Lloyds sells Irish assets

LLOYDS Bank is pulling out of ireland after selling a £4.3bn mortgage book.

The deal with Barclays covers home loans built up by fellow bank Hbos more than a decade ago, before Lloyds bought it in a deal which almost destroyed them both during the financial crisis. Getting rid of the assets, which generated a £40m loss last year, means Lloyds has little exposure in ireland – part of a strategy to focus on the UK.