"Sales of group pension buy-outs reached $3.8 billion in the second quarter 2015 -- a record for second quarter sales dating back to the early 1990's ... For the last five years, the first two quarters of the year have seen an upward trend of pension buy-out activity. In the first half of 2015, 107 plan sponsors have converted their defined benefit pension plans into group annuity contracts. That tops the previous number of 95 contracts in the first half of 2012."