United Kingdom

UK - The UK's biggest firms have pumped £13bn into their defined benefit pension schemes in the last 12 months, research shows.

UK/DENMARK - Global Pensions editor Raquel Pichardo-Allison speaks to Morten Nilsson, head of ATP's international operations about the Danish pension fund manager's UK expansion plans.

UK/SCANDINAVIA - UK pension funds are lagging behind their Scandinavian counterparts in allocating to alternative asset classes, a consultant says.

UK - The £337m ($523.8m) Next Group Pension Plan has undertaken a £124m buy-in deal for the defined benefit section of the scheme, half year results reveal.

UK - PricewaterhouseCoopers has been forced to undertake an exhaustive review of its client base after the Financial Reporting Council discovered it was acting as auditor to a company while providing actuarial services to its defined benefit pension scheme....

UK - ‘Beauty parades' used to hire traditional investment managers don't work with transition managers, said Andrew Williams, principal at Mercer Sentinel.

UK - The aggregate funding position of the 6,653 schemes in the Pension Protection Fund's 7800 index worsened to a deficit of £53.5bn ($82.6bn) at the end of August.

GLOBAL - J.P. Morgan Asset Management has expanded its bond team with the appointment of Nick Gartside to the new role of international chief investment officer of fixed income.

UK - The BBC has proposed a new career average arrangement as part of its pensions reform but is sticking with the controversial 1% annual cap for the existing final salary scheme.

UK - The trustees of the £20bn ($30.8bn) Royal Mail Pension Plan have tabled a 38-year deficit reduction plan to The Pensions Regulator, the Hooper report reveals.