The Big Four banks haul in £44BN PROFIT ...as we pay cost of crisis

Record figures amid mortgage misery and continued closures

- GRAHAM HISCOTT

BRITAIN'S Big Four banks have been blasted for raking in a combined £44billion profit while penalising borrowers and closing hundreds of branches.

Lloyds Banking Group, of which Bank of Scotland is a part, was the last to report its annual results as it yesterday revealed it made a record £7.5billion last year - a more than 50 per cent leap on 2022.

That was despite setting aside £450million for a potential car finance miss-selling scandal.

The news followed bumper results from Barclays, NatWest and HSBC over the past week.

Bosses at the four were also laughing all the way to the bank.

Lloyds' Charlie Nunn netted £3.7million while the head of HSBC, Noel Quinn, saw his pay and perks package double to £10.6million.

Barclays boss CS Venkatakrishnan received £4.6million and Paul Thwaite of NatWest, which includes Royal Bank of Scotland in its group, was handed £2.4million in 2023.