June
2003
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Same-sex
couples in line for fairer deal
Same-sex
couples could be entitled to the same pensions benefits as if
they were married if new Government proposals unveiled today
become a reality
|
30/06/03 |
Standard
Life wins communications gong
Standard
Life has become the eleventh life office to be awarded the Raising
Standards Quality Mark by the Pensions Protection Investments
Accreditation Board (PPIAB) |
30/06/03 |
Scheme
service levels failing members says McLean
Malcolm McLean, chief executive of OPAS – the Pensions
Advisory Service, has called on the trustees of pension schemes
to improve the service they provide to members |
27/06/03 |
Extend
SMPI to new business – Scottish Life
Scottish Life has called on the Financial Services Authority
(FSA) to extend the principles of the Statutory Money Purchase
Illustration (SMPI) to new business sales illustrations |
27/06/03 |
With-profits
reform set for next March
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) today set a deadline
of March 2004 for life insurance companies to provide transparent
information to with-profits policyholders |
26/06/03 |
Tillinghast
calls for extra stakeholder charge
Stakeholder providers should be able to charge an additional
5% of contributions to enable them to sell to the Government's
target market according to consultants Tillinghast – Towers
Perrin |
25/06/03 |
James
Hay launches IHT-busting trust
James Hay has launched a new trust aimed at reducing the inheritance
tax (IHT) payable on death benefits from personal pension plans |
25/06/03 |
Pension
funds on the up
Pension funds increased in value by more than 6% in the first
five months of the year according to a recent survey by HSBC
Actuaries and Consultants |
25/06/03 |
UK
business cleans up its act
Corporate social responsibility is creeping higher up the boardroom
agenda in many of Britain's top companies |
24/06/03 |
When
in Rome
Advisers who transfer 25 or more SIPPs from other providers
to Pointon York SIPP Solutions (PYSS) will be whisked off on
a luxury break to Rome this autumn as part of an incentive scheme |
24/06/03 |
Amicus
plays the pensions game
One of the country's largest trade unions has added a computer
game to its website in a bid to highlight the roles of “fat
cats” and trade unions in pensions provision |
23/06/03 |
NPI
closes to new business
Australian insurer AMP has closed its UK life company, NPI,
to new business in a move that will see 900 workers lose their
jobsv |
23/06/03 |
Historic
outperformance for bonds
Property and bonds outperformed equities by 30% in 2002 according
to the Annual Review of UK Pension Funds released today by the
WM Company |
20/06/03 |
CII
opens training centre in London
A new training centre was opened in London this week by the
Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) for face-to-face training
in the financial services industry |
20/06/03 |
Another
provider backs digital certificates for IFAs
UNIPASS has gained another high profile user, with Scottish
Equitable yesterday announcing that it will adopt the digital
certificate system for its extranet users |
19/06/03 |
AXA
predicts an end to contracting out
Individuals will soon be financially better-off by contracting
back into the State Second Pension (S2P) rather than opting
out, according to AXA, which may result in a mass migration
back into the state scheme |
19/06/03 |
Private
bank launches into SIPP market
Butterfield Private Bank has become the latest company to enter
the self-invested personal pension (SIPP) marketplace |
18/06/03 |
Scrap
bond standard for liabilities – ABI
The forthcoming
international accounting standard for pensions should calculate
scheme liabilities in line with future wage inflation or the
value of the fund to anyone acquiring the sponsoring company,
according a report written by broker and financial commentator
Tony Jackson and published by the Association of British Insurers
(ABI) |
18/06/03 |
Expat
loses state pension battle
The Court of Appeal has ruled against a British pensioner living
in South Africa in a case that could have severe implications
for thousands of UK pensioners living abroad |
18/06/03 |
Willetts
predicts DB renaissance
European anti-age discrimination legislation, due to be implemented
in the UK in 2006, could lead to the resurgence of defined benefit
(DB) schemes, according to David Willetts MP, the shadow secretary
of state for work and pensions |
17/06/03 |
LaSalle
predicts growth for European property market
European real estate investors can expect returns of 6-10% pa
over the next three years, a report entitled The Case For
Europe has predicted |
17/06/03 |
Commission-free
IFA group adds new members
Fee Based Advice, a national IFA association, has just added
three new members |
17/06/03 |
Record
numbers achieve advanced qualification
The number of people successfully completing the Advanced Financial
Planning Certificate (AFPC) has risen for the fifth examination
session running |
16/06/03 |
Most
of life industry Raising Standards
Sixty per cent of the long-term savings market is now working
within the Raising Standards environment, as revealed by the
PPIAB's (Pensions Protection Investments Accreditation Board)
recently-published annual and scheme assessment reports |
16/06/03 |
A-Day
not until 2005
The Government's proposed simplification of pensions tax regimes
will not come into effect until spring 2005 at the earliest |
16/06/03 |
AmEx
to buy Threadneedle
Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Ltd is to be acquired
from Zurich Financial Services UK by American Express Financial
Corporation, it was announced today |
16/06/03 |
Wicks
appointed pensions minister
Malcolm Wicks MP was appointed minister of state for pensions
in last Friday's Cabinet reshuffle |
16/06/03 |
LPI
rate halved
This
week's Department of Work and Pensions paper reduces the cap
on compulsory indexation occupational pensions (limited price
indexation, or LPI) in payment from 5% to 2.5% |
13/06/03 |
Section
67 to be relaxed
The
Government has announced plans to amend the restrictions laid
down in Section 67of the Pensions Act in its recent report aimed
at tackling the occupational pensions crisis |
13/06/03 |
Government
unveils measures to protect final salary pensions
Solvent
employers can no longer short-change members when winding up
defined benefit pension schemes, as a result of changes announced
in the Government's latest consultation paper Working
and Saving for Retirement: Action on Occupational Pensions |
13/06/03 |
Awards
for pension scheme literature: call for entries
In-house editors and designers are being invited to enter the
popcomm Training Corporate Publications Awards which have been
launched to recognise the efforts of all those involved in the
production of corporate literature |
11/06/03 |
Smith
dismisses inflation level fears
Andrew Smith, the secretary of state for work and pensions,
has described as “nonsense” accusations that measures
aimed at euro-convergence will lead to less generous uprating
of pensions |
10/06/03 |
Davies
to head Pensions Task Force
Sir Peter Davies, chief executive of J Sainsbury Plc, is
to chair the new Employer Task Force on Pensions, the members
of which have now been announced by Andrew Smith, secretary
of state for work and pensions |
09/06/03 |
