Europe

EUROPE - A Finnish pension fund and a pension insurance company have pledged over €100m (US$155.5m) to Portuguese retail property.

UK - The rise in AA credit spreads has contributed to a £38bn (US$75bn) turn-around in FTSE100 company pension deficits over the past 12 months, leading to an aggregate surplus of £21bn.

UK - Professional Pensions, Global Pensions' sister publication covering the UK market, today launches its revamped website - www.professionalpensions.com.

UK - The BP pension trustees have reappointed State Street to provide custody and related services for the £14bn (US$27.7bn) fund.

UK - IAS 19 has become unhelpful for city analysts assessing company share prices, according to the Pension Capital Strategies (PCS) 2008 survey.

BELGIUM - Creating a robust cross-border pension market is a priority for the Belgian government, the Belgian Pensions Regulator (BPR) has said.

ITALY - The €1.4bn Fondo Pensione per il Personale della Banca di Roma and the €1.3bn Fondo Pensione Gruppo Unicredito Italiano are considering implementing a shared management and investment structure for their defined contribution sections, according...

UK - Charlie Massey is leaving the Pensions Regulator after completing a three year secondment from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

UK - Strike action looked inevitable as workers overwhelmingly voted to reject Royal Mail's pension changes yesterday.

UK - Active managers' higher fees for relatively low returns have led the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames pension fund to shift 50% of its portfolio to passive management.