United Kingdom

UK - The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has published for consultation new rules addressing the issue of soft commissions and bundled brokerage arrangements.

UK - F&C Asset Management has appointed Jacob De Wit, managing director at Netherlands-based SNS Asset Management, as its new head of fixed income.

UK - The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) has appointed Penny Green as its new president, taking over from Roger Cobley in July.

UK - Edinburgh-based Baillie Gifford has appointed Laurence Linklater of T Rowe Price to spearhead a drive to build the firm's bond business.

UK - Hewitt Associates has urged people to carry out a thorough review of their pension savings before the end of the tax year or face paying higher taxes in 2006.

UK - Specialist asset manager Cairn Capital has appointed Stephan Michel, formerly co-head of European credit research at Barclays Capital, to head up its credit research team.

UK - The House of Commons has tendered for a specialist bond manager to oversee a £50m active UK bond brief for the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund.

UK - Gloucestershire County Council's £640m pension fund has awarded Hermes a £45m property unit trust brief.

UK - Standard Life Investments has bought a central London building for £20m on behalf of its £2.2bn pooled property pension fund.

UK - The draft code of practice on pension scheme funding published this week represents the UK's "most radical ever" change to the way in which trustees and companies determine scheme funding, says Aaron Punwani, partner and head of trustee consulting...