US - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has awarded a $150m mandate to Sourcecap International, under the second phase of its $1.4bn Manager Development Program (MDP II).

Shropshire County Council is looking to appoint a second bond manager after a review of its pension fund's bond allocation.

RWC PARTNERS is set to launch a convertible bond fund to take advantage of pricing anomalies in the convertible bond asset class.

The European Commission has closed its consultation on extending Solvency II rules to occupational pension schemes.

Perceived affordability is the greatest barrier to pension saving for low to moderate earners, B&CE Benefit Schemes says.

More than 200 hundred insolvency practitioners have been reported to their professional bodies for failing to advise the Pension Protection Fund and The Pensions Regulator.

Final salary scheme funding jumped back into a £23bn surplus in November - the largest single monthly improvement on record, Aon Consulting says.

Government 'must back' Pension Protection Fund as more firms fail; Pensions champion finds her true vocation; Pensioners lose £45bn in property slump; Be wary of the next big idea - variable annuities

IRELAND - More than three-quarters of private sector final salary schemes would not be able meet total pension payments if they were required to do so tomorrow, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) claims.

EUROPE - The European Commission has closed its consultation on extending Solvency II rules to occupational pension schemes.