News

INCLUDING: US - Liability Solutions and MIT merge; UK - New advisory business launches; NETHERLANDS - New director of Mn Services UK appointed; UK - PPF rescues another four pension schemes; UK - North Yorkshire PF awards mandate to Fidelity

UK - The government's plan to shore up the battered UK banking sector with a £50bn (US$87.2bn) emergency share capital package and a further £450bn of loans and guarantees to boost liquidity has been well-received by the pensions industry.

ASIA-PACIFIC - The governance and investment policies of pension reserve funds across the region have entered into a period of transition which would likely have a profound impact on global financial markets, Allianz Global Investors has said.

GLOBAL - The messy collapse of Lehman Brothers has led pension funds to look again at the use of derivatives in their portfolio, the results of the latest Global Pensions 100 Panel have shown.

A review into the structure of the postal industry will determine the future of the Royal Mail Pension Scheme, the Communication Workers Union says.

Dwindling defined benefit pension provision will be further hit if additional layers of actuarial scrutiny are introduced, Buck Consultants says.

Nomura International has appointed Premier Pensions Management to administer its closed UK occupational pension scheme.

Isle of White Council is looking to appoint investment managers to cover five portfolios for its pension fund.

Actuaries will help stabilise the economy through their expertise in risk management, the Faculty of Actuaries says.

Employers and trustees should consider offering members a pensions holiday to help them cope with financial pressures caused by the credit crunch, Towers Perrin says.