Europe

UK - BP has completed a 19-month programme to bring its UK pensions administration back in-house.

FRANCE - The eur16bn French pensions reserve fund, FRR (Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites) will select an overlay manager to advise on tactical asset allocation and currency exposure by the end of the month, officials said.

UK - Publishing group Informa has reported a 90% employee take-up rate within two weeks of implementing a new online flexible benefits programme.

UK - Schemes will increase their effectiveness as owners of corporate Britain if they adopt long-term mandates, a think-tank report claims.

UK - The £233m Scottish Enterprise Pension & Life Assurance Scheme has hired Scottish Widows Investment Partnership to run a £40m corporate bond mandate.

UK - Network rail has agreed to reopen its defined benefit scheme following the threat of a 24-hour walkout by members of the RMT.

UK - Lane Clark & Peacock is holding a seminar for scheme managers on how they can run selection exercises without paying for a third-party consultancy.

UK - Northern Trust has launched a fund accounting service, a move designed to expand their European presence.

UK - The National Association of Pension Funds has set up a working group to investigate the possibility of implementing a simplified citizen's pension.

UK - Employee benefit provider Booost is targeting small-to-medium-sized firms with new low-cost home computer and bicycle schemes.