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Ireland's Pensions Law Blog

Tag Archives: pension

DB restructuring – managing the unions

By Chris Comerford on Posted in Administration, Funding, Scheme Restructuring, Trusteeship, Unions

The current state of funding of DB schemes has pushed many of the sponsoring employers of these schemes to consider how to minimise their defined benefit liabilities and risks.  In order for the liability management process to be successful, a number of key stakeholders need to be managed.  These are:  the trustees of the scheme;… Continue Reading

Sovereign Annuities – Nearly a Reality

By David Main on Posted in Administration, Funding, Investment, Pensions Board, Scheme Restructuring, Trusteeship

After much talk over the past 2 or 3 years, at last sovereign annuities have become a reality… nearly.  This week, I was one of the speakers at the launch of the first sovereign annuity approved by the Pensions Board.  Getting to this point is a major milestone in the long journey towards being able to… Continue Reading

Five Key Irish Pension Issues in Corporate Transactions

By David Francis on Posted in Corporate Transactions, Funding, Scheme Restructuring

Pension issues can be a major factor influencing merger and acquisition activity.  Companies may pull out of deals due to uncertainty around pensions (especially uncertainty over the funding of defined benefit plans).  Pension plan deficits are now part of corporate life and how the deficit and the other pension issues will be dealt with needs to… Continue Reading

7 Key Questions Trustees and Sponsoring Employers of Pension Schemes should ask when Appointing Professional Advisers

By David Francis on Posted in Administration

As the management and governance of pension schemes continues to increase in complexity and risk both sponsoring employers and trustees of pension schemes are increasingly looking towards appointing professional advisers to bring knowledge, experience, and expertise to the governance and management of their pension schemes in an effort to reduce risk and achieve cost efficiencies…. Continue Reading

Grappling with the Pensions Levy

By Chris Comerford on Posted in Funding, Tax

The pension levy was introduced under a seemingly innocuous piece of legislation, the Finance (No.2) Act 2011. The Act, insofar as it provides for the levy, is just 10 pages long.  Less is more?  Not in this case. While the dust hasn’t quite settled on the financial impact of the levy on struggling pension schemes, practitioners are still struggling to… Continue Reading