Pensions reform minister defends Labour’s leadership on pensions as the opposition counters that change has been slow and poorly implemented

Third way annuity providers may struggle to attract investors following the demise of mega-insurers that provide counterparty insurance, such as AIG.

The collapse of some of the world’s largest companies could herald a spate of class actions driven by UK pension funds, lawyers have predicted.

Income drawdown providers have reacted defiantly to loss of business to the annuity market and heavy exposure to Lehman Brothers stock.

Trustees of defined contribution (DC) pension schemes are seeking greater diversification and access to alternative assets in an attempt to manage risk and volatility in their schemes, according to a recent survey by JPMorgan Asset Management.

A poll on the BeeHive website has found that most of the UK’s final salary schemes are heading for total meltdown by 2012.

There is more bad news to come on equities, pension funds have been warned by investment experts.

Leading UK pension funds are reviewing their stock-lending policies this week over fears that it is not in their long-term interests.

The buyout of HBOS by Lloyds TSB could see the creation of the largest segregated fund manager in the UK.

We have been stunned by the leverage being carried by many banks – the direct result of loose policy, too low US interest rates, low inflation and poor oversight. This deleveraging can be seen in many markets as the volatility caused by the global investment banks reducing their own balance sheet positions as well as those of their favourite hedge funds. We should not be surprised by the scale and persistance of the deleveraging as banks remorselessly reduce balance sheets.

Bonds now comprise a significant proportion of pension fund assets, and this will inevitably increase. While bonds are bought for a variety of reasons, the focus of this article is on return generation, and more specifically, absolute returns.

The pensions minister has defended the government’s continued support for public sector defined benefit pensions in the face of declining private sector schemes.

Recent economic developments have brought two key risks to trustees’ tables, Edmund Truell, chief executive of buyout firm Pension Corporation, has warned.

Lobbyists arguing personal accounts will fail because of the present means-testing system have been accused of scaremongering by a prominent consumer rights campaigner.

The Pensions Regulator must closely monitor defined contribution (DC) default funds, despite its limited resources, key industry figures have urged.

Having established itself as the technology model for servicing clients, wrap providers must do better to meet the expectations of their clients, say advisers.

Pensions reform minister Mike O’Brien has gone on record to reassure the industry that personal accounts will not undermine existing good quality schemes. The government is confident most existing schemes will not level down contribu-tions to those required for personal accounts.

Pension schemes across the land wait with bated breath to discover whether they have been named the best in class at the UK Scheme Awards 2008 (UKSA).

In an already nervous market, will the Pensions Regulator’s proposed new powers create more unease and impact on those people it is there to protect?

Well I’ve been pretty excited to hear all about the switching on of the world’s biggest science experiment; the Large Hadron Collider (or LHC if you like) in France and Switzerland. It’s not to be confused, by the way, with the Large-Electron Positron Collider. Plenty of people make that mistake, but they’re not the same thing at all. Oh no.

Ruth Emery talks to Kim Catechis about SWIP’s bottom-up stock picking style in emerging market equities, the rich opportunities in Russia and Brazil, and refusing to be drawn into economic gloom

With calls for the Solvency II directive to be applied to occupational pensions, the EFRP’s Chris Verhaegen tells Kalpana Fitzpatrick why flexibility across the EU is just the remedy

The following case illustrates how easily trustees can fall foul of the ombudsman by assuming advice from a third party provides absolution of decisions made in respect of the scheme

There seems little desire to tackle the annuitisation process, yet consumers’ awareness of their options approaching retirement is still in need of massive improvement

Fighting the force of third way and the legacy of annuities, drawdown maintains its corner and prepares to do battle in these gloomy times

The rapidly expanding drawdown market is attracting clients seeking a bespoke retirement solution with the added bonus of flexible options

If annuities are safer and more tax-efficient, will choosing riskier drawdown leave retirees out in the cold?

Change is inevitable, especially in pensions, but how each employer manages the impact on its workforce can mean the difference between a smooth transition and a dispute

Employers can take steps to increase the worth of employees’ benefits, while at the same time reducing costs to the company

Times have changed in the institutional world, and equities still rule the roost. But how does currency fit into pension fund portfolios?

Barclays has appointed Tony Broccardo as chief investment officer (CIO) of its £18bn UK pension fund in a bid to create a “world class pension scheme”.

Axa Investment Managers (Axa IM) has restructured its fixed income division, including the appointment of Chris Iggo as chief investment officer (CIO).

John Cacchioli has been appointed as chief administrative officer for MetLife Europe and succeeds Chris Read, who will be returning to the US.