Lloyds Banking Group could be fully returned to private hands within the next year, chairman Norman Blackwell said at the company’s annual meeting yesterday.

Aberdeen Asset Management is to become Europe’s biggest independent fund manager after striking a deal worth up to £660 million with Lloyds Banking Group.

Lloyds chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio is on course to land a share price linked bonus currently worth around £2.3m within weeks.

Lloyds Banking Group has told potential investors it expects to pay out up to 70% of its earnings in dividends by 2015, the Financial Times reported, sending shares in the British bank up over 3% in early trading yesterday.

A return to dividends at Lloyds Banking Group could be on the cards after its chief executive said the state-backed bank’s improving health increases the possibility of payouts.

British taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group handed 25 of its staff £1m or more in pay and bonuses last year, its annual report showed today.

Lloyds Banking Group is expected to reveal this week that it paid more than 20 of its staff £1m or more last year.

Lloyds, Britain’s biggest retail bank, has set aside another £1.5bn (€1.7bn) to compensate customers mis-sold loan insurance, hitting its shares and tempering prospects for a swift sale of the government’s stake.

Lloyds Banking Group boss Antonio Horta-Osorio has been awarded a £1.5m shares bonus while staff will share a £365m total pot despite further losses in the wake of mammoth provisions for mis-selling claims.

Lloyds Banking Group is under mounting pressure to provide an update on the leadership vacuum created by the absence of its chief executive, it was claimed today.

The chairman of taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group said today he was “very confident” that its chief executive would be “back in harness” before the end of the year after taking unexpected leave of absence because of stress.

Banks helped lift London's leading index sharply higher today after Lloyds Banking Group boss Antonio Horta-Osorio received backing for his plans to overhaul the taxpayer-controlled bank.

Lloyds Banking Group delivered another blow to staff today as it unveiled plans to slash a further 15,000 jobs by 2014 in a bid to save £1.5bn (€1.66bn) a year.

Lloyds Banking Group is expected to signal thousands more job cuts tomorrow as part of a drive to save an extra £1bn (€1.1bn) a year in costs.

Lloyds Banking Group will signal thousands more job cuts this week as part of a drive to save an extra £1bn a year in costs.

Taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group is expected to face tough questions at its annual meeting tomorrow over a multi-million-pound pay deal for its new chief executive.

Taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group today announced it was putting on hold further UK branch closures until the end of 2011 as its new boss Antonio Horta-Osorio completes a strategy overhaul.

The London market fluctuated today ahead of a decision by the US Federal Reserve on how they intend to stimulate economic recovery.

Investors cheered news today of Lloyds Banking Group’s success in securing Santander UK boss Antonio Horta-Osorio as its new chief executive.

Lloyds Banking Group named Santander’s UK boss, Antonio Horta-Osorio, as successor to outgoing chief executive Eric Daniels today.

Abbey National set its sights on more of its rivals’ business today after achieving the latest stage in its three-year turnaround plan.