From today, directors, lenders, investors and other parties to corporate activity which may jeopardise the interests of a defined benefit (DB) pension scheme face the spectre of criminal prosecution. The new pensions criminal offences and other regulatory sanctions which come into force today are broadly drafted and are likely to impact how corporates and other … Read more

The Pensions Regulator has today published its final policy on investigating and prosecuting the new pensions criminal offences of causing a material detriment to a defined benefit (DB) pension scheme and avoiding an employer debt, which come into force on 1 October 2021. Following criticism that its draft policy did not provide sufficient clarity on … Read more

There are a number of significant legislative and regulatory changes coming into force on the 1st October 2021, including new pensions criminal offences and financial penalties, new contribution notice triggers and new governance and disclosure requirements for defined contribution occupational pension schemes. To help you keep track of these we have summarised the headline changes … Read more

The government has confirmed it plans to legislate to increase the normal minimum pension age from age 55 to age 57 from 6 April 2028 in the next Finance Bill. The legislation will include a protection regime for savers who already have an unqualified right to access their benefits before age 57. Following the recent … Read more

Our latest Pensions Planner is here. The Planner and our handy timeline will help you keep up to date with the latest developments in pensions law and practice and help you identify the key pensions issues that your scheme or organisation needs to address in the coming months. The latest edition covers: The Pensions Regulator’s … Read more

In an article for International Corporate Rescue, Samantha Brown and John Whiteoak, examine the Pensions Regulator’s draft policy on investigating and prosecuting the new pensions criminal offences which are due to come into force this Autumn. The article highlights various points which the authors hope will be addressed in the final policy, including the mixed … Read more

The DWP is planning to introduce new measures to empower trustees and pension providers to protect their members from pension scams. Draft regulations (which are subject to consultation) would see four new statutory conditions introduced, one of which must be met before a statutory transfer could take place. Although many will argue that such measures … Read more

Welcome to the latest edition of our pension disputes bulletin. In this edition we cover: the Pension Regulator’s draft policy on policing the new pensions criminal offences recent cases on transfers, scams and rectification new regulatory guidance on assisting members with financial matters guidance from the Ombudsman on appointing IFAs and signposting members, and the … Read more