Investment

Aviva UK life and pensions new business sales fell almost 25% in 2009 as the insurer was hit by the tough economic conditions, but bumper Q4 sales have given it confidence for 2010.

NETHERLANDS - Robeco board member and chief executive of Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) Sander van Eijkern has resigned over a "difference of opinion with respect to the future strategy" of the Dutch asset manager.

ITALY - The pension fund for tourism, commerce and service sector workers (Fon.Te) launched manager searches for two of its defined contribution funds for mandates worth €900m (US$1.2bn).

DENMARK - Pension manager ATP posted overall investment returns of 8.5% for 2009, but officials remain unsure about whether or not they can increase pension payments next year.

US - The US Department of Labor (DOL) and the Treasury are requesting feedback on the implications of integrating a lifetime annuity arrangement into defined contribution plans.

The current draft of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers European directive could give rise to significant legal uncertainty, a committee of the Bank of England says.

Pension schemes took a step back from inflation hedging measures in the last quarter of 2009, figures from the latest F&C Liability Driven Investments survey show.

Hermes Fund Managers has launched a global credit asset management boutique with an initial £400m investment from the BT Pension Scheme.

Life and pensions providers Royal London and Standard Life have reported strong growth in their UK businesses during 2009.

A former BlueBay hedge fund manager has been fined £140,000 and banned by the FSA for misleading investors and the regulator.