Standard Life allays sell-off fears - papers 13 June

The Edinburgh-based firm ended eight decades of mutual status when it listed last year, and will hand out a 10 per cent bonus next month to retail investors who have held their shares for a year. Trevor Matthews, chief executive of Standard Life Assurance, the group's core life and pensions business, yesterday said: "Some people will sell, but we don't expect a massive flood of shares. In line with other demutualisations, the actual outflow won't be dramatic. "We still have about 65 per cent of the register in retail hands, so access to stock is an issue for some institutions." HBOS IS ...