August 2019

Ontario Teachers’ COO Leaves to Spearhead United Nations Pension Fund

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Chief Operating Officer Rosemarie McClean announced this week that she will be leaving the pension after a 33-year tenure to serve as the chief executive officer of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. McLean will succeed Janice Dunn Lee, the acting CEO for the UN pension. In her position at OTPP, McClean leads all operational activities, including management of financial operations for the pension’s investments and portfolio management activities, information technology, process improvement, and...

UK. Defined benefit transfer values hit record high

Defined benefit transfer values reached record highs in August, according to data from XPS Pensions. In an update issued today (August 28), the consultancy firm said its transfer value index reached an all-time high of £258,200 on August 21, which compares to £247,400 at the end of July. The increase was largely driven by a significant fall in gilt yields during August, partially offset by a small fall in inflation expectations, XPS stated. At the same time, the consultancy firm saw an increase in the...

Berlin-based mobile savings platform Raisin to acquire pension fintech Fairr

Raisin, the Germany-based savings and investment platform, said it acquired Fairr, a fintech also located there that specializes in pensions and retirement savings. Raisin officials said the acquisition will help its 200,000 customers gain access to fixed-term, overnight and ETF accounts, as well as specialized pension plans. Read also How Fintech Can Make Banking More Inclusive – and Empowering The German pension market is estimated to be more than $13.3 trillion (12 trillion euro) and Raisin said the...

Senators Demand U.S. Pension Fund Reject China Investment

Two senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are calling on administrators of the federal government’s main retirement savings fund to reverse a decision that they say would shift billions in investments into Chinese companies supporting that nation’s military and espionage efforts. Read also US. Blame The Fed For The Coming Pension Fund Crisis Senators Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, and Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, sent a letter Monday to Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board Chairman Michael...

UK universities brace for strike action in pensions dispute

British universities are heading towards strike action later this year, after employers insisted on requiring staff to pay higher pension contributions despite union warnings that the move would trigger a ballot on industrial action. Read also UK universities’ pension funding hole doubles to £6.6bn The University and College Union (UCU) said it had rejected an offer by the employers, represented by Universities UK (UUK), to swap limited increases in staff pension contributions for a two-year bar on strike action. The...