Aon – Benefits Canada.com

Aon, Willis Towers Watson merger receives European Commission’s conditional approval

bwolfe — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Aon and Willis Towers Watson are confirming the European Commission’s conditional approval of the two companies’ proposed merger. “This is a major step that demonstrates continued progress toward obtaining regulatory clearances for the proposed combination,” said the companies, in a press release. “Both firms operate across broad, competitive areas of the economy and believe this approval affirms […]

The post Aon, Willis Towers Watson merger receives European Commission’s conditional approval appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

DOJ suing to block Aon’s US$30BN acquisition of Willis Towers Watson

mdunne — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 13:15:35 +0000

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is suing to block the merger of two of the world’s largest insurance brokers, asserting the deal could eliminate competition, raise prices and hamper innovation for American businesses, employers and unions that use the companies’ services. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the antitrust suit filed in federal […]

The post DOJ suing to block Aon’s US$30BN acquisition of Willis Towers Watson appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Aon selling U.S. retirement assets on road to Willis Towers Watson merger

bwolfe — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 13:00:33 +0000

Aon is selling its U.S. retirement business to Aquiline Capital Partners and its retiree health exchange business to Alight Solutions for a total of US$1.4 billion. The sales are intended to address questions raised by the U.S. Department of Justice ahead of the pending merger of Aon and Willis Towers Watson, according to a press […]

The post Aon selling U.S. retirement assets on road to Willis Towers Watson merger appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

DB pensions’ funding positions recovering, but major risks ahead: reports

mschmit — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 04:09:00 +0000

The funded positions of Canadian defined benefit pension plans continued to recover in the third quarter of 2020, but major risks lie ahead, according to both Mercer Canada’s latest pension health index and Aon’s latest median solvency ratio survey. Mercer’s index, which represents the solvency ratio of a hypothetical DB pension plan, increased from 101 […]

The post DB pensions’ funding positions recovering, but major risks ahead: reports appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Aon, Willis Towers Watson merger receives shareholder approval

mschmit — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 05:50:29 +0000

Aon and Willis Towers Watson’s proposed merger has received approval by their respective shareholders. The merger, announced in March, remains subject to customary regulatory and other closing conditions. It’s expected to close in the first half of 2021. Upon closing, Willis Towers Watson shareholders will receive 1.08 Aon shares in exchange for each Willis Towers […]

The post Aon, Willis Towers Watson merger receives shareholder approval appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Is it time for an asset-strategy check-up?

mschmit — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 04:14:00 +0000

At the time of my last column in May, many pension plan sponsors were catching their breath after watching funding levels take a roller coaster ride. After a steep drop earlier in the year, funding levels were slowly recovering. However, market uncertainty remained and it wasn’t clear what was coming next. Thankfully the last few […]

The post Is it time for an asset-strategy check-up? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

How will China play into Canadian pension portfolios as exposure inches higher?

mschmit — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 04:55:07 +0000

The rallying cry that China is simply too significant a part of the world’s economy to leave out of a well-diversified portfolio is about to be last year’s cliché. For the moment, the country remains the second largest economic engine in the world, but its stunning growth in just the past few years has investors […]

The post How will China play into Canadian pension portfolios as exposure inches higher? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Aon U.S. launching pooled employer retirement plan

mschmit — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 04:39:59 +0000

Global consulting firm Aon is launching a new pooled employer retirement plan on Jan. 1, 2021. U.S. defined contribution plan sponsors will be able to transfer their assets and members to the pooled employer plan — or PEP. Aon will be managing the investment lineup and taking care of the whole ecosystem involved with offering […]

The post Aon U.S. launching pooled employer retirement plan appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

How West Fraser is taking a phased approach to pension plan annuitization

mschmit — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 04:49:13 +0000

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. isn’t annuitizing multiple defined benefit plans to get out of the pension business. In fact, the British Columbia-based integrated wood products company is committed to DB. “We believe we get tremendous value out of our DB plans around recruitment and definitely around retention of our employees,” says Elaine Jensen, the […]

The post How West Fraser is taking a phased approach to pension plan annuitization appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

Solvency Ratios Dip in Q2

mschmit — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 06:38:44 +0000

Aon survey shows DB plans struggling with low asset returns and poor Canadian equity performance.

The post Solvency Ratios Dip in Q2 appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.