Investment risks rank highest for CalPERS

Investment controls and systems remain the highest risk at CalPERS according to its year-end enterprise risk dashboard.

While an investment office “target operating model” has been developed it has not been fully implemented, which means the risk rating remains at the highest level, with a report stating weak controls, systems and data could lead to inappropriate transactions, financial loss and reputational harm.

According to the report there are a number of planned mitigation strategies for this year that aim to reduce this risk. These include implementing a new equity portfolio construction system and global equity investment book of record; establish an investment office data management function; and the completion of the financial reporting reengineering project.

In September 2010 CalPERS created the Office of Enterprise Risk Management, which has purpose of leading the organisation in the identification, assessment and monitoring of enterprise risks, and for developing a risk-intelligent culture among staff and management.

In its risk assessment plan it has set out the planned risk assessment activities for the rest of the 2011/2012 financial year.

On the investment side these include a Blackrock/Charles River user review, and rules review, as well as a securities lending review.

Sponsored Content

Leave a Comment

Sort content by

Six ways to satisfaction, SEC told

The Securities and Exchange Commission should reinstate the investor advisory committee it abandoned in 2010 as part of a wider commitment to address near-term financial market reform, a group of institutional investors from across the globe have stated. The investors, who represent combined assets of $1.6 trillion, wrote to SEC chairman Mary Schaprio calling for

Proposed benefit plan to provide marginal savings

A cost-risk analysis of a proposed hybrid defined contribution/defined benefit plan proposed for California shows that it would provide marginal overall cost savings to government, CalPERS analysis has revealed.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Minimising currency exposure

Ron Liesching, chairman of Mountain Pacific Group, an investment firm that contributed to the development of the FTSE Wealth Preservation Unit, examines a new solution to managing currency risk. Global investors struggle with one central issue, currency risk. Now there is a new solution: the FTSE Wealth Preservation Unit (WPU). The WPU is a diversified

Infrastructure comes of age in low returns environment

As cash-strapped governments around the world come under pressure to sell public assets, capital-intensive investors are searching for stable yielding investments, bringing the maturing infrastructure asset class back into the framework. Sam Riley looks at examples from around the world. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

A new card for an old infrastructure hand

      With more than $A5 billion ($5.3 billion) invested in infrastructure through some 120 different types of assets, AustralianSuper is examining whether diversity is all its cracked up to be when it comes to infrastructure investing. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

TRS told innovative partnerships will drive returns

The Texas Teachers Retirement System (TRS) continues to build innovative relationships with its managers, the latest of which has seen it take a $250-million equity stake in asset manager Bridgewater Associates LP.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Previous