All articles by Nyree Stewart – Page 14
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News
Ireland roundup: IAPF, IAA and Fáilte Ireland
[17:00 CET 02-02] IRELAND – The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) has issued guidance for trustees on how to comply with the organisation's new investment guidelines for defined contribution (DC) schemes.
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News
Market timing pays off for Finnish pensions
[16:55 CET 02-02] FINLAND – Kuntien Eläkevakuutus (Keva), the Local Government Pensions Institution, has reported a 2009 return of 18.9% after taking advantage of upswings in the markets, while Valtion Eläkerahasto (VER), the State Pension Fund, has also produced a positive result.
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News
Pension deficit could force closure of Reader's Digest UK
[16:00 CET 02-02] UK – The UK arm of the Reader’s Digest Association (RDA) could be forced into administration if a solution to its £125m deficit cannot be found after the Pensions Regulator rejected a funding deal, its American parent company has warned.
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News
Trustees advised to check impact of longevity hedge on buyout
[16:50 CET 02-02] UK – Pension trustees considering a longevity hedge should ensure the transaction can either be substituted with a contract from the buyout provider or be unwound at a "reasonable" price, if the employer's ultimate aim is a buyout of liabilities, according to a pension manager who has ...
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Country Report
Ireland: Strategic and tactical
Nyree Stewart assesses the National Pension Reserve Fund’s strategic deployment to recapitalise two domestic banks, and its move towards more dynamic decision making
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News
Global pension assets reach 70% of GDP
[17:00 CET 01-02] GLOBAL - Pension fund assets amounted to 70% of the average global GDP last year, up from 58% in 2008, research from Towers Watson suggests.
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News
Boots mulls replacing risk-averse DB pension with DC
[16:45 CET 01-02] UK – Alliance Boots has confirmed it is entering into a consultation period with employees regarding plans to close its £3.9bn (€4.5bn) defined benefit (DB) scheme to future accrual and replace it with a defined contribution (DC) scheme.
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Features
Pensions claw back returns in 2009
European pension funds performed significantly better in 2009 as continued market rallies in the second half of the year allowed schemes to post double-digit returns. Schemes in the Netherlands reported improvements as pension fund cover ratios pulled back to an average 111% by the end of 2009, according to statistics ...
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News
Merseyside increases focus on ESG for emerging markets
[17:00 CET 29-01] UK – Merseyside pension fund is re-tendering £500m (€576m) of Far East and emerging market equity mandates, but has indicated its preference for managers with a clear socially-responsible investment (SRI) focus.
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News
Royal Mail deficit payments could near £1bn
[16:50 CET 29-01] UK – Trade unions have called on the government to take action on the Royal Mail Pension Plan's (RMPP) estimated £10bn (€11.6bn) deficit, as it argued future deficit repayments by the company could triple to almost a £1bn following the latest triennial valuation.
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News
Copenhagen Port pension tenders fund management
[16:35 CET 29-01] DENMARK – The DKK 265m (€36m) Københavns Havns Pensionskasse has issued a tender for fund management services to the scheme.
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News
TPR praised for risk-based regs, but DC focus needed
[16:30 CET 29-01] UK – An independent review of The Pension Regulator's (TPR) risk-based approach to regulation has highlighted a number of key strengths but noted more work needs to be done on targeting advice at smaller schemes and communicating risks inherent in trust-based defined contribution (DC) schemes.
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News
Swedish firms find environmental targets easiest to measure
[16:10 CET 28-01] SWEDEN – Swedish companies have made most progress in the sustainability areas of environment and climate change issues, as these are the easiest issues to measure against targets and link to economic benefits, according to research from the Sustainable Value Creation (SVC) investor initiative.
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News
Norway's pension reforms hinge on tackling sick benefits - IMF
[15:45 CET 28-01] NORWAY – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Norway must tackle the very high inflow into sickness and disability benefit schemes if the pension reforms implemented in 2010-11 are to be effective.
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News
Xafinity group sold to Advent
[15:30 CET 28-01] UK – Xafinity Group has been sold by its existing private equity owner to another global private equity firm Advent International, for an undisclosed sum.
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News
UK roundup: Reading and Oxford Unis, Mercury Provident, EMAP, Inchcape
[15:25 CET 28-01] UK – The universities of Reading and Oxford are seeking actuarial services and an administration system for their respective pension schemes.
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News
Quoted equities boost Etera fund value in 2009
[17:15 CET 27-01] FINLAND – Better than anticipated sales of pensions and a positive performance in listed equities saw Etera Mutual Pension Insurance Company increase the value of its assets by around €300m in 2009.
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News
UK older workers more likely to opt out of auto-enrolment
[16:30 CET 27-01] UK – Workers aged 55 years or older are more likely to opt out of an occupational pension scheme once auto-enrolment is introduced in 2012, according to research from employee benefits provider B&CE.
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News
Pension transfers and equities boost Finnish providers
[16:55 CET 26-01] FINLAND – A €37m increase in insurance transfers under the Employees Pensions Act (TyEL) and a large position in Finnish equities helped improve the position of Veritas in 2009.
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News
Irish Ombudsman sees leap in fund value complaints
[16:45 CET 26-01] IRELAND – Complaints to the Pensions Ombudsman about pension fund values increased by 71% from 2008, and many of these were related to investor concerns about fund values.
