Eagle Star and Friends First are the top-performing fund managers over a five-year period, according to Coyle Hamilton's Investment Manager Survey. Both companies achieved a 21 per cent annual return on group pension funds over the five years to the end of June 2000.

The average annual return for a group pension fund was 19.4 per cent. KBC Asset Management, which took over Ulster Bank Investment Managers, came in behind Eagle Star and Friends First, achieving an annual return of 20.7 per cent over the five years. The worst performance was from Irish Progressive at 17.3 per cent.