The Pensions Regulator has called on the Government to make it tougher to set up as a pension provider, following industry concerns about whether some savers' cash is in danger.
Thanks to auto-enrolment, millions of people are being enrolled into workplace pensions every year, helping them to build a pot to cover them in retirement. All employers are now required by law to enrol their staff in a pension scheme, and most turn to master trust schemes, where a provider manages a centralised fund for employees at several companies. According to the latest figures, around four million people are now enrolled with master trusts.
At present around 100 firms are now offering to run employee pension schemes, but there is some concern that it is simply too easy to set up as a master trust provider. According to The Pensions Regulator, master trust schemes are subject to "far less" regulatory scrutiny than other forms of scheme.
What's more, the regulator doesn’t have the power to shut schemes down.
And that could cause big problems. There are already reports of less scrupulous providers hitting those enrolled in their pensions with all sorts of additional and unnecessary charges, which can significantly dent the size of their eventual pension pot. There are also doubts about just how financially sustainable these firms are, as they are not subject to the same solvency requirements as private insurers who offer similar services. Last year, Lesley Titcomb, the-then chief executive of the FCA, warned of the risk of a "messy" fallout should these master trust schemes begin to go out of business.
What's more, last summer HMRC ordered around 40 companies which had used a provider called Source Pensions to move to their employee's pensions to another provider as the money had been invested into unapproved schemes.
[SPOTLIGHT]Between concerns about their financial stability, the dodgy charges they levy and the questionable investments they make, it's little wonder that The Pensions Regulator is so concerned. It has now opened talks with the Department of Work and Pensions. Charles Counsell, executive director for auto-enrolment at The Pensions Regulator, said: "I think we would welcome it if it was more difficult to set up as a provider and we are looking at ways that we might be able to work with the Government to do that."
Picking the right scheme for your staff
Despite its concerns, The Pensions Regulator still argues that established and reliable master trusts are one of the best options for employers.
”We believe that well run multi-employer master trusts, along with group personal pension plans (GPPs), are a good choice for employers seeking to comply with their auto-enrolment duties,” said Matthew Adams from The Pensions Regulator. “We urge all small employers preparing for automatic enrolment to choose a high quality large scheme such as a master trust or a group personal pension plan.”
Gavin Perera-Betts, executive director of product and marketing at the Government-backed provider NEST, added that there are a few "badges of quality" employers can look out for when picking a scheme for their staff.
"If a scheme is Pension Quality Mark (PQM) ready, like NEST, it meets industry quality standards on how it manages itself and members’ money, the costs it charges to use the scheme and how it communicates with members,” he explained.
For more, read How small employers can set up workplace pensions for their staff.
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