Europe

GLOBAL - Have you missed the biggest stories in pensions this week? Find out below, as we list the top 10 most popular stories on www.globalpensions.com over the past seven days.

EUROPE - The European Central Bank lifted interest rates for the first time in almost three years in a bid to stem inflation.

UK - Barnet Council pension scheme is set to liquidate its £23m ($37.4m) real estate portfolio after integrating the fund's property strategy into a diversified growth fund.

DENMARK/PORTUGAL - Denmark's second-biggest pension fund said it may snap up Portuguese bonds if they keep falling after the country became the third euro member to seek a bailout since Greece's fiscal woes triggered the sovereign debt crisis.

Buried deep in the text of the UK's National Budget was a legislative change resulting from a simplification of the pension system that had the industry in a tizzy.

The abolition of contracting-out has led industry figures to predict, again, the end of DB schemes in the UK, as Michael Bow reports

UK - More than one in ten large UK schemes has suffered fraud over the past two years, with member transactions the most vulnerable area for fraudulent activities, research suggests.

EUROPE - Park Square Capital has raised €850m ($1.2bn), primarily from institutional investors including pension funds, for its mezzanine fund PSC Fund II, the firm said.

UK - Pension scheme liabilities ‘held fast' at £1.4trn ($2.2trn) last month as market conditions remained relatively calm, figures from Xafinity Corporate Solutions show.

DENMARK - Two of Denmark's largest pension funds have acquired 50% ownership of a major offshore wind farm.