A Swiss Re report examining the accuracy of mortality projection models includes several interesting facts about life expectancy. Here are a few of our favourties from that report (plus a few others from elsewhere).

Mortality projection models are in need of a radical overhaul to ease insurers' funding problems and give them confidence when pricing future retirement income solutions, an influential new report argues.

An adviser has spoken of his anger and confusion after an adjudicator from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) ruled he had given unsuitable advice to clients on insolvent investment firm Keydata - even though the FSA had previously deemed his recommendation...

Keith Gilmour, the business development director at Sesame Bankhall Group, has left the company after less than a year in the role.

Honister Capital, the private investment company which owns two networks and a national IFA, is to roll out a new charging proposition for firms.

The assets of troubled 'death bond' issuer ARM Asset Backed Securities (ARM), as well as Catalyst Investment Group, are set to be acquired by life settlement specialist Insetco.

(Update) Shares in Hargreaves Lansdown jumped almost 16% in early trading after the company reported a significant jump in profits and hiked its dividend.

The FSA said it is trying to contact customers of a Leicester-based IFA as it believes they may have been mis-sold unregulated collective investment schemes (UCIS) and structured products.

The FSA noted a jump in advised sales of personal pensions in 2010/11 compared with the previous year, and said this could reflect pension switching, a practice it pointed out some firms had failed to carry out appropriately in the past.

Luxembourg-based special purpose vehicle ARM Asset Backed Securities - which marketed offshore 'death bonds' to UK investors - has been refused authorisation by its home regulator, meaning all payments have been suspended.