03 April 2007
Actuaries at Deloitte estimate that the total deficit for the
final salary pension plans of the UK's top 100 companies is
currently £21 billion, the lowest deficit for more than five
years, and 25% of these companies now have a surplus in their
schemes relative to the value of their accounting liabilities.
Deloitte says that the first 3 months of 2007 have been a
rollercoaster ride for pension scheme deficits. In the last week of
February, deficits rose by £20 billion as world stock markets
fell dramatically. However, a combination of a recovery in the
stock market and a fall in the price of the bonds has reduced
deficits to a 5-year low.
