United Kingdom

UK - Legal & General has officially entered into the longevity insurance market.

UK - Some £7.8bn (US$12.3bn) of pension scheme risk transfer deals were completed in 2009, despite challenging financial landscape, analysis from Hymans Robertson revealed.

UK/NORWAY - Norwegian fund manager Skagen is setting up an operation in the UK.

UK - Most schemes are unsure if target date funds are suitable for the UK pensions market, research by Clear Path Analysis showed.

UK - Robin Ellison talks to Jenna Towler about his aspirations for the country's pension and taxation systems, his plan to decriminalise drugs and the virtues of a virtual election campaign

UK - British Telecom has agreed a 17-year recovery plan with its trustees in an attempt to tackle a £9bn (US$14.1bn) deficit.

UK - Financial services secretary Lord Myners has accused excessive bonuses of ruining British pension funds.

UK - The liability risk-hedging market in the UK surpassed £40bn (US$62.5bn) in 2009, smashing the previous record of £35bn set in 2007, Towers Watson said.

GLOBAL - Pension funds have been returning to the UK property market in the wake of improving returns after the asset class lost almost half of its value in two years, industry figures said.

UK - Premier Foods is the latest company to be linked with a big-money longevity swap deal as it seeks to offload £2bn (US$3.1bn) of longevity risk from its Rank Hovis McDougall pension scheme.