Pension plans and other long-term benefits

Information checkedInformation geprüft Pension plans and other
long-term benefits

Pension plans

Post-employment benefits

The LLB Group has established a number of pension plans, in compliance with prevailing legal provisions, which insure most employees in the event of death, invalidity and retirement. In addition, further plans exist for long-service anniversaries, which qualify as other long-term employee benefits. In the case of the pension plans, contributions are made by employees, which are then supplemented by corresponding contributions from the LLB Group. The pension schemes are financed in compliance with the local legal and fiscal regulations. The risk benefits are based on the insured salary and the pension benefits on the accumulated capital. The assets of the funded pension plans are held within separate foundations or insurances and may not revert to the employer. The mortality rates specified in the Professional Pensions Law 2015 (BVG 2015) were employed to calculate the mortality, life expectancy and invalidity rates for all pension plans. The last actuarial valuations were performed on 31 December 2020 and 31 December 2019. The actuarial gains and losses are included in other comprehensive income.

Joint committees are set up for pension plans, which are administered via collective foundations. The foundation board of the autonomous pension foundation is also composed of an equal number of employee and employer representatives. On the basis of the legal provisions and the pension plan regulations, the foundation board is obligated to act solely in the interest of the foundation and the actively insured persons and pensioners. Consequently, in this pension plan the employer itself may not decide on benefits and their financing, rather decisions must be taken on equal terms.

The foundation board is responsible for determining the investment strategy, for amendments to the pension plan regulations, and especially for the financing of the pension plan benefits. The foundation board members of the pension plans specify investment guidelines for the investment of the pension plan assets, which contain the tactical asset allocation and the benchmarks for the comparison of performance with a general investment universe. The assets of the pension plans are well diversified. With regard to diversification and security, the legal provisions of the BPVG Pension Law apply to pension plans in Liechtenstein, and the legal provisions of the BVG Pension Law apply to pension plans in Switzerland. The foundation board members continually monitor whether the selected investment strategy is suitable for the provision of the pension plan benefits and whether the risk budget corresponds to the demographic structure. The observance of the investment guidelines and the investment performance of the investment advisers are reviewed on a quarterly basis. In addition, the investment strategy and its suitability and effectiveness are periodically checked by an external consultant.

The pension plan is designed as a defined contribution plan, i.e. a savings account is maintained for all the retirement benefits of each employee. The annual savings contributions and interest (no negative interest is possible) are credited to the pension savings account annually. At the time of retirement, the insured person may choose between a life-long pension, which includes a reversionary spouse pension, or the withdrawal of the savings capital. In addition to the retirement benefits, the pension plan also includes invalidity and partner pensions. These are calculated on the basis of the insured annual salary (defined benefit plan). Furthermore, the insured employee may purchase improvements to his pension plan up to a maximum sum specified in the regulations. If the employee leaves the company, the savings credit balance is transferred to the new employer’s pension plan or to a blocked pension savings account. When determining the benefits, the minimum provisions of the Professional Pension Plans Law (BPVG) and its implementing ordinance are to be observed. The minimum salary to be insured and the minimum pension savings balance sum are stipulated in the BPVG. On account of the pension plan structure and the legal provisions of the BPVG, the employer is subject to actuarial risks. The most important of these are investment risk, interest rate risk and longevity risk. The risks of death and invalidity are congruently re-insured. Currently, the individually accumulated pension capital is converted into a life-long pension at age 64 at a pension conversion rate of 5.30 per cent. In March 2020, the foundation board decided to reduce this conversion rate in stages from 1 January 2021, so that from 1 January 2027, a rate of 4.76% at age 64 will apply. This decision led to a profit from plan amendments, which was recognised immediately as a reduction of personnel expenses in the income statement. To calculate the effect of the plan amendment, in accordance with IAS 19, an interim financial statement was compiled for the pension fund. Amendments to the contribution payments made by the bank, the associated companies, or the employees require, in accordance with the regulations, the approval of the bank, the associated companies and a majority of the foundation board. The pension plans are financed through contributions made by the employer and the employees. The amount of the contributions is specified in the pension plan regulations. The employer must bear at least half of the contributions. In the event of underfunding, financial recovery contributions may be charged to both the employer and the employee to eliminate the shortfall in coverage.

The following amounts were recognised in the income statement and in equity as pension costs:

Benefit expenses

Development of plan obligations

Development of plan assets

The pension fund assets as at 31 December 2020 include shares of LLB with a market value of CHF thousands 12 (31.12. 2019: CHF thousands 15). The expected Group contributions for the 2021 financial year amount to CHF thousands 14'627 for the pension plans and CHF thousands 552 for the other long-term benefits.

Overview of net debt recognised in the balance sheet

Asset classes

Weighted average of principal actuarial assumptions

The demographic assumptions correspond to those of the year 2019.

Sensitivity analysis of significant actuarial assumptions

The following sensitivity analysis for the significant actuarial assumptions, on which calculations are based, shows how the cash value of pension obligations would change on the balance sheet date on account of a possible change in the actuarial assumptions. Only the listed assumption changes, all other assumptions remain unchanged.