Lloyds could face bigger bill for PPI

LLOYDS could set aside millions more to address payment protection insurance (PPI) misselling claims when it reports results alongside banking peers Barclays and RBS.

Analysts are waiting to see whether UK banks report higher costs linked to compensation for PPI after a new ad push by the Financial Conduct Authority was launched ahead of next year’s claims cut-off date.

“In an ironic unhelpful twist of fate the bank-funded Arnold Schwarzenegger-esque advertising campaign for the August 29, 2019 PPI claims deadline appears to have brought refund request volumes back,” UBS analysts warned.

Lloyds Banking Group is expected to top up its PPI provisions by as much as £410 million in the second quarter alone, according to forecasts by Morgan Stanley.

It will add to the £90 million set aside for PPI claims cost in the first three months of the financial year, which brought its total bill for the saga to an eye-watering £18.8 billion.

However, it still managed to raise bottom line profits by 23% to £1.6 billion over the first quarter.

The bank has been undergoing an overhaul of its workforce and branch network, having most recently announced plans to cut 450 jobs mainly affecting back office staff, while creating 255 new roles.

Consensus figures are now pointing to a slight drop in underlying pre-tax profits coming in at £4 billion for the half-year, down slightly from £4.5 billion a year earlier.

Barclays itself already took a £400 million PPI charge in the first quarter, while its half-year results are also likely to reflect a “modest restructuring expense” as a result of completing the ring fencing of its retail banking operations, UBS has said.

But its investment banking operations will be under the microscope, having attracted more attention in the wake of activist investor Edward Bramson taking a 5% stake in the lender.

Analysts at UBS said it will be important for Barclays to show that it had a strong first half, given that the period is usually stronger for investment banks without which there will be little hope for a rally in the remainder of the year.

RBS shareholders will be poised for news over when it will restart dividend payment after reaching its own long-waited $4.9bn (£3.7 billion) settlement with US regulators over claims it mis-sold mortgages in the run-up to the financial crisis.

It has been 10 years since the bank paid a dividend to shareholders.