Metro Bank to create further 100 jobs

Staff serve customers at the first branch of Metro Bank in Holborn in central London July 29, 2010.

LONDON (Reuters) - Metro Bank, whose launch in July marked the birth of Britain's first new high street retail bank in more than 100 years, said on Friday it was creating 100 new jobs.

The jobs would bring staff levels at the bank, which is opening a new branch in London's Earl Court district on Friday, up to 250.

Metro Bank is one of several new entrants seeking to break into the country's retail banking sector following the credit crisis, which saw the near-collapse of some of the best-known names and the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds Banking Group.

Its expansion comes as some rivals cut jobs in certain areas.

On Thursday, part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland announced 3,500 job cuts while earlier this week insurer Standard Life said it would cut a net total of 500 jobs.

Britain's retail bank sector is dominated by the "Big Four" of Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland.

There is also competition from building society Nationwide and Spanish bank Santander, while the NBNK Investments banking venture of Lloyd's of London chairman Lord Peter Levene raised 50 million pounds in a stock market listing last month.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Greg Mahlich)