Insurance
Searching for stability
Alexander Campbell talks to Tom Wilson, chief risk officer at Allianz
Health kicks
The US pension sector is having to cope not just with the increased cost of retirement provision but also the attendant healthcare obligations many schemes are under – liabilities that must now be accounted for upfront. Andrew Sheen reports
Institutional memory
Ninety-year-old TIAA-Cref is one of the US’s oldest providers of retirement services and came into the financial crisis with experience of past crises galore. But did history help it when the crunch bit, and how will its business model learn from this…
Deal of the year - Babcock International
Longevity swaps have been talked about as a solution to pension schemes’ longevity risk management challenges for some years. But this year Babcock International turned theory into practice when it became the first fund to complete a deal. Andrew sheen…
Multinational insurer of the year - Allianz
A nurturing of its capital base and an ability to react positively to unfavourable market events has made Allianz Life & Pensions’ multinational insurer of the year. Aaron Woolner reports
Innovation of the year - SEB Pension
In a year that has witnessed variable annuity providers massively scale back the level and increase the cost of the benefits they offer, Denmark’s SEB Pension has constructed a product that bucks the trend, raising the level and reducing the volatility…
Pension fund of the year - PKA
Danish pension fund PKA uses a Solvency II-inspired internal model to fine-tune its risk management approach. Andrew Sheen reports
Enhanced transfer value transactions activity marks return of buy-out market
The UK’s long-dormant pension buy-out market could be on the verge of resurgence, as improving market conditions and increased de-risking activity through enhanced transfer value (ETV) transactions have combined to make pricing more attractive and…
Local authority opts for longevity swap
The £1.2 billion Royal County of Berkshire pension fund is poised to take the bold step of signing a longevity swap deal to cover all of its 10,000 pensioners, in the first of its kind for a UK public pension scheme.
Different degrees
Solvency II will require a massive upgrade in insurers’ technological capability. But as the deadline for implementation looms ever closer, not all in the industry have made the same level of progress.