Europe

UK - Mercer Investment Consulting is rejecting the use of unconstrained mandates and will continue to use benchmarks.

UK - F& C Management and ISIS Asset Management have announced the details of its emerging equities and strategy teams when the merged group comes into being next month.

UK - The government is cracking down on company directors who fraudulently claim early retirement through ill-health.

UK - Most UK finance directors are unaware of the effect the European Union Pension Funds Directive, which sets out a new regulatory framework for defined benefit pension schemes, will have when it comes into effect a year today says ABN AMRO.

UK - Simplification Report author Alan Pickering is urging ministers to scrap the Pensions Bill which, he says, is a "dreadful" piece of legislation.

BELGIUM - Belgian-based Dexia Sustainable, the flagship SRI fund managed by Dexia Asset Management, has been awarded an Austrian green funds label for its 10 SRI sub-funds registered for sale in Austria.

UK - Industry leaders have attacked government plans to phase-in a risk-based levy for the Pension Protection Fund over six years.

UK - Schemes will be able to recoup their Pension Protection Fund levies from members under a new rule added to the Pensions Bill.

UK - HSBC Asset Management is to offer scheme members access to hedge funds as part of the defined contribution service it is set to launch.

UK - Schemes and fund managers have damaged their relationship with the government following their attacks on its plans to review shareholders' rights, Whitehall sources claim.