Lloyds

Portugal has insisted it can cope with looming debt repayments, despite predictions from analysts it does not have enough money to meet its obligations.

Lloyds Banking Group is back in the black for the first time since it was bailed out by the government, boosted by a record results in asset management arm SWIP.

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.