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August 08, 2018 at 06:31 PM
Sun Life Financial Inc., one of Canada’s biggest life insurers, sees the country’s pension risk-transfer market growing to as much as C$5 billion ($3.9 billion) this year as more companies look to divest retirement plans.
The Canadian group annuity market will probably reach at least C$4.5 billion this year, up from C$2.7 billion in 2016, Brent Simmons, senior managing director and head of the firm’s defined-benefit solutions group, said in a phone interview.
“Pension plans are now at a better funding position so they have more money in the plan — they actually have enough money in the plan to divest or to go into runoff, so, buy annuities,” Simmons said. “A lot of it comes back to these companies having hard, nasty surprises with their pension plans for the last 20 years and really wanting to get back to focusing on their core business.”
(Related: Prudential Signs Jumbo Pension Risk Transfer Client)
North American companies including General Motors Co. and FedEx Corp. have struck deals with life insurers to take on pension obligations. Pension buyouts in the U.S. climbed to $23 billion last year, an increase of 68% from a year earlier, according to industry group Limra.
