Standard Life

Plans to provide local tax inspectors with the ability to review whether qualifying pension contributions paid are tax deductible will only serve to throw ‘pensions simplification' into further quandary, an accountancy firm believes.

A pensions expert says the buy-to-let market is set to boom, as a result of the potential tax advantages of putting their buy-to-let properties into pensions.

The Inland Revenue has confirmed its intention to enforce a second lifetime allowance test on individuals moving from ‘new regime drawdown' to an alternatively secured pension (ASP).

Standard Life has this week signed an agreement to link to the HSBC Life Amanah Pension Fund for its pension customers.

A host of pension providers believe the impetus for a pension-clearing system is waning, following closer inspection of its feasibility.

Standard Life has reduced the rates on its protection products with sums assured of between £100,000 and £250,000 to see level term and mortgage cover with accelerated CIC decrease by an average 6%.

STANDARD LIFE is working on plans to allow with-profits policy-holders to switch out of the "misfiring schemes into better-performing products", according to this morning's Scotsman.

Standard Life will launch an "active timeline" to aid advisers in the run up to A-Day in April next year.

Former Equitable Life chief executive Roy Ranson has defended the insurer's policy of not holding reserves in its with-profits life insurance fund to cushion it against financial shocks, says the Daily Telegraph .

Mark Connolly is to become executive director distribution and client services at Standard Life Investments after previously holding responsibility for institutional business in Europe and the Middle East at Deutsche Asset Management.