United Kingdom

UK - Action on pensions will influence voting preferences in key marginal seats, union Unite has warned the government.

UK - Devon County Council has placed £580m (US$1.14bn) out to tender, split between three specialist active portfolios.

UK - The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has attacked critics of the rise in the PPF levy scaling factor, blasting the reaction as scaremongering, unfair and misrepresentative.

UK - Pension funds recorded their fourth consecutive month of fund surpluses at the end of May, but Aon has warned the effects of inflation will continue to drive volatility.

UK - More than half (62%) of UK workers believe means tested benefits could be a deterrent to saving in a pension, a survey from employee benefits provider B&CE Benefit Schemes has revealed.

UK - The current surge of pension buy-outs is both unsustainable and temporary, a report from Punter Southall has claimed.

UK - The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has stepped up its campaign to increase education on pensions through its 'Pensions Champions' initiative.

UK - The Swan Hill Pension Scheme has become the latest UK firm to opt for a pension buyout, selecting Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) for the deal.

UK - A majority of trustees are bullish about the long term prospects for their pension schemes, with over half (58%) of those currently in deficit believing they will be in surplus in a decade, according to research from Aon Consulting.

UK - The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued two discussion papers aimed at highlighting the need for improving standards across the actuarial industry to allow users of actuarial services to be confident in the information received.