United Kingdom

UK - The Pension Protection Fund levy should be limited beyond the current two-year time horizon, the National Association of Pension Funds said.

US/UK - A US buyout market to rival the UK's is not likely in the short term because of competing mindsets among the countries' policy makers about the future of defined benefit systems - US officials still have faith.

UK- Aegon has let go four members of its European equity team as part of a restructure which will also see the departure of the group's sales and marketing director Jon Bennett.

DENMARK/UK - Danish pension fund and administration provider ATP has pulled out of the running for the personal accounts administration contract in the UK, PADA has confirmed.

UK - A Conservative government will investigate early auto-enrolment proposals "as a priority," shadow secretary of state for work and pensions Theresa May said.

UK - The £10.6bn (US$16.8bn) Shell Contributory Pension Fund is set to invest 5% of its portfolio in hedge funds and other alternatives for the first time, a trustee newsletter revealed.

UK - More than 1500 Fujitsu workers are deciding whether to take industrial action over proposed pension cuts which unions believe will cut salaries by 20%.

UK - The £7bn ($11bn) West Midlands Pension Fund has invested £40m in a global long-short equity fund of hedge funds run by Goodhart Partners.

UK - The Conservatives have pledged to reverse the multi-billon pound pension "tax raid" introduced in 1997 by then chancellor Gordon Brown.

UK - The volume of buyout transactions will rise to £5bn (US$7.9bn) in 2010 as prices become lower and more stable, the Society of Pension Consultants predicted.