NATIONWIDE has decided to withdraw from the additional voluntary contribution market leaving smaller pension schemes facing an £8500 transfer bill.

SG HAMBROS BANK has launched a self-invested personal pension giving clients access to a wide range of private equity funds and structured products.

US - New York's pension funds have called on 10 of America's largest companies to reveal their political contributions.

US - The number of Americans who are not saving enough for retirement has soared because of healthcare costs, according to Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College.

ABERDEEN Asset Management is set to diversify the investment strategy of its multi-asset fund in a bid to reduce risk and boost returns.

MIDDLE EAST - Crédit Agricole Asset Management (CAAM) has formed a joint venture with Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) called Caam Saudi Fransi, to provide asset management services in the Middle East.

SWEDEN - The first and third AP funds achieved 4.6% and 5% annual investment returns in 2007 respectively, despite recent market turbulence.

M&B suitors discuss gag deal; Barclays mulls US investment banking expansion; Credit Suisse suspends staff after asset writedown; Alliance & Leicester posts one-third drop in profits

US - Institutional plans managed positive returns for 2007, despite negative results in Q4, according to a Mercer report.

GLOBAL - Investor confidence rose 3.5 points last month to a global average of 73.0, according to the State Street Global Investor Confidence Index.