Covenant advisory services
Expert guidance for sponsoring employers wanting to present the strength of the employer covenant to their pension scheme trustees or assess the covenant implications of their corporate transactions.

The employer sponsoring a defined benefit pension scheme underwrites all the risk the scheme is exposed to. Therefore the employer covenant is a critical factor for pension scheme trustees to consider when deciding about the scheme’s funding and investment strategy. We have a dedicated team of experts who can assist sponsoring employers with preparing an objective review of the covenant for the trustees, assessing the impact of corporate activities on the covenant, and determining whether it is appropriate to offer any mitigation to the trustees. This team is part of the Punter Southall Transaction Services group which allows our covenant experts to benefit from and utilise our vast experience in the corporate transaction market. Our covenant advisory services for employers are designed to help companies achieve acceptable outcomes in covenant-related discussions with the trustees that satisfy the relevant regulatory requirements.

For further detail on the services we provide, including some of our recent case studies and information on our team providing this advice, please download our brochure.
 

 Overview

 
We assist employers by:
  • leading pro-actively the covenant discussion and presenting on the covenant to trustees to pre-empt any issues and inappropriate anchoring of views
  • following a more re-active approach (if preferred) by discussing with the trustees their initial view on the covenant and addressing specific queries from them
  • ensuring that the strength of the employer covenant is properly reflected in the actuarial assumption and the level of prudence applied is not excessive
  • discussing with trustees how much the company can reasonably afford to contribute to the scheme
  • exploring the use of contingent assets and conditional funding arrangements as part of the recovery plan
Covenant reviews are triggered by either employer or scheme related activities; the actuarial valuation being the most common example. The events when covenant is a relevant consideration include the following:
  • Corporate events: merger and acquisition, divestment, refinancing and restructuring, dividend payment and share buy-back, deterioration of trading performance, change in credit rating
  • Scheme events: actuarial valuation, investment strategy review, apportionment arrangements, withdrawal arrangement, transfer value calculations, scheme merger or scheme closure

 

Our covenant advisory services help sponsoring employers:
  • understand the scheme trustees’ obligations and perspectives so they present the strength of the employer covenant correctly
  • understand the scheme trustees’ requirements so they release the right information in a timely and helpful way
  • encourage the scheme trustees to limit the importance given to short-term trends which can cause an overreaction to current events
  • answer questions posed by scheme trustees and provide explanations appropriate to the covenant assessment
  • highlight strengths within financial policy, capital structure and cash flows that may not be obvious to the scheme trustees or their advisors
  • show the strengths that come from capital investment in the business and the associated benefits to their future sponsor covenant
  • negotiate with scheme trustees or their advisors on covenant related issues, such as the pension scheme’s recovery plan
  • apply for Clearance from the Pensions Regulator and present the company’s case

 

The end goal is to agree with the scheme trustees a more accurate level of prudence in the valuation that secures affordable contributions without stifling future growth plans.
 
 

 Insights & views

 
    Pensions Bulletin - March 2013
    6 March 2013
    In our latest Pensions Bulletin, we ask whether it is time for more joined-up thinking on pensions: do the various recent initiatives suggest that Government departments are working together to achieve the right balance between reform and continuity in the pensions system? The Bulletin also looks at some other recent developments, including ‘micro pot’ refunds, changes to the disclosure requirements and DC pension charges.
     
    In addition, the Pensions Bulletin flags key dates for your diary over the next quarter, including some Punter Southall events.
     
    View the bulletin


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    Speak direct to our specialists in this area
    Lorant Porkolab
    Head of Covenant Advisory Services
    Email Lorant
    Or call us on
    020 3327 5000