All articles by Mariska van der Westen – Page 6
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Features
Mariska van der Westen: A bumpy ride
It used to be that the pensions industry was considered staid and dependable and – let’s face it – not the most exciting topic of conversation. But no more. After decades of quietly looking after the nation’s pension savings with nary a hitch, Dutch pension fund managers suddenly find themselves ...
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NewsDutch minister of social affairs rubbishes Zembla claims
Henk Kamp rejects contentions made by current affairs show, which claimed pension funds mismanaged investments to the tune of €145bn.
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NewsDutch parliament to question pensions experts 'vigorously'
Hearing sparked by current affairs TV programme to look into pension funds' investment policies on 31 March.
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News
Ortec, Cardano point to 'grave miscalculations' in Zembla story
Experts say TV news programme’s estimate for the Dutch pension system’s shortfall are off by as much as €650bn.
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NewsDutch pension funds squander €145bn through 'bad management'
Christian Democrat MP Pieter Omtzigt calls for parliamentary hearing after controversial TV programme claims industry has consistently underperformed over two decades.
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NewsMetalworker schemes post strong returns despite Q4 slump
PMT, PME lose 0.4% and 3.2%, respectively, during last quarter of 2010.
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NewsDutch healthcare pension scheme PFZW returns 12.6%
Industry-wide healthcare scheme posts a return of 1.3% for the fourth quarter.
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News
Experts anticipate less correlation, but warn of 'macro-driven' uncertainty
IPE AWARDS – Experts believe correlations between broader asset classes may be coming down, but warn of persisting uncertainty in “macro-driven markets”.
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NewsAPG's Sleijpen departs for role at Dutch supervisor DNB
NETHERLANDS – Olaf Sleijpen, head of institutional clients at APG, will depart the asset manager next year and join De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), where he will become head of the pension fund supervision and investment division.
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NewsAegon denies financing 'anti-Obama' campaign
GLOBAL – The US Chamber of Commerce is using donations from large corporations – including Netherlands-based insurance company Aegon – to finance a campaign supporting opponents of president Barack Obama's administration, according to a report published last week in the New York Times.
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NewsDutch experts question effectiveness of property as inflation hedge
NETHERLANDS – At a meeting to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of IVBN – the Dutch association on institutional property investors – experts yesterday called into question many pension funds' assumption that real estate investments help offset inflation.
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NewsDutch pensions policy is 'panic football', says former minister
NETHERLANDS – Dutch pension funds are struggling with dangerously low coverage ratios and some 14 funds must cut pension benefits for members earlier than expected at the behest of the out-going minister for social affairs. Yet Willem Vermeend, social affairs minister from 2000-02, believes this is "panic football".
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NewsABP calls on Dutch government to ditch mandatory discount rate
NETHERLANDS – The €218bn Dutch public servant fund ABP has warned that continued use of the mandatory discount rate for pension liabilities may hamper recovery of its funding ratio, possibly leading to benefit cuts.
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NewsSibbing to leave as chair of Dutch association OPF
NETHERLANDS – Gerard Rutten is set to take over from Loek Sibbing as chairman of the Dutch association for company pension funds (OPF) on 11 November, the association has announced.
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Country Report
The Netherlands: A plan for pensions
At the invitation of IPE’s Dutch sister publication IPN in June, writes Mariska van der Westen, over 80 pension funds and consultants joined experts to discuss the challenges facing the Dutch pension sector.
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Country Report
The Netherlands: Who will take up the challenge?
It is widely hoped that the introduction of the multi-OPF will offer smaller corporate funds a means to survive in a complex investment environment. Mariska van der Westen asks who will partake?
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NewsGenetic variants may allow scientists to identify those predisposed to old age
GLOBAL – A team of Boston University scientists says it has identified 150 genetic variants that would allow them to identify people who are predisposed to live to old age.
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NewsMerchant navy scheme to take stake in MN Services
NETHERLANDS – The €3bn pension fund for the Dutch merchant navy has said it will take a stake in pensions provider MN Services.
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NewsDutch parliament rebukes central bank head over DSB failure
NETHERLANDS – Nout Wellink, president of the Dutch central bank (DNB), has drawn harsh criticism from parliament after he yielded to pressure to apologise for his agency's role in supervising the failed DSB Bank.
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Interviews
Munsters targets pension market
Robeco is boosting its efforts to cater to the Dutch pensions industry. This is not a huge surprise, considering the fact that CEO Roderick Munsters joined the asset manager from pension giant APG, Mariska van der Westen and Liam Kennedy write
