Citibank parent citigroup has posted another loss for the third successive quarter, though it is less than was expected.
Asset wise Citibank is the biggest bank in the United States but has been badly hit by the sub-prime lending troubles and is fighting to get out of the mire. The bank recorded losses of GBP1.3 billion in the three month period to the end of June, with around GBP5.8 billion of write-downs again hitting them hard.
The losses were less than anticipated though leading to their share price going up by a little less than 8 percent. The Citibank chairman said that although there is still a lot of work to do they are very encouraged by the progress that has already been made.
Lloyds TSB has this week increased the rates of interest offered on its Plus current account to 6 percent, an enormous 2 percent more than it was previously.
The new higher interest rate is being offered on this particular Lloyds TSB current account for new customers opening their account before July 13. The only proviso is that at least GBP1,000 per month must be paid into the account, something that is quite common anyway.
Increasing their interest rate is quite a move for Lloyds TSB, though they appreciate that customers in the UK tend to be quite fixed when it comes to their current accounts, tending to stay with the same bank for many years. Lloyds therefore feel they have to really make an impact with their message in order to get people to consider moving and an impact it certainly is.
Tesco Finance is understood to be aiming for a full retail bank status, offering the full range of bank products and services to customers.
The 50 percent stake RBS hold in Tesco Finance is to be bought back by Tesco itself, at a cost of GBP950 million. The initial plan appears to be an expansion of the current product range offered, with home insurance the first to receive the extra attention. After that Tesco Finance are expected to start offering basic bank accounts, placing themselves in direct competition with the high street banks.
The position of Tesco Finance, using its core Tesco brand to win customers through supermarket retailing, is a strong one. Most people in the UK use Tesco at some time, so the chance to promote a full bank operation via the stores and online could prove an excellent opportunity.
