Capita Hartshead has completed the wind-up of the EMAP Earnings Related Pension Plan following the buyout of the plan's liabilities by Paternoster two years and four days ago. The plan had 30 separate sections, which made it a complex one, and marked a ground-breaking buyout as Paternoster took on full financial responsibility for members' benefits before data validation, member tracing and GMP reconciliation exercises had been completed.

FTSE Group has expanded across Europe with a new sales office in Milan, which will provide dedicated support to investors in Italy. Andrea Beretta, sales manager, will head the office, and she will work closely with local market participants to ensure FTSE products and services continue to meet the needs of Italian investors and international investors who seek exposure in Italy.

MetLife Europe Limited has extended its distribution network by joining the True Potential platform, a fast-growing IFA support services provider in the UK. MetLife's Income for Life and Guaranteed Investment Bonds are now available for quotes on the platform, which offers advanced technology platforms for advisers and is used by more than ten per cent of advisers in the UK.

JLT Group has strengthened and expanded its services with the acquisition of the companies within the iimia Wealth Management division (iWM) of Midas Capital plc. JLT's Private Clients Business will benefit from the acquisition of private client consultancy and Discretionary Portfolio Management (DPM) business in a deal which "marks another step towards the realisation of the strategic objectives for our UK Employee Benefits business," according to Dominic Burke, chief executive of JLT.

SL Investment Management, a UK Traded Life Policy investment manager, has published a free guide to improve investor understanding and offer advice on selecting a Traded Life fund manager. The firm, which has around £1bn under management and advice, saw a sharp increase in interest due to the steady returns typically delivered by the asset class - around seven per cent in TEPs, and 8-9 per cent when it comes to Life Settlements. The Guide is available free from Tim Sands.

Pitmans Trustees Ltd (PTL) has acquired SBJ Professional Trustees Ltd, Bluefin's independent trusteeship business. The business and the staff have been transfers to PTL.

AEGON has announced that it will make an application to delist its common shares from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The volume of shares traded on the Exchange is negligible, AEGON said, and does not justify the related expenses. Shares will continue to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam, the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.

Communications consultancy Lansons Communications has moved into the regulatory consulting arena with the appointment of former Beachcroft Regulatory Consulting managing director, Richard Hobbs, to join its rebranded Lansons Public Affairs and Regulatory Consulting practice. Hobbs joins as board director, and will establish a regulatory consulting capability and offer services across Lansons' 70+ financial services clients.

Mn Services is to be the partner of the Pension Management Institute's (PMI) Fiduciary Management Specialist Industry Sector (SIS), an agreement which Remco van Eeuwijk, managing director of Mn Services UK, hopes will provide support to PMI members by answering the questions UK schemes have. Vince Linnane, PMI Chief executive, added: "Fiduciary management may not be new but interest in this scheme management approach has increased substantially recently. It's vital for the PMI to be able to keep members up to date on key industry developments and to 'cut through noise' with clear, concise and comprehensive information that enables our members to make informed decisions and better understand the options that are open to them."

Hewitt Associates has merged its operations in Germany into one legal entity - Hewitt Associates GmbH. The merged business's head office will be in Munich. Hewitt Associates and BodeHewitt, a benefits consulting firm in Germany, had worked together in a joint venture for five years, and Hewitt acquired the remaining interest in Bode Hewitt AG & Co KG in July 2009. Niels Rasmussen, Olaf Petersen and Georg Thurnes are managing directors, with 230 associates working in Munich, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden.

The Fonds de Reserve pour les Retraites (FRR) has announced that a mandate to Dexia Asset Management dated from July 2006, for a duration of five years, has been terminated due to poor relative financial performance of this mandate. The performance concerned that management of a portfolio of European equities invested with a Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) approach. The funds under management have been reallocated to the responsible investment strategy within the same lot.

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