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Barclays Bank logo is seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. Tesco Plc and Tesco Bank declined to comment. It could not be established how much the proposed deal would value the Tesco Bank assets. Tesco Bank was launched in 1997 as a joint venture between the British supermarket group and Royal Bank of Scotland, with Tesco later taking full control of the company. Despite seeing it as a growth area in the past, Tesco has been scaling back its banking services, including no longer offering current accounts and offloading its mortgage portfolio to Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Lawrence White, Iain Withers, Anousha Sakoui, Jane Merriman Organizations: Barclays Bank, REUTERS, Barclays, Reuters, Tesco Bank, Tesco, Tesco Plc, British, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Locations: British, Kensington

☆ Portuguese Bankers Warn Political Instability Could Undermine Reforms, Public Finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Sergio GoncalvesLISBON (Reuters) - The resignation of Portugal's prime minister will trigger instability that could delay economic reforms, while making it harder for the country to keep a balanced budget and further reduce debt, bankers warned on Thursday. The government remains fully functional for the time being, at least until parliament has had its final vote on the 2024 budget on Nov. 29. He said reforms should create an environment for companies to achieve better results and compete more effectively globally. The 2024 budget projects economic growth will slow to 1.5% in 2024 from 2.2% expected this year and political instability may also delay public investment, such as using COVID recovery funds, and private investment. "Probably no one wants to invest when there is great instability," said Pedro Castro Almeida, CEO of Santander Portugal.

Persons: Sergio Goncalves LISBON, Portugal's, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Antonio Horta, Osorio, Miguel Maya, Pedro Castro Almeida, Paulo Macedo, Sergio Goncalves, Catarina Demony, Mark Potter Organizations: Credit Suisse, Lloyds Banking Group, Santander Portugal, Caixa Geral Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Horta, Caixa, Depositos

☆ Portuguese bankers warn political instability could undermine reforms, public finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Antonio Horta Osorio, CEO of Lloyds Banking Group, arrives at a garden party at Buckingham Palace, London, May 22, 2018. The government remains fully functional for the time being, at least until parliament has had its final vote on the 2024 budget on Nov. 29. He said reforms should create an environment for companies to achieve better results and compete more effectively globally. The 2024 budget projects economic growth will slow to 1.5% in 2024 from 2.2% expected this year and political instability may also delay public investment, such as using COVID recovery funds, and private investment. "Probably no one wants to invest when there is great instability," said Pedro Castro Almeida, CEO of Santander Portugal.

Persons: Antonio Horta Osorio, Simon Dawson, Portugal's, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Antonio Horta, Osorio, Miguel Maya, Pedro Castro Almeida, Paulo Macedo, Sergio Goncalves, Catarina Demony, Mark Potter Organizations: Lloyds Banking Group, REUTERS, Rights, Credit Suisse, bcp, Santander Portugal, Caixa Geral, Thomson Locations: Buckingham Palace, London, Rights LISBON, Lisbon, Portugal, Horta, Caixa, Depositos

☆ Goldman leads new funding for Fnality blockchain payments firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Goldman Sachs company logo is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Fnality, a blockchain-based wholesale payments firm, said on Tuesday it has raised 77.7 million pounds ($95.09 million) in a second round of funding backed by Goldman Sachs and other blue chip financial firms as it awaits Bank of England approval to start operations. UK-based Fnality seeks to bridge the gap between mainstream and digital finance to cut the time and cost of settling, managing collateral and making payments for financial market transactions. Fnality said the round was led by Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas, with participation from settlement houses DTCC and Euroclear, as well as Nomura and WisdomTree. Finality raised 55 million pounds in its first whip round in June 2019.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brendan McDermid, Fnality, Mathew McDermott, Goldman's, Huw Jones, Susan Fenton Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, of, BNP, Nomura, Banco Santander, BNY Mellon, Barclays, CIBC, Commerzbank, ING, Lloyds Banking Group, Nasdaq Ventures, Street, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, UBS, Sterling, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, DTCC

☆ Lloyd's of London SPAC venture scrapped due to volatile markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows the Lutine Bell during an event to mark accession of Britain's King Charles at the Lloyd's Building in the City of London, Britain, September 15, 2022. The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) had unveiled plans to combine with London Innovation Underwriters (LIU) and raise additional funds to deploy in the Lloyd's of London insurance market. The SPAC has an end of year deadline to use funds raised for a takeover, and said it would not seek an extension. LIU said it would consider exploring alternative options to pursue its strategy of accessing the Lloyd's of London insurance market. The failed effort comes amid a dearth of new listings in London and concerns over its appeal as a capital markets hub, despite profits at Lloyds of London which are booming thanks to rising prices for insuring commercial risks.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Sarah Meyssonnier, LIU, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Jason Neely Organizations: City of, REUTERS, Financials, London Innovation Underwriters, Company, Corp, Lloyds of, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, London, Lloyds of London

☆ UK house prices rise in October for first time since March: Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - British house prices ended six months of consecutive falls in October, reflecting a lack of homes being put up for sale, but prices are still lower than a year ago, mortgage lender Halifax said on Tuesday. Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), said house prices in October were 1.1% higher than the month before, the first increase since March on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 0.3% monthly drop in September. This is likely to have strengthened prices in the short-term, rather than prices being driven by buyer demand, which remains weak overall," Kim Kinnaird, director of Halifax Mortgages, said. Compared with a year earlier, house prices in October were 3.2% lower versus a 4.5% annual decline in September, leaving the average house price at 281,974 pounds ($347,279), nearly 10,000 pounds lower than a year earlier. Halifax said it expected further falls in house prices, and a return to growth in 2025.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kim Kinnaird, Kinnaird, David Milliken, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, Halifax

☆ UK house prices end six-month losing streak - Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Compared with a year earlier, house prices in October were 3.2% lower versus a 4.5% annual decline in September, leaving the average house price at 281,974 pounds ($347,279), nearly 10,000 pounds lower than a year earlier. British house prices surged during the COVID-19 pandemic due to low interest rates, greater demand and temporary tax breaks. Halifax's house price index is still 18% higher than it was in February 2020, despite a 4% fall since its peak in June 2022. Halifax said it expected house prices to fall further this year, with a return to growth in 2025. "The high cost of borrowing alone is not sufficient to trigger the leg down in house prices we predicted," Capital economist Andrew Wishart said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kim Kinnaird, Huw Pill, BoE, Kinnaird, Andrew Wishart, David Milliken, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, The Bank of England, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, Halifax, British

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The UK government has scrapped guarantees on nearly 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) of bank loans handed out to ailing businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving lenders on the hook for some of the borrowings that will not be repaid. The figures could rise further - latest figures show just 17 billion pounds have been fully repaid by borrowers as of June 30. The largest and most controversial, the "Bounce Back Loan" (BBL) scheme, delivered 47 billion pounds and was specially designed to help Britain's smallest firms stay afloat. Following the removal, any financial loss is borne in full by the lender, BBB said. The figures also showed the government had paid out 7.4 billion pounds to lenders under the state guarantees.

Persons: Theodore Agnew, Sinead Cruise, Iain Withers, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Reuters, British Business Bank, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds, HSBC, Bank, Finance, BBL, BBB, Thomson Locations: London

The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) unveiled plans earlier this year to combine with London Innovation Underwriters and raise additional funds to deploy in the Lloyd's of London insurance market. The deal by Financials Acquisition Corp differs from a typical SPAC merger because the company has set up London Innovation Underwriters itself. It is not the first time that public market investors in London have backed a new insurance venture. In 2020, Conduit Holdings (CRE.L) listed on the London Stock Exchange, subsequently starting reinsurance activities. UBS and HSBC are joint global coordinators to the Financials Acquisition deal.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Sarah Meyssonnier, William Allen, Lloyd's, Beazley, Carolyn Cohn, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Anousha Organizations: City of, REUTERS, Financials, London Innovation Underwriters, Lloyds, Innovation Underwriters, Conduit Holdings, London Stock Exchange, UBS, HSBC, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, London, Lancashire, Lloyd's

A man walks past ATM machines at branch of the NatWest bank in Manchester, Britain September 21, 2017. The bank's shares fell as much as 18% in early trading before closing down 12% - their largest daily drop since the Brexit vote in June, 2016. Farage said in a statement on Friday that he viewed the report as a "whitewash" and its findings "laughable". She added that the review showed she did not leak detailed financial information and had been unaware of "deeply unpleasant and unfair" internal staff comments made about Farage. A NatWest document unearthed by Farage in July found that an internal committee had deemed his views did not align with the bank's own.

Persons: Phil Noble, Nigel Farage, Coutts, Farage, Alison Rose, Travers Smith, Howard Davies, Rose, Mr Farage, Davies, Paul Thwaite, Rick Haythornthwaite, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Samuel Indyk, Jason Neely, Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: NatWest, REUTERS, Financial Conduct Authority, Barclays, Rival, Lloyds, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain

☆ European stocks open lower amid earnings; Deutsche Bank up 7% after beating estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Matt Clinch | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets opened lower Wednesday amid a slew of earnings both in the U.S. and Europe. The Stoxx 600 index slipped 0.2% with sectors mixed, as mining stocks gained 0.67% and retail stocks fell 0.7%. Deutsche Bank shares were 7% higher in early trade. Banking stocks fell Tuesday as Barclays warned of cost-cutting charges. Meanwhile, Alphabet shares tumbled as its cloud business missed analysts' estimates.

Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Banking, Barclays, AkzoNobel, Lloyds Banking Group, Carrefour, U.S, Microsoft Locations: U.S, Europe, Heineken

Britain's biggest mortgage lender on Wednesday reported a pre-tax profit of 1.9 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) for the three months to September 30, in line with the 1.8 billion expected by analysts in forecasts compiled by the bank. The bank's quarterly profit was up on 576 million pounds the prior year, which was restated due to accounting changes. Analysts welcomed the steady set of results, noting a bad loan charge of just 187 million pounds - versus 668 million in the same quarter a year earlier - was much lower than expected. However, Lloyds said it increased its deposits by 500 million pounds during the third quarter, reversing a trend of outflows seen by many banks this year. Deposits remained down 5 billion pounds year to date at 470 billion pounds.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Zoe Gillespie, Banks, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Jason Neely Organizations: Lloyds Bank, REUTERS, Lloyds Banking Group, savers, Lloyds, Barclays, RBC Brewin, Thomson

A branch of Barclays Bank is seen, in London, Britain, February 23, 2022. Barclays shares fell nearly 7% in early trading, while shares in rivals Lloyds (LLOY.L) and NatWest (NWG.L) each dipped around 3%. SLUGGISH INVESTMENT BANKThe lender reported pre-tax profit for the July-September period of 1.9 billion pounds ($2.33 billion) on Tuesday, down from 2 billion pounds a year ago but above a consensus analyst forecast of 1.77 billion pounds. Barclays reported a 6% drop in income at its investment bank for the quarter, following a similarly downbeat performance at the half-year results update in July. ($1 = 0.8151 pounds)Reporting By Lawrence White and Iain Withers; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Venkatakrishnan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley's, Venkat, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Staley, Lawrence White, Iain Withers, Kirsten Donovan, Emelia Organizations: Barclays Bank, REUTERS, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, JPMorgan, Reuters, Banking, Jefferies, Revenue, Bank of America, Financial, Authority, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Banks’ wealth-management heyday may have passed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

For wealth managers, that will make revenue growth much harder to come by, shifting the focus to controlling expenses. LOSING ITS SPARKLEIn Wall Street parlance, wealth management is a capital-light business. Little wonder Morgan Stanley boss James Gorman focused on wealth management after taking charge in 2010. The good news for UBS and Morgan Stanley is that they are better placed than most to handle these pressures. The bank’s wealth-management business generated a 35% ROTE, while the division that houses investment banking and trading managed just 8%.

Persons: UBS –, Morgan Stanley’s, Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, Sergio Ermotti, Goldman Sachs, Italy’s, Iqbal Khan, Morgan Stanley’s Andy Saperstein, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Wealth, UBS, Credit Suisse, HSBC, HK, Lloyds Banking Group, Revenue, Treasury, Big, Thomson Locations: Swiss, United States, Americas, Switzerland, Britain’s St, James’s

[1/2] Chairman Anthony Thomson (L) and Vice Chairman Vernon Hill pose with a dog outside the first branch of Metro Bank in Holborn in central London July 29, 2010. Metro declined to comment on Tuesday. A Starling spokesperson said the lender was making inroads into the big banks' market dominance. Metro is not the only smaller bank to have faced problems. One option is for smaller banks to gain scale through mergers and acquisitions.

Persons: Anthony Thomson, Vernon Hill, Toby Melville, John Cronin, Caius Capital, Jaime Gilinski, Dorita, Gilinski, Monzo, Starling, We've, Morgan Stanley, Gary Greenwood, Rupak Ghose, Shore Capital's Greenwood, Ghose, Shawbrook, Iain Withers, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Anousha Sakoui, Huw Jones, Amy, Jo Crowley, Sinead Cruise, Chiara Elisei, Nelson Bocanegra, Alexander Smith, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Metro Bank, REUTERS, Yorkshire, Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC, Barclays, Metro, Caius, Varde Partners, Harvard, Forbes, Finance, Bank of England, London Stock Exchange, The Bank of England, Prudential, Authority, Shore Capital, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Shore, Financial, Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Holborn, London, BOGOTA, Starling, Colombian, Latin America, Metro, Bogota

Persons: Anthony Thomson, Vernon Hill, Toby Melville, John Cronin, Caius Capital, Monzo, Starling, We've, Morgan Stanley, Gary Greenwood, Rupak Ghose, Shore Capital's Greenwood, Ghose, Shawbrook, Jaime Gilinski, Dorita, Iain Withers, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Anousha Sakoui, Huw Jones, Amy, Jo Crowley, Sinead Cruise, Chiara Elisei, Alexander Smith Organizations: Metro Bank, REUTERS, Yorkshire, Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC, Barclays, Metro, Caius, Varde Partners, Finance, Bank of England, London Stock Exchange, The Bank of England, Prudential, Authority, Shore Capital, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Shore, Financial, Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Holborn, London, Starling, Metro, Colombian

☆ Metro Bank shares jump after deal to bolster finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Signage is seen outside of a Metro Bank in London, Britain, May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Metro Bank shares up as much as 26%Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski to take majority controlMetro backers face 'very painful rescue' - analystLONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Shares in Metro Bank (MTRO.L) jumped in early trading on Monday, after the embattled British lender struck a fundraising deal overnight to bolster its balance sheet following urgent weekend talks in the wake of volatile trading. Metro Bank shares were up 26% at 56.9 pence by 0800 GMT. As part of the deal, Metro has agreed to a capital raise comprising 150 million pounds of new equity and a 175-million-pound issuance of bail-in debt known as "MREL". Metro shares remain around 97% down from when it first listed on the London stock exchange in 2016 at 20 pounds a share.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Jaime Gilinski, Gary Greenwood, John Cronin, Iain Withers, Louise Heavens, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Metro Bank, REUTERS, Metro, Shore Capital, Bank of England's Prudential, Authority, Lloyds, HSBC, Metro's, Spaldy Investments, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Metro Bank: Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski Bacal takes control of struggling UK lender
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Jaime Gilinski Bacal, a Colombian banking and real estate entrepreneur, has taken control of Metro Bank as part of a bigger rescue deal to fill a hole in the UK lender’s finances. Metro Bank said in a statement late on Sunday that it had raised £325 million ($396 million) from investors, split between £150 million ($183 million) of equity and £175 million ($213 million) of debt. Metro Bank’s shares were trading 22% higher Monday but have still lost 55% so far this year. The Bank of England welcomed the deal, which will also see Metro Bank refinance £600 million ($731 million) of debt, causing losses to some bondholders. Metro Bank CEO Daniel Frumkin said the deal “marks a new chapter” for the lender, which has reported losses for several years.

Persons: London CNN — Jaime Gilinski Bacal, Stock, Daniel Frumkin, Gilinski, Forbes, Gilinski Bacal, Dorita, Fitch Organizations: London CNN, Metro Bank, Lloyds, Barclays, BCS, HSBC, —, Metro Bank’s, Bank of England, Fitch, Bank Locations: Colombian, America

LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Embattled British bank Metro (MTRO.L) announced a 325 million pound ($396.5 million) capital raise and 600 million pound debt refinancing on Sunday, after a weekend of urgent talks to bolster its balance sheet after a volatile week of trading. Metro Bank had sought to shore up its finances after a string of setbacks in recent years, including accounting errors, leadership departures and delayed regulatory approval for key capital reliefs. The equity raise was led by Metro's largest shareholder, Gilinski-owned Spaldy Investments, which contributed 102 million pounds. The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority said in a statement: "The Prudential Regulation Authority welcomes the steps taken by Metro Bank to strengthen its capital position." Reuters reported on Friday that Metro Bank was set to discuss funding options with its shareholders over the weekend, after a proposal from bondholders earlier in the week was seen as handing over too much control.

Persons: Jaime Gilinski, Gilinski, Iain Withers, Anousha, Huw Jones, Pablo Mayo Cerquerio, Londo, Lavanya, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Metro, Metro Bank, Metro's, Spaldy Investments, of England's Prudential, Authority, Prudential, HSBC, Lloyds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Colombian, London, Bengaluru

Shawbrook is considering a potential new bid for London-listed Metro Bank after several failed approaches earlier in the year, people familiar with the matter also told Reuters. Metro Bank, Lloyds and Santander did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Metro Bank has seen its shares tumble after news emerged that it had hired advisers to shore up its balance sheet after failing to gain key capital relief from banking regulators. Metro Bank said on Thursday its options included a combination of equity and debt issuance, as well as refinancing and asset sales. While Metro Bank's customer deposits, like those of other UK banks, are backed by a government guarantee up to 85,000 pounds, the regulator is keen for concerns not to spread.

Persons: Shawbrook, Robey Warshaw, Elisa Martinuzzi, Pablo Mayo Cerquerio, Iain Withers, Amy, Jo Crowley, Bernadette Baum, Ros Russell Organizations: Prudential, Authority, Metro Bank, HSBC, Lloyds, London, Reuters, The Financial Times, JPMorgan, Metro, Sky News, Santander, Shawbrook, Thomson

☆ The superyacht version of a 'French palace' is being put up for sale for $23 million by the Barclay family
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK's billionaire Barclay family is looking to sell the "Lady Beatrice," a 197-foot-long superyacht. The Barclay family, which owns The Telegraph media group, has put up the "Lady Beatrice" for sale for 22 million euros, or $23.2 million, according to a listing by its broker, Edmiston. One writer on autoevolution, a car and transportation site, was so impressed that they called the superyacht "the floating version of a French palace." The Barclay family is known to be very private. AdvertisementAdvertisementEdmiston and the Barclay family did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider outside regular business hours.

Persons: Barclay, Beatrice, —, Beatrice Cecelia Taylor, Frederick, David Barclay, David, Sunday Times Rich, Forbes, Hiroko, Frederick's Organizations: The Telegraph, The Times, Service, Telegraph, Lloyds Banking Group, Sunday Times, Bloomberg

☆ UK's embattled Metro Bank expected to struggle to raise capital with 'no easy solutions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.K.'s embattled Metro Bank has launched talks to sell a third of its mortgage book in an urgent attempt to shore up its balance sheet. LONDON — The U.K.'s Metro Bank will likely struggle to raise fresh capital to shore up its balance sheet, according to analysts, who outlined bleak prospects for the beleaguered bank. The turmoil came amid reports that the embattled bank was seeking to raise up to £250 million ($305 million) in equity funding and £350 million of debt. Metro Bank confirmed in a statement early Thursday that it was considering "how best to enhance its capital resources." Metro Bank did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the reports; nor did any of the rival banks cited.

Persons: Fitch Organizations: Metro Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, Sky News, Investment, Bank of, Barclays Bank Locations: Wednesday's

LONDON (AP) — Shares in the troubled British lender Metro Bank bounced back by a third on Friday on reports that it has been sounding out bigger rivals to buy a chunk of its assets. Sky News reported that advisers to the bank have contacted Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest Group among others. But it stressed that “no decision has been made on whether to proceed with any of these options." Gary Greenwood, an equity research analyst for Shore Capital Markets, suggested that the business could struggle to find backers for a potential fundraising exercise. Political Cartoons View All 1202 Images“Metro Bank has been struggling for a number of years to establish itself as a profitable and self-sustaining bank," he said.

Persons: Gary Greenwood Organizations: Metro Bank, Sky News, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, London Stock Exchange, Shore Capital Markets, Bank Locations: Britain

☆ Metro Bank: Shares in UK bank just plunged over 30%
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Shares in UK lender Metro Bank sank as much as 31% Thursday following a report that it was urgently seeking to raise funds to shore up its finances. Metro Bank opened in 2010 as the first challenger to Britain’s major main street banks — including Lloyds (LYG), Barclays (BCS) and HSBC (HSBC) — in more than 100 years. Metro Bank’s assurances did little to support its share price, which pared some of its earlier losses but was down by 31% again by late afternoon in London. The bank’s shares are down almost 66% since mid-September when UK regulators refused its request to change the way it calculates capital requirements on its residential mortgages book. A Metro Bank branch in the UK city of Sheffield, seen in April Mike Egerton/APThe ratings agency noted that Metro Bank had to refinance a £350 million ($425 million) bond by October 2024.

Persons: “, Fitch, ” Fitch, Mike Egerton, Chris Beauchamp, isn’t, ”, — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN —, Metro Bank, Financial Times, Lloyds, Barclays, BCS, HSBC, —, Metro, Bank, UK Financial, Prudential Regulation Authority, Bank of England, IG, CNN, Financial, Metro Bank . CNN, Prudential, Banking Supervision, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, Credit Suisse — Locations: ”, London, Sheffield, United States, United Kingdom, Basel

☆ UK business confidence slips in September: Lloyds Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Lloyds Banking Group PLC FollowLONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - British business confidence declined in September as optimism about the economic outlook faded, a survey showed on Friday, adding to signs of a slowdown in the economy. The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer, which surveys around 1,200 companies across the economy, fell to 36% from August's 18-month high of 41%. Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said the BoE's decision - taken after the survey was conducted - could underpin business confidence in the coming months. While Lloyds said its gauge of pricing expectations inched higher in September, hiring intentions cooled. The proportion of companies planning to raise salaries also fell, although remained around the average for the year.

Persons: Hann, Ju Ho, Andy Bruce Organizations: Lloyds Banking Group, Lloyds Bank, P Global PMI, Lloyds, Bank of England, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, National Statistics, Thomson

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