United Kingdom

UK - Pensions Minister, Malcolm Wicks, today said that he has asked the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) to coordinate the setting up of a new trustees' panel that would give a "voice" to all trustees.

UK - UK property as an asset class has demonstrated its value with returns in 2004 reaching a 10 year high, said Paul Herrington, managing director of F&C Property Asset Management.

UK - Hewitt Associates has urged trustees and companies to consider credit default swaps (CDS) as a means to manage their current pension plan deficits.

UK - Hermes Property Unit Trust (HPUT) returned 19.7% in 2004, beating its benchmark by 150 basis points.

UK - High profile pension fund officials have objected to proposals to select trustees for the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) based on geographical representation.

UK - Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) has increased its assets under management (AUM) by 6% to £82bn, garnering £2.1bn of gross new business in 2004.

UK - The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is looking for two fund managers to administer an initial £75m active equity mandate, according to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

UK - British Airways Pensions has appointed pension administration software provider aquila to supply the group with a new pension administration system.

UK - A new study by Standard & Poor's has found UK pension schemes fail to account for risk of default by their sponsoring company when determining funding and investment policy.

UK - Pension scheme liabilities are having a negative impact on UK companies' profitability, financial health and ability to invest in new projects, a new survey by SEI Investments has found.