I have lost nearly £35,000 of my Equitable Fund because I was forced to take a pension of £1,000 a year. Because they were no longer allowed to invest in the open market the fund hasn't been able to earn £1,000 p.a. on the original capital of £65,000.

John Hawkridge, Maidstone, England

Mr Wighton

Equitable Life was a failure of management and regulators. The banks are a failure of management alone, ie there is no apparent regulatory requirement or at least no suggestion of such. So why is the government bailing out the banks but not, so far, the Equitable Life pensioners?

James Nicholson, New Milton, Hampshire

A typical duplicitous approach by this awful regime in power. The Government has obviously decided that the typical Equitable Life saver is more than likely a Conservative voter and therefore not worth the bother of assistance. The sooner Brown is taking his own overblown pension the better.

Paul Daniel, Tunbridge Wells, England