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Bank League Tables 2015 - FREE LEAGUE TABLE

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From Axis Bank UK Ltd Annual Report

Bank League Tables 2015

Bank League Tables 2015 are out imminently. Changes include:
FIBI Bank (UK) Plc: Change of name to Tungsten Bank Plc following acquisition by Tungsten Corporation PLC 
New entry: Hampden & Co Plc, a new independent private bank registered in Scotland that aims to open for business in 2015.
Removal: Talos Securities Ltd
Citibank International Plc: Change of name to Citibank International Ltd

The most profitable banks in the UK

The top ten, as measured by return on capital, includes a number of investment and private banks, including HSBC Trust Co (UK) Ltd (1), Cater Allen Ltd (3), Barclays Bank Trust Co Ltd (4), and Lloyds Bank Private Banking Ltd (5). However, right up there with the best of them is Vanquis Bank Ltd, the bank that helps "people repair bad credit," which comes in at number two.

How many UK banks are loss making?

Two years the answer was fifty, now this has fallen to forty.

Haven't made a profit in...

5 years
Diamond Bank (UK) Plc, although the pre-tax loss for 2013 at £1.4million is the least worse of the last five years.
European Islamic Investment Bank Plc.
Islamic Bank of Britain Plc, although the loss for 2013 is the lowest.
Kleinwort Benson Bank Ltd.

P N B (Europe) Plc.
The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc.
Ulster Bank Ltd.

4 years
Harrods Bank Ltd.

Metro Bank Ltd. Losses continue to rise, but at least the rate of increase is continuing to slow.

Northern Bank Ltd.

Standard Bank Plc, although pre-tax loss for 2013 is the lowest.

3 years
Bank of Ceylon (UK) Ltd.

Credit Suisse International. With a pre-tax loss of £59million, 2013 is the least worse of the least three years, although it has only made a profit once in the last five years.

Duncan Lawrie Ltd. It has only made a pre-tax profit once in the past five years.

F C M B (UK) Ltd, which hasn't made a pre-tax profit since inception.

G E Capital Bank Ltd.

Hampshire Trust Plc.

H F C Bank Ltd.
Mizuho International Plc.
National Westminster Bank Plc.

R B C Europe Ltd.

Changes of ownership

The latest edition of Bank League Tables (2014/15) is now out.

There have been two recent changes of ownership:

1. Sainsbury's Bank Plc is now owned 100% by J Sainsbury Plc after it bought Lloyds Banking Group's 50% share.

2. Qatar Islamic Bank now owns 100% of QIB (UK) Plc. Previously it was a majority shareholder.

New banks added

The new banks added for Bank League Tables 2015 are:

• Paragon Bank Plc, and
• UBA Capital (Europe) Ltd

Banc of America Securities Ltd has changed its name to Bank of America Merrill Lynch International Ltd.

FIBI Bank (UK) Plc has changed its name to Tungsten Bank Plc.

Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Ltd has been removed.

Highest Paid Director at TSB Bank Plc

Accounts for 2013 show that the highest paid director at TSB Bank plc received remuneration totalling £505,744 compared to £225,724 for 2012, a 124% increase.

These, are other figures, are taken from Bank League Tables 2014 / 15, out at the end of June.

The worst bank in the UK is...

Of all the UK banks that have made a loss in every one of the last three, four or five years, as below, only one has, over the relevant period, made a worse loss in each successive year. That bank is Metro Bank Plc.

Its pre-tax loss figures for year ends, are:


31st December 2010 (66 weeks):  £23,386,000 loss.
31st December 2011: £33,096,000 loss.
31st December 2012: £45,728,000 loss.

The only other bank to get close to Metro Bank Plc is European Islamic Investment Bank Plc, which has made a loss in each of the past 5 years. However, for the year ending 31st December 2010, the loss of £6.6million was actually an improvement compared to the previous two years although the loss has increased in the two subsequent years.

The worst banks in the UK...

...as measured by pre-tax profits:

Hasn't made a profit in 5 years
Alliance Trust Savings Ltd, although latest figures to 31.12.12 show a marked improvement at just -£397,000.
Bank of Scotland Plc, but continung to get less worse since 2009.
Diamond Bank (UK) Plc, formerly Intercontinental Bank (UK) Plc.
European Islamic Investment Bank Plc.
Europe Arab Bank Plc.
Islamic Bank of Britain Plc.
P N B (Europe) Plc.
The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc.
Ulster Bank Ltd.

4 years
A I B Group (UK) Plc, but getting less worse.
Butterfield Bank (UK) Ltd, although loss for 2012 was just £109,000.
Hampshire Trust Plc.
Harrods Bank Ltd.
Kleinwort Benson Bank Ltd.
Northern Bank Ltd
Shawbrook Bank Ltd.

3 years
D B UK Bank Ltd.
Metro Bank Ltd. And it's getting worse, going from a loss of £23.3million for 2010, to a loss of £33million for 2011, to a loss of £45.7million for 2012.
Mizuho International Plc.
National Westminster Bank Plc.
Standard Bank Plc.

Vanquis Bank Ltd - one of the best performing banks in the UK

It may lend at rates that some might consider usurious, but I don't expect the shareholders are complaining. Vanquis Bank Ltd has, at 9.99%, the highest return on assets percentage of any of the UK banks; when it comes to return on capital, it is second only to Barclays Bank Trust Co.

The biggest banks in the UK

By assets:

1. Barclays Bank Plc
2. The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc
3. Lloyds Banking Group Plc
4. HSBC Bank Plc
5. Bank of Scotland Plc
6. Credit Suisse International
7. Standard Chartered Bank
8. National Westminster Bank Plc
9. Santander UK Plc
10. Abbey National Treasury Services Plc

By capital:

1. The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc
2. Barclays Bank Plc
3. Lloyds Banking Group Plc
4. HSBC Bank Plc
5. Standard Chartered Bank
6. Bank of Scotland Plc
7. National Westminster Bank Plc
8. Credit Suisse International
9. JP Morgan Securities Plc
10. Santander UK Plc

How many UK banks are loss making?

The answer is 44, compared to 50 a year ago.The average loss is around £24 million per bank although this figure is somewhat skewed by Royal Bank of Scotland and its banking subsidiaries. Without Ulster Bank and Nat West's figures, each bank made an average profit of around £15 million.

5 banks consistently profitable over the past 4 years

As noted previously, British Arab Commercial Bank Plc tops the latest Pre-Tax Profit Growth Table due to a leap back to the sort of figure that we would expect (£13,555,000 for 2012) against a relatively low base of £209,000 for 2011. Both Adam & Co Plc and United National Bank Ltd record growth of over 1000% for much the same reason.

It is therefore useful to look again at the average for the last four years.

Although, once again, the growth for British Arab Commercial Bank Plc of 6385% for 2012 compared to 2011 has put it at the top of the 4 year average table, for two of the comparative years there has been a fall in profit.


Union Bank comes in at second place despite a recent fall in profit. FBN Bank (UK) Ltd comes in at third place and Methodist Chapel Aid Ltd comes in fifth.


None of these six banks however has shown an increase in profit each year over the past four years. When we reported six months ago there were only three banks that could be awarded this accolade which suggests strong, steady growth. They were Vanquis Bank Ltd, ABC International Bank Plc and Standard Chartered Bank. To those three we can now add two more: Sainsbury's Bank Plc and Zenith Bank (UK) Ltd, having both turned in impressive profits for 2012.

The number of UK banks continues to rise

For the last 6 months we have seen no banks come off the Bank of England's List of Banks, but we have seen two new ones come on. These are Union Bank of India (UK) Ltd and FCMB (UK) Ltd, a subsidiary of First City Monument Bank Plc of Nigeria. The number of UK banks now stands at 156.

And then the missing £1!

Guaranty Trust Bank (UK) Ltd and the missing £10,000

Only 3 banks consistently profitable over the part 4 years

British Arab Commercial Bank Plc tops the latest Pre-Pax Profit Growth Table due to a leap back to the sort of figure that we would expect (£13,555,000 for 2012) against a relatively low base of £209,000 for 2011. Both Adam & Co Plc and United National Bank Ltd record growth of over 1000% for much the same reason.

It is therefore useful to look at the average for the last four years.

Although, once again, the growth for British Arab Commercial Bank Plc of 6385% for 2012 compared to 2011 has put it at the top of the 4 year average table, for two of the comparative years there has been a fall in profit.

There are only three banks that have shown an increase in profit each year over the past four years. they are
Vanquis Bank Ltd, ABC International Bank Plc and Standard Chartered Bank.

Two banks come, four banks go and three change names

Following the publication of the 2013 / 14 edition of Bank League Tables the following banks have been added:
Itau BBA International Plc
Axis Bank UK Ltd

The following have been removed:
AMC Bank Ltd
Broadcastle Bank Ltd
Canada Square Operations Plc
MBNA Europe Bank Ltd

The following have changed names:
BIRA Finance Ltd to BIRA Bank Ltd
Intercontinental Bank (UK) Plc to Diamond Bank (UK) Plc
Smith & Williamson Investment Management Ltd to Smith & Williamson Investment Services Ltd

For the 2013 / 14 we have 154 banks included.