News

US - Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama has his outlined plans to strengthen social security, in a roundtable with Las Vegas residents.

HONG KONG - Institutional investors at a recent Watson Wyatt Ideas Exchange seminar examining their investment beliefs in equity strategies gave 130/30 funds short shrift.

CANADA - Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli should be denounced for his lack of leadership in investigations into the force's pension fund scandal, according to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee....

ASSOCIATED British Engineering is in negotiations with the trustees of its pension fund to conclude a settlement over the sections of the fund that are in wind up.

PENSIONSFIRST has launched a series of scheme-specific bonds to neutralise pension fund risks as an alternative to buyout.

4000 ex-civil servants have £1m pension pots; Report on Equitable collapse delayed again; UBS moves to strengthen capital after $10bn write-down

UK - Defined benefit (DB) schemes will now be able to use bonds to immunise against inflation and market risk, according to PensionsFirst.

INCLUDING: NETHERLANDS - Appointments at PGGM; GLOBAL - Sinopia names global chief executive officer; UK - DB schemes hit in November; US - CalSTRS announces real estate consultant

US - The Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS) Board of Trustees has appointed $250m to private equity investments.

THE PRIME minister and chancellor are blocking department for work and pensions' attempts to rescue 120,000 victims of wound-up pension schemes, the Pensions Action Group claims.