11 May 2012
The Pension Protection Fund produces a monthly index update (the May 2012 release has data taken as at April 2012) of the estimated funding position of the defined benefit schemes which would be potentially eligible for entry into the Fund.
Total scheme deficits showed a small increase from £206.2bn as at end March to £216.8bn as at end April with a corresponding decrease in s179 funding ratio to 82.6% thus, in a small way, reversing the trend of improvement since the start of the year.
The backdrop to this change over the month was an improvement in gilt yields (helping liabilities) which more than compensated for a softening in equity markets.
A full report is provided by the PPF at this external page