Lloyds bank Lloyds bank

Allen & Overy, Eversheds Sutherland and CMS have picked up roles on a de-risking deal for Lloyds Banking Group Pension Trustees worth £10 billion.

The deal, agreed with insurers Scottish Widows and Pacific Life Re, will allow Lloyds to better hedge itself against the costs of its members living for longer than expected.

A&O is advising Lloyds Banking Group Pension Trustees on the transaction, with insurance group head Philip Jarvis leading for the firm.

Eversheds is advising Scottish Widows with a team led by corporate partner Hugo Laing, who advised Scottish Widows on its £880m pensioner buy-in with the Littlewoods pension scheme in 2018. CMS partner Thomas Lockley, meanwhile, is advising Pacific Life.

The transaction comes amid a string of high-value deals in the sector. Last September, four firms, including Linklaters, CMS, DLA Piper and Gowling WLG, took roles on two pensions deals worth £8.5 billion for insurer Rothesay Life.

In 2018, A&O and Eversheds took roles alongside Clifford Chance to advise on Legal & General's £4 billion pension buy-in of a British Airways (BA) scheme

In 2014, BT agreed an industry-leading £16 billion longevity swap deal. A&O, Hogan Lovells, Clifford Chance and Willkie Farr & Gallagher all took roles on that transaction.