International securities lawyer Mark Willis has joined American legal firm Spector Roseman & Kodroff.

RUSSIA - The government has announced reforms to the way pension funds, insurance companies and state financial institutions can invest in the markets after two days of central bourse closures left the Russian economy reeling.

UK - SCA Packaging workers have settled on a pay deal at the expense of their defined benefit (DB) pension scheme.

Alternative savings options are more attractive to many employees than pensions, a Mercer poll reveals.

Employers with defined contribution pension schemes need to implement a "smart-save" system in order to increase the level of contributions, BlackRock says.

Trustees may be forced to make sponsoring employers insolvent in order to protect the benefits of scheme members, Grant Thornton says.

Pension took a back seat to wider economic concerns at the Trades Union Congress' conference in Brighton last week.

P-Solve Asset Solutions has appointed Martin Johnson as investment director in its risk management solutions business.

Norfolk County Council is looking to appoint an administrator to run an online system for its £1.9bn pension scheme.

US - Employers facing swelling pension plan demand must assume more active influence in the International Accounting Standards Board accounting rule-change process, according to a Watson Wyatt consultant.