The Occupational Pensioners’ Alliance26 March 2008

Pension Protection Fund – Where Are We Now?

Peter Walker – Director of Delivery

CONTENTS

• What were we set up to do?• Are we doing it?• How will we pay for it?

Introduction

What the PPF means:

“Life is not fair. But there can be few crueller fates than that suffered by those who spend their entire career contributing to a company pension scheme only to find their retirement plans ruined by the business’s financial difficulties.”

Financial Times (October 2005)

“We were very lucky that the Pension Protection Fund has set up just before the collapse and we have the good news today that it will be taking over the payments to Rover pensioners. I now receive much more than I would have got if the PPF did not exist.”

MG Rover pensioner (March 2007)

Introduction:What is the Pension Protection Fund?

• Public Corporation run by a Board of Directors - derives its powers from, and set up by, the Pensions Act 2004

• Sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions

• Accountable to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

• Pays compensation to members of eligible defined benefit and hybrid schemes which are underfunded and whose employers have experienced a qualifying insolvency event on or after 6 April 2005

Balancing Stakeholder Issues

Employers

SchemeMembers

Trustees

Government

Security through fully-funded

PPF

Small, predictable

levy

Funding, Strong

employercovenant

PPF

Short and professional

wind-up

Affordability

Stability

SecuritySafe,orderly

wind-up

Introduction:The current position of the PPF

• 12 million DB scheme members protected by the PPF (Purple Book)

• Over 50 schemes with over 20,000 members are expected to have completed assessment in the year to 31 March (and about 95 next year)

• Over 200 schemes with 120,000 members currently in a PPF assessment period

• Over £400m in s75 recoveries made from insolvent employers and paid into schemes

• £5bn gross balance sheet total – growing fast

The DB Pensions System post April 2005: Who does what?

Responsible for:• Policy • Overseeing the organisations created by the Pensions Act 2004• Financial Assistance Scheme

• to protect the benefits of members of work-based pension schemes

• to promote good administration of work-based pension schemes

• to reduce the risk of situations arising that may lead to claims for compensation from the PPF

Independent non-profit organisation, funded by

DWP, that provides free information, advice

and guidance on the whole spectrum of pensions covering State, company,

personal and stakeholder schemes.

The Pensions Ombudsman

investigates and decides complaints and disputes about the way that pension schemes

are run.

The PPF Ombudsman is the same person

providing a similar role for the PPF

To pay compensation to

members of eligible pension schemes, which are underfunded, and where there

has been a qualifying

insolvency event

The DB Pensions System post April 2005: How the PPF works with other bodies

• Close working relationship with the Pensions Regulator

• Specific objective to protect the PPF• PPF has no regulatory role• Shared data collection via scheme returns• Improvements in scheme funding and governance will

reduce risk to the PPF• Joint development of training (e.g. trustee toolkit)

• Stewardship from DWP, avenue for legislation• Responsibility of trustees for schemes both ongoing

and in assessment

Who does the PPF protect? The PPF Universe: The Purple Book and PPF 7800 Index

Estimated S179 Aggregate BalanceTotal Assets Less Total Liabilities

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

Dec

-02

Jun-

03

Dec

-03

Jun-

04

Dec

-04

Jun-

05

Dec

-05

Jun-

06

Dec

-06

Jun-

07

Dec

-07

£ b

illi

on

• Pensions Universe Risk Profile (PURPle Book) published annually by PPF and the Pensions Regulator

• Tracks some 7,800 eligible DB pension schemes with some 12 million members

• Highlights:– 61% schemes closed to new members or

new accruals– 63% of members are in open schemes– 35% of schemes are in the manufacturing

sector (as against a 14% share of the economy)

• PPF 7800 Index tracks the movement in scheme funding on a month by month basis on a PPF funding basis (buyout, mortality, discount rates)

How do schemes enter the PPF?Overview of the Assessment Process

Insolvency

Rejection

Rescue Buyout

Compensation

Enter

Assessment

Validation Assessment Transition Compensation

Validation

• Insolvency Practitioner required to notify PPF of any employer’s insolvency event where there is a pension scheme (Section 120 Notice)

• Looking to automate most rejections during 2008

• PPF will then assess whether the scheme is eligible for the PPF– Examples of ineligibility:

• DC scheme

• Commenced winding up prior to 6 April 2005

• Actions by trustees prior to insolvency

Insolvency

Rejection

Rescue Buyout

Compensation

Enter

Assessment

Validation Assessment Transition Compensation

Volumes of s120 notices received

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Age analysis of o/s s120 notices

< 28 days 28 days< > 60 60< > 90 Greater than 90< >120 >120

Assessment

• Guide trustees on requirements of Pensions Act 2004: Trustees remain responsible for running scheme and continue to pay benefits at PPF levels

• Agreement of a plan for:• Data Cleansing

• Confirmation of Membership Data (NISPI etc.)

• Production of a s143 valuation

• Liaison with Insolvency Practitioner in creditor role to recover s75 debt for the pension scheme

• Working with trustees to project-manage the scheme through assessment

Insolvency

Rejection

Rescue Buyout

Compensation

Enter

Assessment

Validation Assessment Transition Compensation

Transition

• Valuation of scheme carried out according to Section 143 of Pensions Act 2004

• Valuation on a buyout basis

• Consultation launched last month on assumptions used

• Values assets and liabilities at insolvency date (including s75 recoveries)

• Assesses whether scheme could secure benefits

equal or higher than those provided by the PPF by buying out

Insolvency

Rejection

Rescue Buyout

Compensation

Enter

Assessment

Validation Assessment Transition Compensation

Compensation

• If funded above PPF levels – Scheme buys out• Scheme must still seek to wind up

• Trustees will seek to secure benefits above PPF levels

• Benefits may still be below full levels (Priority order applies)

• If funded below PPF levels – Scheme enters the PPF• Transfer of member data to Capita

• Scheme assets transfer to PPF

• PPF takes responsibility for ongoing and future payments

• Remaining liabilities extinguished (AVCs, DC elements etc.)

• Trustees are discharged

Insolvency

Rejection

Rescue Buyout

Compensation

Enter

Assessment

Validation Assessment Transition Compensation

Forecast of transfers into PPF including current year rescues

Section transfers into PPF

ReceivedValidated

2 years from receipt

Target

less optimistic forecast

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

325

350

Sec

tions

What the PPF pays:Compensation

• Compensation (not pension) is paid to members; not dependent on the assets that were in the scheme

• Set by the Pensions Act 2004 • Two levels of compensation

– 100% compensation – 90% compensation (subject to a cap)

• 100% of their pension in payment at the assessment date is paid to:• Those over the scheme’s normal pension age at assessment date• Those under the NPA but receiving an ill health pension at the assessment

date• Those receiving a survivor’s benefit

• 90% of pension entitlement (subject to a cap) at the assessment date paid to:

• Those who’ve not started drawing their pension at the assessment date• Those receiving a pension but below the pension scheme’s normal

retirement age (but not an ill-health or survivor’s pension at the assessment date (i.e. early retirees)

• Annual revaluation is applied to deferred entitlements and it is based on RPI capped at 5%

• Annual indexation in payment is applied to post ‘97 service entitlements and it is based on RPI capped at 2.5%

What the PPF pays:Compensation

How the PPF is funded

Three sources of funding:• Investment returns

• Taking in the remaining assets of pension schemes for which it assumes responsibility (including recoveries)

• Raising an annual pension protection levy on all eligible defined benefit and hybrid schemes

Cash - 20%

UK Equities - 12.5%

Global Equities -

7.5%

Property - 7.5%

Currency - 2.5%

Global Bonds - 50%

How the PPF is funded:PPF Investment Strategy

• Bespoke– Unique nature of PPF– Both pension fund and

insurer– Uncorrelated with schemes

to which PPF exposed

• Dynamic– Liability profile constantly

evolving

• Liability Driven– Context of compensation

levels– Indexation changes liability

over time

Baselin

e scenario

s Long Term Risk Model

Investment/RiskSolvency targets

Baseline and alternative scenarios

Distributionissues

Economic/Behavioural

evidence

Scheme data

Scheme based levy

Risk basedlevy

How the PPF is funded:The levy and the Long Term Risk Model

How the PPF is funded:The levy

• Overall levy quantum to be collected based on Long Term Risk Model; set by Board

• £675m for 2007/08 and 2008/09; indexed to wages for next two years

• Distribution between schemes based on risk:– Scheme based levy (20%)

• Proportion of scheme liabilities– Risk based levy (80%)

• Insolvency risk: probability of employer insolvency in next year• Underfunding risk: funding position of scheme on S179 basis

• Levy structured to encourage risk reduction– Tapered reductions in levy payable for well funded schemes– Recognition of voluntary steps such as deficit reduction contributions and

contingent assets – Levy cap limits annual levy payment for weaker schemes

How the PPF is funded:Developing the levy – long term risk

05/6 06/7 07/8 08/9 09/10 10/11 11/12

Quantum Basis

Distribution Basis

Start-upFund

No. ofMembers

Long Term Risk

Short-term risk

Long Term Risk

Short-term risk

Long Term Risk

Adapting 07/8 towards L/T basis

Long Term Risk

Review of 08/9 basis

LTRM &EconomicCapital

LTRM &EconomicCapital

Short-term approach Hybrid approach Future development of the levy

Further consultation on approach to long term pricing

Scheme investment risk

• The PPF has monitored the implications for risk– Consulted in 2007– Concluded time was not then right for inclusion as a risk factor– Committed to continuing to monitor the situation

• Importance of scheme investment strategy for long term risk – both for modelling and pricing

• KPMG on behalf of the PPF conducted a survey of a number of large UK pension schemes in December 2007

• 95 pension schemes with approximate assets totalling £191bn responded

Evidence from NAPF surveys

• 2006 NAPF Annual Survey– 17% DB schemes using an LDI strategy – 30% considering adopting LDI– 53% not using or not considering– Survey did not seek to define LDI

• 2007 NAPF Annual Survey – Fall in equity share of total assets from 59.7%

to 56.3%– Fixed income share to 29.4% from 27.7%

Evidence from PPF survey

• Many of the schemes estimate that only a small proportion of the scheme liabilities have been immunised/matched or hedged by investments in bonds (and/or derivative overlays)

• Where a scheme hedges a large proportion of the liabilities, funding tends to be nearer to 100%. Where funding is significantly above or below 100%, the proportion of liabilities hedged is significantly lower

Percentage of liabilities hedged

39%

14.4%

22.6%

6.2%2.6%

6.6%

1.4%5%

0.5%1.8%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

0-1

0%

11-2

0%

21-3

0%

31-4

0%

41-5

0%

51-6

0%

61-7

0%

71-8

0%

81-9

0%

91-1

00%

Evidence from PPF survey

• 38 schemes use swaps– Half of these allow their active bond

manager the freedom to enter into swaps to better manage their portfolio

– Only 12 of the 38 employ swaps to specifically hedge interest and inflation risks

• Of the remaining 57, 28 schemes have formally considered the use of swaps in managing exposure to interest rates and inflation

Future plans on hedging interest rates and inflation

0 20000 40000 60000 80000

None -complete

Over nextyear

Over next 3years

Over next 5years

Over next 10years

None

Any questions?

Pension Protection Fund – Where Are We Now?

Peter Walker – Director of Delivery