Pension funds are traditionally well capitalised and usually considered investment grade. Many of the companies that sponsor those funds are weaker credits, and a significant number are non-investment grade. This means that some of the largest DB pension funds in the UK cannot rely on their sponsors for cash support to meet margin calls.

Pension provision is changing globally, moving the risk from the sponsoring company to the saver. Public bodies and private firms that still hold significant pension deficits are under increasing scrutiny – what happens if the sponsor runs into financial trouble? This report examines the correlation between sponsor risk and fund risk.