FIRMS are avoiding paying cash into pension schemes because they fear they will not be able to recover contributions if their fund goes into surplus, PricewaterhouseCoopers claims.

A pension saving survey by the Consumers' Association magazine Which? underlines the need for personal accounts, pensions reform minister James Purnell claims.

THE FINANCIAL Services Authority has fined Regency Investment Services £14,000 for income withdrawal failings.

Only a third of workers in the UK are saving for retirement compared with almost a half of Americans and three-quarters of people in Hong Kong, a new study shows.

Health cash plan specialist HSA is piloting emission-friendly vehicles in its fleet to help prevent climate change.

SCHEME demand for bespoke defined contribution funds is on the rise, Fidelity International says.

RATINGS provider Standard & Poor's has teamed up with accounting firm Moore Stephens for the launch of a new covenant management service for trustees.

GLOBAL- Pension deficits soared by £11bn yesterday alone, as stock markets around the world felt the effects of China's spectacular nosedive.

NORTHERN Trust Global Investments has hired Scottish Widows Investment Partnership to manage more than £150m of assets in its flagship UK equity fund.

RAILPEN is to allocate at least £400m into hedge funds this year.