B&B profits drop 50% in 2007

The bank’s annual reports reveal profits fell to £126m, down from £246.7m in 2006. Its share price tumbled by 10.5% to 217.75p following the announcement. The profit loss was mainly due to significant writedowns of assets, particularly those securities tied to US mortgages, and echoes problems seen by other banks around the world. However, the bank was positive about its underlying business prospects, which it says have suffered a setback due to the challenging business environment. Steven Crawshaw, group chief executive, says: “These results demonstrate the strength of our underlying...