The median solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit pension plans declined in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to reports by Mercer and Aon. Mercer’s report, which tracked more than 450 DB pension plans, found the median solvency ratio declined to 116 per cent as at Dec. 31, 2023, from its previous high of 125 […]
U.S. public sector defined benefit pension plans that have switched to a defined contribution model have experienced negative cash flows and increased costs and employee turnover, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security. The report analyzed five public sector pension plans including those in Alaska, Michigan and West Virginia. It […]
The funded ratio of the 100 largest corporate defined benefit pension plans in the U.S. dipped from 104 per cent at the end of October to 103 per cent as of Nov. 30, according to Milliman Inc.’s latest public pension funding index. It found as rates fell from 6.2 per cent in October to 5.55 per cent […]
Interest rate levels are critically important to the financial health of defined benefit pension plans. Many DB plans are in their best financial positions in decades, largely due to the dramatic rise in interest rates over the past few years, but decreases in interest rates could pose a major risk for many plans. Changes in […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging the federal government to reverse its position on the cessation of real return bonds and open a stakeholder consultation on the matter. In an open letter, the ACPM said the real return bonds are an important tool in building a balanced portfolio that manages inflation risk. In […]
The estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process increased from 101.1 per cent of a plan’s accounting liabilities in September to 101.9 per cent of those liabilities in October, according to Milliman Inc.’s latest pension buyout index. The index uses the FTSE above median AA curve and annuity […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is urging the federal government to open a comprehensive consultation regarding the cessation of real return bonds. In an open letter, the PIAC said the decision was made without extensive consultations with the primary purchasers of real return bonds, including pension investors. While real return bonds have typically exhibited a lower […]
Climate and cybersecurity are the leading risk factors concerning Canadian pension plan administrators, according to a pension lawyer. Susan G. Seller, a pension and benefits lawyer at Bennett Jones LLP, adds third-party arrangements and commercial real estate risks round out the most pressing categories for federally regulated pension plans. “We’re living in a time where […]
Canadian institutional investors are still in a sweet spot with the relationship between stocks and bonds in 2023, despite a difficult start to October for the S&P/TSX composite index, says one expert. At the end of last week’s trading period, the Canadian equities index showed a negative return of 0.72 per cent, leaving the S&P/TSX […]
Nine in 10 (89 per cent) U.S. defined benefit pension plan sponsors say they’re expecting to completely divest their plan liabilities in roughly four years, according to a new survey by MetLife Inc. The survey, which polled 250 DB plan sponsors, found nearly all (94 per cent) said the financial impacts of volatility and related risks […]