NAPF unveils two new initiatives

The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has unveiled two initiatives designed to implement a stronger culture in the sector.

David Paterson, NAPF's head of corporate governance, noted that the measures will hopefully improve the value of investments.

He added that, as an institution, the NAPF had been raising standards in control for many years and the new schemes would support funds in their role as "responsible owners".

One of the proposals is a document that offers guidance on how the Institutional Shareholders' Committee code works.

The second sees the establishment of a service that will provide a specialist website and quarterly newsletters, giving members direct access to any developments in the sector.

Information on how the Pension Protection Fund fared in 2008/09 was recently released in the Purple Book - a document that covers 97% of eligible schemes and bases its findings on returns given to the Pensions Regulator.