Lloyds

Guy de Blonay has turned over 20% of the £900m Jupiter Financial Opportunities fund, selling out of major Chinese banks and buying into US financials.

Banks will reveal salary details of their highest paid staff and lend businesses £190bn this year under Project Merlin, but their top earners will not be hit with a bonus tax, the government said today.

Lord Myners, City minister in the last government and a key figure in the financial bail-outs at the height of the global crisis, has called for a break-up of Britain's biggest banks, the Financial Times reports.

Banks led the FTSE 100 index 0.6% higher in early trading to 5,704.96 as investors showed their relief after Ireland agreed an €85bn (£72.5bn) rescue package.

The Lloyds Banking Group has named the boss of Santander's UK operations António Horta-Osório as its new CEO, replacing Eric Daniels.

Eric Daniels, group chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, has announced his retirement, giving the organisation one year to find a successor.

UK GROWTH

Lloyds chief executive Eric Daniels says the banking giant "did the country a great service" in taking over stricken lender HBOS last year.

Barclays has so far paid £194m to settle a US-led probe into payments made to countries or people on a sanctions list.

The FTSE fell in early trading in reaction to losses on Wall Street overnight and a weak opening in European markets.