ALLIANCE & Leicester is offering customers access to a dedicated pensions adviser in local branches including Bolton, Stockport, Bramhall, Swinton and Manchester.

They offer personal customers retirement savings advice on Legal & General's pensions products (including stakeholder pensions).

Simon Ripton at Alliance & Leicester said: "With our new stakeholder and pensions branch adviser initiative Alliance & Leicester is responding to customer needs.

"It is also a timely venture given our recent research, which highlighted the potential severity of retirement poverty in the UK."

lTHE Bolton office of chartered accountants Jackson Stephen has added a new payroll division,

Jean Jefferies has been recruited to be in charge.

"This payroll department enables businesses to outsource their day to day routine administration to us," said Graeme Sheridan, a Jackson Stephen partner in Bolton.

"We know that businesses find maintaining payroll, VAT returns and bookkeeping time consuming."

lA HOME insurance policy from Primary Direct covers children's possessions while they are living in University Halls of Residence to a maximum of £1,500 -- at no extra charge.

lA SENIOR consultant at Watson Wyatt's Manchester office says companies are reviewing their AVC (Additional Voluntary Contributions) arrangements to make sure their charges are competitive in the new world of stakeholder pensions.

Mr Rob Walker said: "AVC providers have been forced to cut charges, in some cases by as much as half.

"However, although charges have come down, lower investment returns mean that many AVC schemes are effectively less good value now than they were a year ago."