Compensation for executives at large and midsize U.S. companies is expected to rebound modestly this year following two consecutive years of pay declines, according to a new survey by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company. Additionally, most companies are planning to fine-tune their executive pay programs to further tighten the link between pay and performance as well as address a growing concern over executive retention.
Global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has named Brian O’Neill and Scott Emanuele as senior vice presidents in its reinsurance brokerage business, the world’s fourth largest.
U.S. workers saw the value of their employer-sponsored retirement benefits — as measured by percentage of pay — decline by double-digit levels over a 10-year period ending in 2008, according to an analysis of eight major industries conducted by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
Strengthening its property & casualty (P&C) mergers and acquisition (M&A) consulting capabilities, global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has named Sean P. McDermott as a director of P&C consulting services.
Companies that completed acquisitions or mergers during the second quarter of 2010 continued to outperform the market, beating the MSCI World Index (the Index) by 3.1 percentage points, according to the latest Towers Watson Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor, the only M&A study to track the performance of global deals.
Alternative assets under management on behalf of pension funds by the world’s largest alternative investment managers remained unchanged in 2009 compared to the year before at US$817bn, according to global research produced by Towers Watson in conjunction with the Financial Times.
A majority of large employers now automatically enroll workers into their 401(k) plans, the nation’s predominant vehicle for employees to save for retirement, according to a new survey by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
Relatively few U.S. companies are well prepared to put their executive pay programs up to a say-on-pay shareholder vote, although many are taking steps to get ready if pending legislation that would give shareholders a greater voice in executive pay becomes law, according to a forthcoming survey by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
Though workforces may be leaner following the recession, HR professionals across the U.S. and Canada are supporting the drive for peak employee performance by expanding their commitment to talent management and the technologies that support it. According to the 13th annual Towers Watson survey on HR service delivery trends and practices, HR departments are more confident than ever in the value and efficiencies made possible through enhanced talent management systems. In fact, 42% of the more than 450 companies polled listed “talent/performance systems” as one of their top three HR service delivery issues for 2010. This was not only the most frequently selected issue among respondents, but it was also ranked as the top issue by the largest margin ever in the survey’s history.
Strengthening its presence in the increasingly important Florida property & casualty (P&C) market, global professional services company Towers Watson has appointed two long-time industry veterans with vast experience in the state; Robert Betz and Lloyd Stofko.
Global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has sold VIPitech - an actuarial and financial modelling software unit - to Algorithmics in accordance with commitments it made to the European Commission (EC). The sale of VIPitech was a condition to the EC's clearance of the merger between Watson Wyatt and Towers Perrin.
Global professional services firm Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has named Lawrence Racioppo to its insurance brokerage business, serving as leader of the business’s executive liability practice.
Spurred on by several regulatory, business and market issues, liability-driven investing (LDI) is becoming more prevalent among defined benefit pension investors in the United States as the dangers of focusing solely on asset returns become more apparent.
A fragile global economy, excess capacity in virtually every line of commercial insurance and last year’s below-average catastrophic losses combined to keep commercial insurance prices flat during the first quarter of 2010, according to global professional services company Towers Watson's (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) most recent Commercial Lines Insurance Pricing Survey (CLIPS).
If company culture and manager performance are any guide, then Brazil and Portugal will compete in the World Cup Final on July 11, according to an analysis from Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
As June 1 marked the official start of the 2010 U.S. hurricane season, awareness and preparation are paramount, according to global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW).
Recent actions of European policymakers have temporarily reassured markets and only gained them sufficient time to introduce necessary policy measures and consolidate the weak financial outlook according to a Towers Watson report.
Companies are paying closer attention to executive compensation than ever before — in response to growing scrutiny from shareholders, the federal government and others. With stakeholders demanding closer alignment of pay and performance, boards and compensation committees are under intense pressure to ensure that their executive incentive plans are well designed and deliver appropriate rewards for achieving corporate objectives.
The number of large U.S. companies that are replacing their traditional defined benefit (DB) plans with account-based retirement plans for new salaried employees continues to increase, according to a new analysis by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company. Account-based plans include defined contribution (DC) plans, such as 401(k) plans, and hybrid pension plans, typically cash balance plans.
Although U.S. employers view controlling health care costs as their highest health care reform priority, few believe that the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will stem the tide of rising costs, according to a May 2010 survey by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
Defined contribution (DC) retirement plans require significant re-engineering if they are to better serve millions of individuals worldwide who were exposed to their failings during the financial crisis according to a new publication from global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW).
The U.S. legislative and regulatory framework should facilitate and encourage offering lifetime income options for participants in defined contribution (DC) plans, such as 401(k)s, but the creation of related mandates should be avoided, according to Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
Health care reform’s so-called “Cadillac plan” excise tax will affect more than 60% of large employers’ active health plans by the provision’s 2018 enactment, according to an analysis conducted by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
While they haven’t significantly altered their approach to determining required capital as a result of the financial crisis, most North American life insurance chief financial officers (CFOs) said they are planning to adjust their strategies over the next 12 months, according to data from the latest survey from global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), Evolving Capital Management Practices.
After an extensive three-month review of the executive compensation (EC) consulting market in the U.S., Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) today reaffirmed its commitment to the EC consulting business, while reorienting its strategic approach to meet the evolving needs of clients. The strategic review was prompted in part by new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proxy rules that require companies in some situations to disclose the consulting fees they pay to firms that provide both EC and other consulting services.
Continuing to expand the depth and breadth of expertise in its insurance brokerage business, global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has appointed three senior brokers with nearly 85 years of combined experience — Craig Nelson, Steven Watts and Paul Perry.
Companies that completed deals during the first quarter of 2010 outperformed the market, according to the latest Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor.
As obesity, work-related stress and chronic disease accelerate among the non-U.S.-based employees of multinationals, the number of multinational companies that are taking a global approach to mitigate these so-called “lifestyle diseases” will double by 2012. These findings were revealed by the Workforce Health Strategies: A Multinational Perspective, a survey conducted by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.
The financial health of the nation’s 100 largest corporate pension plans improved modestly in 2009, largely due to strong stock market returns, although higher liabilities caused by lower discount rates tempered the overall improvement, according to a new analysis by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company. In the first look at actual year-end disclosures, the analysis found that 2009 funding levels and overall pension plan assets increased over 2008 levels, although funding for both years remained well below 2007 levels.
As the financial climate improves, U.S. life insurers say they will invest to enhance their enterprise risk management (ERM) function in 2010 and beyond, according to a joint study by CSC (NYSE: CSC) and Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), and in partnership with the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI).
A competitive market landscape has perpetuated flat commercial insurance prices during the fourth quarter of 2009, according to global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW).
The “Great Recession” may have ended, but its impact on the U.S. workforce and employment itself looks to be deep and longlasting, according to the results of new research from global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW). The Global Workforce Study (GWS) — a biennial survey of employee attitudes and workplace trends — confirms that the recession has fundamentally altered the way U.S. employees view their work and leaders today, while dramatically accelerating changes to the basic social contract that underpins employment here.
As the use of predictive modeling among insurance companies becomes increasingly prevalent, the combination of sophisticated actuarial expertise and advanced predictive modeling software to determine optimum pricing and risk selection strategies, will help insurers realize a competitive advantage.
While employers remain committed to offering health and productivity programs, they are frustrated by the inability of many workers to change their health habits. In an effort to encourage healthy behaviors, a growing number of employers are tightening their requirements for workers to receive financial incentives, according to a survey conducted by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company, and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), a nonprofit association of large U.S. employers.
The number of bond mandates awarded by global professional services company Towers Watson’s (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) clients worldwide in 2009 increased by over 50% from 2008, which was already over 20% higher than the year before. The most significant increase in demand was for U.S. bonds, with twice the number of selections in 2009 as in 2008.
Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a leading global professional services company, and UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, have partnered to develop the Retiree Health Collaborative, a new health care coverage solution for retirees and employers.
The continuing sluggish economy is forcing a growing number of large U.S. employers to take more aggressive measures to control rising health care costs and motivate workers to take charge of improving their own health, according to a survey conducted by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company, and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), a non-profit association of large U.S. employers.
The unsettled economy is having a major effect on claim operations, including rising loss costs, increased levels of litigation and higher rates of fraudulent claims. Further, the current financial environment is putting pressure on insurers’ expense management and expense-related claim performance metrics, according to a survey conducted by global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW).
Fund managers are confident that higher equity returns and positive, albeit modest, economic growth will manifest a continued global recovery, according to a survey conducted by global professional services firm Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW).
Global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has named Ashley Mims, senior consultant in its reinsurance brokerage business, the world’s fourth largest.
Rates of return for defined benefit (DB) pension plans outpaced those for defined contribution (DC) plans, including employee-directed 401(k) plans, in 2007 and also in 2008, when the economic crisis began to unfold, according to a new analysis by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a leading global professional services company.
The U.S. employment picture looks mixed at best in 2010, with hiring picking up at a majority of U.S. organizations even as some plan to continue making targeted workforce reductions, according to a new survey by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a leading global professional services company. The survey did find signs of optimism, especially predictions that employee productivity and engagement will improve over the next year.
A significant majority of U.S. employers believe health care reform, if enacted, would lead to higher costs for both employer-sponsored benefit programs and health care services overall, according to initial results from an employer survey conducted by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health.
Global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has examined several proposed or enacted state policy decisions during 2009 that were designed to begin to reshape Florida’s insurance market and strike a balance among the general price, availability and quality of property insurance.
Pension funding levels at large U.S. companies improved at the end of last year largely due to the rebounding stock markets. However, lower interest rates, which increased pension liabilities, continued to keep funding levels well below those in 2007, according to a new analysis by Towers Watson, a leading global professional services company. Furthermore, overall pension deficits remain substantial, and companies will need to make large contributions to their plans over the next few years.
Last year proved to be a reasonably good year for companies completing deals, especially those that closed transactions within their own borders, according to the latest Towers Watson Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor.
Towers Watson & Co. announced today the completion of the merger of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt. The transaction to form Towers Watson, a leading global professional services company, was announced on June 28, 2009. Watson Wyatt Chief Executive Officer John Haley will serve as Towers Watson’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Towers Perrin Chief Executive Officer Mark Mactas will serve as Deputy Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer.
Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc. and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: WW), both leading global consulting firms, announced that at their respective special meetings of shareholders, each held earlier today, their shareholders adopted the merger agreement pursuant to which the companies will combine their businesses.
Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc. and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: WW), both leading global consulting firms, today announced that they have been granted conditional clearance from the European Commission to allow the Parties to proceed with their merger to form Towers Watson & Co. U.S. antitrust authorities previously cleared the transaction.
Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc. and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: WW) today announced that Jupiter Saturn Holding Company (“Jupiter Saturn”), the new entity formed as part of the merger process between Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt, filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc. and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: WW) today announced that their respective Boards of Directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt will combine in a merger of equals to form a new, publicly listed company called Towers Watson & Co.
Copyright 2010 Towers Watson. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
See all locations
Contact us
Request services
Refreshing . . .