Southsea Mortgage & Investment Company Ltd

So there you have it. Big banks = Bailed out. Small banks = Not bailed out.

"Southsea" was the smallest capitalised bank of all the UK incorporated banks at just £2.5 million as at 31st March 2009. However its capital / assets ratio (22.10%) put it in the top 40 of the UK's 154 banks, likewise its gearing (3.52:1).

What are the lessons for the future? If you have more than £85,000 on deposit, split it up between the 154 banks. And if you have more than £13 million (154 x £85,000)? Buy some gold.

Bank League Tables 2011 / 12 will be out at the end of the month.

The Loss-Making Banks: Who are They?

There are some big banks in the UK...some very big banks. The ten largest banks have over £7 trillion in assets. Compare this to the ten smallest banks - they have around £263 million in assets. Three of the ten largest banks are loss-making and...three of the ten smallest banks are loss-making. The financial problems of the UK banks have affected banks of all sizes, although most banks are still profitable. The smallest (loss-making) bank is Southsea Mortgage and Investment Co Ltd although, measured by Return on Assets, its loss is not too bad with a negative Return of 0.10%. Compare this to Liverpool Victoria Banking Servicers Ltd with a negative Return of 28.30% and a loss that puts it in the top 15 of loss-making banks.