Royal Mail has posted a 16 per cent opt-out rate for its weekly paid employees, lower than company predictions but higher than some of the early staging companies.

The Universities Superannuation Scheme is planning a substantial increase in private equity co-investments to suppress fees and improve value, as more pension funds look to reduce the cost of investing in this asset class.

The most interesting parts of the National Association of Pension Funds’ two major conferences are undoubtedly when scheme decision-makers share their experiences, positive or negative. Last week it was the latter category that proved the most educational.

At the beginning of the year, we reported on calls for employers to take advantage of payslips to communicate with employees on savings issues. This followed research showing 86 per cent of workers check every one they get.

A pension fund investor, investment consultant and actuarial adviser give their views on how to attack emerging market debt investment.

Invensys Pension Scheme has reduced transfer values by 1 per cent to ensure those members remaining in the scheme do not lose out from its funding shortfall – a method used by underfunded schemes to safeguard benefits.