Europe

UK - The aggregate funding position of the 6,653 schemes in the Pension Protection Fund's 7800 index worsened to a deficit of £53.5bn ($82.6bn) at the end of August.

SOUTH KOREA/EUROPE - The National Pension Service of Korea has hired Rockspring Property Investment Managers to invest $400m in commercial property across Europe.

GLOBAL - J.P. Morgan Asset Management has expanded its bond team with the appointment of Nick Gartside to the new role of international chief investment officer of fixed income.

UK - The BBC has proposed a new career average arrangement as part of its pensions reform but is sticking with the controversial 1% annual cap for the existing final salary scheme.

UK - The trustees of the £20bn ($30.8bn) Royal Mail Pension Plan have tabled a 38-year deficit reduction plan to The Pensions Regulator, the Hooper report reveals.

UK - Transition managers have been too reluctant to release their track records to clients, said Graham Dixon, director at Inalytics.

UK - The increasing complexity of investment portfolio has made it necessary for transition managers to get involved in manager changes earlier in the process, delegates at the Global Pensions Transition Management Forum heard.

UK - Russell Investments has hired Tim Wilkinson, former managing director for EMEA at Mellon Transition Management (MTM), Global Pensions has learned.

UK - There is little transparency around the value algorithms add to transitions and how they are incorporated into the cost, Peter Halligan, an associate in the global investment practice at Hewitt Associates told delegates at the GP Transition Management...

EUROPE - EU proposals to regulate Europe's hedge fund industry are already transforming it, before the plans have even been ratified, officials at Martin Currie said.