United Kingdom

UK - David Curry's private member's Bill on annuity reform has passed through to its next phase after government moves to crush it were defeated at the committee stage.

UK - Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has backed more than 20 institutional investors who have written to the Treasury to tell it the fund management industry no longer trusts the Government in the wake of the collapse of Railtrack.

UK - Fidelity Investments has launched a UK Long Corporate Bond Fund, aimed at small and medium-sized pension schemes.

UK - Unison, the UK's largest trade union, is expected to vent its concerns today around the raising of the retirement age put forward by the Institute of Public Policy and Research (IPPR).

UK - For the second year in a row, independent consulting actuary Ronnie Sloan has ended up withdrawing his nomination for election to the board of Standard Life at next month's AGM. Last year he withdrew his valid nomination as an independent candidate...

UK - Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP), has lured Aegon Asset Management's Thom Bentley to its consulting research team as a director.

UK - The Office for National Statistics has found that internal rules on making revisions to published data were breached prior to its error on pension assets.

UK - The working groups for the Dunnett Shaw & Partners initiative to raise administration standards has elected a chairman for each group.

UK - Britannic Asset Management (BAM) saw profits crash 22.8% in 2001 despite an upturn in retail sales, whilst firm's parent company saw operating profits fall to £145.4m compared to the £174.5m registered previously.

UK - One of the UK's largest local authority pension plans is looking for a new investment consultant in a move that pre-empts a review of its strategic investment arrangements.