United Kingdom

UK - The securities lending industry has been warned it needs to address issues of transparency and must provide institutions with informed choices if it is to avoid regulatory interference.

UK - The Environment Agency has appointed Morley Fund Management and Robeco to manage £60m or about 5% each of its Active Pension Fund as part of its move from a balanced to specialist investment approach which has seen a total eight firms awarded £1bn...

UK - The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) will base its new risk based levy on pension scheme underfunding and insolvency risk under proposals published by the board.

UK - Lincoln Financial Group has appointed Nick Brack to investment sales manager, London and South East, as the firm seeks to strengthen its presence in the UK market.  

UK - The Dumfries and Galloway Pension Fund is seeking a passive short-term manager following its decision to terminate its mandate with Deutsche Asset Management.

UK - Mercer Human Resource Consulting has been appointed to provide administration services for the defined benefit pension arrangements of Whitbread.

UK - FTSE 100 companies made "little progress" in reducing their pension scheme deficits in 2004, research from RBC Capital Markets suggests.

UK - Paul Black (pictured) has left his post at Mellon Human Resources & Investor Solutions to join Lane Clark & Peacock as partner.

UK - Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) has launched three new fixed income funds to make bond allocations generate higher levels of alpha.

UK - Watson Wyatt has appointed two new senior members to its investment strategy team.