2014-08-01
The Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) issued these minimum standards to establish formal requirements and structural guidelines for business plan submissions by Pensionskassen under Article 20 of the Pensionskassen Act (PKG). The guidelines mandate that applications be properly signed, sequentially paginated, submitted electronically with tracked changes, and strictly adhere to a detailed specimen structure covering benefit parameters, actuarial bases, reserves, and risk allocations. Although non-binding guidance, the FMA expects full compliance to streamline regulatory reviews, explicitly prohibiting retrospective approvals and requiring syndicate-managed investment groups to submit synchronized, identically worded chapters.
S T A T U S A U G U S T 2 0 14 Document Number: Publication Date: 01 / 2014 01.08.2014 FMA MINIMUM STANDARDS ON THE FORMAL REQUIREMENTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN SUBMISSION AND ON BUSINESS PLAN STRUCTURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 20 PARA. 4 PKG ( MS on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission and on Business Plan Structure)
DISCLAIMER: These minimum standards do not constitute a legal regulation. They serve as guidance and reflect the FMA's legal interpretation and the FMA's practical recommendations for conduct. No rights and obligations extending over and above the provisions of the law can be derived from them. The FMA reviews on a case-by-case basis whether legal provisions were also breached as a result of the non-observance of recommendations in minimum standards.
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 2 AUGUST 2014 These FMA Minimum Standards set out the current formal requirements in relation to the submission and structure of a business plan pursuant to Article 20 para. 1 of the Pensionskassen Act (PKG; Pensionskassengesetz). The previous letter on this subject (“Formal requirements of applications for the approval of or changes to business plans” of 4 March 2005 (Reference code: 9 080 370/2-FMA-II/1/05)) is therefore no longer applicable. These FMA Minimum Standards are aimed at all Pensionskassen (pension companies) as defined in Article 1 PKG. They are not a regulation but describe the FMA’s legal view on the requirements derived from Article 20 para. 1 PKG in relation to the submission and structuring of business plans. The FMA expects Pensionskassen to adhere to these Minimum Standards when preparing business plans and submitting them for approval. No rights or obligations beyond those defined in the statutory provisions may be deduced from these Minimum Standards. These FMA Minimum Standards do not prevent Pensionskassen from setting higher standards of their own. Where specific provisions extend beyond the requirements defined in Article 20 PKG they shall constitute recommendations.
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 3 AUGUST 2014 I. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS In accordance with Article 20 para. 1 PKG, Pensionskassen are required to prepare a business plan. This business plan, and any changes made to it, must be reviewed and confirmed by the auditing actuary and approved by the FMA pursuant to Article 20 para. 4 PKG. Further details regarding the auditing actuary’s report are set out in the relevant FMA Circular Letter. The application for approval must be submitted taking into account the deadlines stipulated in Article 73 para. 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (AVG; Allgemeines Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz). The FMA reminds applicants that retrospective approval from the date on which the application was submitted is not possible. If an existing business plan includes provisions that cease to comply with applicable statutory provisions or regulations that are subsequently amended, it is sufficient for the business plan to be adjusted in line with the amendment at the next possible opportunity (i.e. when other changes are being made to the business plan). Nevertheless, the mandatory statutory rules or regulations must obviously still be applied as of the date of their entry into force (Article 49 para. 1 no. 1 PKG analogously). Where it is not appropriate for the modified statutory provision or regulation to be applied directly, however, the business plan must be adjusted accordingly with immediate effect.
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 4 AUGUST 2014 each IRG in separate chapters. c) A version number and print date should be printed on each page of the business plan. The current print date should be included on any subsequent changes (e.g. replaced pages). The pages should be numbered sequentially, with each new chapter for an IRG starting at page 1 again. d) Where new or changed sections of the business plan refer to existing parts of the plan, up-to-date versions of the latter should be included in the submission. e) In terms of content and form, the business plan should be based on the attached specimen business plan. 2. ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION The application to have a business plan approved and all of the related documentation should, even if being sent by post, also be made available to the FMA in electronic form. With regard to applications for the approval of changes, all relevant sections of the business plan should be submitted in electronic form, with the submission including the new version, the old version and a tracked version showing the proposed changes. 3. IRGs MANAGED BY A SYNDICATE The following should also be noted in the case of IRGs that are managed by a syndicate: a) The Pensionskassen involved should each prepare an identically worded chapter of the business plan. The corresponding applications should be submitted by the Pensionskassen as far as possible at the same time, b) Reference should be made to the existence of the syndicate in the introduction (point 0. in the specimen business plan) of the respective chapter of the business plan. The names of the syndicate partners and their respective proportional shares should be listed. A separate general section may be provided for IRGs managed by a syndicate (cf. Chapter I.1.b of these Minimum Standards).
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 5 AUGUST 2014 II. CONTENT AND STRUCTURE OF THE BUSINESS PLAN a) In the absence of any special rules, the business plan’s minimum content is based on Article 20 para 2 PKG. The content must always be specific enough to enable a review of the approval conditions pursuant to Article 20 para. 4 PKG or more specific provisions (such as Article 24f PKG et seq.) b) Each of the general and specific sections in the business plan should have a dated coversheet. The different parts of the business plan (general and specific) should also be clearly labelled. An updated coversheet should also be provided when submitting any replaced pages. The coversheet should also include the following information: company name of Pensionskasse, name of IRG and any sub-investment groups, number of IRG and any sub-IGs, as well as full name of responsible actuary and deputy actuary. c) The coversheet should be followed by a table of contents, structured according to the specimen business plan and complete with page numbers. d) The structure of the business plan should match the structure of the specimen plan. Specifications on these items can be found in the definitions. Where the type of pension company business planned means that there is no required minimum content for one of the items (see point a) above), the item may be left out or replaced with a note to this effect.
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 6 AUGUST 2014 SPECIMEN BUSINESS PLAN
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 7 AUGUST 2014 4. Insurance (reinsurance of risks) 4.1. Information on the risks to be insured pursuant to Article 20 para. 1 PKG that cannot be covered by the Pensionskasse itself on the basis of the business plan 4.2. Reinsurance plan 5. Employer reserve/employer’s credit balances Investment 6. HTM valuation pursuant to Article 23 para 1 no. 3a PKG Bases of calculation 7. Bases of calculation (probability table) 7.1. Probability table 7.2. Safety premiums 7.3. Risk review 7.4. Risk premiums 7.5. Change to bases of calculation 8. Assumed interest rate 9. Technical surplus 10. Administrative expenses (where applicable; Article 49 para. 1 no. 16 PKG) 11. Description of key circumstances for long-term fulfilment of pension company commitments
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 8 AUGUST 2014 Other 12. Volatility reserve 12.1. Management of the volatility reserve 12.2. Target value of the volatility reserve 12.3. Buying into the global volatility reserve 12.4. Calculation of proportion of a global volatility reserve 13. Vested amount 13.1. Calculation of vested amount 13.2. Calculation method for HTM 14. Calculation of minimum yield 15. Transfers Distribution of results 16. Technical account balance 16.1. Mortality rate of beneficiaries (entitled) 16.2. Mortality rate of beneficiaries (recipients) 16.3. Disability rate 16.4. Result from premature death of beneficiaries (entitled) 16.5. Result from premature death of beneficiaries (recipients) 16.6. Result from insurance of risks 16.7. Unisex: allocation and calculation of technical account balance
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 9 AUGUST 2014 17. Distribution of income 17.1. Distribution of the investment surplus 17.2. Distribution of the technical account balance 17.3. Distribution of the remaining result of the IRGs 18. Average assets Actuarial practice 19. Formulae for calculating contributions and benefits 19.1. Descriptions 19.2. Probabilities, decrement tables, commutation figures 19.3. Cash values 19.4. Entitlement to 19.4.1. Old-age pension 19.4.2. Invalidity pension 19.4.3. Widow’s/widower’s pension 19.4.4. Orphan’s pension 19.5. Contribution calculation 19.5.1. One-off contributions net 19.5.2. Annual contributions net 19.5.3. One-off contributions gross 19.5.4. Annual contributions gross 18.6. Benefit calculation 18.6.1. Benefits financed by one-off contributions 18.6.2. Benefits financed by regular contributions 18.7. Change in benefits 18.8. Sample calculations
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 10 AUGUST 2014 20. Formulae for calculating the premium reserve 20.1. Premium reserve 20.1.1. Contributory claims 20.1.2. Current pensions 20.1.3. Deferred pensions 20.1.4. Non-contributory claims 19.2. Savings and risk amounts 19.2.1. Contributory claims 19.2.2. Current pensions 19.2.3. Deferred pensions 19.2.4. Non-contributory claims 19.3. Balance-sheet premium reserve 19.4. Sample calculations Provision for administrative expenses 21. Provision for administrative expenses 21.1. Calculation principles 21.2. Description, assumptions and parameters 21.3. Explanation of unit costs
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 11 AUGUST 2014 III. ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE SPECIMEN BUSINESS PLAN The following specifications on these items as included in the specimen business plan are deemed to be key: 0) Introduction: A description of the respective IRGs should be included in the specific parts. The table below should be completed with regard to the design of the pension company commitment (selecting the appropriate answer in each case). For IRGs with sub-IGs, any differences between the individual sub-IGS with regard to the disclosures and parameters required in the business plan should be stated. If there are no differences, a note should be entered to this effect. Minimum yield guarantee (Article 2 paras. 2 to 4 PKG) with / without / with and without Minimum yield guarantee assumed by employer Type of pension commitment DC / DB / hybrid Security-oriented IRG YES / NO Sub-IG YES / NO Number of sub-IGs Options to switch to other IRG(s) pursuant to Article 12 PKG YES / NO Syndicate business YES / NO Syndicate partner Name of syndicate IRG Number of syndicate IRG (Own) rate
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 12 AUGUST 2014 With regard to the required disclosures, the FMA assumes the following definitions: DB (commitments with unlimited obligation on part of employer to make additional contributions pursuant to Article 5 no. 3 PKG) DC (commitments without any obligation on part of employer to make additional contributions) Hybrid (mixed commitments with no unlimited obligation to make additional contributions pursuant to Article 5 no. 3 PKG but partial commitments to make additional contributions)
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 13 AUGUST 2014
FMA Minimum Standards on the Formal Requirements of a Business Plan Submission PAGE 14 AUGUST 2014 15) Details regarding settlement as well as a description of the risk groups should be given here. 16) The allocation of income or losses to the IRGs and/or sub-IG should be detailed and explained. 16.1) If pension commitments with and without guarantees are managed within one IRG, any distinction made in the charging of administrative expenses should be described. The timing and allocation scheme for allocations of the technical surplus to the premium reserves for beneficiaries (entitled and recipients) should also be detailed. 17) The calculation of the average assets for the IRG and/or sub-IG should be described here. 18.7) The procedure used to adjust the pension should be described here (e.g. pursuant to Article 12a para. 1 no. 3 PKG).