The deficit of final salary schemes worsened by £16bn in February to a total of £45bn, Aon Consulting says.

iShares, the exchange-traded fund arm of Barclays Global Investors has launched five fixed income ETFs to meet the overwhelming demand for a wider range of exposure to bond markets.

US- Chicago-based Northern Trust has said it is working to quickly pay back the US$1.5bn it received under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) after it was chastised by lawmakers for spending on a golf tournament sponsorship.

INDIA- Franklin Templeton Investments has restructured its management team in its Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) and India divisions.

The International Corporate Governance Network has called on companies to ensure they demonstrate that they have appropriate systems in place to detect bribery and corruption.

Including: AUSTRALIA - UniSuper receives investment accolade; UK - Scheme buy-in launch; GLOBAL - Sovereign wealth funds see 18% increase in AUM

US- Exxon Mobil has reported a jump in its pension deficit to nearly US$15bn - an increase of over 100% from the previous year.

UK - The £23bn (US$32.3bn) Universities Superannuation Scheme has made the first hire for its planned move into hedge funds.

Barnett Waddingham and MetLife Assurance have formed a strategic alliance to offer a buyout arrangement specifically designed for smaller pension schemes.

Watson Wyatt has appointed Nicholas Smith to lead its defined contribution investment team