• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

UPDATE 1-Lloyds finalises capital plan, shares rise

Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:40am EDT

Stocks

   

By Douwe Miedema and Alex Chambers

Stocks  |  Financials

LONDON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Lloyds (LLOY.L) has finalised plans to plug a capital gap of more than 20 billion pounds ($33 billion), sources familiar with the situation said. Its shares rose on hopes that a deal could happen before the year's end.

Shares in Britain's biggest retail bank have sagged in the last few days on fears that this week's EU regulatory-induced break-up of Dutch bancassurer ING (ING.AS) would set a precedent for Lloyds, which is 43-percent owned by the government.

But by 0909 GMT on Thursday, the stock was up 5 percent at 84.02 pence, outperforming a 1.12 percent stronger DJ Stoxx European banking sector index .SX7P.

"Lloyds has understandably bounced back on expectations that the government has backed its capital-raising plans after recent sharp falls. It will be a relief when they can get it away," said one trader.

Lloyds declined to comment.

The plans include a rights issue of 12 billion pounds and contingent capital of 7 billion pounds the sources said, in line with earlier Reuters reports.

It has also lined up a mandatory convertible of 2 billion pounds ($3.29 billion) and a series of "management actions" agreed with UK regulator the FSA, the sources said, such as cost cuts and a reduction of risk-weighted assets.

Lloyds is facing a crunch time for its capital plans, sources close to the matter told Reuters last week, hoping regulators would decide this week to allow it to drop out of the government's planned asset protection scheme to insure toxic debt, for which it signed up in March.

That would enable it to complete its rights issue in December, its preferred timeframe, the sources said.

"Discussions with Lloyds are ongoing, no decisions have been made" a Treasury official said on Thursday. ($1=.6081 pounds) (Additional reporting by Jon Hopkins and Clara Ferreira-Marques)



More from Reuters

Photo

Democrats gain 60th vote on health bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats reached a compromise on Saturday with the last holdout senator that secured the 60 votes they need to pass a broad healthcare overhaul sought by President Barack Obama.

A woman shops at a Sam's Club store, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Arkansas June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

The food-stamp economy

On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America?  Full Article 

Two men shake hands in a file photo.    REUTERS/File

Let's make a deal

The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article