United Kingdom

UK - The Pensions Trust is seeking to significantly reduce its annual actuarial costs of £600,000 by re-tendering its actuary service contract.

UK - Pension funds endured another year of negative returns in 2002 seeing investments plummet by 13.9%, according to the WM Company.

UK - The Pensions Advisory Service has urged the government to reveal the timing of proposals that will govern schemes in wind-up.

UK - Majedie Asset Management has selected the Financial Models Company to provide it with portfolio modelling and performance measurement software.

UK - Buck Consultants has revealed the schedule for its 2003 training courses on practical trusteeship.

UK - A "shocked" Scottish Widows Investment Partnership has hit back over accusations that it used misleading figures in a bid to woo pension scheme trustees.

UK - Insight Investment has completed the restructuring of its equity teams following its integration with former Rothschild Asset Management staff.

UK - Pension funds are being urged to consider alternative investments rather than equities when rebalancing their portfolios.

UK - Insight Investment has appointed Clodagh Hazel as institutional marketing manager.

UK/US - Successive governments have stubbornly refused to prioritise the necessary statutory changes to enable a US-style REIT market to develop, despite a progressive increase in the strength of the lobby, writes the Association of Property Unit Trusts....