United Kingdom

UK - The Pension Protection Fund deficit could increase as more firms become insolvent, the lifeboat fund admitted today.

UK - The combined value of defined contribution pension schemes fell by £157bn (US$242bn) over the past 12 months, Aon Consulting figures show.

UK - Proposed amendments to the Pensions Bill could increase costs for employers by as much as £100m (US$ 154.4m) per year, Hewitt Associates has claimed.

UK - Essex County Council is looking for an active global equity manager to run a mandate worth between £100m and £300m (US$153.7m-$461.2m).

UK - The UK government's proposal to allow people to buy additional National Insurance (NI) contributions for a higher state pension is simply a further rearrangement of the "deckchairs on our sinking state pension system", Ros Altmann warns.

UK - The Pensions Regulator is issuing a statement to trustees of all work-based pension schemes setting out its general position in relation to current market conditions.

UK - Royal Mail has seen its pension scheme deficit increase by more than £1bn over the past six months.

UK - Hermes Equity Ownership Services (EOS) has teamed with Corston-Smith Asset Management to launch the ASEAN Corporate Governance Fund, which is the first absolute return fund of its kind globally.

UK - Women and carers may soon be allowed to top-up their National Insurance in order to receive a higher state pension, under amendments to the Pensions Bill being proposed by the government today.

UK - The British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) pension scheme has had £1bn (US$1.6bn) stripped from its value, with total assets reported to stand at £6.9bn.