RBS edges back into profit

Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland edged back into the black today with a £15m (€17.5m) profit for the first half of 2009.

The profit at the bank, which is 70% owned by the taxpayer after a £20bn (€23.3bn) bailout, came despite bad debts and writedowns soaring to £7.5 billion (€8.7bn).