United Kingdom

UK - Seven trade unions have launched a High Court challenge against the government over the pension rights of homosexual workers.

UK - Winterthur Life has signed a £400,000 deal with technology firm Focus Solutions to provide transaction functions to its IFA portal, Extranet.

UK - Standard Life has called on the government to scrap the "overly complex" state pensions system and replace it with a single benefit for all.

UK - Global ratings agency Standard & Poor's plans to publish ratings for UK final salary schemes could go live by the end of March 2004.

UK - Lloyds TSB has been fined £1.9m for mis-selling a precipice bonds product designed by pensions and insurance firm Scottish Widows.

UK - Fountain Capital Partners has appointed Tony Smedley as a partner and Luke Mackenzie as an investment analyst.

UK - Linklaters partner Tim Cox has been chosen as the next chairman of the Association of Pensions Lawyers.

UK - The National Association of Pension Funds is to slash membership fees for small-to-medium sized schemes in order to boost take-up.

UK - A new group for independent trustees has vowed to raise industry standards and public confidence.

UK - Scheme funding at Britain's top firms has improved by more than 20% in the past six months, research from Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein shows.