News

The Marathon Club - a collaboration of investment organisations, representing combined fund assets in excess of £170bn - has updated its practical guidance for trustees with a paper on long term responsible ownership.

Pension scheme trustees must not be shouldered with the blame for the credit crunch, Electricity Supply Pension Scheme chief executive Richard Barlow says.

US- Fitch Ratings has downgraded Principal Financial Group and its subsidaries in part because of concerns over its investment portfolio and the company's ability overall to ride out the current market turmoil.

THE Local Authority Pension Fund Forum is set to team up with US investors to push for greater disclosure from major US companies on climate change.

UK - The Marathon Club - a collaboration of investment organisations, representing combined fund assets in excess of £170bn - has updated its practical guidance for trustees with a paper on long term responsible ownership.

THE Pension Protection Fund is to allow companies to stagger or defer risk-based levy payments if they are struggling, Professional Pensions can reveal.

SWITZERLAND - More than three-quarters of Swiss pension funds made losses during 2008 - pushing average coverage ratios below 95%, according to Swisscanto.

US- Car maker General Motors saw its US pension funding level fall to 87% at the end of 2008 from 124% the previous year, according to a restructuring plan issued to the US government this week.

GLOBAL - Asset management fees remained stable in 2008 but are likely to be under pressure in 2009, a report by Mercer says.

In the second our series of fortnightly interviews with scheme managers, JENNA TOWLER talks to Electricity Supply Pension Scheme chief executive RICHARD BARLOW about the role of trustees in the credit crunch and the detrimental effect of regulation on...