A special report from the United Nations calling out investment decisions by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec doesn’t recognize fiduciary obligations in the pension fund system, says Level Chan, a partner at Stewart McKelvey. “It’s with that particular lens that pension funds have to invest. . . . It probably would be […]
Institutional investors are moving away from standard environmental, social and governance factors, according to a new report by Morningstar Inc. The report, which took responses from in-depth interviews with 25 investors around the world, found there’s an ongoing commitment to sustainability, but less interest in keeping ESG investments. Indeed, some investors are even combining social […]
When designing an optimal menu of defined contribution investment options, it’s important for plan sponsors to maintain a documented rationale for the investment lineup and to continually monitor the lineup’s performance amid external factors, according to a new report by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. It found while plan sponsors typically take one of […]
The Ontario Securities Commission’s proposal to provide retail investors access to private assets through a new fund vehicle could have adverse risks for institutional investors’ long-term investment goals, said the Pension Investment Association of Canada. The OSC is mulling introducing a new fund category, the Ontario Long-Term Asset Fund, that would provide a pathway for […]
More than eight in 10 (84 per cent) U.S.-based employer-sponsored retirement plans have at least one likely Employee Retirement Income Security Act red flag from a regulatory and/or fiduciary perspective, according to a new report by consultancy Abernathy Daley 401k Consultants. The report, which analyzed filings for more than 760,000 plans, found 43 per cent […]
Verizon Communications Inc. is facing a lawsuit by retirees alleging the organization breached its fiduciary duties and engaged in prohibited transactions when it completed a US$5.9 billion pension risk transfer to Prudential Insurance Co. of America nearly a year ago, according to a report by Investment News. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in December […]
While lawsuits against Canadian capital accumulation plans are virtually non-existent, U.S. pension litigation holds several lessons for plan sponsors that are based north of the 49th Parallel. “We don’t have these lawsuits occurring [in Canada], but it does help us educate our [plan sponsor] clients in terms of what trends may be because whatever happens […]
Active ownership, accompanied by a concrete set of stewardship goals, is critical for long-term value creation, said Delaney Greig, director of investor stewardship at the University Pension Plan, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Global Investment Conference in April. The UPP, which was established in 2021 as a jointly sponsored defined benefit pension […]
In its 2024-25 annual plan, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is focusing on assessing and mitigating systemic and high-priority risks in the province’s defined benefit pension plan sector. The regulatory body will review and enhance its supervisory framework to strengthen supervision of large public sector pension plans, ensuring its plan amendments and surplus […]
The Ontario government’s new funding framework for target-benefit plans will provide more flexibility for plan administrators and boards, says Domenic Barbiero, principal at Eckler Ltd. The proposed framework requires trustees to establish a number of policies, including funding, benefits, communications and overall governance. “This proposal is the second iteration of a proposal from the Ministry […]