United Kingdom

UK - The corporate team at Southampton-based law firm Blake Lapthorn have netted transactions worth £500m since the beginning of the year.

UK - Scheme costs could soar by up to 30% because outdated mortality tables mean liabilities are massively underestimated.

UK - A comprehensive survey of the UK occupational pensions industry has been published by the Incomes Data Services.

UK - Schroder Investment Management has developed a structured overlay service to reduce the "hidden costs" involved in schemes switching from equities to bonds.

UK - The number of final salary scheme closures in 2002 has already equalled last year's total, preliminary data from the NAPF's annual survey shows.

UK - Consuelo Brooke, former head of the European specialist equity team at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, has joined global equity fund manager Philippe Investment Management as a director and member of its investment committee.

UK - Around 250 delegates overcame the London's Tube strike to attend this year's Pensions Management Institute Autumn Conference, chaired by Tony Ashmore, PMI vice president.

UK - Buck Consultants Edinburgh has appointed John Walbaum to office manager.

UK/NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM - The Royal Bank of Scotland Financial Markets is to market Fortis Investment Management's inaugural managed synthetic CDO.

UK - Historically cash has been a by-product of the investment process and most funds have generally been content to manage it passively usually through a money fund offered by their custodians.