United Kingdom

UK - The £116m Geest Final Pay Scheme has dropped Mercer Human Resource Consulting as its actuarial and investment adviser and appointed Watson Wyatt in its place.

UK - End-to-end electronic processing of transactions is the only way for providers to meet Sandler's proposals on 1% products, Marlborough Stirling claims.

UK - Workers at steel giant Caparo are continuing their series of one-day strikes over the closure of their firm's final salary scheme.

UK - Angry pensioners will take British Airways scheme trustees to the ombudsman unless deed rules on the distribution of surplus are scrapped.

UK - Robin Ellison, former national head of Eversheds Pensions Group and prominent industry commentator, has quit the firm to join rival law firm Pinsent Curtis Biddle (PCB) as head of strategic development, pensions.

UK - Credit Suisse Asset Management and Credit Suisse First Boston are opening a £3.95bn multi-manager hedge fund.

UK - The £20m East Midlands Electricity Pension Plan has dropped Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and appointed Barclays Global Investors to manage its pension fund.

UK - Contribution rates to final salary schemes have soared in the past five years, new figures from the Government Actuary's Department reveal.

UK - Standard & Poor's has cut Royal & SunAlliance's credit rating from A-plus to A due to concerns over the firm's financial strength.

UK - Royal London Asset Management is holding a fixed interest seminar on Tuesday, September 24.