People claiming pensions for dead ex-public sector employees cause 4% of all fraud and overpayments detected in the public sector.

A helicopter pilot, a TV quiz champion, a top football referee, a leading expert on etchings, a director of plays, a magician.

The Pension Protection Fund’s (PPF) failure score method could change after the fund’s High Court victory against Turner & Newall’s insolvency practitioners.

Pension Corporation has launched an insurance product to protect schemes and employers against rises in longevity.

In last week’s Pensions Week (19.05.08), Tom McPhail suggested all insurers hide the availability of the open market option (OMO) from their clients.

A campaign to raise people’s awareness of the full range of annuities on offer is being launched in June by ex-employees of Prudential.

Cable and Wireless’ (C&W) £2bn defined benefit scheme has been found to be fully funded, prompting it to consider all pensions buyout options in the event of a demerger.
An independent actuarial report into the telecoms giant revealed C&W’s fund now has an IAS surplus of £375m, compared with £43m last year.
C&W also revealed it is now actively managing its fund and has executed a £900m swap programme to match the asset returns better to its liabilities.

The generosity of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is likely to be challenged in the run-up to 2012, one local authority has predicted.

The introduction of cost sharing will be one of the greatest challenges facing the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), according to local authority experts.

The start of 2009 could be a good vintage for private equity, as

conditions in the European debt market improve for buyout firms.

Fidelity International believes its new multi-asset fund will become the default fund for the majority of its 360 clients over the next three years.

A quarterly buyout affordability index launched by Paternoster has shown the cost of securing the liabilities of defined benefit pension schemes rose last month.

The month’s guest columnist is Simon Jagger of Jagger & Associates. Simon raises the topical issue of increasingly ubiquitous liability-driven investment (LDI) strategies, which are continuing their inexorable rise in popularity as trustees seek to remove exposure to ‘unrewarded risks’. But are these risks real, and is now the best time to be removing them?

The retail distribution review (RDR) will make using a financial adviser unaffordable for millions, according to a pensions lawyer.

Two charities are spearheading a campaign to educate pension schemes on the human rights impact and environmental impact of mining in developing countries.

A Standard Life education programme has increased take-up of defined contribution pensions from 40% to 88% across a variety of employers.

Agriculture could replace finance as the next big lucrative theme in equity investing, according to Insight Investment.

Baring Asset Management is launching a new fund to tap into agribusiness opportunities worldwide.

Volatility has created winners and losers in the climate change investment sector, according to a fund manager.

Analysis: Although further uninsured buyout deals seem an unlikely prospect, the rest of the market is growing ever more buoyant as the first FTSE 100 firms seek to offload liabilities, says Tom Willetts.

It’s always a good exercise for the mind to consider unintended consequences. So let’s do that in connection with the Pensions Regulator’s recent announcement about its updated clearance rules.

The regulator’s move is totally reflective of market experience, but will undoubtedly result in increased liabilities for many schemes. By Mike Selby.

Pension scheme risk reduction must be undertaken with great care to ensure the full benefits are achieved, and using an independent specialist for this process could prove invaluable. By Clive Wellsteed.

If the true value of governance cannot show itself, how can its use be measured effectively, asks Tom Powdrill.

NAPF annual conference & exhibition
Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre,
Glasgow
October 8-10, 2008

Proving that there’s more to life than risk assessments and portfolio juggling, this new column provides readers with the chance to share their passions outside of work.

In this month’s Trusty 30 survey, David Rowley asks schemes for their views on fiduciary management and fund manager fees.

The credit crunch has thrown up more opportunities and risks than we are accustomed to on fixed income.

Four investment experts tell the fortune of fixed income investment to Christine Senior.

If the Northern Rock debacle teaches us anything it is surely the merits of a diversified bond portfolio, writes Ashley Goldblatt.

Background
Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) is one of the leading fund management groups in the UK, offering a full range of funds and services from index and active equities to bonds, property and cash through to transition management and cash flow matching.

Emerging market specialist Mirae Asset Global Investments has named Andrew Lawley (pic) as head of distribution and global consultant relationships to drive its UK expansion.