United Kingdom

UK - Defined benefit pension plan deficits were largely unchanged in July as increases in the stock market were offset by decreases in bond yields, an Aon Consulting survey has found.

UK - Companies are increasingly turning to pension managers, despite the fact many final salary pension schemes are shut to new entrants, the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) has found.

UK - Baring Asset Management has announced its third appointment in two weeks, with Paul Wimborne joining as global emerging markets portfolio manager.

UK - Legal & General has made its first tentative steps into the lucrative market of open final salary pensions buy-outs.

UK - Joanne Segars will take over as National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) chief executive from 2 October, following Christine Farnish's departure.

UK - Wellington Investment Management has lost a £28.3m (US$52.5m) global active equity mandate from the £300m Woolworths Group Pension Scheme, which will move to an unconstrained global equity mandate managed by Orbis.

UK - Pensions funds will be audited as to their socially responsible investment (SRI) credentials and a league table published after a warning from campaign group FairPensions that they were failing in their duty.

UK - Griff Williams has left Railpen Investments to take up the role of institutional product strategist at Pioneer Investments.

UK - The £1.1bn North Yorkshire Pension Fund is tendering a new global tactical asset allocation mandate.

UK - Duncan Rankin has been appointed as Threadneedle Investments' product specialist director to its institutional business to implement its LDI solution and provide technical support in this service.