United Kingdom

UK - New rights for the disabled are causing employers to cut back on ill-health pension provision for all members, according to law firm Allen & Overy.

SCOTLAND - Global consulting firm Watson Wyatt is gearing up to expand its investment consulting presence in Scotland. The firm has appointed actuary and investment management professional Iain Beattie (pictured) as partner to head up its investment consulting...

UK - Defined benefit schemes could slash their risk by more than 50% if they embrace the full range of alternative assets, Axa Investment Managers claims.

UK - Scottish Life is slashing terminal bonus rates on its with-profits funds due to the poor performance of equities over the past five years.

UK - Pensioners have renewed their calls for scheme members and trade unions to receive annual reports from pension funds. The Occupational Pension-ers' Alliance - the UK's largest pensioner group - believes members and lobby groups should be kept up-to-date...

UK - State Street Corporation has won mandates with UK local authorities the London Borough of Havering and the London Borough of Greenwich together worth £750m.

UK - Barclays Global Investors (BGI) is planning to launch four new exchange traded funds in the UK, covering Asian and European mid and small-cap sectors.

SCOTLAND - Mercer Human Resource Consulting has been reappointed actuary and consultant for the Trustees of the University of Glasgow Non-Academic Staff pension scheme.

UK - Government plans to increase member-nominated trustees to 50% will distract from providing real measures to restore confidence in pension schemes, Mercer Human Resource Consulting claims.

UK - The Confederation of British Industry has been accused of being "mean and schizophrenic" for trying to cut pensions for transferred staff.