TRUSTEES should prepare themselves in advance for the possibility of their sponsor company being taken over or merged with another firm, Hymans Robertson urges.

INCLUDING: AUSTRALIA - ING appointment; BELGIUM - New Fortis CEO; SWEDEN - Schroders move and appointment; UK - UKSIF celebrates 15 years; UK - BNY Mellon announces deal in China; UK - NAPF endorses AREF code

PENSIONERS are missing out on £1.25bn of pension benefits a year by not seeking professional advice on how health considerations can boost annuity rates.

TfL makes 11th-hour effort to stop Tube strike going ahead; Rank Group considers sale of its £700m pension fund; F&C to launch diversified passive fund; Equity volatility likely to stay high

NORWAY / SWEDEN - Institutional investment has made up the bulk of a deal between Norwegian financial firm Storebrand in its acquisition of SPP, a Swedish life insurance and pensions provider, creating a "Nordic platform" for pensions.

US - Fitch has assigned a BBB+ long term rating to bonds issued by St. Louis Municipal Finance Corporation with the intention of funding a shortfall in three municipal pension systems.

UK - New statistics have highlighted that pension scheme deficits actually improved as a whole during August - despite the recent market turmoil.

US - A US court has issued a ruling requiring the State of California to pay the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) US$500m plus interest, regarding a withheld payment for the fiscal year 2003-2004.

Postcodes to determine size of pension payout; Barclays forced to arrange £1.6bn BoE emergency loan; Office glut as bank profits weaken; Private equity held up by ‘a year's worth of debt'

INLCUDING: FINLAND - Better returns for VER; AUSTRALIA - ASFA awards; UK- JOHCM appointment; UK - Postcode pensions