DEUTSCHE CHIEF GOES

STRUGGLING German lender Deutsche Bank has lost its chief operating officer in a fresh sign of turmoil.

Kim Hammonds stepped down following reports that bosses were weighing up her future.

It comes just days after Yorkshire-born chief executive John Cryan was sacked in a bitter power struggle. Hammonds was his ally, but it is rumoured other bosses are unhappy with the time it took her to cut costs and improve the IT network.

Her exit could be the first step in a wider purge by new chief executive Christian Sewing as he focuses on provincial lending.