GERMANY - OVB Holding AG, a financial sales organisation, plans to increase the proportion of company pension plans (bAV) business in the medium term to 15% of its total sales in Germany.

Here they are - the first shortlists for the prestigious Pension Scheme of the Year Awards.

US - Northern Trust's assets under custody in cross-border pooling vehicles have doubled to US$24bn since 2006, it announced.

UK- The Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund has appointed Barnett Waddingham as actuary to the portfolio.

INCLUDING: UK- Public pension funds warned about private equity; Europe - Credit tremors hit institutional funds; Canada - Levesque moving to Public Sector Pension Investment Board

TRUSTEES of the British Energy pension scheme have refused to work with a newly-appointed independent trustee and have reported the company to The Pensions Regulator.

GLOBAL - Experts have warned pension funds to carefully scrutinise their portfolios as the current market conditions caused by the crisis in the US sub-prime mortgage market could have effects on different asset classes.

RAIL workers have called off a strike over proposed changes to ill-health pension rights.

UK - Unite, Britain's largest union, has highlighted pension concerns among its reasons for urging the board of J Sainsbury plc to block a possible takeover by Delta Two Limited, the Qatari-backed investment group.

Data from Mercer Investment Consulting's performance analytics' will be used to draw up initial shortlists for Professional Pensions' inaugural Specialist and Alternative Investment Manager Awards.