RULES/REGS -
May 18, 2012
Gradual Dutch State Pension Age Increase Harder to Manage
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – A gradual increase in the Netherlands’ state pension age rather than a one-off increase will be harder to manage for Dutch pension funds, a spokesperson for Dutch pension delivery organisation APG has told PLANSPONSOR Europe.
PRODUCTS -
May 18, 2012
Bulk Annuities Remain Cheaper Than Gilts
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Bulk annuities continue to be cheaper than gilts continuing a trend which began in mid-summer 2011, according to findings from Aon Hewitt’s Bulk Annuities Market Monitor.
PEOPLE -
May 18, 2012
UK Pensioners Unhappy With State Pension Exclusion
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – UK pensioners are unhappy about being excluded from a new state pension restricted to just those who reach state pension age after 2015, according to Barnett Waddingham.
MARKETS -
May 18, 2012
Thousands to Attend Prague Pensions Protest
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) - The Czech Senior Council says it expects several thousand people to attend its first demonstration against planned lower increases in pensions.
RULES/REGS -
May 18, 2012
German Freelancers Must Have Choice on Pension Contributions
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Freelancers in Germany must be given freedom of choice over how they make pension contributions, Dr. Rolf Koschorrek, President of the German Federal Association of Liberal Professions has told PLANSPONSOR Europe.
FINANCE -
May 18, 2012
FTSE350 Pension Deficits Rise
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Collective pension deficits of the UK’s biggest companies have risen by £30bn since the start of May, according to Towers Watson.
FINANCE -
May 18, 2012
Choice Drives Pooled Pensions Performance for Unilever
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Freedom of choice is one of the key drivers of performance for Unilever’s pooled pension investment strategy, Jas Chumber has told PLANSPONSOR Europe.
FINANCE -
May 18, 2012
Global Equities Slump Continues
18 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – As continued woes in the Eurozone focus on the Spanish banking system and Greek political uncertainty, disappointing US economic data has been revealed as equities continue to slump across the globe.
MARKETS -
May 17, 2012
Over 6m Brits Over 50 Have No Workplace Pension
17 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – 6.25 million Britons aged over-50 (28%) have no pension plan in place and look set to rely on just the state pension in retirement, a huge increase on the 1.2 million people who live solely on the state pension today, according to the LV= State of Retirement Report.
PRODUCTS -
May 17, 2012
Db X-trackers Launches Four New US and British Sovereign Debt ETFs
17 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Deutsche Bank’s ETF platform, db X-trackers, has launched four new ETFs for professional investors who want daily leveraged exposure to US and British sovereign debt.
RULES/REGS -
May 17, 2012
Austrian Parliament Approves Second Pillar Pension Reforms
17 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) –Austria's parliament has approved a reform of the law governing Pensionskassen as well as saying that more reforms are on their way.
FINANCE -
May 17, 2012
Czech Government Has State Pension Audited to Disprove Mismanagement Claims
17 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – The Czech government will have the management of the state's pension system checked by the Supreme Audit Office (NKU) to disprove opposition claims that the money may be misused, according to the Prague Daily Monitor.
FINANCE -
May 16, 2012
Babcock International to Inject £93m into DB Schemes
16 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Babcock International says it expects to pay £93m into its defined benefit pension schemes in 2012/13, according to full year results for the year ended 31 March 2012.
PEOPLE -
May 16, 2012
UK Trustee Awareness of DC Charges Remains Low
16 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Trustee awareness of UK Defined Contribution pension scheme charges remains low, according to a report from the Pensions Regulator.
RULES/REGS -
May 16, 2012
NAPF Launches Consultation on DC Code of Conduct
16 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – The UK’s National Association of Pension Funds has launched a consultation seeking views on the parameters of on an industry-wide Code of Conduct for DC pensions.
MARKETS -
May 15, 2012
Eurozone Outperforms Expectations
15 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – The Eurozone has narrowly outperformed expectations after recording zero growth in the first three months of the year thanks to growth in the German economy.
FINANCE -
May 15, 2012
Former ING Directors Take Pensions Dispute to Court
15 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – A group of 10 former senior executives at ING have gone to court demanding their pensions be topped up, according to the Telegraaf.
MARKETS -
May 15, 2012
Dutch Economy Continues Recession
15 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – The Dutch economy contracted by 1.1% in the first quarter of this year as the recession in the Netherlands continues, the national statistics office CBS has said in a provisional estimate.
FINANCE -
May 15, 2012
UK DB Plan Sponsors to Pay Out Over £100bn in Three Years
14 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – The trustees of defined benefit pension funds could receive more than £100 billion in deficit reduction payments from their corporate sponsors over the next three years, or 13% of UK corporate cash holdings, according to a survey.
RULES/REGS -
May 14, 2012
UK Civil Service Workers Accept Pensions Deal
14 May 2012 (PLANSPONSOREurope.com) – Civil service workers who are members of union Prospect have voted by 4-1 to accept pension changes negotiated between unions and the UK government from 2015.