Latest – Page 349
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Watson says global pension assets decline 12%
GLOBAL – Watson Wyatt says global institutional pension fund assets fell by 12% to 1.4 trillion dollars in 2002, leaving many pension funds in the “difficult predicament” of facing pressure to get their balance sheets back in shape.
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Germany’s BVI in pensions savings tax plea
GERMANY – Capital gains tax on long-term savings will discourage citizens that are preparing for an independent old-age pension, says Stefan Seip, head of the German investment fund association Bundesverband Investment und Asset Management (BVI).
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Green Paper lacking on custody - Northern Trust
UK – Custody services provider Northern Trust says the government’s recent pension reform proposals did not address a key aspect of the Myners report dealing with the independence of custodianship.
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ABN Amro seeks 5% of Belgian pensions market
BELGIUM – Dutch bank ABN Amro has set up a pensions subsidiary in Belgium, with a view to grabbing a 5% share of a market it says will grow by almost 14% in the coming years.
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French bosses back longer pension contributions
FRANCE – The president of the French employers’ organisation Medef, Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, today backed the government’s proposals to increase the length of contributions, saying the level of pensions can only be guaranteed if more contributions are made.
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European private equity down 30% to e27bn
EUROPE – European private equity firms saw the value of funds raised decline by almost 30% in 2002, with the combined total of 27.4 billion euros raised by 57 funds far short of 2001’s 38.2 billion euros, according to private equity research firm AltAssets.
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US fund sponsors’ costs rise 10% - report
US – US pension fund sponsors’ operational costs have risen 10% in the last three years, to almost 0.4% of total assets, according to new research by the Callan Investment Institute – with the rise driven by staff pay and fee rises.
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UK names pension commissioners
UK – The UK government has named a trade union official and an academic as members of a commission investigating pensions policy.
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Swiss Life names SNB’s Gehrig as chairman
SWITZERLAND – Troubled Swiss Life Holding has named Swiss National Bank vice chairman Bruno Gehrig as non-executive chairman, replacing Andres Leuenberger.
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Sweden warns ABN Amro fund unit
SWEDEN – The Swedish financial regulator has warned ABN Amro’s Banco Fonder over violations to investment rules concerning the amount invested in unlisted securities – Banco says it may have mis-read the regulator’s intentions.
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Denmark's e20.5bn PFA seeks sound property deal
DENMARK – The e20.5bn PFA pension fund has agreed to buy the Copenhagen Radiohuset – the home of Danish broadcasting – in a deal for an undisclosed sum from Danish property company, Sjaelsø Gruppen.
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TUC demands seat on UK Pension Commission
UK - The UK Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for the government to include it in the line up of a new Pension Commission that will look at the issue of compulsory supplementary pension saving....
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SEB names Lager to head mutual fund unit
SWEDEN – SEB Asset Management has named Cecilia Lager as head of its mutual fund arm, SEB Fonder, replacing Jan Palmberg who is moving to another role within SEB.
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Hermes governance fund wins $100m Calpers backing
EUROPE/US – Calpers, eyeing a “tremendous opportunity”, has approved a 100 million dollar investment in a Hermes corporate governance fund which targets underperforming companies.
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MLIM says it’s still winning European mandates
UK – Merrill Lynch Investment Managers says it is still winning “significant levels" of new mandates across Europe, despite a series of recent losses from UK local authority pension funds and its loss of the Merrill Lynch UK Investment Trust mandate.
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Sweden’s AP3 taps CoreRatings for SRI
SWEDEN – The 13.9 billion euro AP Fonden 3 Swedish pension fund says it has hired consultancy firm CoreRatings to provide socially-responsible investing advice, adding that it will take an active role in the companies in which it invests.
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French bank merger “won’t be easy” – source
FRANCE – Credit Agricole’s 19.5 billion euro bid for Credit Lyonnais would create an entity with a combined 5.6 billion euros in European pension assets under management – though a source close to the deal says a merger won’t be easy because of the banks' different cultures.
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Russell sees “substantial” European growth
SPAIN – Multi-manager specialist Frank Russell Co. says it has seen “substantial growth in Europe this year” - adding that it has been awarded 30 new institutional client mandates across Europe for its multi-manager funds so far in 2002.
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Watson advises clients away from equities
EUROPE – Pension consultancy firm Watson Wyatt says it is advising its clients to move away from equities and that it knows of “very few” firms that invest in accordance with best practice.
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Mellon the winner in HVB multi-manager launch
GERMANY – Mellon Financial Corp. is the biggest winner in HVB Group’s decision to launch the first ever German multi-manager programme for institutional clients, by winning seven of the 24 asset management slots available as well as other business, including custody.
