Authorized & Basic (L&G) is plotting a swoop on the office pensions supplier owned by NatWest Group, the FTSE-100 lender, as its chief government seeks to develop its share of the UK retirement market.
This weekend, Metropolis sources mentioned there was “significant” competitors to purchase the enterprise and L&G was not sure to be the eventual purchaser.
If a cope with L&G does transpire, Cushon would increase a grasp belief enterprise which manages greater than £36.5bn in belongings, making it the most important industrial entity of its variety within the UK.
The L&G grasp belief unit serves 349 employers and 1.9 million members.
Cushon manages belongings value £3.7bn, in accordance with the newest figures supplied by NatWest, which purchased a controlling stake within the enterprise for £144m two years in the past.
The pensions enterprise serves roughly 650,000 members throughout roughly 21,000 employers.
NatWest owns an 85% stake in Cushon, with the rest held by the subsidiary’s administration.
For NatWest, a sale would mirror chief Paul Thwaite’s dedication to refocus the financial institution – which shed the final vestiges of taxpayer possession earlier this yr – on its core strategic priorities.
These embrace a bank-wide simplification programme and extra energetic stability sheet and danger administration.
Below Mr Thwaite, NatWest has thought-about a small variety of larger-scale acquisitions, together with that of Santander UK.
That deal didn’t progress due to NatWest’s dedication to pay a value that may be deemed enticing by its shareholders.
Cushon presents office pension merchandise in addition to a variety of office ISAs, together with Junior ISAs, Lifetime ISAs and Basic Funding Accounts.
NatWest’s acquisition of the enterprise was geared toward diversifying its non-interest revenue by providing Cushon’s merchandise to the financial institution’s industrial and enterprise banking prospects.
For Antonio Simoes, the previous HSBC and Santander government who runs L&G, an acquisition of Cushon would bolster its providing in an essential strategic space.
The federal government introduced main pensions reforms this yr geared toward driving higher scale and decreasing pointless bureaucratic bills, with a view to outlined contribution schemes managing no less than £25 billion in belongings by 2030.
A NatWest Group spokesperson declined to touch upon the talks with L&G however had beforehand mentioned in relation to an public sale of Cushon: “We do not comment on speculation.
“Our focus stays on delivering for our prospects.”
The identities of different bidders for Cushon have been unclear on Saturday.
L&G declined to remark.
