Liabilities for UK occupational pension schemes have held fast at £1.4 trillion, according to data from Xafinity.

Xafinity's corporate UK pension scheme model, covering 99% of defined benefit (DB) schemes eligible for the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), calculated deficits across the pension schemes at £370 billion, based on assumptions at 31 March 2011.

Hugh Creasy, director at Xafinity Corporate Solutions, said: “You would have to go back four years to find such a becalmed first quarter of the year.

"Pension costs have been remarkably stable and even the £40 billion wiped off pension scheme equity investments during mid month has largely been made good as equity markets rally.

"Stability over recent months has helped prevent nasty little surprises for finance directors.”

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