The Pensions Regulator has appointed Graham Brammer as executive director to oversee the design and delivery of its extended employer responsibilities linked to personal accounts.

Wall Street fights for survival; PADA in danger of focussing too heavily on costs; Fink joins International Standard Asset Management

US investment bank Lehman Brothers has remained silent over the future of its £180m defined benefit pension scheme.

Trustees are increasing hedge fund allocations as concern over investment diversification and market risk exposure grows, Hewitt Associates says.

Including: NETHERLANDS - Aberdeen senior appointment; UK - Pensions Regulator names executive director; UK - Barclays Pension Fund appoints CIO

UK - HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued a note clarifying pension plan rules, bringing the creation of UK-domiciled cross-border pension plans closer to reality, according to Towers Perrin.

AUSTRALIA/UK - Institutional investors in Australia are likely to increase their allocations to alternative investments over the next five years, according to FineAnswers.

US / UK - Investment bank Lehman Brothers has remained silent over the future of its £180m ($322m) defined benefit (DB) pension scheme.

SWEDEN - AP funds 1-4, with combined assets close to SEK890bn (US$132bn) have announced the exclusion of nine companies involved in the manufacture and sale of cluster bombs.

US - The Commodities Futures Trading Committee (CTFC) has reported on the swap dealers and index traders on commodities markets, and concluded more transparency and increased reporting was needed to better control the industry.