Lloyds Banking Group expects to pick a buyer for the 600 branches it has up for sale by the end of the year, it said today, despite the threat it may be ordered to sell more later this year.
"We are contacting potential buyers," new chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio told the bank's annual general meeting.
Chairman Win Bischoff said the sale of the 600 branches demanded by European regulators was progressing, even though the UK government's Independent Commission on Banking suggested in its interim report last month that Lloyds might have to sell hundreds more branches to boost competition.
Lloyds has said the recommendation could delay or complicate its sale programme, although the commission is not due to make its final recommendations until September.
The sale of the 600 branches, dubbed "Project Verde", could interest Virgin Money, retailer Tesco's finance arm; new bank venture NBNK; and overseas lenders such as National Australia Bank, analysts say.
"The bank is proceeding with Project Verde with full speed and we hope to identify a potential purchaser by the end of 2011," Mr Bischoff said.
Mr Bischoff was speaking at the start of the annual meeting, where he and the other directors faced a grilling on the bank's huge bill for mis-selling debt repayment insurance policies, as well as executive pay.
Lloyds, 41 per cent state-owned, took a shock £3.2 billion charge earlier this month to cover compensation for people mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) products.
Taking the charge was "sensible, prudent and the right thing to do" and was in the best interests of the long-term stability of the company, Mr Bischoff said.
Reuters