Aon Hewitt has signed a collaboration agreement with Thomas Murray IDS, which will provide Aon Hewitt's clients in the UK with advisory, benchmarking and monitoring services in the field of asset servicing, global custody and related activities.

“Since the crisis of 2008, investors have become increasingly aware of the risks and costs associated with the safekeeping, custody and administration of investments,” said Tim Giles, partner at Aon Hewitt. “We have been looking for a partner who could help our clients minimise risks and costs, while enhancing the operational performance of their service providers.”

“Thomas Murray IDS is highly regarded in the custody and asset servicing sector, with 20 years of experience in advising pension funds and other investors. Through this collaboration arrangement, we believe that Aon Hewitt is partnering with the leading specialist in this area, which will be greatly beneficial to our clients.”

Simon Thomas, chairman Thomas Murray IDS said, “The market failures of recent years have demonstrated that the safekeeping and servicing of invested assets pose real risks – but investors are often unaware of them and also of the true costs involved.”

“Under this arrangement, Thomas Murray IDS will provide a range of services to Aon Hewitt's clients, including selection of custodians, depositary banks and derivatives clearing members, as well as a range of benchmarks and risk ratings, including foreign exchange transaction cost analysis and reviews of how securely investments are held and registered globally.”