Horta-Osorio Caps Lloyds Tenure With Profit Beat, Dividends
- Bank will reduce offices by a fifth after Covid reshaped work
- CEO says outlook is uncertain as he prepares to step down
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Lloyds Banking Group Plc beat forecasts with a pretax profit of 792 million pounds ($1.1 billion) in its fourth quarter, helped by a buoyant housing market and government support for its borrowers.
Britain’s biggest mortgage lender also announced a dividend 0.57 pence per share, marking the end of a year without payouts to protect lending during the pandemic. In a sign that Covid-19 continues to ravage the economy, Lloyds set aside 4.2 billion pounds over the year for loans that could default, although this is below its previous forecast.