Europe

UK - A public campaign to try to dissuade pension funds from investing in private equity has left them indifferent.

FRANCE - Crédit Agricole Asset Management (CAAM) increased its assets under management by 11.6% to end 2006 at €534.8bn.

FRANCE - The French Pension Reserve Fund (FRR) has tendered one stand-by and five asset management mandates worth €5.8bn, or 18.5% of the portfolio.

UK - Credit Suisse has announced that Russell Chambers will join the company in June in the newly created London-based post of chief executive officer.

UK - The London Pension Fund Authority (LPFA) has appointed Vanessa James as its new investment director, with effect from 19 March.

UK - Having piled record amounts into their pension funds to close deficits, many companies are creating devices to minimise the risk of trapped surpluses.

CYPRUS - The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has reached a tentative out-of-court deal with a stockbroker charged with embezzling CYP£8m (US$18.1m) from the company's pension fund.

ITALY - Hewitt Associates has acquired Italy-based Adelaide Consulting and opened a new office in Rome, as the firm expands its range of HR consulting and actuarial services in the market.

UK - European chief executive of BGI's ETF programme iShares, Chris Sutton, has resigned after 14 years at the helm.

UK - The Pension Protection Fund's (PPF's) levy for 2007/2008 has been confirmed at £675m.