United Kingdom

UK - The Conservatives will aim to restore the health of occupational pensions, shadow work and pensions secretary Theresa May said.

GLOBAL - Global pension assets totalled US$29.5trn at year end 2009, up 14% from the previous year, according to a report by the International Financial Services London.

UK - Mercer has launched a pension buyout index in anticipation of escalating demand for de-risking products this year.

UK - The BMW UK Operations Pension Scheme has insured £3bn (US$4.6bn) of its liabilities with Deutsche Bank subsidiary Abbey Life.

UK - Trustees at the Cadbury Pension Fund have sought to reassure scheme members in the wake of US-food company Kraft's takeover.

UK - A new batch of regulations could allow the unguaranteed part of the BT Pension Scheme to fall into the Pension Protection Fund, a lawyer said.

UK - Trustees who breach tough new data protection powers could face fines of up to half a million pounds, lawyers warned.

UK - Readers Digest UK has plunged into administration after The Pensions Regulator vetoed an agreement to settle its long-standing pension scheme liability.

US - Food giant Kraft has announced it will freeze its US pension plans for current salaried and non-union hourly employees from December 31, 2019, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

UK - Jack Inglis, chief executive officer of institutional asset manager Ferox Capital Management is to leave the convertible bond specialist he joined in 2007.