StockMarketWire.com
Citigroup has downgraded high street banks Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) in a note to investors today, despite anticipating a continued improvement in earnings. The broker advised investors not to underestimate the time it will take to return to double-digit returns, or to restart dividends. Royal Bank of Scotland has been downgraded to "sell" from "neutral" while Lloyds has been downgraded to "neutral" from "buy". Price targets have been left unchanged at 290 pence and 62 pence per share respectively.

RNS LLOY to sell international private banking business for £100m to Union Bancaire Privee.

Sale of US Mortgage Backed Securities

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP ANNOUNCES SALE OF PORTFOLIO OF US RMBS GENERATING CAPITAL BENEFIT OF £1.4 BILLION

Lloyds Banking Group plc (the Group) announces today that it has agreed the sale of a portfolio of US RMBS (residential mortgage backed securities) to a number of different institutions for a cash consideration of £3.3 billion. The transaction is part of the Group's continued capital accretive non-core asset reduction.

The assets subject to the transaction have a book value of approximately £2.7 billion and as a result of the transaction the Group will realise a pre tax gain on sale of approximately £540 million. The sale proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes.

Numis Add 62.16 63.00 70.00 Downgrades

Barclays Capital Equal weight 61.28 61.19 40.00 65.00 Upgrades

Jefferies International Hold 59.15 - 65.00 Initiates/Starts

Summary of a fairly lengthy broker note from Jefferies Int (as in the above post):
"Valuation/Risks. We value RBS at 390p, based on regression of 10-year Gilt yield and sub- CDS. We value LLOY at 65p, based on MCPM-derived Ke of 9.7% and 2015 RoTE of 11%. RBS and LLOY are subject to extensive political risk given respective government ownership of 81% and 39%. Our above-consensus estimates are exposed to downward macroeconomic revisions."

Harry are they sitting on the fence or what?

Yep. "We think this today, but tomorrow we might think differently".!!!

Harry surely the government must realise that in the case of RBS and LLOY the sum of the parts are worth more than the whole. Break up both banks float Natwest and Bank of Scotland and the problem is solved.

Do you want to tell them, or shall I?

This is what Jefferies think:
"RBS and Lloyds need to be granted commercial freedom in order to maximise their utility to the real economy as well as to become normal investment propositions. Our view is that the government ought to begin its disposal of bank shares with RBS. This is because the bank has greater prospective lending capacity to the real economy, which would render the transmission mechanism of monetary policy more efficient (not to mention improve profitability of the bank). According to our research, RBS has up to £94bn of theoretical lending capacity due to its outsized liquidity portfolio."

And what David Cameron thinks:
"It will take time, because this is a bank that is still healing,” [David] Cameron said in an interview in his London office late yesterday. “As for when we get it back into the private sector, I just have two very simple concerns — one is we must make sure this bank contributes to the recovery of the U.K. economy. Secondly, people put their money in. I want them to get their money out.”
“As we work with this bank as it’s nursed back to even further health, the public want to know ‘Am I going to get my money back?’” the premier said. “I think they are more interested in getting their money back than the time. Let’s get it right.”
Asked if the government has a target share price before proceeding with an RBS sale, Cameron replied, “I don’t want to go into more detail, but my concern is getting the money back.”

Harry DC can't see beyond the end of his nose, what the public want is more competition on the high street, as far as getting the taxpayers money back does he propose some sort of distribution to the people in the street ....no, any money raised would remain with the treasury, does he think the electorate are a bunch of fools, if he does he will find the truth in 2015.

Lloyds says no political pressure for branches sale to Co-op

LONDON | Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:39am BST
(Reuters) - British bank Lloyds said there had been no political pressure on it to sell hundreds of branches to the Co-operative Group, but a rival bidder said he thought there was political influence.

"What the board looked at was financial and the ability to execute (the sale). Those were the only two things we looked at, no political (pressure)," Lloyds Chairman Win Bischoff told a committee of parliamentarians on Tuesday.

sp hitting resistance at 63p, wonder why? come on George give us a boost!

You're one of the smartest posters here.--------- How's that feeling better now?

Sorry halifax, couldn't resist.
2517

:-))

sorry wrong George.

Osborne is going to give us some clue in his Mansion House speech tomorrow evening, wednesday, on his sell off plans for Lloyds and RSB. Let's hope that gives us the leg up over the 63p resistance.

Well if he is as equally dim as he came across on this mornings Today programme I wouldn't hold your hope up.

I suspect Osborn's caught between a Rock and a hard place . . .
-If they sell the shares too cheaply (although "we" already own them - Huh!), then the Gov won't get as much money back and they can't spend it on overseas wars, aid etc.
If they sell at too high a price (and I'm not sure they can Set the price . . . Isn't it always Open to Offers?) . . . then they will stick and they'll get nothing.

If the City Fathers actively restrict LLOY (and other Bankers) from dabbling in things they shouldn't - which WAS NOT the reason for LLOY fall from grace IMHO - it was Buying HBOS that did it! - then LLOY will have too many restrictions on their Banking Profits and the Shares will languish..... probably within a 33% band from the current 60p (40-80p, say). Thus the Gov will still get its money back - but not enough to be exciting and demonstrate to the Electorate the Gov knows how many Beans make Five.

Really, I'm torn between selling out, (taking the profit from the dark-days a while ago), and holding in the Hope the situation today will pass and If/When the Div is reinstated the sp will be significantly higher than the Band I've suggested.
Perhaps in a couple of years (or more?) we could see the Div and a sp of £1, such that the Yield is about 2% that would equate to nearly 4% at current prices and nearly 8% on what I paid.
Either way it might be premature to sell-out before the Deal is clear . . . for Mass Exit will be the last thing that the Gov/Treasury would want - a Vote of No-Confidence in their Financial nouse.
- By contrast, the City would love "churn" since they make Zippo if I hold-on.

Other views, please . . . .