UK banks put £7.6bn aside for credit losses in Q1

Impairment charges were roughly double aggregate net profits at top lenders

First quarter earnings at top UK banks were dented by huge expected credit loss (ECL) provisions taken to protect against a coronavirus-induced wave of borrower defaults.

Aggregate impairment charges at Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS and Standard Chartered totalled £7.6 billion ($9.5 billion) in Q1, almost double combined net profits for the first quarter.

HSBC took the biggest hit, with an impairment charge of $3 billion, over four times the Q4 2019 amount. The bank netted a profit of $3 billion

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@risk.net or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.risk.net/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@risk.net to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Risk.net? View our subscription options

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Risk.net account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here