Pensions - Articles - Pension schemes under Solvency II threat


 As the EIOPA consultation period on occupational pension schemes and Solvency II ended this week, the Uk government, the industry, and others said the proposals are unacceptable.
 After pensions minister Steve Webb said the capital proposals could cost the industry £100bn and mean a quicker end to final salary schemes, JPMorgan Asset Management has put the cost at £600bn for UK defined benefit schemes. The ABI also said that it opposed the proposals because of its potention adverse impact on schemes.
 PwC says that EU proposals to adapt solvency capital requirements to pension schemes could destroy not only defined benefit schemes but any occupational pension provision, whether defined benefit or defined contribution. PwC believes most companies would look to level down to minimum auto-enrolment requirements, to avoid the capital burdens which would go with supporting workplace pension schemes under any likely new regime.
 PwC's estimate for the cost for UK business if the rules were implemented is up to £500bn, depending on how much leeway there is for healthier businesses.
 Raj Mody, head of PwC's pensions group, comments
 "While attempting to improve pension scheme security, these new rules could actually kill off occupational pension schemes altogether. The additional costs for companies would ultimately be borne by individual savers, who would see less generous pensions, whether defined benefit or defined contribution. The plans would therefore work against the initiatives the UK Government is planning to encourage long-term saving.
 We reckon the cost on UK business would be in the range of £250bn-£500bn. In terms of the impact on the UK economy this is like wiping out a quarter of the FTSE100.
 Other consequences include a bigger administrative burden for businesses as they seek to prove they can stand by their schemes to face less onerous funding requirements. Even then, the extra capital burden would provide companies with greater desire to remove historic defined benefit liabilities from their balance sheets, causing a surge in pension transfer incentive exercises."

Back to Index


Similar News to this Story

Wish list for the occupational pensions industry in 2025
As one year closes and another begins, it's an opportune moment to set our sights on the future. The UK occupational pensions industry faces nume
PSIG announces outcome of Consultation
The Pensions Scams Industry Group (PSIG), which was established in 2014 to help protect pension scheme members from scams, today announced the feedbac
Transfer values fell to a 12 month low during November
XPS Group’s Transfer Value Index reached a 12-month low, dropping to £151,000 during November 2024 before then recovering to its previous month-end po

Site Search

Exact   Any  

Latest Actuarial Jobs

Actuarial Login

Email
Password
 Jobseeker    Client
Reminder Logon

APA Sponsors

Actuarial Jobs & News Feeds

Jobs RSS News RSS

WikiActuary

Be the first to contribute to our definitive actuarial reference forum. Built by actuaries for actuaries.