Investigations into bogus pension schemes has led to the arrests of 11 IFAs and self-invested personal pensions (Sipp) operators.

The Conservatives are looking into legislation that will encourage the establishment of more industry-wide pension schemes.

An influential parliamentary committee has “serious concerns” about changes to the taxation of pension contributions, which were introduced in the Budget.

Mike Morrison’s view on the variable annuity market raised some interesting points, in particular his recognition that annuity buyers benefit little from mortality cross-subsidy before the ages of 68-70.

Companies and trustees must use prudent assumptions to avoid triggering additional scrutiny when submitting deficit recovery plans, the Pensions Regulator has warned.

In your June 22nd edition, you asked trustees (Trusty30, Q3) their reaction to my view that emerging markets allocations should be 50%.

Boutique investment firms that have sprung up over the past few years may be vulnerable to takeover by larger organisations, according to Hymans Robertson.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has honoured a previous commitment that next year’s levy will not increase in real terms.

A fund manager has launched a fiduciary management service for defined benefit (DB) pension schemes with small to medium-sized sponsors.

The number of people contributing to defined contribution (DC) pension schemes is set to surpass the number in defined benefit (DB) arrangements.

PROFILE: Charlie Kirby speaks to Lars Rohde, chief executive of Danish firm ATP, which is one of four firms bidding for the PADA contract for the administration of personal accounts. Here, he talks about the reputation risk of the project, as well as the rewards.

Who would have thought it would have come to this? There was quite rightly public anger and shock when Robert Maxwell was found to be lifting the pension funds of those companies he owned. Most people then regarded their pension savings as safe as the Crown Jewels. Hence the shock.

Compared to traditional bonds and equities, infrastructure investing is a relatively recent investment strategy. While affected by the wider credit crunch, investing in infrastructure continues to be of interest to an increasing number of pension funds and other institutional investors.

Earlier this month, the Institutional Shareholders Committee (ISC) published a paper, Improving Institutional Investors’ Role in Governance, as its contribution to the corporate governance reviews currently being undertaken by Sir David Walker and the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). What is the ISC; what are its key recommendations; and what is its relevance to pension funds?

For the sake of the success of trustee boards and their schemes, their chairmen should be continually monitored and evaluated on performance, says Steve Delo.

There has been a fair bit in the news recently about taking pensions off people. The stories range from whether it is contrary to a rapist’s human rights to take his police pension off him, to Fred the Shred being persuaded to give up some of his pension.

Once upon a time, investors who wanted exposure to credit risk were limited to corporate bonds or securitised loans.

“Even though governance may not be the sexiest or most well-understood topic, it is fundamental to getting everything right”

Xafinity Paymaster has app-ointed Nicola Hurst as chief operating officer. Hurst joins from computer hardware and software provider HP, as well as IT services provider EDS, which HP acquired in August 2008.

Cardano has hired Adelaide de Casson (pic) and Darran Specter to its investment management team, to focus on research and selection of investments.

iShares, the exchange traded fund (ETF) provider, has appointed Julian Hince as business development officer for the firm’s IFA sector.

Mike Sullivan, president elect of the Pensions Management Institute (PMI), has left his role as chair of the institute’s Trustee Group Committee.

Alternative investments boosted returns at the BT Pension Scheme last year while derisking strategies tempered exposure to the market fallout.

Pensions Week is looking for your ideas on hybrid or middle way occupational schemes.

Twenty UK pension funds have raised £1bn to be loaned to FTSE350 companies hit by the collapse in syndicated loans from banks.

Employee benefit firms Watson Wyatt and Towers Perrin are to merge in a $3.5bn deal to expand their global reach.

Only providers that didn’t exercise prudence when allocating their annuity portfolios will suffer from Solvency II, according to Mick McAteer.