Most Dutch pension funds will be hard pressed to avoid cutting benefits from 2013.

Leading financial broadsheet Het Financieële Dagblad on Wednesday published a report based on its own research into the coverage ratio of several dozen pension funds.

The paper writes that 17 of the major funds face a 5.9-percent shortfall on average. The five biggest pension funds are reportedly considering a 7.9 percent cut in benefits.

Het Financieële Dagblad conducted research into the coverage ratio of 50 pension funds, which together cover 89 percent of Dutch pensions.

(gsh)

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