United Kingdom

UK - Institutional investors have overlooked convertible bonds even though they are popular in Europe and have outperformed equities and bonds, F&C Asset Management has claimed.

UK - The government has said its proposed reforms to the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) will save £5.4bn in long term costs otherwise incurred by continuing improvements in the life expectancy of teachers and lecturers.

UK - The Royal Mail has been handed a £1.75bn lifeline by the government to stabilise its £5.6bn pension deficit and modernise its postal service.

UK - Bulk annuity buyout vehicle Paternoster, which has initially focused on mid market companies, could be about to come to the rescue of those with much larger pension fund deficits, who would farm off some of their liabilities, market sources have...

UK - Schroders has lost equity briefs together worth £76m at the £850m Shropshire County Council Pension Fund to Baillie Gifford and Martin Currie Investment Management.

UK - Shadow work and pensions secretary Philip Hammond (pictured) has warned the Labour government that any future Conservative government would not consider itself bound by public sector pension deals struck by the current government.

UK - Goldman Sach's Asset Management has lost a £350m UK and overseas equities brief at the £2.4bn Kent County Council pension fund following a strategic asset allocation reshuffle.

UK - Schroders' plc has reported asset management profits totalling £49.9m in Q1 2006, up £15.7m on the previous year's quarter.

UK - Russell Investment Group and Insight Investment have combined forces to launch a customised liability driven investment (LDI) product aimed at medium sized UK pension funds with defined benefit schemes.

UK - Employers should act now to stop their pension fund contributions creating surpluses which would be ring-fenced and therefore "trapped cash", Aon has warned.