Entries by lisa

Pension Risk Transfer – Facts from 2019

Pension risk transfer facts for 2019: First Quarter 2019: 78 “Buy-out” group annuity contracts purchased by Plan Sponsors “Buy-out” purchases surpassed $4.7 Billion Second Quarter 2019: 112 “Buy-out” group annuity contracts purchased by Plan Sponsors “Buy-out” purchases were $4.166 Billion “Buy-in” purchases were $880 Million. This represented the 5th consecutive quarter with the sale of […]

Boise Cascade Continues Pension De-Risking

Boise Cascade, the Boise, Idaho based manufacturer of building materials, has purchased its third group annuity contract from Prudential Insurance Company of America.  According to its 8-K filing, $19.8 million in pension assets were transferred to Prudential, representing approximately 10% of Boise Cascade’s projected U.S. qualified pension plan obligations. This is Boise Cascade’s third transaction […]

Rogers Corp. Terminates Pension Plan

In late October, Rogers Corp., a global materials manufacturer and one of the oldest public companies in the U.S., announced the termination of its U.S., non-union, pension plan.  Rogers transferred $163 Million in pension liabilities in a combination of lump-sum distributions and the purchase of a group annuity contract.  In its Q3 earnings call, CFO […]

Owens Corning Transfers $89 Million of Pension Liabilities

In October, Owens Corning, the Toledo, Ohio based manufacturer of insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites announced the transfer of  $89 Million in pension liabilities, along with $83 Million in plan assets to an undisclosed insurance company.  According to Pension & Investments, the pension risk transfer affects retirees receiving monthly benefits of less than $600 per […]

AK Steel Announces Pension Risk Transfer

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company will take on the pension liabilities from AK Steel Holding Corp. for 4,250 retirees on March 1, 2020.  This pension risk transfer allows West Chester, Ohio based AK Steel to transfer $615 Million in pension liabilities and marks its second pension de-risking transaction with Massachusetts Mutual.  In 2018, AK Steel […]

Lennox International Pension De-Risking Continues

In late October, Lennox International Inc., the Richardson, Texas based HVAC manufacturer announced that it was transferring $75 Million in pension liabilities to Pacific Life Insurance Company. In a Q3 earnings call, Lennox CFO Joseph W. Reitmeier stated that: “Similar to what we did in the second quarter, this pension settlement charge relates to an […]

,

Baxter International De-Risks Pensions

Chicago based Baxter International has purchased a group annuity contract from Prudential Insurance.  With this move, Baxter transferred its pension liabilities of approximately $2.4Billion, covering 17,200 former employees to Prudential. This pension de-risking transaction only affects former employees who have reached “pay status.” The transaction was expected to close on October 11, 2019.

LIMRA Reports 8 out of 10 Plan Sponsors Want to De-Risk

According to a recent press release from LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute, eight out of ten defined benefit plan sponsors are “at least somewhat interested” in pension de-risking via the purchase of a group annuity contract.  LIMRA reports that the first half of 2019 saw over 160 new pension risk transfer deals, totaling over $10 billion […]

Class Action Filed on behalf of DuPont retirees

  The class action lawsuit, Thondukolam v. Corteva, Inc., was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, case number 3:19-cv-03857-SK. The proposed class includes more than 100,000 people, including retirees and beneficiaries in the pension plan. Edward Stone Law PC is working with Beasley Allen, Kantor & Kantor, and […]

Volatile Markets Influence Pension De-Risking

According to a recent survey by Mercer, more defined benefit plan (DBP) sponsors seek to de-risk due to volatile markets and uncertain costs. Mercer also reported that risking Pension Benefit Guaranty (PBGC) premiums have a significant impact on funding decisions. In a June 25, 2019 press release, Matt McDaniel, head of Mercer’s US Financial Strategy […]