The public’s portfolio
What the taxpayer owns
Northern Rock – 100% state owned
Bradford & Bingley – mortgage book worth £50 billion
Royal Bank of Scotland – 75% of voting shares
Lloyds Banking Group (including HBOS)– up to 77% of voting shares
HSBC, Barclays, Abbey National and Nationwide are the main high street institutions still in private hands
How yesterday’s Lloyds deal hands us the keys to British business
Both Lloyds and HBOS have been very acquisitive in private equity investment over the past decade, entering into partnerships which mean they part-own – or rather, we do – a string of household names.
They include: House of Fraser, department stores McCarthy & Stone, housebuilder HSS Hire, tool hire chain Vue, cinema chain Crest Nicholson, housebuilder Alternative Hotel Group MacDonald Hotels David Lloyd Leisure, fitness clubs American Golf, sports goods St Tropez, beauty products Robinia, specialist care homes Leasedrive Velo, car fleet hire Kidsunlimited, day nurseries British Salt, salt products producer Snell & Wilcox, broadcasting technology GVA Grimley, property consultant