LONGEVITY INSURANCE DEAL WITH BAE SYSTEMS

RNS Number : 3334Y

Legal & General Group Plc

21 February 2013

 



Press Release

21 February 2013

LEGAL & GENERAL AGREES LARGEST EVER LONGEVITY INSURANCE DEAL WITH BAE SYSTEMS 2000 PENSION PLAN.

Legal & General has put in place a longevity insurance arrangement for the BAE Systems 2000 Pension Plan ("the Plan"), the largest such arrangement completed in the UK.

The arrangement insures the Plan against the financial risk of its 31,000 current pensioners living longer than expected, covering a total of £2.7bn of liabilities as measured by the Plan, or £3.2bn discounted at Libor¹. The pensioners of the Plan will see no changes to its administration.

The transaction demonstrates the increasing appetite of pension schemes and their sponsors for insuring longevity risk, as well as Legal & General's capability in this developing market. Legal & General will retain 30% of the longevity risk, with the remainder being reinsured by Hannover Re.

Nigel Tinsley, Group Pensions Director at BAE Systems, said: "We are pleased to have worked with Legal & General and Aon Hewitt to develop this innovative approach to managing risk exposure within the BAE Systems 2000 Pension Plan. This arrangement offers us a flexible approach to managing the key risk of longevity in the Plan.  We are particularly pleased that we were able to complete the process in a structured and straightforward fashion within 6 months."

Tom Ground, head of Legal & General's Insurance De-risking Solutions for Pension Schemes, said: "Legal & General is delighted to have been selected by the Trustee of the BAE Systems 2000 Pension Plan for this important transaction. Legal & General's strength in this market is founded on many years of experience offering de-risking solutions to pension schemes. This strength is enhanced by our ability to implement a transaction of this nature with as few as one reinsurer counterparty, which allows our clients to achieve optimum value and swift execution of the transaction."

Martin Bird, Partner and Head of Risk Settlement at Aon Hewitt, said: "We worked closely with BAE Systems and the Trustees of the plan on this significant transaction. The insurance arrangement is fully collateralised and tailored to reflect the Plan's unique profile, bringing together structuring capability and market capacity to enhance members' security and reducing the funding volatility in the plan."

Legal & General brings together expertise in investment management with in-depth understanding of longevity risk to provide a comprehensive range of solutions for pension trustees.  Legal & General implemented its first longevity insurance transaction with the Pilkington Superannuation Scheme in December 2011 for around £1bn of associated liabilities. Legal & General provides annuities to over 650,000 current pensioners and over 150,000 deferred pensioners². 

Notes:

·    1The liabilities measured £2.7bn using the Plan's funding basis at 31 December 2012, and £3.2bn discounted using the Libor swap curve (a standard industry metric), as at 15 February 2013.

·    2These figures are as at 30 September 2012.

·    Legal & General is one of the UK's leading financial services companies and one of the UK's top 50 companies in the FTSE 100 Index. Legal & General has been an active participant in the pension de risking market for over 25 years and was awarded Buyout Firm of the Year 2012 by European Pensions.

·    The BAE Systems 2000 Pension Plan was established in 2000, following the merger in 1999 of British Aerospace and the Marconi Electronic Systems business of GEC, in order to cover individuals who were previously in the GEC pension scheme. The Plan is one of seven pension schemes operated by BAE Systems.

·    Legal & General does not apply the Annual Premium Equivalent (APE) measure to longevity insurance.

ENQUIRIES

INVESTORS:
Kate Vennell	Head of Investor Relations	020 3124 2150
Ian Baker	Investor Relations Manager	020 3124 2047
CONTACTS AT L&G ANNUITIES
Tom Ground	Head of Pension Scheme Insurance De-risking Solutions	020 3124 2980
Michael Abramson	Sales Director, Pension Scheme Insurance De-risking Solutions	020 3124 2978
MEDIA:
John Godfrey	Group Communications Director	020 3124 2090
Richard King	Head of Media Relations	020 3124 2095

Financial Calendar 2013	Date
Preliminary Results 2012	6 March 2013
Q1 2013 Interim Management Statement	2 May 2013
Half year results	6 August 2013
Q3 2013 Interim Management Statement	5 November 2013

Forward looking statements

This document may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to Legal & General Group, its plans and its current goals and expectations relating to future financial condition, performance and results. By their nature forward-looking statements involve uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances which are beyond Legal & General's control, including, among others, UK domestic and global economic and business conditions, market related risks such as fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates, the policies and actions of regulatory and Governmental authorities, the impact of competition, the timing impact of these events and other uncertainties of future acquisition or combinations within relevant industries. As a result, Legal & General Group's actual future condition, performance and results may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set out in these forward-looking statements and persons reading this announcement should not place reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made only as at the date on which such statements are made and Legal & General Group Plc does not undertake to update forward-looking statements contained in this document or any other forward-looking statement it may make.

 

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