Europe

UK - Government predictions on pension sharing on divorce transfer values are about a 12th of actual figures, Scottish Equitable claims.

UK - Industry experts are backing calls for an open debate on why consultants have been advising pension funds to exclude property from pension portfolios.

UK - The £826m Lincolnshire County Council Pension Fund is looking to hire a manager to run a £20m private equity mandate.

UK - Edinburgh Portfolio Limited - a specialist fund of funds unit of Edinburgh Fund Managers (EFM) - has been hired as the sole investment adviser for the newly launched Old Mutual Guernsey (OMG) Property Fund.

UK - Unilever's claim against Merrill Lynch Investment Management (MLIM) will hinge on the wording of the contract between the two parties, the judge presiding over the case indicated in the High Court today.

UK - Occupational schemes would get a major boost if radical plans to introduce a new universal protected pension are enacted, industry experts claim.

UK - AXA Investment Managers - a unit of AXA Group - has enhanced its equity research team with the addition of two new analysts.

UK - Leading law firms have warned that the new Data Protection Act 1998 will increase the already heavy burden imposed on pension trustees.

UK - The UK scheme of Danish pump firm Grundfos Pumps has awarded Zurich Scudder Investments a £15m pooled balanced mandate.

UK - Pension funds would undergo a seismic shift away from their current UK equity weighting if Britain joined the euro, industry experts claim.