Mandates

UK - The Pension Protection Fund has gone out to tender for a global custodian. The incumbent custodian is State Street.

Flintshire County Council has appointed State Street Global Advisors to run a £20m absolute return hedge fund of funds mandate on behalf of the Clwyd Pension Fund.

UK - Overall investment manager search activity increased in the UK during the first nine months of the year in a sign activity is returning to pre-credit crunch levels, Mercer said.

The £5bn Co-operative Group Pension Scheme has appointed Mercer to provide it with implemented consulting services for its alternatives investments.

The London Borough of Brent Pension Fund has appointed Alinda Capital Partners to manage a infrastructure mandate worth around £25m.

The trustees of the East of England Co-operative Society's two defined benefit pension schemes - worth a total of £78m - have appointed SEI to provide an integrated fiduciary management strategy.

Daily Mail and General Trust have appointed Hewitt Associates to provide scheme actuary and related services to their pension schemes.