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Lloyds stake sale raises £4.2bn Lloyds stake sale raises £4.2bn
(35 minutes later)
The government says it has raised £4.2bn through the sale of a 7.8% stake in Lloyds Banking Group.The government says it has raised £4.2bn through the sale of a 7.8% stake in Lloyds Banking Group.
UK Financial Investments, the body that manages the UK's stakes in Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, sold 5.6 billion shares at 75.5p each.UK Financial Investments, the body that manages the UK's stakes in Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, sold 5.6 billion shares at 75.5p each.
The sale cuts the government's holding in the bank to 24.9%, down from 39% in September when it began to sell shares.The sale cuts the government's holding in the bank to 24.9%, down from 39% in September when it began to sell shares.
The chancellor said the sale was "good value" for the taxpayer, and the money would be used to cut the national debt.The chancellor said the sale was "good value" for the taxpayer, and the money would be used to cut the national debt.
The shares were sold to other banks and institutions. "It is another step in repairing the banks, in reducing our national debt and in getting the taxpayer's money back," George Osborne said.
The sale price of 75.5p a share is above the average 73.6p a share the government paid to rescue the bank in the autumn of 2008.
But it is only 0.5p a share more than the price achieved in September last year when a 6% stake was sold, raising £3.2bn for the Treasury.
Last month, Lloyds reported profits of £415m for 2013 against losses of £606m the year before - its first bottom-line profit since 2010.
The government originally spent about £66bn in bailing out Lloyds and RBS in the 2008 financial crisis.The government originally spent about £66bn in bailing out Lloyds and RBS in the 2008 financial crisis.
In September last year, a 6% stake in Lloyds was sold, raising £3.2bn.
UKFI is expected to try to sell off all the remaining shares it holds in Lloyds before the general election in 2015.UKFI is expected to try to sell off all the remaining shares it holds in Lloyds before the general election in 2015.