Risk transfer

The goal for many defined benefit (DB) pension schemes is to transfer their risk to an insurance company. Recently, the demand for risk transfer has been unprecedented. It’s more important than ever to be prepared so you’re ready to capture funding opportunities and maximise insurer engagement when you approach the market.

It’s vital to understand the insurance market. Our team bring market-leading insight:

• We’ve developed an excellent reputation amongst insurers for efficient, well-managed and well-executed transactions.
• We’ve supported eight out of nine insurers and ten out of twelve reinsurers, plus recent and prospective entrants to the bulk annuity market. 
• We have insights into insurer mind-set: 
  • Michael Abramson led the bulk annuity business and large transactions at Prudential and Legal & General.
  • Lara Desay has experience as Head of Origination and Operations at Scottish Widows.
  • Verity Hastie had a lead role in the business development team at Rothesay.
• We have strong relationships with senior individuals at every UK insurer, accelerating sign-off on the best possible price.

The alternative risk transfer market is developing alongside the traditional options of buy-ins, buy-outs and longevity swaps. The UK’s first pension superfund transaction was announced in 2023 and capital-backed solutions continue to evolve. We advised on the first ever superfund transfer from PPF assessment, so we have the expertise to help you consider your options and implement them efficiently.

In a busy market where more pension schemes can afford to fully insure their benefits, insurers are highly selective when providing quotations to smaller schemes.
 
Our core transaction offering is our dedicated risk transfer solution developed specifically for smaller schemes (typically schemes smaller than £150m). Leveraging our market-leading expertise, we develop a tailored broking strategy for each scheme to maximise insurer engagement - ensuring that every scheme, regardless of their size, secure outstanding pricing and a smooth transaction process. We've led on 65+ transactions less than £100m.
 
We also offer TRUST - a holistic risk transfer and investment offering designed for smaller schemes on their end-game journey. More information can be found in our flyer here.