Final salary pension fears surface as Barclays bails

The announcement follows a series of similar moves by companies previously considered to boast top-quality pension schemes. Just two days ago, BP announced it was set to close its UK final salary pension scheme to new members from April 2010. "If anyone was previously still in doubt as to whether these schemes had a viable future, the latest announcements should have removed the uncertainty," pensions policy adviser Dr Ros Altmann says. Barclays says benefits relating to future service by existing members of the Barclays UK Retirement fund - which was closed to new members in 1997 - w...