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Lloyds shares drop on muted third quarter results as higher taxes loom

By Thomson Reuters Oct 29, 2026 | 2:26 AM

LONDON, Oct 29 (Reuters) – Britain’s Lloyds Banking Group reported profit before tax for the July-September period of £2.3 billion ($3.1 billion), in line ​with analysts’ forecasts, up from £1 billion ‌a year ago when it took £875 million in remediation charges.

Lloyds shares fell 6% in early trading after the results, on investor disappointment at a lack of ‌upgraded ​performance targets, in a similar ⁠pattern to HSBC’s results ⁠earlier in the week.

• The share reaction and muted outlook showed signs British banks face tougher times ahead after a run of ​recent record profits, with Lloyds saying competition in the deposit market in particular is ⁠starting to squeeze margins

• ⁠CFO William Chalmers said “we are seeing ​a tighter and more competitive deposit market,” citing competition ​from non-UK banks, albeit Q3 deposits remained “broadly ‌stable”

• Q3 net interest income up 10%, despite that margin compression in deposit market, thanks to hedging actions and growth in lending volumes

• ⁠Third quarter profit doubles year-on-year as bank avoids remediation costs linked to motor finance scandal that marred ⁠Q3, 2025

• ‌Results come a day after finance ⁠minister John Healey announced higher taxes ​on the ‌sector in his first budget

• ​Banks face ⁠doubling of profit surcharge from 3% to 6%, but only for 15 months, an overall smaller and shorter-duration hike than many lenders had feared

($1 = 0.7500 pounds)

(Reporting by Lawrence White; Editing by Tommy ​Reggiori Wilkes)