Europe

UK - The National Association of Pension Funds has launched a quality mark for defined contribution schemes in a bid to recognise firms providing good schemes for their staff.

EUROPE - Hedge fund managers' client base has become more institutional than retail over the past year - leading to an "insitutionalisation" of the industry, International Asset Management said.

UK - The government has launched a consultation on plans to relax rules which force firms winding up a pension scheme as part of a corporate restructure or demerger to fully cover liabilities.

UK - Here it is - a full list of the winners of the Pension Scheme of the Year Awards 2009, hosted by GP's sister title Professional Pensions.

EUROPE ­- Listed companies need better ways to communicate with long-term institutional and retail investors to avoid a continued outflow of funds from equity markets, EuropeanIssuers (EI) said.

UK - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has downgraded its long-term debt rating for ITV because of a "ballooning" pensions deficit and poor first-half performance.

UK - Finance directors should brace themselves to report higher pension liabilities as the credit spread falls back from its peak, HamishWilson said.

UK - The deadline for entries to this year's Art of Pensions competition - run by Pendragon and supported by GP's sister title Professional Pensions - is approaching.

SPAIN - Spanish defined contribution plans posted positive annual results for the first time since 2007, data from the Asociación de Instituciones de Inversión Colectiva y Fondos de Pensiones (Inverco) revealed.

The government has been urged to freeze state pensions and increase employee contributions to unfunded public sector schemes as part of a detailed plan by the TaxPayers' Alliance to cut public expenditure by £50bn.