts.

  • News

    AllianceBernstein considers target date income drawdown

    2010-03-08T12:30:00Z

    UK – Alliance Bernstein is investigating the development of income drawdown in retirement, which might follow a target date investment approach so investors continue to make gains on their holdings.

  • News

    Swedish update: PPM, SAF-LO

    2010-03-05T14:45:00Z

    SWEDEN - The amount of changes made within pension funds managed by the defined contribution PPM system increased dramatically last year, as 4.5 million changes were made compared to 3.2 million in 2008 - an increase with 41%.

  • News

    Pension fund considers inflation-linked bonds and absolute returns

    2010-03-04T14:50:00Z

    IPE-QUEST – A pension fund based in Europe is conducting a search for asset managers to look after euro-denominated inflation-linked debt and absolute return mandates, using IPE-Quest.

  • News

    Ireland follows UK path for pension reforms

    2010-03-03T15:35:00Z

    IRELAND – The Irish government has unveiled plans for a pension framework which will require the auto-enrolment of all employees aged 22 or over from 2014, along with matching contributions from the employer, and State contributions equal to 33% tax relief. The State retirement age will also be increased to ...

  • News

    Wednesday people roundup

    2010-03-03T13:30:00Z

    GLOBAL – Icelandic Engineers Pension Fund, SWIP, Aberdeen, Lombard Odier. GSAM, Eaton Vance Management Int’l, Neuberger Berman, Baring AM, Canada Life, Platinum Management.

  • News

    Tata confirmed as NEST admin provider

    2010-03-02T13:30:00Z

    UK – The Personal Accounts Delivery Authority (PADA) is expected to sign a contract with Tata Consulting Services (TCS) to provide administration for the planned National Employment Savings Trust (NEST).

  • News

    MSCI to buy RiskMetrics

    2010-03-01T16:00:00Z

    [17:00 CET 01-03] GLOBAL – MSCI has agreed a deal to buy risk management and corporate governance service provider RiskMetrics, for $1.55bn (€1.14bn) in a cash and stocks transaction.

  • News

    Shell UK pension limits active equities in passive shift

    2010-03-01T15:35:00Z

    [16:35 CET 01-03] UK – The £10.5bn (€11.65bn) Shell UK Contributory Pension Fund (SCPF) is moving more towards passive management and has placed a cap on active equities, following the completion of an asset liability review.

  • Features

    Changes ahead for Dutch pensions

    March 2010 (Magazine)

    Dutch pension fund governance and investment risk strategies have rarely faced such tough scrutiny. Following the publication of the Frijns and Goudswaard Committees’ reports, as well as evidence of closer oversight on the part of the supervisor, De Nederlansche Bank (DNB), a number of initiatives and recommendations are expected to ...

  • News

    Irish pension framework to be aired on Wednesday

    2010-03-01T13:00:00Z

    [14:00 CET 01-03] IRELAND – The Irish government will finally reveal details of its pensions framework this week – over two years after the original consultation into pensions policy began.

  • News

    Swedish update: Life companies averaged 12% return in 2009

    2010-02-26T16:05:00Z

    [17:05 CET 26-02] SWEDEN - Swedish life insurance companies delivered an average return of 12% on investments in 2009, compared with a 7.2% loss in 2008.

  • News

    EC to unveil green paper on EU pensions framework

    2010-02-25T15:00:00Z

    [16:00 CET 25-02] EUROPE – The European Commission is preparing to launch a pensions green paper by the middle of this year on the creation of an EU framework for pensions.

  • NAPF to investigate pensions accounting alternative
    News

    NAPF to investigate pensions accounting alternative

    2010-02-25T14:15:00Z

    [15:15 CET 25-02] UK – The UK’s National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) is launching a major project this year to try and find a better solution to pensions accounting, as there is growing concern about the impact of UK and international pensions accounting rules on defined benefit pension plans.

  • News

    Wednesday people roundup

    2010-02-24T15:50:00Z

    [16:45 CET 24-02] GLOBAL – Cardano, Lombard Odier, Standish Mellon AM, First Eagle Investments, William Blair & Co, BGC Partners

  • News

    LPFA proposes Dutch solution to local council pensions

    2010-02-24T15:20:00Z

    [16:20 CET 24-02] UK – The London Pension Fund Authority (LPFA) has suggested a non-political Independent Commission should be set up to manage the long-term sustainability of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), following consultations in the Netherlands.

  • News

    KPN Pensioen alters its lifecycle product

    2010-02-24T12:00:00Z

    [13:00 CET 24-02] NETHERLANDS – The hybrid pension scheme of Dutch telecoms provider KPN is altering the asset allocation strategy of its lifecycle fund from April, in a bid to improve the risk control of members’ assets as they head towards retirement.

  • News

    German pension fund searches high-yield debt

    2010-02-23T12:30:00Z

    [13:30 CET 23-02] IPE-QUEST – A German pension fund is seeking a manager to invest $125m (€100m) in high-yield euro-denominated debt on its behalf, and is conducting the search via IPE-Quest.

  • News

    Campaign targets members to drive pension fund voting

    2010-02-22T15:15:00Z

    [16:15 CET 22-02] UK – While all of the attention in recent months has been on persuading pension funds to engage at shareholder votes, a new tactic is being unleashed in the UK to enlist pension fund members in the push for active shareholder voting.