Press releases

Legal & General announces record £925m Assured Payment Policy (APP) transaction

£1.5bn APP transactions now completed

27 Jul 2021


Full press release

Legal & General Assurance Society Limited (“Legal & General”) today announces that it has completed a £925 million Assured Payment Policy (APP) transaction with the Legal & General Group UK Pension and Assurance Fund (the “Fund”), securing the cashflows to support benefit payments payable to approx. 2,000 retired and 2,800 deferred members of the pension fund.

This is the largest APP transaction completed to date and is Legal & General’s third APP transaction. Legal & General launched the innovative solution as part of a wider £1.1 billion transaction with the AIB Group UK Pension Scheme in December 2019.

As a result of this transaction, Legal & General’s total APP transaction volumes now exceed £1.5bn in value.

This transaction also marks the insurer’s second such deal with a Legal & General pension scheme, following a £400 million APP transaction with the Legal & General Group UK Senior Pension Scheme in December 2020.

Legal & General’s unique APP solution provides pension schemes with an efficient and precise method of liability cashflow matching, selectively insuring against investment related risks such as changes in asset yields, interest rates and inflation. An APP allows a pension scheme to begin its de-risking journey with an insurer and provides greater certainty on the timing and cost of a future buy-in or buyout.

In May 2021, £61 million of the AIB Group’s APP was converted to a buy-in policy, demonstrating how APPs facilitate the de-risking journey.

Legal & General invest the funds paid as buy-in and APP premiums back into the real economy, helping to tackle issues around climate change, the housing crisis and regeneration of towns and cities. Investing in this way can create a virtuous circle of UK savers funding infrastructure assets that provide a public service and boost the economy.

The Trustee was advised on the transaction by LCP, Redington and Gowling WLG.

Laura Mason, CEO, Legal & General Retirement Institutional: "We are delighted to have provided increased certainty for the pension fund’s members with this transaction and are grateful for the proactive, collaborative approach taken by the trustees and their advisors to deliver a smooth transaction.

This transaction is further demonstration of our ability to deliver innovative, trusted solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients. With three APPs now transacted and a partial conversion already completed, I’m excited to see real momentum growing with this solution. There is clear demand in the de-risking market for innovation and Legal & General want to be at the forefront of that."

Further information

Margrit

Margrit Williams

Director of External Engagement

Legal & General Capital

Notes to editors

Established in 1836, Legal & General is one of the UK's leading financial services groups and a major global investor, with £1.2 trillion in total assets under management1 of which 40% is international. We have a unique and highly synergistic business model, which continues to drive strong returns. Legal & General provides powerful asset origination and management capabilities directly to clients, which also underpin our leading retirement and protection solutions. We are a leading international player in Pension Risk Transfer, in UK and US life insurance, and in UK workplace pensions and retirement income. Our purpose is to improve the lives of our customers and create value for our shareholders. Through inclusive capitalism, we are investing in long-term assets, such as real estate and infrastructure, that can help build a better society for the future.

1Data as at 31 December 2023.

Legal & General Retirement Institutional (LGRI) works with trustees and sponsoring companies of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes of all sizes to settle their pension obligations and secure scheme members’ benefits, through a full range of buy-ins, buyouts and other de-risking solutions. Our Client Services’ 12-month rolling Net Promoter Score (NPS) is above +70, which is widely regarded as being at a “world class” level. Legal & General is the UK’s longest-standing active bulk annuity provider.

Our UK Retirement annuity book stands at an estimated £86.1 billion at 31 December 2023. Across the group over £30 billion is invested in direct investments that deliver positive social and environmental impacts, such as clean energy and affordable housing. Legal & General provides income and pension security to more than a million retirement customers around the world.