Standard Life

Standard Life has continued its path towards a potential stock market floatation by announcing further cost cuts involving bonuses, endowment payments and complaint time-bars.

Standard Life says it will launch a new Self Invested Personal Pension which could soon be past through the family in order to keep pace with one of the fastest growing areas of the pensions market.

Standard Life has published the first in a series of reference guides to information technology for IFAs.

NORWICH UNION is under pressure to disclose how much it has set aside to cover mortgage endowment shortfalls, says the Daily Telegraph.

Standard Life has left bonus payouts on with-profit bonds, homeplans and stakeholder policies unchanged however final bonus rates have been reduced on remaining products.

Figures released for the six months to 15 May show Standard Life suffered from uncertainties sparked by moves towards demutualisation, although business overseas helped offset sales falls in the UK.

John Hylands has been appointed to lead the demutualization project of Standard Life, the company says

Differences of opinion over the effects of provisions in the Finance Bill by two major providers has highlighted the difficulty of interpreting proposals set out in the legislation.

Members of money purchase schemes could escape having to pay a recovery charge on any funds above the lifetime limit by selecting enhancements which would normally lower the value of an annuity income, says Standard Life.

Edinburgh-based Standard Life has appointed new chief executives of both its UK life and pensions business and its fund management business Standard Life Investments.