United Kingdom

UK - ABN AMRO has been appointed global custodian for Lancashire County Council's £2.4bn pension scheme.

UK - Global consulting firm Watson Wyatt has questioned the ability of pension administrators' to undertake duties as basic as paying out the right benefits to the right people.

UK - Ministers must find an alternative to the stakeholder concept to solve the "pensions crisis", independent research agency Datamonitor claims.

UK - Aegon Asset Management is launching a series of pooled funds to "generate higher returns for schemes".

UK - Training is the most important issue for trustees and pension fund representatives, research by F&C Management shows.

UK - IFA Promotion has appointed Webline as its first technology sponsor.

UK - Financial services firms are failing to get the most out of their staff, career management consultant TalentMax claims.

UK - High yield debt offers good medium-term prospects for investors, Blue Bay Asset Management claims.

UK - Hermes Pensions Management director Alistair Ross Goobey has quit to avoid damaging the firm's legal battle over Parmalat.

UK - Former KPMG staff have urged the accountant to settle its pension fund dispute quickly to avoid further damage to its reputation.