The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (RBS Group) was first formed through The Royal Bank of Scotland’s acquisition of the National Westminster Bank (NatWest) in February 2000. As of July 2009 and as a result of the ‘credit crisis’ following the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market on America, 70.33% of the company is owned by HM Treasury through the Treasury’s bank shareholding management company UK Financial Investments Limited. The bank offers business and personal banking, insurance, corporate finance and private banking and although based in Edinburgh, the bank operates worldwide. Subsidiaries of the Group include RBS, National Westminster Bank, Ulster Bank, Drummonds & Coutts Co. and Citizens Financial Group (USA), and it owns insurance companies Privilege, Direct Line Insurance, NIG and Churchill Insurance.
Ben & Jerry's makes very nice ice-cream but, given it has been owned by Unilever for 11 years now, is it in the best position to take an anti-corporate stance? ... more
As if the mood weren't downbeat enough after the Bank of England Governor's observation that the present economic downturn could be the worst ever, ratings agency Moody's has downgraded no fewer than 12 UK banks... more
Britain's financial system hit by a shock credit rating downgrade of 12 major banks and building societies - raising new fears about the stability of banks... more
Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC routinely breached their own mortgage-lending rules and bullied surveyors into wildly inflating valuations of American properties in the run up to the credit crunch, it has been claimed... more
One day, perhaps soon than we think, owning billions of pounds' worth of shares in Royal Bank of Scotland may not seem like the questionable investment it does at the moment... more
A union has pressed Royal Bank of Scotland to explain its use of contractors after a recruitment agency mistakenly emailed the details of hefty pay packets for thousands of temporary staff... more
The second-quarter earnings of Royal Bank of Scotland's global banking and markets business will reflect the weakness in fixed-income markets due to debt woes in the eurozone, a top executive at the bank has said... more
It is a couple of years now since some £280 billion of toxic loans were funnelled out of Royal Bank of Scotland and parked where they could be managed separately. In the two years since, well over £100 billion has been got rid of - in a series of deals with either the original borrowers or outside buyers, which is good progress... more
State-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland says that it has hired two senior investment bankers in China, looking to grab a larger piece of dealmaking in the world's second-largest economy... more
Royal Bank of Scotland has taken control of 42 Marriott hotels across Britain and has appointed Ernst & Young as receivers of the £1 billion portfolio, the Financial Times has reported... more
The senior Royal Bank of Scotland employee who allegedly had an affair with disgraced former chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin took no strategic decisions at the failed bank, according to an internal inquiry... more
A Royal Bank of Scotland employee who had an alleged affair with former chief executive Fred Goodwin was not involved in key decision-making at the bank, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing an internal investigation at RBS... more
Disgraced banker Sir Fred Goodwin took out a super-injunction to hide an alleged relationship with a senior colleague, but the order was lifted by the High Court... more
The Centre for Policy Studies was founded, says its website, "by Sir Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher in 1974 to promote the principles of a free society and has since played a global role in the dissemination of free market economics"... more
Every taxpayer in the UK should be given £1000 worth of shares in Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, declares the Right-wing Centre for Policy Studies... more
The Government did not do enough to punish taxpayer-backed banks when they failed to hit targets for lending to small businesses, according to MPs... more
Royal Bank of Scotland pours more fuel on the fire over bank pay as it reveals that 323 senior bankers picked up an average £1.16 million a year... more
RBS Group has suffered a number of controversial accusations. In 2008, RBS Group was found to have extensive dealings in the arms trade, including with dealers of cluster bombs and depleted uranium munitions. It has also been accused of supporting the military government of Burma, and has been criticized of financing fossil fuel burning companies.
RBS Group is the only bank in the UK that still issues banknotes to the sum of £1, although this only takes place in Northern Ireland and Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland was founded in 1727, and National Westminster Bank can trace its history back to 1650
In 2008, total revenue for the company stood at £49.5billion
Sound check: German industrial metal band Rammstein literally play with fire in their live performances - and now they are about to unleash their singeing spectacle on London. Watch out for your eyebrows
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