Scottish Widows launches 23 new fund links

Scottish Widows today announces it is launching 23 new funds within its life and pensions fund range, to be available from the 21 April 2008.

During 2007, Scottish Widows reviewed its fund manager relationships and all external fund links. Scottish Widows will have both guided architecture and open architecture offerings and has increased its commitment to monitor and govern the guided funds by investing heavily in a specialist fund-monitoring team.

Scottish Widows will now have links with 13 asset management strategic partners (including SWIP) to offer an improved range of funds to policyholders. As part of the range, Newton Investment Management has launched the SW Newton Managed Income Fund exclusively for Scottish Widows which will be managed by Tim Wilson, Director of Investment Strategy & Asset Allocation at Newton Investment Management.

Gareth Trainor, Senior Manager, Fund Monitoring and Governance at Scottish Widows, said: "We're launching these funds as part of a recent major review of our life and pensions fund range and are delighted to be working with carefully selected strategic partners. Our specialist fund monitoring and governance team will monitor these managers and funds to ensure they remain the best choice for our policyholders.

"We link to fund management companies that are in demand. We know that dual-branded funds are attractive to advisers and investors, so first we choose the fund management companies and then the funds. However we believe in building meaningful and effective partnerships, and not simply amass fund links. What is important to us is quality and not quantity. We want to harness the different fund managers’ expertise and strengths for the benefit of our customers.

“We have invested heavily in creating an investment centre of excellence within Scottish Widows. Our governance overlay monitors managers and funds on behalf of both advisers and our clients, resulting in a significantly improved life and pension fund range."