February 2024
01Feb

Milliman analysis: Competitive pension risk transfer costs decrease from 101.8% to 100.5% in December

Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today announced the latest results of its Milliman Pension Buyout Index (MPBI). As the pension risk transfer (PRT) market continues to grow, it has become increasingly important to monitor the annuity market for plan sponsors that are considering transferring retiree pension obligations to an insurer. “Retiree buyout costs open 2024 at their lowest level in almost six months--despite another sizable drop in accounting discount rates” During December, the estimated cost to transfer...

February 1, 2024
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01Feb

Analysis: 2024 to be the biggest year for UK pension de-risking

UK pensions consultants expect 2024 to be another record-breaking year for the pensions risk transfer market with transactions surpassing 2023 levels. The final figures for 2023 are yet to be published. However, it is widely expected that there were circa £50bn in deals, which would brand 2023 as a record year for pension risk transfers, compared with the previous high of £43.8bn in 2019. UK pensions consultants expect this trend to continue. WTW expects pension risk transfer volumes to reach £80bn, with...

February 1, 2024
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January 2024
31Jan

Pension insurers charter commits to sustainable pension risk transfers

Accounting for Sustainability (A4S), the Church of England Pensions Board and Railpen have developed a charter for pension insurers that sets out guiding principles for the bulk annuity process focusing on transparency, decision making, reporting and engagement, and collaboration. The pension funds that have joined the charter as founding signatories include Cancer Research Pension Scheme, Church of England Pensions Board, HSBC Bank Pensions Scheme, Railpen, and Railways Pension Scheme. For insurers, founding signatories include Aviva, Just Group, Legal & General, Pensions...

January 31, 2024
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24Jan

U.S. insurers willing to take on more risk in 2024 — survey

U.S. insurers are willing to take on more risk in 2024 with their outsourced investment management, with more than half expecting to allocate at least 20% to private assets in the next two years, according to a new survey from Conning. In Conning's third annual survey conducted with more than 300 insurance executives in November, 62% of respondents said their risk tolerance will increase in 2024 (down from 64% that replied that for 2023) despite concerns about inflation, volatility, fiscal...

January 24, 2024
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19Jan

UK. Pension derisking to continue but may need rethinking

Mercer analysis of FTSE 350 pension funds, shows an aggregate surplus across company accounts of £47bn at the end of December 2023, a fall of £12bn over the month. Most companies report their accounts at the end of December, so although the funding position fell over the month, overall positions in 2023 saw an improvement. Schemes might expect to continue de-risking during 2024, supported by planned incoming regulation. Government’s upcoming consultation on options for DB schemes has the potential to create...

January 19, 2024
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15Jan

Investors ‘flying blind’ into legal risk of climate change, Oxford researchers warn

As investors assess climate-related financial risk, they are "flying blind" to the risk of climate lawsuits that could hit companies with trillions in damages, according to a research report from Oxford Sustainable Law Programme published Jan. 11 in Science. The Oxford Sustainable Law Programme is a joint initiative of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford, England. Current practices used by investors to assess the financial risk of climate change...

January 15, 2024
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09Jan

U.S. pension risk transfer sales increased 39% in Q3 2023: report

U.S. pension risk transfer sales increased by 39 per cent during the third quarter of 2023, according to a report by LIMRA. It found single premium buyout sales were US$8.1 billion, 69 per cent lower than this time last year. Year-to-date, buyout sales fell 30 per cent to $28.9 billion compared to 2022. There were 203 buyout contracts in the quarter, a 40 per cent year-over-year increase, and year to date, there were 483 buyout contracts completed, more than double...

January 9, 2024
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05Jan

Pension Risk Transfer Growth Fuels UK Insurance Rating

The growing popularity of pension risk transfer deals is behind an “improving” label for the U.K.’s life insurance sector, according to Fitch Ratings. Higher interest rates have led to an increase in the funded status of U.K. pension funds, which in turn has led to an increase in PRT transactions as companies seek to offload their pension liabilities. The increase in PRT transactions is primarily responsible for Fitch’s optimism about the sector in the U.K.; the ratings agency identified a “neutral”...

January 5, 2024
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December 2023
20Dec

U.S. pension risk transfer sales dip in Q3 year over year, LIMRA survey shows

U.S. pension risk transfer sales totaled $10.4 billion in the third quarter, down for the year-over-year period, although there were a record number of contracts executed, a LIMRA survey found. The total volume in the third quarter fell below the record-setting third quarter of 2022, which saw a total of $26.1 billion in volume, according to the survey. However, the third quarter of 2022 experienced the record volume due to a single transaction. International Business Machines, Armonk, N.Y., purchased group annuity contracts...

December 20, 2023
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18Dec

AI poses risks to U.S. economy, Financial Stability Oversight Council says

For the first time, the Financial Stability Oversight Council in its annual report identified artificial intelligence as a vulnerability in the U.S. financial system. The council said financial institutions, market participants and regulatory authorities should further build expertise and capacity to monitor AI innovation and usage, and identify emerging risks. "AI has the potential to increase efficiency and innovation, but it also introduces certain risks," the council said in its report released Dec. 14. "Monitoring these rapidly emerging technologies will continue to be...

December 18, 2023
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