RBS takes Greek hit but overall profits rise to £2bn

The bank said in its latest update that operating profits, excluding any accouting gains from debt value readjustments, came in at just £267m, down from £726m a year ago, and lower than Q2's £818m figure. The bank also reported it had written off Greek debt worth £142m in the three months to end of September. Overall RBS, which is 83%-owned by the UK taxpayer, said it had made a profit of £2bn after a £2.4bn uptick in the value of debt on its own balance sheet. The bank's chief executive Stephen Hester said the group had been "resilient" in Q3, while warning the economic recovery a...