The funding deficit for the nations 100 largest corporate pension plans grew in September, increasing by $124 billion, according to Millimans 100 Pension Funding Index. This was the largest monthly drop in the plans funded status in 11 years, the report said.

BlackRock Inc. has launched three new mutual funds featuring alternative investment strategies for the firms U.S. retail and high net worth client base.

One-on-one meetings, automatic enrollment and a variety of plan options drive up employee participation in retirement plans, according to a new report by The Principal Financial Group.

Forty-five percent of retirees still have their assets in retirement savings plans through their employers, according to a new LIMRA study. One-fifth of retirees own three or more IRAs.

Nearly 50 percent of California workers will retire in or near poverty, according to a study by the University of California, Berkeleys Center for Labor Research and Education.

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. plans to sponsor a Retirement Policy Center. The Center will become a catalyst for new ideas and perspectives on retirement and will educate the public and key constituents on retirement public policy issues.

Investors are not optimistic about their ability to build and maintain retirement savings, according to the September Wells Fargo/Gallup Investor and Retirement Optimism Index. Nearly two-thirds of investors65 percentsay they have little or no control at all over their retirement savings.

ING launched a new online enrollment service that allows retirement plan participants to instantly enroll in their workplace retirement plan by using a tablet or mobile device.