United Kingdom

UK - The UK pensions market is forecast to grow by over 25% to reach £6.1bn between 2002-2007.

UK - The £1.25bn Avon Pension Fund - administered by Bath & North East Somerset Council - has gone out to tender for a global custodian.

UK - Deutsche Asset Management has recruited James de Sausmarez as a managing director from Govett Investments.

UK - Schemes should move money out of "unexciting" government bonds and into other better performing fixed income assets, Schroder Investment Management claims.

UK - Hazell Carr Pensions Consulting has recruited Colin English from Towers Perrin.

UK - Trustees have been warned about the extra Data Protection Act burdens they face when running DC schemes.

UK - The savings gap, estimated at £27bn according to the Association of British Insurers, is well documented, says Mary Davies, director at The Pre-Retirement Association.

UK - Fund managers are backing Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow's claims that "blindfolded monkeys" would give schemes a better measure of return than peer group benchmarks and indices. Baring Asset Management's head of UK institutional business Jenny Segal said...

UK - Co-operative Insurance Society has increased market share in long-term savings, investment, and protection.

UK - The shift from final salary to defined contribution provision continues unabated, the latest JPMorgan Fleming Defined Contribution Industry Survey reveals.