The University of Birmingham has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as its pensions adviser, which will see the firm provide affordable funding solutions and manage its pension liabilities in line with the university’s objectives.

The National Association of Pension Funds has published a new guide, Quizzing Fund Managers, to help pension trustees assess the stewardship abilities of their prospective investment managers. It highlights the questions that trustees should consider when selecting and reviewing their investment managers, including: what codes of conduct or principles have you signed up to? How are non-financial risks incorporated into investment decisions? Are you able to demonstrate the effectiveness of your stewardship activities?

Legg Mason Global Asset Management has confirmed plans to launch a new UK-domiciled infrastructure debt fund, the Legg Mason Infrastructure Debt Fund. Led by the firm’s global fixed income subsidiary portfolio manager Ian Justice, the fund will target institutional investors and will invest globally in publicly-traded debt securities issued by infrastructure businesses.

Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee has appointed Aon Hewitt as actuarial adviser to the Local Government Pension Scheme for Northern Ireland, which will see the consultancy firm manage the £4bn fund which currently has over 90,000 members.

Aberdeen Asset Management has launched a UK-domiciled open-ended investment company, the Aberdeen Strategic Bond Fund. Led by Oliver Boulind, head of global credit and global high yield, the fund aims to achieve a long-term total return by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of global investment and sub-investment grade debt and debt related securities issued by companies, governments, government-related bodies and supranational institutions.

Platform One and London & Colonial have launched two new flexible pensions solutions, the Multi-Platform SIPP and Multi-Platform Open Annuity. Both are available through Platform One’s UK Wrap service and will provide advisers with access to nearly 4,000 funds from over 150 fund groups including ETFs and investment trusts.

The Pensions Trust has launched SmarterPensions, a new DC multi-employer offering for the voluntary sector. The offering uses AllianceBernstein’s Target Date Funds strategy as a default to ensure a more tailored investment approach. The trust also has also launched three new DC-focused websites – CARE Defined Contribution: www.caredc.org.uk; Ethical Fund www.ethicalfunddc.org.uk; and Growth Plan Series 4 www.gp4dc.org.uk

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