Europe

UK - FTSE100 companies face an aggregate FRS17 deficit of over £25bn, new research from actuary Lane Clark & Peacock shows.

UK - Simon Surtees and Alok Basu are to join Gartmore's Credit Research team.

ITALY - Italy's pensions market is experiencing a strong divergence between the closed occupational part of the industry and the open funds which sell their products to everyone.

UK - US engineering giant Parsons Group has refused to pay its UK scheme's shortfall in wind-up, leaving members facing cuts in their pensions of up to half their entitlement.

WALES - The £780.3m pension fund for the Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council is tendering a new specialist bond portfolio.

EUROPE - Henderson Global Investors, part of AMP, has lost John Nestor to Citigroup Asset Management (CAM).

UK - Watson Wyatt has launched BenTrack, an Internet-based system that allows companies to manage pensions across different countries and business units.

UK - Pensions reform is set to be delayed until early next year owing to a row between the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions.

GREECE - Pensions reform in Greece was passed by the National Assembly in June, amid widespread opposition. Criticism has come from the government's political opponents, public sector unions and the finance industry.

UK - Norwich Union has selected Aquila to provide the administration system for its insured defined benefit scheme portfolio.