News

Mr Bill Prasifka, currently Chairman of the Competition Authority, has been appointed as Financial Services Ombudsman.  He replaces Mr Joe Meade, who retired last month.

It is expected that Mr Prasifka will take up his appointment by the end of March 2010 or soon thereafter. Mr PJ Fitzpatrick will remain as Interim Ombudsman until then.

The Pensions Board has published its Review of 2009  – a fact sheet and commentary giving an overview of the pensions sector and the Board’s activities for 2009. 

The Chief Executive of the Pensions Board, Brendan Kennedy, gave a presentation recently to the IAPF Trustees Forum on “What the Pensions Board expects of Trustees” .  He pointed out that, while trustees are not expected to be pension professionals, they must put in the effort needed to acquire a basic knowledge of the I

The Minister for Social & Family Affairs has approved a change in the Society’s Actuarial Standard of Practice on Retirement Benefit Schemes Transfer Values.  The pre-retirement discount rate in the standard transfer value basis set out in the ASP will reduce from 7.75% to 7.5% per annum with effect from 1st March 2010. 

The Government announced last year that a Pensions Insolvency Payments Scheme would be established “to assist employees and former employees of companies where the employer becomes insolvent and the defined benefit pension fund is in deficit.

The Society of Actuaries in Ireland carried out a study of annuitant mortality during 2008/'09, based on data contributed by a number of life assurance companies.  The results are set out in the attached report.  The Society would like to thank the participating companies for their assistance with this study.