Metro Bank sells personal loan book to focus on specialist lending

(Alliance News) - Metro Bank Holdings PLC on Wednesday confirmed the sale of its GBP584 million ...

Alliance News 26 February, 2025 | 9:50AM
Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

(Alliance News) - Metro Bank Holdings PLC on Wednesday confirmed the sale of its GBP584 million portfolio of unsecured personal loans, aligning with its strategy to refocus on higher-yielding specialist lending.

The London-based high street lender said the transaction is expected to generate an estimated GBP11 million gain upon completion. It also anticipates an improvement in its common equity tier 1 ratio by approximately 81 basis points and a boost to its total capital plus minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities ratio by around 129 basis points.

Chief Executive Officer Daniel Frumkin said: "The sale of our unsecured personal loan book is in line with our strategy and positions Metro Bank strongly for future growth. Upon completion, the transaction is capital accretive and will allow us to further optimise our balance sheet as we strengthen our position as a specialist lender of choice."

Metro Bank said the deal would create additional lending capacity, enabling it to prioritise commercial, corporate, and small business lending, as well as specialist mortgages. The portfolio, which consists of performing loans with an average remaining term of 2.4 years and a weighted average rate of 5.3%, will be transferred to an undisclosed buyer.

The bank added that the transaction would have a "very limited impact" on its earnings, with its financial guidance remaining unchanged.

The move comes as Metro Bank continues efforts to reshape its operations. In late 2023, it secured a GBP925 million capital raise, which saw Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski Bacal become its majority shareholder. The bank has since taken steps to cut costs, including reducing its workforce by 1,000 jobs and scaling back its seven-day-a-week branch openings.

Metro Bank is set to report 2024 results on Thursday.

Metro Bank shares were up 0.1% at 93.89 pence in London on Wednesday morning.

By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights reserved.

Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Metro Bank Holdings PLC 92.80 GBX -1.90 -

About Author

Alliance News

Alliance News provides Morningstar with continuously updating coverage of news affecting listed companies.

© Copyright 2025 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use        Privacy Policy        Modern Slavery Statement        Cookie Settings        Disclosures