Plans often do piecemeal deals, to reduce the chances of everything going down the tubes.
A corporate pension risk transfer (PRT) in an innately risky undertaking. First are the risks of sitting tight and not doing a PRT. Such as: Will low interest rates continue and make the effort to meet liabilities harder? What if the stock market craters and stays low for a prolonged period? Can a plan meet its obligations in coming decades if the number of beneficiaries is unclear?
But then there are the fresh risks of taking the leap and making a transfer. Like: Is bridging the gap to full funding, which an insurer requires to do a deal, too grave a sacrifice? Diverting precious company capital to boost the funding level could deprive the business of the fuel it needs to grow.