United Kingdom

UK - The Bank of England has set aside over £500,000 to pay pensions and benefits to its directors, its annual report reveals.

UK - Companies are rushing to close defined benefit schemes without understanding the risks involved, an international law firm warns.

UK - Myners' proposals over trustee training continue to divide schemes, a snapshot survey shows.

UK/EU - The UK's National Association of Pension Funds reckons EU cross-border pension plans could be reality before August.

UK - Alternative asset classes will get a massive boost if the £20bn Universities Superannuation Scheme decides to go ahead and invest in them, consultants claim.

UK - The Church of England looks set to drop UBS Asset Management and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers as managers of its pension funds.

UK - The battle between Thorn and EMI pensioners and Nomura over the refund of pension surplus looks set to go to the pensions ombudsman.

UK - Regarded by some commentators as a Cabinet ‘grey-man', Andrew Smith has been forced out of the shadows to revive the UK's ailing pensions' system.

UK - A move by the NHS to have on-call work made non-pensionable has been rejected by the pensions ombudsman.

UK - Fraudsters claiming occupational pensions for members who have died cost schemes £24m, a new report shows.