United Kingdom

UK - Fund managers offering money purchase plans direct to employees will face a raft of measures to improve the way performance data is used.

UK - Massive industry consolidation will mean that the life and pensions market will be dominated by just four or five players by 2008, research by management consultancy Bain shows.

UK - Pension funds with investments in corporate bonds are to be given a voice on corporate governance and SRI issues.

UK - Workers are being confused by over-inflated pension projections when they join a money-purchase scheme, Aon Consulting claims.

UK - Third-party administrator Paymaster has published its 2003 business control statement which gives a clear guide to its risk management procedures.

UK - Scheme costs will change radically if Britain joins the euro, but it is far from certain whether they will go up or down, experts say.

UK - Standard & Poor's has cut Rolls Royce's credit rating to just two places above junk status because of its pension liabilities.

UK - The government must act to harmonise the savings and benefits regime to encourage lower-income consumers to save, according to the Royal London Group.

UK - Schemes are currently conducting wholesale reviews of their operations to bring themselves into line with pending government reform, pension managers claim.

UK - BT has vowed not to raise its prices to plug its scheme deficit despite posting a record £5.7bn FRS17 shortfall.