Europe

UK - Pensions are losing popularity as a savings vehicle for retirement, research by Marketing Sciences reveals.

UK - Software house Riskdata has unveiled an online, interactive risk-management service, which monitors the risk profile of investment managers, hedge funds and funds of funds.

UK - The UK insurance industry suffered a huge blow from the Equitable Life fiasco, where the company was forced to reduce bonuses to policyholders after the House of Lords ruled that guaranteed payments to certain policyholders had to be honoured.

UK - Lawyers are urging firms to carry out periodic checks on their employees' eligibility to be in a company pension scheme to avoid maladministration claims.

UK - The Chartered Insurance Institute has added a savings and investments examination to its portfolio.

UK - The fourth edition of Forecasting Financial Markets: The Psychology of Successful Investing, is to be released next month.

UK - Murray Income Trust, the £310m investment trust that can trace its roots back to 1923, has appointed Marian Glen as a non-executive director.

UK - The Inland Revenue's £1.4m lifetime savings limit is too low, insurers and consultants have told the government.

EUROPE - Skandia Investment Management, the asset manager and part of the Skandia Group, has appointed David Orr, currently head of marketing at Rothschild Asset Management.

UK - Aegon UK is urging the government to reconsider its proposals on income drawdown death benefits.