The Pensions Trust has been awarded the Pension Quality Mark (PMQ) Ready in recognition of its low charges, clear communications and strong governance.

The multi-employer pension fund has assets of more than £5.5 billion and covers more than 2,400 employers and 157,000 members.

The PQM was launched by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) in September 2009. More than 70 schemes now qualify for the accreditation and more than 150,000 active scheme members are covered by schemes that carry the mark.

Stephen Nichols, chief executive of The Pensions Trust, said: “We firmly believe that a quality mark is crucial to ensuring employers receive good value and are kept well informed.

Alex Kitching, Pensions Quality Mark manager, added: “Auto-enrolment has resulted in multi-employer schemes and master trusts becoming an important part of the UK pensions landscape and it is therefore crucial that good-quality schemes are recognised.

“Employers that choose a multi-employer [scheme] with PQM Ready [accreditation], such as the one being offered by The Pensions Trust, can be confident it provides a firm base for pensions saving, both for them and for their staff.”