United Kingdom

UK - The £290m London Borough of Harrow Pension Fund is dropping Merrill Lynch Investment Managers from £100m worth of global equities.

UK - ISIS Asset Management's maximum income bond fund has been awarded an A-rating by Standard & Poor's.

UK - The £1bn Pearson Group Pension Plan will close to new members from January 1.

UK - Pension regulators should focus on major risks to pension schemes rather than smaller breaches that pose little risk to members.

UK - Marks & Spencer Financial Services has selected Mellon European Fund Services to provide fund accounting services to its unit trust and life assurance divisions.

UK - Watson Wyatt has extended the deadline for responses to its Pension Scheme Administration Costs Survey 2002 to November 29 as responses to the online survey continue to flood in.

UK - A pensions deal for public sector part-time workers that would force them to pay backdated employer contributions has been slammed by unions.

UK/EU - Law firm Wragge & Co is holding a seminar on the implications of EU legislation on UK pensions at its Birmingham offices on December 11.

UK - Crispian Collins, vice chairman of UBS Global AM, is to retire in March 2003.

UK - IO Investors has added nine fixed income managers to its multi-manager range.