RBS posts record loss as UK insures toxic assets

By Myles Neligan and Sumeet Desai

LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland reported the biggest loss in British history on Thursday and said Britain's stake could rise as high as 95 percent after it stumped up billions to insure risky bank assets.

RBS said Britain would inject a further 13 billion pounds ($18.5 billion) to help the bank pay for a new scheme that will transfer most of the risk from 325 billion pounds' worth of toxic RBS assets and risky loans to the taxpayer.

The so-called Asset Protection Scheme launched by Britain's Treasury on Thursday was expected to insure well over 500 billion pounds worth of assets by the time other banks have signed up.

Banks around the world have trillions of dollars of potential losses on their books after the collapse of the U.S. property market triggered a credit crunch, leading to a full-blown global financial crisis and worldwide recession.

Hiving off troubled assets and purging banks of their worst liabilities will be a focal point of discussion at next month's meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in Britain.

RBS said it made a 24.1 billion pound loss in 2008, topping the 21.8 billion loss by Vodafone in 2006 to be the biggest loss in British corporate history.

The results included 16.2 billion pounds in write-downs on past acquisitions, including RBS's 2007 takeover of parts of ABN Amro, plus a 7.9 billion pounds operating loss.

RBS shares, which had lost 95 percent of their value since early 2007, closed 26 percent higher at 29 pence, while the FTSE 100 share index added 1.7 percent. British government bond (gilt) prices fell sharply.

"The favorable pricing of the asset protection scheme, along with the additional capital injection from the government, will remove the immediate capital concerns about RBS," Panmure Gordon analyst Sandy Chen said in a note to clients.

"For now, the markets will probably focus on the favorable terms of this bailout."

Lloyds Banking Group shares rose 31 percent ahead of its results on Friday when it is expected to put over 200 billion pounds of assets into the insurance package.

Lloyds said it was in talks with the Treasury about participating, but there was no certainty its involvement would be on the same terms as RBS.

"GAMBLING DENS"

Under the insurance scheme, RBS will pay a 6.5 billion pound signing-up fee and be responsible for the first 19.5 billion pounds of any losses. The taxpayer will be liable for 90 percent of any losses beyond that.

RBS will also forego tax allowances as a condition of participation, lifting the potential cost to the bank to about 10 percent of the insured assets, or 30 billion pounds.