United Kingdom

UK - Leicestershire County Council pension fund has dished out a £150m UK equity mandate to Standard life Investments, to be managed on a wholly discretionary basis.

UK - The Treasury is considering measures beyond professional qualifications for lay trustees in a bid to boost their investment expertise Professional Pensions has learned.

UK - Government amendments to priority orders on scheme wind-ups have been dismissed as "less than a temporary fix" by consultants.

UK - Administrator Deloitte & Touche has criticised unions and MPs for exaggerating the size of ringfenced pensions for directors at beleaguered bus manufacturer Mayflower.

UK - High net worth individuals are being targeted by property firm GuestInvest with a "buy-to-let" hotel scheme as an alternative to traditional pension investment.

UK - Insurance and fund management group HHG's losses more than doubled last year to £864m due to its separation from its former parent company, AMP.

UK - Credit ratings on sovereign bonds will plummet by the end of the decade unless governments tackle the effect of ageing populations, Standard & Poor's claims.

UK - Credit Suisse Asset Management has launched a target return fund.

UK - Employee benefits consultant Jardine Lloyd Thompson and law firm Osborne Clarke are hosting a breakfast seminar on the Pensions Bill.

UK - Schroder Investment Management has closed its second private equity fund of funds to new investors after raising e285m (£187m), beating its target of e250m.