Picture of Metro Bank Holdings logo

MTRO Metro Bank Holdings News Story

0.000.00%
gb flag iconLast trade - 00:00
FinancialsSpeculativeMid CapTurnaround

REG-Metro Bank Holdings PLC Metro Bank Holdings PLC: Results for year ended 31 December 2024

============

Metro Bank Holdings PLC (MTRO)
Metro Bank Holdings PLC: Results for year ended 31 December 2024

27-Feb-2025 / 07:00 GMT/BST

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

                                                                                           Metro Bank Holdings PLC

                                                                                                 Full year results

                                                                                               Trading update 2024

                                                                                                  27 February 2025

                                                                                                                  

                                      Metro Bank Holdings PLC (LSE: MTRO LN)

                                     Results for year ended 31 December 2024

 

Highlights

  • 2024 statutory profit after tax of £42.5 million, post recognition of the deferred tax asset

 

  • Underlying profit of £12.8 million in H2 2024, in  excess of guidance of returning to profitability during  Q4
    2024

 

  • Net Interest Margin at  year end of 2.65%,  ahead of guidance of  2.50% and up 113bps  from nadir of 1.52%  in
    February 2024

 

  • Cost of deposits at year end of 1.40%, down from a peak of 2.29% in February 2024

 

  • Corporate and Commercial new loan originations grew by 71% during 2024 and by 40% from H1 2024 to H2 2024

 

  • Credit approved pipeline for corporate/commercial/SME already at >50% of total 2024 lending

 

  • Continued balance sheet optimisation  through the sale  of £2.5 billion prime  residential mortgages and  £584
    million of unsecured personal loans

 

  • Transformational year in 2024 has  created strong momentum; reiterating existing  guidance for 2025, 2026  and
    2027

 

Daniel Frumkin, Chief Executive Officer at Metro Bank, said:

"It has been a transformational year for Metro Bank  as we made substantial progress against our strategy,  ending
the period ahead of guidance, profitable, and with strong momentum going forward.”

“We have successfully continued our pivot towards higher margin business in the form of corporate, commercial  and
SME lending and specialist mortgages, while also taking  significant steps to reduce our costs and optimising  our
funding model. We have simplified and strengthened our balance sheet, and as a result, end the year with a  robust
capital position.”

“Our network of  stores helps  us grow our  target markets,  with our specialist  relationship banking  colleagues
driving positive outcomes for customers and communities across the UK. We are delivering on our strategy.  Looking
forward, we are confident that Metro  Bank has a strong and compelling  plan, differentiated model and clear  path
forward to further growth.”

 

 

 

Key Financials

                            31 Dec  31 Dec  Change from 30 Jun  Change from

£ in millions                2024    2023     FY 2023    2024     H1 2024
                                                                 
Assets                      £17,582 £22,245    (21%)    £21,489    (18%)
Loans                       £9,013  £12,297    (27%)    £11,543    (22%)
Deposits                    £14,458 £15,623    (7%)     £15,726    (8%)
Loan to deposit ratio         62%     79%     (17pp)      73%     (11pp)
                                                                      
CET1 capital ratio1          12.5%   13.1%    (56bps)    12.9%    (36bps)
Total capital ratio (TCR) 1  14.9%   15.1%    (24bps)    15.0%    (14bps)
MREL ratio1                  23.0%   22.0%    100bps     22.2%     75bps
Liquidity coverage ratio     337%    332%       5pp      365%     (28pp)

 

                                        FY      FY    Change from    H2      H1    Change from

£ in millions                          2024    2023     FY 2024     2024    2024     H1 2024
                                                                                    
Total underlying revenue2             £503.5  £546.5     (8%)      £269.5  £234.0      15%
Underlying profit/(loss) before tax3 (£14.0)  (£16.9)     17%      £12.8   (£26.8)    148%
Statutory profit/(loss) before tax   (£212.2)  £30.5    (795%)    (£178.6) (£33.5)   (433%)
Statutory profit/(loss) after tax     £42.5    £29.5      44%      £75.6   (£33.1)    328%
Net interest margin                   1.91%    1.98%    (7bps)     2.22%    1.64%     58bps
Lending yield                         5.33%    4.72%     61bps     5.48%    5.18%     30bps
Cost of deposits                      1.95%    0.97%     98bps     1.72%    2.18%    (46bps)
Cost of risk                          0.06%    0.26%    (20bps)    0.01%    0.10%    (10bps)
Underlying EPS                        (2.1p)  (8.4p)      75%       1.9p   (3.9p)     139%
Book value per share                  £1.76    £1.70      4%       £1.76    £1.64      7%
Tangible book value per share         £1.21    £1.40     (13)%     £1.21    £1.37     (12)%

 

 

 1. Excluding recently  announced  unsecured  personal loans  portfolio  sale.  Pro forma  on  completion  of  the
    performing unsecured personal loans portfolio sale in late Q1  2025 is estimated to result in a total  capital
    plus MREL ratio of 24.5% and CET1 ratio of 13.4%
 2. Underlying revenue excludes grant income recognised relating to the Capability & Innovation fund
 3. Underlying loss before  tax is an  alternative performance measure  and excludes impairment  and write-off  of
    property, plant  & equipment  (PPE) and  intangible  assets, transformation  costs, remediation  costs,  costs
    incurred as part of the holding company insertion and costs of the capital raise and refinancing in H2 2023

 

Investor presentation

A presentation for investors and analysts will be held at 9AM (UK time) on 27 February 2025. The presentation will
be webcast on:

 1 https://webcast.openbriefing.com/metrobank-fy24/ 

For those wishing to dial-in:

From the UK dial: +44 800 358 1035

From the US dial: +1 855 979 6654

Access code: 126674

Other global dial-in numbers:  2 https://www.netroadshow.com/events/global-numbers?confId=67110

Financial performance for the year ended 31 December 2024

Deposits

                                       31 Dec         31 Dec        Change from       30 Jun        Change from
£ in millions
                                        2024           2023           FY 2023          2024           H1 2024
                                                                                                          
Demand: current accounts               £5,791         £5,696            2%            £5,662            2%
Demand: savings accounts               £7,534         £7,827           (4%)           £8,108           (7%)
Fixed term: savings accounts           £1,133         £2,100           (46%)          £1,956           (42%)
Deposits from customers               £14,458        £15,623           (7%)           £15,726          (8%)
                                                                                                          
Deposits from customers includes:                                                                         
Retail customers (excluding retail     £5,968         £7,235           (18%)          £7,170           (17%)
partnerships)
SMEs4                                  £4,442         £3,782            17%           £4,224            5%
                                      £10,410        £11,017           (6%)           £11,394          (9%)
Retail partnerships                    £1,785         £1,708            5%            £1,734            3%
Commercial customers (excluding        £2,263         £2,898           (22%)          £2,598           (13%)
SMEs4)
                                       £4,048         £4,606           (11%)          £4,332           (6%)
 

 

 4. SME defined as enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding
    €50 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total  not exceeding €43 million and have aggregate deposits  less
    than €1 million.

 
  • Customer deposits reduced by 7% at 31 December 2024 to £14.5 billion, down £2.0 billion on February 2024  peak
    of £16.5 billion (31 December 2023: £15.6 billion) reflecting the deliberate focus to reduce excess  liquidity
    and cost of deposits. The core customer deposit base continues to be predominantly Retail and SME. Higher cost
    fixed-term deposits have reduced by 46% year-on-year as deposits from the successful Q4 2023 deposit  campaign
    have started to mature and are being allowed to attrite.
  • Cost of deposits for the year ended December 2024 was 1.95% (31 December 2023: 0.97%), with downward  momentum
    and an exit cost of deposits at the end of the  year of 1.40%, down 0.89% from a February 2024 peak of  2.29%.
     Half-on-half cost of deposits reduced by 0.46%, from 2.18% to 1.72%.
  • Stores  remain  a  key  element  to  the  Group’s  service  offering  and  strategy  as  an  enabler  of   our
    relationship-based approach. Metro Bank will open  two new stores in Q2 2025  in Chester and Gateshead with  a
    store in Salford set to open in late 2025, with all locations selected to not only support local consumers but
    to also support our growing corporate, commercial and SME banking offer. 

 

 

Loans

                                         31 Dec       31 Dec        Change from       30 Jun        Change from
£ in millions
                                          2024         2023           FY 2023          2024           H1 2024
                                                                                                                  
Gross loans and advances to customers    £9,204       £12,496          (26%)          £11,739          (22%)
Less: allowance for impairment           (£191)       (£199)           (4%)           (£196)           (3%)
Net loans and advances to customers      £9,013       £12,297          (27%)          £11,543          (22%)
                                                                                                          
Gross loans and advances to customers                                                                     
consists of:
Retail mortgages                         £5,145       £7,818           (34%)          £7,512           (32%)
Commercial lending5                      £2,661       £2,443            9%            £2,437            9%
Consumer lending                          £745        £1,297           (43%)          £1,003           (26%)
Government-backed lending6                £653         £938            (30%)           £787            (17%)
 

 

 5. Includes CLBILS.
 6. BBLS, CBILS and RLS.

 
 

  • Total net loans at 31 December 2024 were £9.0 billion, down 27% from 31 December 2023, primarily driven by the
    £2.5 billion sale of a prime residential mortgage portfolio  in H2 2024. Post period-end, Metro Bank has  also
    announced the sale  of a  £584 million performing  unsecured personal  loans portfolio. The  remainder of  the
    consumer and government-backed lending portfolios  are in run-off. Loan to  deposit ratio at 31 December  2024
    was 62% (31 December 2023: 79%), providing opportunities to further optimise funding costs.

 

  • Retail mortgages decreased 34%  year-on-year to £5.1  billion (31 December 2023:  £7.8 billion) following  the
    £2.5 billion mortgage loan, but  remain the largest component  of the lending book  at 56% (31 December  2023:
    63%). The Debt to Value (DTV) of the portfolio at 31 December 2024 was 59% (31 December 2023: 58%). The  pivot
    towards specialist mortgages continues, following recent  investment to re-platform the mortgage business  and
    enhance the product  offering. Metro Bank’s  operating model is  tailored to more  complex underwriting  which
    enables the Group to meet the needs of  more customers and scale underserved markets whilst offering  improved
    risk-adjusted returns.
  • Commercial loans (excluding BBLS, CBILS  and RLS) increased by  9% at 31 December  2024 to £2,661 million  (31
    December 2023: £2,443 million) in line with the Group’s strategy. Growth in new corporate, commercial and  SME
    lending was offset by continued attrition of  commercial real estate and portfolio buy-to-let portfolios.  The
    DTV of the portfolio  at 31 December 2024  was 56% (31 December  2023: 55%) and the  portfolio has a  coverage
    ratio of  1.98% (31  December 2023:  2.13%). Metro  Bank is  committed to  supporting local  businesses as  we
    continue to pivot towards corporate, commercial and SME lending.

 

  • Year-on-year gross new Corporate and Commercial lending grew by  71% from £0.7 billion at 31 December 2023  to
    £1.2 billion at 31 December  2024, demonstrating that our strategic  shift into corporate, commercial and  SME
    lending is being delivered at pace.
  • Cost of risk decreased  to 0.06% at 31  December 2024 (31  December 2023: 0.26%). The  overall impact of  risk
    profile, credit performance and macroeconomic outlook  has resulted in a lower cost  of risk in the year.  The
    credit quality of new lending  continues to be strong through  the current macro-economic environment and  the
    Group retains its prudent approach to provisioning.

 

  • Overall arrears levels have increased  to 5.6% at 31  December 2024 (31 December  2023: 3.8%). There has  been
    some observed crystallisation of  the prior economic  deterioration on customer  positions; however, this  was
    less than previously forecasted. The main driver for the increased arrears rate is the sale of retail mortgage
    assets and the run-off of the unsecured personal loans portfolio.

 

  • Non-performing loans increased to 5.48% (31 December 2023: 3.11%)  as a result of the mortgage asset sale  (in
    which accounts in arrears were excluded), the maturity profile of the unsecured personal loans portfolio  that
    is in run-off, new mortgage defaults primarily due to  accounts moving into 90+ day arrears, and large  single
    name individually impaired  Commercial cases,  partially offset  by BBLS  claims. Excluding  government-backed
    lending, non-performing loans were 4.78% at 31 December 2024 (31 December 2023: 2.58%).

 

  • The loan portfolio remains highly collateralised and  prudently provisioned. The ECL provision at 31  December
    2024 was £191 million with a coverage ratio of 2.07%, compared to £199 million with a coverage ratio of  1.59%
    at 31 December  2023. The level  of post-model  overlays currently sits  at 9.8%  of the ECL  stock, or  £18.8
    million. This has reduced since 31 December 2023 (11.8% of ECL stock, or £23.4 million).

Profit and Loss Account

  • Returned to profitability, with underlying  profit before tax in  H2 2024 of £12.8  million (H1 2024: loss  of
    £26.8 million), primarily  driven by improvements  in net interest  income. Underlying loss  before tax at  31
    December 2024 was £14.0 million (31 December 2023: £16.9 million).

 

  • Net interest margin for the  year ended December 2024  was 1.91% (31 December 2023:  1.98%), with an exit  net
    interest margin of  2.65%,  ahead of  guidance of 2.50%  and up 1.13%  from nadir of  1.52% in February  2024,
    reflecting lower cost of deposits and increased asset yields.
  • Underlying net interest income decreased by 8% YoY to £377.9 million (31 December 2023: £411.9 million) driven
    by increased cost of  deposits in H1  2024. Half-on-half underlying  net interest income  increased by 20%  to
    £206.0 million (H1 2024: £171.9m),  reflecting the continued transition towards  higher yielding assets and  a
    reduction in cost of deposits.
  • Underlying net fee  and other  income decreased  YoY to  £125.6 million  (31 December  2023: £134.6  million),
    primarily reflecting increased competition within FX markets.
  • Underlying costs reduced 4%, or £19.8 million year-on-year, to £510.4 million (31 December 2023: £530.2
    million). Annualised run-rate cost savings of £80 million were successfully delivered in 2024, helping to
    offset inflationary pressures and allowing capacity for investment necessary to support the Group’s future
    growth plans.
  • Statutory loss before tax of £212.1 million for the  year ended 31 December 2024 (31 December 2023: profit  of
    £30.5 million) was primarily driven by  £101.6 million loss on the  mortgage sale, £44.0 million write-off  of
    intangible assets, £31.1 million in transformation costs and £21.3 million of remediation costs that  included
    the £16.7 million FCA fine.

 

  • Statutory profit after tax  of £42.5 million at  31 December 2024 (31  December 2023: £29.5 million)  reflects
    recognition of £254.6 million deferred tax asset in anticipation of future profitability.

Capital, Funding and Liquidity

 

                               Position                         Position        Minimum            Minimum
                                               Pro-forma
                              31 December                      31 December    requirement        requirement
                                          Including asset sale
                                 2024                             2023     including buffers7 excluding buffers
  Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1)    12.5%           13.4%            13.1%           9.2%              4.7%
  Tier 1                         12.5%           13.4%            13.1%          10.8%              6.3%
  Total Capital                  14.9%           15.9%            15.1%          12.9%              8.4%
  Total Capital + MREL           23.0%           24.5%            22.0%          21.2%              16.7%

 7. CRD IV buffers

 
  • Total RWAs at 31 December 2024 were £6.4 billion  (31 December 2023: £7.5 billion). The movement reflects  the
    £2.5 billion sale of the prime residential mortgage portfolio and actions taken to optimise the balance sheet.
    RWA density was 36% compared to 30% at 31 December 2023 reflecting the pivot to corporate, commercial and  SME
    lending.
  • Metro Bank’s MREL ratio was 23.0% as at 31 December 2024, up 100bps year-on-year from 22.0% as at 31  December
    2023 (30 June 2024:  22.2%), reflecting ongoing  focus on capital  management whilst optimising  risk-adjusted
    returns on regulatory capital.

 

  • Upon completion, the £584 million unsecured personal loans  asset sale post-period is expected to result in  a
    pro forma improvement in total capital plus MREL of c152 bps to 24.5% and CET1 of c92 bps to 13.4%.

 

  • The bank continues to  consider opportunities to optimise  the capital structure to  drive growth momentum  in
    delivering strategy.
  • Strong liquidity and funding  position maintained. All  customer loans are fully  funded by customer  deposits
    with a loan-to-deposit ratio of 62% compared to 79% at the end of 2023. This provides further opportunities to
    optimise funding costs.

 

  • Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) was 337%  compared to 332% as at 31  December 2023, with cash balances of  £2.8
    billion.

 

  • Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) has increased to 169% compared  to 145% as at 31 December 2023, driven by  the
    reduction in loan advances, primarily from the £2.5  billion mortgage portfolio sale, offset by the  repayment
    of TFSME with sale proceeds.

 

  • The Treasury portfolio of £7.3 billion includes £4.5 billion of investment securities, of which 78% are  rated
    AAA and 22% are rated AA. Of the total investment securities, 92% is held at amortised cost and 8% is held  at
    fair value through other comprehensive income.

 

  • Over the next 3 years more than £2.0 billion of  fixed rate treasury assets will mature at an average  blended
    yield of just over 1%, these will be replaced by asset with yields in line with or greater than the prevailing
    base rate.

 

  • UK leverage ratio was 5.6% as at 31 December 2024 (31 December 2023: 5.3%).

Strong guidance reconfirmed.

                                                                                  
ROTE    • Mid-to-upper single digit in 2025, double digit in 2026 and mid-to-upper teens thereafter
NIM     • Continued NIM expansion driven by  asset rotation, and exit  NIMs in 2025, 2026  and 2027 to be  between
          3.00%-3.25%, 3.60%-4.00% and 4.00%-4.50%, respectively
Costs   • Year-on-year 4-5% reduction in cost for 2025
        • Cost to income ratios in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to be between 75%-70%, 65%-60% and 55%-50% respectively
                                                                                  

 

 

Metro Bank Holdings PLC

Summary Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Account

(Unaudited)

                                 YoY      31 Dec    30 Jun    31 Dec
Balance Sheet                           
                                change     2024      2024      2023
                                         £'million £'million £'million
Assets                                                                
Loans and advances to customers (27%)     £9,013    £11,543   £12,297
Treasury assets8                          £7,301    £8,819    £8,770
Other assets9                             £1,268    £1,127    £1,178
Total assets                    (21%)     £17,582   £21,489   £22,245
                                                                  
Liabilities                                                       
Deposits from customers          (7%)     £14,458   £15,726   £15,623
Deposits from central banks                £400     £3,050    £3,050
Debt securities                            £675      £675      £694
Other liabilities                          £866      £934     £1,744
Total liabilities               (22%)     £16,399   £20,385   £21,111
Total shareholder's equity                £1,183    £1,104    £1,134
Total equity and liabilities              £17,582   £21,489   £22,245

 

 

 8. Comprises investment securities and cash & balances with the Bank of England.
 9. Comprises property, plant & equipment, intangible assets and other assets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                              YoY              
                                                                                     31 Dec    31 Dec
                                                                             change
Profit & Loss Account                                                                 2024      2023
                                                                                    £'million £'million
                                                                                                       
Underlying net interest income                                                (8%)   £377.9    £411.9
Underlying net fee and other income                                           (5%)   £125.4    £131.9
Underlying net gains on sale of assets                                                £0.2      £2.7
Total underlying revenue                                                      (8%)   £503.5    £546.5
                                                                                                   
Underlying operating costs                                                    (4%)  (£510.4)  (£530.2)
Expected credit loss expense                                                  79%    (£7.1)    (£33.2)
                                                                                                   
Underlying profit/(loss) before tax                                           17%    (£14.0)   (£16.9)
                                                                                                   
Impairment and write-off of property plant & equipment and intangible assets         (£44.0)   (£4.6)
Transformation costs                                                                 (£31.1)   (£20.2)
Remediation costs                                                                    (£21.3)
                                                                                                  -
Mortgage sale                                                                       (£101.6)
Capital raise and refinancing                                                        (£0.1)     £74.0
Holding company insertion                                                               -      (£1.8)
Statutory profit/(loss) before tax                                                  (£212.1)    £30.5
                                                                                                   
Statutory taxation                                                                   £254.6    (£1.0)
                                                                                                   
Statutory profit/(loss) after tax                                                     £42.5     £29.5
                                                                                               
                                                                                    31 Dec     31 Dec
Key metrics
                                                                                     2024       2023
                                                                                                   
Underlying earnings per share – basic                                               (2.1p)     (8.4p)
Number of shares                                                                    672.7m     672.7m
Net interest margin (NIM)                                                            1.91%      1.98%
Lending yield                                                                        5.33%      4.72%
Cost of deposits                                                                     1.95%      0.97%
Cost of risk                                                                         0.06%      0.26%
Arrears rate                                                                         5.6%       3.8%
Underlying cost: income ratio                                                        101%        97%
Book value per share                                                                 £1.76      £1.69
Tangible book value per share                                                        £1.21      £1.40
 

 

 

 

 
                                                                                                   
 

 

 

 

 
                                                                                               

 

                                                                                           Half year ended
                                                                              HoH    31 Dec    30 Jun    31 Dec
Profit & Loss Account
                                                                             change   2024      2024      2023
                                                                                    £'million £'million £'million
                                                                                                                 
Underlying net interest income                                                20%    £206.0    £171.9    £190.4
Underlying net fee and other income                                            2%     £63.4     £62.0     £68.6
Underlying net gains on sale of assets                                                £0.1      £0.1      £1.9
Total underlying revenue                                                      15%    £269.5    £234.0    £260.9
                                                                                                             
Underlying operating costs                                                     0%   (£255.8)  (£254.6)  (£272.0)
Expected credit loss expense                                                         (£0.9)    (£6.2)    (£21.9)
                                                                                                             
Underlying profit/(loss) before tax                                           148%    £12.8    (£26.8)   (£33.0)
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
Impairment and write-off of property plant & equipment and intangible assets    
                                                                                     (£43.7)   (£0.3)    (£4.6)
Transformation costs                                                                 (£26.6)   (£4.5)    (£20.2)
Remediation costs                                                                    (£19.5)   (£1.8)    (£0.8)
Mortgage sale                                                                       (£101.6)      -         -
Capital raise and refinancing                                                           -      (£0.1)     £74.0
Holding company insertion                                                               -         -      (£0.3)
Statutory profit/(loss) before tax                                                  (£178.6)   (£33.5)    £15.1
                                                                                                             
Statutory taxation                                                                   £254.2     £0.4      £1.7
                                                                                                             
Statutory profit/(loss) after tax                                                     £75.6    (£33.1)    £16.8

 

 

 

                                                 Half year ended
                                            31 Dec  30 Jun  31 Dec
Key metrics                                                          
                                             2024    2024    2023
                                                                 
Underlying earnings per share – basic        1.9p   (3.9p)  (12.2p)  
Number of shares                            672.7m  672.7m  672.7m   
Net interest margin (NIM)                    2.22%   1.64%   1.85%   
Lending yield                                5.48%   5.18%   4.91%   
Cost of deposits                             1.72%   2.18%   1.29%   
Cost of risk                                 0.01%   0.10%   0.34%   
Arrears rate                                 5.6%    3.8%    3.8%    
Underlying cost:income ratio                  95%    109%    104%    
Book value per share                         £1.76   £1.64   £1.70   
Tangible book value per share                £1.21   £1.37   £1.40   
Risk weighted assets (RWAs)                 £6,442m £7,239m £7,533m  
Risk weight density (RWAs / total assets)    36.6%   35.9%   33.9%   
                                                                     

 

 

 

Enquiries

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Metro Bank PLC Investor Relations

Stella Gavaletakis

+44 (0) 20 3402 8900

 3 IR@metrobank.plc.uk

 

Metro Bank PLC Media Relations

Victoria Gregory

+44 (0) 7773 244608

 4 pressoffice@metrobank.plc.uk

 

FGS Global

Chris Sibbald

+44 7855 955 531

 5 Metrobank-lon@fgsglobal.com

                                                       ENDS

 

About Metro Bank

Metro Bank is celebrated for its  exceptional customer experience. It holds the  number two spot for personal  and
business service instore in the Competition and Markets Authority’s Service Quality Survey in February 2025.

Since 2012, Metro Bank has originated and approved just over £10bn in commercial lending.

The community bank offers retail, business, commercial and  private banking services, and prides itself on  giving
customers the  choice to  bank  however, whenever  and wherever  they  choose, and  supporting the  customers  and
communities it serves. Whether that’s through its network of 76 stores; on the phone through its UK-based  contact
centres; or online  through its  internet banking  or award-winning  mobile app,  the bank  offers customers  real
choice.

Metro Bank is a multi-award-winning organisation.  The Bank has also been awarded “Large Loans Mortgage Lender  of
the Year”, 2024 and 2023 Mortgage Awards, accredited as a top ten Most Loved Workplace 2023, “2023 Best Lender  of
the Year – UK” in  the M&A Today, Global  Awards, the “Inclusive Culture Initiative  Award” in the 2023  Inclusive
Awards, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award” and “Leader of the Year Award 2023” at the Top 1% Workplace  Awards,
“Best Women Mortgage  Leaders in  the UK”  from Elite  Women 2023, “Diversity  Lead of  the Year”,  2023 Women  in
Finance, Best Large Loan Lender, 2023 Mortgage Strategy Awards,, “Best Business Credit Card”, Forbes Advisor  Best
of 2023 Awards, “Best Business Credit Card”, 2023 Moneynet Personal Finance Awards.

Metro Bank Holdings  PLC (registered in  England and Wales  with company number  14387040, registered office:  One
Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5HA) is the listed entity and holding company of Metro Bank PLC.

Metro Bank PLC (registered in  England and Wales with company  number 6419578, registered office: One  Southampton
Row, London, WC1B 5HA) is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. ‘Metrobank’ is a registered trademark of Metro Bank PLC.   Eligible
deposits are protected by  the Financial Services  Compensation Scheme. For further  information about the  Scheme
refer to the FSCS website www.fscs.org.uk. All Metro Bank products are subject to status and approval.

Metro Bank is an independent  UK bank – it is  not affiliated with any other  bank or organisation (including  the
METRO newspaper or its publishers) anywhere in the world. Please refer to Metro Bank using the full name.

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                             Metro Bank Holdings PLC

                                             Preliminary Announcement

                                                   (Unaudited)

                                       For the year ended 31 December 2024

 

Chief Executive Officer’s statement

2024 has been a transformational year for Metro Bank.

 

We have made significant progress  in creating a simpler,  more agile Bank and  continued, at pace, the  strategic
shift towards corporate, commercial, and  SME lending, and specialist mortgages  – a compelling opportunity in  an
underserved area of the market.  

 

We have delivered on an ambitious  transformation, delivering £80 million annualised  run rate cost savings in  FY
2024- primarily from reducing on-shore headcount numbers by more than 30% from 4,458 to 2,972. These cost  savings
helped offset headwinds and created capacity for investment to  support future growth. In Q4 2024, we announced  a
new partnership with Infosys, a  world leader in strategic outsourcing,  to enhance digital capabilities,  improve
automation, and embed further AI capabilities.

 

We continued to optimise the  balance sheet, including a  £2.5 billion sale of  prime residential mortgages in  Q3
2024 and a £584 million sale  of unsecured personal loans announced post  year-end. Both transactions are in  line
with Metro  Bank’s strategy  to reposition  its balance  sheet, actively  manage the  asset rotation  and  enhance
risk-adjusted returns on  capital. The transactions  create additional lending  capacity to enable  Metro Bank  to
continue its shift towards higher yielding corporate, commercial, and SME lending, and specialist mortgages.

 

We delivered strong growth momentum supporting our strategy, with corporate, commercial and SME gross new  lending
growing by  71%  year-on-year. Effective  asset  rotation has  also  allowed us  to  actively manage  down  excess
liquidity, particularly expensive fixed-term deposits,  resulting in a significant  reduction in cost of  deposits
throughout the year. Underlying momentum in the franchise remains strong, with 110,000 new personal and 36,000 new
business current accounts opened in the year.

 

Successful operational execution has resulted in Metro  Bank outperforming the 2024 guidance and reconfirming  all
guidance previously provided at half-year results, building to best-in-class performance: 

  • Underlying profit of £13m in H2’24, beating guidance of profitability during the 4th quarter
  • Net interest margin at year-end was 2.65%, beating guidance of 2.50%
  • Cost savings delivered
  • RoTE guidance reconfirmed to mid to upper  single digit in 2025, double digit  in 2026 and mid to upper  teens
    thereafter  
  • Continued NIM expansion driven by asset rotation and cost of deposits, with 2025 exit run-rate expected to  be
    between 3.00%-3.25%, 3.75%-4.00% in 2026 and 4.00-4.50% in 2027, respectively
  • Continued cost discipline and  control, guiding to a  4-5% year-on-year reduction in  costs for 2025. Cost  to
    income ratio improves to be between 75%-70% in 2026, 65%-60% in 2027 and 55%-50% in 2028

Delivery in 2024 provides strong growth momentum and proves Metro Bank’s ability to deliver on an ambitious future
strategy. By 2027, we remain  committed to generating one of  the best returns on tangible  equity of any UK  High
Street bank.              

Progress on Strategic Priorities 

Revenue

We made strong  progress in  the strategic shift  toward corporate,  commercial, and SME  lending, and  specialist
mortgages in the year. Corporate, commercial and SME gross new lending grew by 71% year-on-year, and we ended 2024
with a credit approved pipeline  which was two times larger  than at the start of  2024. 78% of new Corporate  and
Commercial lending was non-broker  led, c.30% of this  came from refinancing existing  customers. On average,  new
originations attracted a margin in excess of 350  bps over base rate, driving year-on-year improvements in  yield.
Progress in specialist  mortgage originations  was strong, with  the launch  of new propositions  helping drive  a
significant increase in spread over  swaps on new mortgage originations.  New lending, together with attrition  of
legacy portfolios at lower yields, has led to a 61 bps year-on-year improvement in overall lending yield.

Following our successful deposit campaign at the end of 2023, we have observed a subsequent decline in balances as
we optimise our deposits and cost of  funding. The cost of deposits at  year-end of 1.40% continues to fall,  down
from a peak of 2.29% in February 2024, as more expensive fixed term deposits are allowed to attrite.

The combined impact of increased lending yields and a lower cost of deposits has resulted in an exit NIM of 2.65%,
ahead of guidance of 2.50%, and up 1.13% from nadir of 1.52% in February 2024.

Cost

Over the past year, we have fundamentally transformed our cost base, reducing operating costs in line with a  bank
of our size and driving towards sustained profitability. We continue to take a disciplined approach to costs, with
underlying costs down YoY by 4%, despite inflationary  pressures. We have delivered £80 million of annualised  run
rate cost savings in FY  2024, after reducing on-shore headcount  numbers by > 30% from  4,458 to 2,972 within  12
months. We fundamentally repositioned our store and call centre propositions in line with customer usage patterns,
and enhanced cost control frameworks.  We have driven efficiencies across  the business. Metro Bank established  a
strong strategic partnership with Infosys  to enhance digital capabilities,  improve automation, refine data,  and
embed further AI capabilities. This collaboration has helped make the Metro Bank model more scalable.

 

Infrastructure

To drive our next stage of growth, we have  strategically invested in platforms and capabilities. Central to  this
is a  partnership with  Infosys  which will  revolutionise our  digital  capabilities, including  actionable  data
analytics, automated processes, and compelling digital platforms.

Our redesigned store offering empowers colleagues  to drive growth in the SME  and commercial segments. We are  on
track to continue our store openings in the North  of England, with new stores planned for Chester, Gateshead  and
Salford in Q2  2025. The  store proposition  has been streamlined  to drive  efficiency and  improve the  customer
experience. Back-end  processes, particularly  around lending  and  digital customer  onboarding, have  also  been
improved key customer interactions. Lastly, we  have built a range of new  products and platforms, such as  online
chat and an enhanced  business overdraft via mobile  app which will  enable customers to engage  with us how  they
want. We also implemented over 450 technical changes to systems, products and infrastructure – even more than last
year – along with upgrading our financial crime architecture, fraud tools, and our new first line risk function.

The bank also resolved the FCA’s enquiries into transaction monitoring systems and controls that began in 2016 and
were remediated by 2020. The conclusion of these enquiries draws a line under this legacy issue, allowing the bank
to move forward and fully focus on the future, building on the solid foundations it has already laid.

Balance sheet optimisation

We have made  significant progress  in restructuring  our balance to  align with  strategic growth  opportunities,
including a £2.5  billion sale  of prime  residential mortgages  in Q3  2024 and  £584 million  sale of  unsecured
personal loans  post  year-end.  The mortgage  sale  proceeds  were  used to  repay  TFSME 1 ,  providing  further
opportunity to continue  optimising our  funding capabilities.  Both transactions are  in line  with Metro  Bank’s
strategy to reposition its balance sheet, actively manage the asset rotation and enhance risk-adjusted returns  on
capital.

Following the successful  deposit campaign in  Q4 2023,  we have worked  to reduce  our cost of  funds and  excess
liquidity. Overall, customer deposits reduced  by 7% at 31  December 2024 to £14.5  billion, down £2.0 billion  on
February 2024 peak of £16.5 billion (31 December 2023: £15.6 billion) reflecting the deliberate focus on  reducing
excess liquidity and cost of deposits. The core deposit base continues to be predominantly Retail and SME.  Higher
cost fixed-term deposits have reduced by 46% year-on-year as deposits from the successful Q4 2023 deposit campaign
have started to mature and are either being allowed to attrite.

Communications

We continue to  focus on engaging  our colleagues, communities  and other stakeholders.   Our focus on  delivering
excellent customer service is reflected in the  latest independent Competition and Markets Authority survey  where
we ranked number two for  in-store service quality for  retail customers, an increase  from third place in  August
2024. We were  also placed second  for service quality  in stores and  our business service  centres for  business
customers. We remain committed to maintaining a physical presence and ensuring that stores remain both  accessible
and at the heart  of local communities.  We  will be opening three  new stores in 2025  in Chester, Gateshead  and
Salford.

Following a year of transformation, we  are a leaner organisation, and as  part of our continuous improvement,  we
will keep creating  an environment  where colleagues  can grow, thrive  and be  their true  authentic selves.   We
continue to focus on our culture of  promoting from within, with over 55% of  the positions in the year filled  by
colleagues being promoted or moving around the business.  Given our strategic focus on SME/Commercial lending,  we
have hired additional staff into Corporate and Commercial relationship and credit teams to drive our next stage of
growth.

Our ECB partnership went from strength to strength, as we continue to be committed to growing Women’s and Girls’
Cricket. We launched Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund contributing in one year to 21% increase in number of girls’
teams. We also launched our Relationship Banking specialists’ brand positioning to ensure we are uniquely
positioned to serve our Corporate, Commercial and SME customers.

Capital

 

Our capital position continues to strengthen, with the Bank’s  MREL ratio 23.0% as at 31 December 2024, up  100bps
year-on-year from  22.0% as  at 31  December 2023,  reflecting  the mortgage  sale and  ongoing focus  on  capital
management whilst optimising risk-adjusted returns on regulatory capital.

 

Post completion of the personal unsecured  loan portfolio sale, the pro forma  total capital plus MREL ratio  will
increase from 23.0% to 24.5% and CET1 will increase from 12.5% to 13.4%. The additional lending capacity  provided
by this sale will enable us to continue our shift  into high yielding assets in niche and underserved markets  and
become a specialist lender of choice. 

 

We continue to consider opportunities to optimise capital  structure to continue to drive growth momentum as  seen
during 2024, facilitating delivery of our strategy.

 1  Bank of England Term Funding Scheme with additional incentives for SMEs

Looking ahead

 

2024 has  been  a pivotal  year  for Metro  Bank.  We outperformed  market  guidance and  delivered  an  ambitious
transformation plan. But we know the work is not done if  we are to realise our ambition of generating one of  the
best returns on tangible equity of any UK High Street bank by 2027.

 

As we move into 2025,  we are focussed on  continuing to grow higher-yielding  corporate, commercial, and SME  and
specialist mortgages, whilst optimising deposits to lower cost of funds and grow revenue.  All while maintaining a
focus on cost discipline, and a  prudent approach to credit risk. With  a strong capital base, a growing  customer
base, and a clear path for future growth, Metro Bank is well-positioned to capitalise on the opportunities ahead.

 

Finance review

Summary of the year

2024 was an important year as we pivoted our  focus to commercial and specialist lending and took proactive  steps
across the bank to position ourselves for further growth and future profitability in the coming years.

 

For the full year ended 31 December 2024, we recorded an underlying loss before tax of £14.0 million, a  reduction
of 17% from  £16.9 million as  at 31  December 2023 reflecting  the commitment  to greater cost  discipline and  a
transition to a leaner, more agile operating model  designed to most effectively support our customers and  better
position the bank for profitability.

 

We recognised a statutory loss before tax of £212.1 million for the full year, largely driven by a one-off loss on
the sale  of  a £2.5  billion  mortgage portfolio  to  NatWest  Group Plc  and  various charges  relating  to  the
transformation of the business and remediation costs. However, we recognised an underlying profit of £12.8 million
in H2 (H1: loss of £26.8 million) that supported a forecast indicative of future profits. We recognised a deferred
tax asset on unused tax  losses and subsequently recorded  a statutory profit after tax  of £42.5 million for  the
full year (2023: £29.5 million).

 

Our proactive and positive management of our balance sheet  and our dedication to the cost reduction programme  we
outlined at the beginning  of the year support  the future prosperity  of a profitable bank  and position us  well
looking into 2025.

 

Income statement

 

                                      2024    2023 Change
 
                                        £m      £m      %
Underlying net interest income       377.9   411.9   (8%)
Underlying non-net interest income   125.6   134.6   (7%)
Total underlying revenue             503.5   546.5   (8%)
Underlying operating expenses      (510.4) (530.2)     4%
Expected credit loss expense         (7.1)  (33.2)    79%
Underlying loss before tax          (14.0)  (16.9)    17%
Non-underlying items               (198.1)    47.4 (518%)
Statutory (loss)/profit before tax (212.1)    30.5 (796%)
Taxation                             254.6   (1.0)   256%
Statutory profit after tax            42.5    29.5    44%

 

Interest income

Interest income benefitted from a higher average base rate during the period, increasing 9% to £935.4 million
(2023: £855.7 million). Lending income continues to make up the largest proportion of our interest income though
following the sale of our mortgage portfolio has decreased marginally to £586.2 million (2023: £599.9 million).

 

Asset yields increased to to 4.17% (2023: 3.37%) as we pivoted towards more specialist mortgages and sold £2.5
billion of prime residential mortgages. Our remaining retail mortgages are 90% fixed with an average time to
reversion of 2.23 years (31 December 2023: 2.41 years). We expect to see further improvements to asset yields and
associated income in the years ahead as older balances roll-off and are replaced with new lending at a higher
rate.

 

Our commercial lending portfolio income grew, predominantly driven by our floating business loans which have seen
greater yields as a result of the higher base rate environment, as well as the continued attrition of
lower-yielding commercial real estate. The Consumer and Government-backed lending portfolios are in run-off as the
Group continues to pivot its strategy towards commercial, corporate and SME lending, and specialist mortgages.

 

We also saw the benefits of increased rates flowing through to our floating treasury portfolio, as well as the
fixed rate treasury assets maturing at an average blended yield of 1% and replaced by assets in line with base
rate.

 

Interest expense

Interest expense increased 126% to £557.5 million (2023: £443.8 million). This increase reflected an increase in
cost of deposits that followed our deposit campaign in Q4 2023. We sought to increase deposit inflows by launching
a range of products such as Instant Access accounts at competitive rates, the impact of which has materialised in
2024 where the average cost of deposits increased to 1.95% (2023: 0.97%) as a result. We actively managed down the
costly deposits in the latter half of the year reducing the average cost of deposits from 2.18% as at 30 June 2024
to 1.72% at 31 December 2024.

In January 2024, we repaid a £255 million repurchase agreement with NatWest Group Plc, reducing the associated
interest expense for the year.

We continue to see the impact of the increased cost of funding following our repricing and restructuring of debt
securities in 2023. The successful debt refinancing strengthened our balance sheet and enabled us to embed our
strategy to pivot to specialist and commercial lending throughout 2024. The launch of products such as Limited
Company Buy-to-let represented the realization of our revised strategy and the enablement to enhance future
earnings through asset growth and risk adjusted returns.

Non-interest income

Net fee and commission income has increased by £2.8 million to £93.2 million in 2024 (2023: £90.4 million),
reflecting nation-wide use of Metro Bank products including safe deposit boxes and Metro Bank cards. Both safe
deposit box income and ATM and interchange income remained fairly static at £19.0m and £40.4 million respectively
(2023: £18.2 million and £40.0 million). Service charge and other fee income grew by £1.8 million to £38.6 million
(2023: £36.8 million) providing a valuable source of income, whilst having minimal impact on our capital ratios.

 

Operating expenses

 

                             2024 2023
Underlying cost:income ratio 101%  97%
Statutory cost:income ratio  151%  90%

 

In Q4 2023, we committed to a cost reduction plan to support a return to sustainable profitability. Despite
inflationary pressures, we have seen this disciplined approach to cost management materialise into a 4%
improvement in underlying operating expenses, year on year and a decrease in general operating expenses from
£502.9 million in 2023 to £489 million in 2024.

People related costs remain our biggest contributor to operating expenses but reduced to £209.6m in 2024 (2023:
£241.2 million) following successful implementation of restructuring plans. This is offset partially by an
increase in transformation costs. We expect a similar trend going into 2025 as we move to a simpler, more agile
operating model. The provision for the restructure is recognized as a non-underlying item.

Professional fees increased by 16% to £27.7 million (2023: £23.2 million) as we prioritised digital enablement and
enhancement to deliver customer initiatives.

Information technology costs remained broadly flat at £60.1 million (2023: £59.7 million) reflecting investment
into digitizing and improving new and existing products and making internal processes more efficient.

Occupancy expenses are driven by costs associated with our continued store presence. Despite inflationary
pressures, costs remained broadly flat at £30.9 million (2023: £31.7 million) reflective of our disciplined
approach to cost management.

 

We seek to continuously exercise discipline around cost whilst acknowledging the costs associated with greater
investment in diversifying our product capabilities to both boost deposits and transition further into specialist
lending. We value our relationship-centric approach to banking and will continue to drive proactive cost
management whilst maintaining and growing our physical presence.

 

Non-underlying items

                                                                                2024    2023 Change
 
                                                                                  £m      £m      %
Impairment and write-off of property, plant, equipment and intangible assets  (44.0)   (4.6) (857%)
Remediation costs                                                             (21.3)       –    n/a
Transformation costs                                                          (31.1)  (20.2)  (54%)
Mortgage portfolio sale                                                      (101.6)       -    n/a
Holding company insertion costs                                                    -   (1.8)    n/a
Cost of capital raise1                                                         (0.1)       -    n/a
Non-underlying items                                                         (198.1)    47.4 (518%)

 1. Relates to capital raise in Q4 2023.

We have recognised non-underlying items of £198.1 million in 2024 (2023: income of £47.4 million) driven by a loss
on the sale of a £2.5 billion mortgage portfolio, write off’s and impairments of £44 million in relation to
intangible assets, and the costs associated with restructuring.

The sale of the mortgage portfolio provides us with additional lending capacity to enable a further shift to high
yielding assets in niche markets, supporting our strategic focus to become a specialist lender of choice.

Transformation costs consist primarily of the costs associated with restructuring, specifically movements to
appropriately size the bank and

make operations and support services more agile and efficient going forward.

Remediation costs refer to any and all costs associated with legal or professional proceedings such as the sale of
the mortgage portfolio and the final conclusion of FCA enquiries.

At the end of 2024, we wrote off the outstanding net book value of a number of intangible assets as at 31 December
2024. The larger proportion of the balance related to RateSetter and AIRB platforms where we have ceased lending
through our RateSetter brand and not achieved AIRB status as originally expected.

 

Expected credit loss expense

                 ECL Allowance Coverage ratio Non-performing loan ratio
31 December 2024
                            £m              %                         %
Retail mortgages            15          0.29%                     3.93%
Consumer lending           108         14.43%                    13.15%
Commercial                  68          2.06%                     6.16%
Total lending              191          2.07%                     5.48%
31 December 2023                                                       
Retail mortgages            19          0.24%                     1.87%
Consumer lending           108          8.33%                     5.94%
Commercial                  72          2.13%                     4.91%
Total lending              199          1.59%                     3.11%

 

We recognised an expected credit loss expense of £7.1 million in 2024 (2023: £33.2 million) primarily due to
improvements in the proportion of commercial lending balances in stage 2 and 3. Some deterioration has been noted
in the outstanding retail lending balances due to the macroeconomic environment including lower house prices,
increased cost of living and higher interest rates. We recognised management overlays and adjustments of £18.74
million (2023: £23.4 million) which represents 10% of ECL stock (31 December 2023: 12%). As at 31 December 2024,
our coverage ratio was 2.07% (2023: 1.59%) and we believe we remain appropriately provided at this stage in the
economic cycle.

 

Balance sheet

Lending

 

                  31 December   
                  2024    2023 Change
 
                    £m      £m      %
Retail mortgages 5,145   7,817  (34%)
Consumer lending   745   1,297  (43%)
Commercial       3,314   3,382   (2%)
Gross lending    9,204  12,496  (26%)
ECL allowance    (191)   (199)     4%
Net lending      9,013  12,297  (27%)

 

 

Net loans and advances to customers ended the year at £9,013 million, down 27% from £12,297 million as at 31
December 2023, in large part driven by the sale of the mortgage portfolio. As a result, retail mortgages
represented a smaller proportion of our lending base than in previous years, 56% compared to 63% as at 31 December
2023, as we pivoted our strategy to commercial and specialist lending.

The consumer portfolio has decreased from £1,189 million at the end of 2023, to £637 million on a net basis as at
31 December 2024 driven by the cessation of lending through the RateSetter brand, further supporting our strategic
transition.

Commercial lending has reduced by a smaller margin than retail and consumer lending, representing a greater
proportion of our overall lending base, 36% as at 31 December 2024 compared to 28% as at 31 December 2023. Net
position is down to £3,246 million as at 31 December 2024 (31 December 2023: £3,310 million) driven by a run off
of government backed lending and Professional Buy to let but is offset by more core commercial lending.

Throughout 2024, we have supported our shift to commercial and specialist lending by digitalizing more products
and launching products such as Limited Company Buy-to-let. As we look forward to 2025, commercial lending will be
a focus for us specifically those parts of the market where our manual underwriting capacity present a competitive
advantage.

 

Treasury portfolio

Over the year we have continued to optimise our treasury portfolio to maximise our risk adjusted return on
regulatory capital, particularly as rates have risen. We ended the year with £7,301 million of treasury assets (31
December 2023: £8,770 million), comprising £4,490 million investment securities and £2,811 million cash and
balances at the Bank of England (31 December 2023: £4,879 million and £3,891 million respectively). Our investment
securities remain high quality and liquid with 75% being either AAA-rated or gilts (31 December 2023: 75%).

Other assets

Property, plant and equipment ended the year at £711 million, down from £723 million as at 31 December 2023. No
new store openings took place in 2024 though we remain committed to identifying appropriately sized sites in the
North of England that are conveniently located for surrounding businesses. We obtained the freehold of two more
stores in 2024, a more cost-effective way of delivering our store-based service-led model.

Intangible assets have decreased to £126 million, down from £193 million in 2023, reflecting a more selective
approach to investments and write offs including the RateSetter platform in line with the cessation of our
RateSetter brand and the AIRB platform. Our investments in 2024 have included Mobile Live Chat and Online
Self-serve.

 

Deposits

 

                                                 31 December    
                                                  2024    2023 Change
 
                                                    £m      £m      %
Retail customer (excluding retail partnerships)  5,968   7,235  (18%)
Retail partnership                               1,785   1,708     5%
Commercial customers (excluding SMEs)            2,263   2,898  (22%)
SMEs                                             4,442   3,782  (17%)
Total customer deposits                         14,458  15,623   (7%)
Of which:                                                            
Demand: current accounts                         5,791   5,696     2%
Demand: savings accounts                         7,534   7,827   (4%)
Fixed term: savings accounts                     1,133   2,100  (46%)

 

We are committed to being a relationship-focused deposit-driven bank. We ended the year with deposits of £14,458
million (31 December 2023: £15,623 million), a decrease of 7% year on year. Macroeconomic conditions remained a
contributing factor as we entered 2024 but the deposit campaign at the end of 2023 helped to manage this reduction
whilst increasing the overall cost of deposits.

Our overall deposit base remains diversified with a 54%:46% between retail and commercial customers (31 December
2023: 57%:43%) with growth noted within the SME and retail partnership areas, a trend we expect to see continue in
2025.

Wholesale funding

In 2024, we significantly reduced our TFSME balance from £3,050 million to £400 million, utilizing the proceeds of
our mortgage portfolio sale to NatWest Group Plc to fund the reduction, to repay our holding early.

Taxation

We recorded a tax credit of £255 million (2023: £1.0 million tax charge) in the year.

We've recognised DTA on unused tax losses totalling £1,073 million which equated to a DTA of £268 million. £13
million was already recognised so the credit to the income statement in 2024 was £255 million.

The future profit projections as per the board approved long-term plan support the recognition of the deferred tax
asset. There is no time limit on the utilisation of tax losses.

Liquidity

Our liquidity position remains strong and in excess of regulatory minimum requirements despite efforts being made
to reduce the more costly deposits. We ended the year with a liquidity coverage ratio of 337% (31 December 2023:
332%) and a net stable funding ratio of 169% (31 December 2023: 145%).

We hold large amounts of high-quality liquid assets totalling £6,071 million (2023: £6,656 million). This included
£2,811 million of cash held at the Bank of England (2023: £3,891 million).

 

 

Capital

 

                                        2024  2023 Change
 
                                          £m    £m       
CET1 capital1                            808   985  (18%)
RWAs                                   6,442 7,533  (14%)
CET1 ratio1                            12.5% 13.1% (0.6%)
Total regulatory capital ratio1        14.9% 15.1% (0.2%)
Total regulatory capital + MREL ratio1 23.0% 22.0%   1.0%
UK regulatory leverage ratio1           5.6%  5.3%   0.3%

 

 1. All the capital figures as at 31 December 2024 are presented on a proforma basis, including our profit for the
    year. The profit will only be eligible to be included in our capital resources following the completion of our
    audit and publication of our Annual Report and Accounts.

 

We ended the year with CET1, total capital and total capital plus MREL ratios of 12.5%, 14.9% and 23.0%
respectively (31 December 2023: 13.1%, 15.1% and 22%), above regulatory minima, including buffers (excluding any
confidential buffers, where applicable), of 9.2%, 10.8% and 21.2%.

We noted improvements in our total capital plus MREL ratio in excess of those expected as part of the capital
raise, as we actively constrained lending in an effort to preserve capital. The sale of a portfolio of £2.5
billion of prime residential mortgages to NatWest Group PLC in Q3 24 demonstrated further commitment to Metro
Bank’s strategy to reposition its balance sheet and enhance risk-adjusted returns on capital. The transaction was
capital ratio accretive and created additional lending capacity to enable Metro Bank to continue its asset
rotation.

We ended the year with risk-weighted assets of £6,442 million (31 December 2023: £7,533 million), reflecting the
proactive steps to effectively manage our capital position for positive future growth.

Looking ahead

We took proactive steps to position ourselves for future growth throughout 2024 and will continue to build on that
progress as we enter 2025.

We will integrate our agile working model in collaboration with Infosys as we simplify and digitise our ways of
working to maintain strong cost discipline.

We will continue to prioritise a reduction in cost of deposits whilst remaining committed to positive and
meaningful relationships with our customers opening new stores and offering more specialist products.

 

 

Risk summary

This year there has been a clear risk focus on safely supporting the Bank as it executes a programme of strategic
change and transformation. Alongside our continued management of business-as-usual risks, this has positioned the
Bank to deliver its growth objectives.

Approach to risk management

Our risk management framework underpins our ability to safely deliver, ensuring risks are carefully considered
when making decisions and are managed within acceptable limits on an ongoing basis. It sets out the tools and
techniques used to manage each of our principal risks within our stated appetite.

 

Risk management is a key aspect of every colleague’s objectives and is embedded within our scorecard, against
which performance is

measured. We work to create an environment in which colleagues are encouraged and able to raise concerns and act
to meet all applicable legal and regulatory requirements and maintain constructive relationships with our
regulators.

 

We operate a ‘three lines of defence’ model of risk management and by leveraging well-defined governance
structures and processes, promote individual accountability and action in mitigating our risk exposures.

 

Risk environment in 2024

The 2024 risk agenda has been framed by the need to safely execute on the Bank’s transformation initiatives whilst
continuing to manage business-as-usual risks.

 

Whilst some of our risk exposures have changed, measures taken have ensured these have been managed within our
risk appetite. The Bank’s resilience has been maintained and we remain focused on ensuring our customers receive
good outcomes. Achieving these objectives has guided strategic decision-making and is at the heart of the value
proposition for our new partnership with Infosys.

 

Greater macroeconomic stability including a decline in inflation has supported a reduction in expected credit
losses,  partially offset by run-off of the personal loan and credit card portfolios and limited arrears and
defaults in the retail mortgage portfolio.

 

 

Capability is being put in place to support targeted lending growth objectives, including risk expertise to safely
expand into higher yielding specialist mortgage lending and capabilities in commercial underwriting. Plans are in
place to scale this capability in line with delivery of commercial objectives.

 

We have continued to actively manage our capital position including through the successful sale of a portion of
our residential mortgage book in the second half of the year. This supported the Bank’s strategy to enhance
risk-adjusted returns and to increase capacity for future lending. Maintaining capital above regulatory
requirements and to support strategic growth remains a key focus for the Bank.

 

Work has been completed to establish and embed the Bank’s approach to meeting the FCA’s Consumer Duty. This
remains a key priority subject to ongoing close monitoring and enhancement. This year we also completed the third
operational resilience self-assessment which demonstrated further maturity in our approach and capability in line
with FCA and PRA regulatory requirements. Alongside, we have continued to comprehensively risk assess our key
third party relationships including our partnership with Infosys, the success of which is a key growth enabler.

 

The FCA concluded their enquiries into the Bank’s historic transaction monitoring systems and controls in place
between 2016 and 2020. Since then, the Bank has invested in transaction monitoring enhancements and management of
financial crime risk remains a key priority. Progress has been made in strengthening our financial crime controls,
including through establishing enhanced central operational and risk management capabilities. Responding to the
dynamic external threat, we have also invested further in our fraud systems and controls to safeguard our
customers and funds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principal risk exposures

On an ongoing basis, we assess our risks against risk appetite, including those that could result in events or
circumstances that might threaten our business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity, and reputation.
We consider the potential impact and likelihood of internal and external risk events and circumstances, and the
timescales over which they may occur.

 

We identify, define and assess a range of principal risks to which we are exposed. These are the high-level risks
we face, for which risk appetite is set and monitored via key risk indicators. They are consistent with those set
out in last year’s annual report and comprise:

 

  • credit risk
  • capital risk
  • liquidity and funding risk
  • market risk
  • financial crime risk
  • operational risk
  • conduct risk
  • regulatory risk
  • legal risk
  • model risk
  • strategic risk.

 

Amongst these, certain risks have been considered most material over the course of the year. Further details on
these four risks are set out below:

                     Exposure

                     Strategic risk can arise from an insufficiently defined, flawed, or poorly implemented
                     strategy resulting in the expectations of our stakeholders not being met, including our
                     customers, regulators and investors.

                     We are confident that the strategy set in 2024 lays the foundations for long term growth but
                     recognise that its success is dependent on our effective execution. Volatility in the
                     external environment, the challenge of safely exploiting opportunities for efficiency and the
                     possible impact of negative external sentiment are all recognised as having the potential to
                     push us off course.

                     Response

                     The Board completes an annual review of the strategy and Long-Term Plan, supported by a risk
Strategic risk       assessment reviewed at the Risk Oversight Committee. The Executive team and Board monitor
                     strategy execution risks closely across all business lines and transformation initiatives.
 
                     Elevated reputational risk exposure has been monitored closely throughout the year with
                     proactive and coordinated responses seeing coverage and sentiment normalise by year-end.

                     Outlook

                     Through 2024 we have seen evidence that our strategy and hard work is bearing fruit, with the
                     bank re-entering the FTSE250 and seeing its credit rating upgraded in 2024. Supported by
                     stabilised inflation, focus in 2025 will be on delivering the Bank’s targeted lending growth
                     objectives.

                     Our established Risk management Framework will be applied to oversee the Bank’s evolving risk
                     profile and act to ensure we operate inside our agreed risk appetite. The Bank also continues
                     to conduct horizon scanning against emerging risks with the potential for a severe impact and
                     will adjust its approach accordingly.

                      
                     Exposure

                     Capital risk exposures arise from the depletion of our capital resources which may result
                     from:

                       • increased RWAs
                       • losses
                       • changes to regulatory minima or other regulatory rules.

                     Our capital risk management approach is therefore focused on ensuring we can maintain
                     appropriate levels of capital to both meet regulatory minima and support our objectives, both
                     under normal and stress conditions.

                      

                     Response

                     Our capital risk mitigation is focused on three key components:

Capital risk           • a return to sustainable profitability that will allow us to generate organic capital
                         growth
                       • the continued optimisation of our balance sheet to ensure we are utilising our capital
                         stack efficiently
                       • continuing to assess the raising of external regulatory debt capital, as and when market
                         conditions and opportunities allow.

                     The Board is committed to these principles and has taken steps through 2024 to strengthen the
                     capital base which has positioned the Bank for sustained profitability.

                      

                     Outlook

                     The focus for 2025 remains on supporting the Bank’s strategy through an appropriate and
                     efficient capital stack that allows us to lend in our target market whilst maintaining ratios
                     above our regulatory minima.

                     The Bank continually monitors and assesses external pricing for opportunities to support the
                     execution of our strategy whilst

                     ensuring it is done safely and on a sound capital footing.

                      
                     Exposure

                     Our primary source of credit risk is through the loans, limits and advances we make available
                     to our customers. We have exposures across three key areas: corporate and commercial, retail
                     mortgages, and consumer lending.

                     Over the course of 2024, the macroeconomic outlook has gradually improved, and arrears and
                     loss outcomes have been lower than prior expectations. Inflation reduced significantly and
                     property prices exceeded prior forecasts. Whilst we saw some deterioration in economic
                     variables these were generally less severe than previously forecast.

                     We have observed some crystallisation of the prior economic deterioration on customer
                     positions, this was lower than previously forecast. As affordability for customers came under
                     pressure from higher interest rates, we observed an increase in arrears for the mortgage
                     portfolio as existing customers transitioned from low fixed rate products onto higher rates.
                     Although customers continue to be impacted by higher interest rates, arrears have shown signs
                     of stabilising. Furthermore, given the forward-looking nature of IFRS9, ECL stock was built
                     in prior years and has not been materially impacted by this increase in arrears.

                     Response

                     We have an appetite and credit criteria appropriate for managing lending through an economic
Credit risk          cycle. We have enhanced our credit risk appetite, framework, and policies where appropriate
                     to support the Bank’s strategy to grow corporate and commercial lending, and drive the pivot
                     to specialist mortgage lending, whilst managing our exposure to risk to minimise losses.

                     We support customers who are in arrears, have payment shortfalls or are in financial
                     difficulties to obtain the most appropriate outcome for both the Bank and the customer. The
                     primary objectives of our policy are to ensure that appropriate mechanisms and tools are in
                     place to support customers during periods of financial difficulty and to minimise the
                     duration of the difficulty and the consequence, costs and other impacts arising.

                     Outlook

                     Our updates to risk appetite and policies puts in a strong position to deliver on the Bank’s
                     strategy for growth in a way that appropriately manages credit risk. The macroeconomic
                     outlook has improved during 2024, although risks remain as central banks manage the course of
                     interest rates with a background of potential trade friction from political risk, and
                     geopolitical instability continues from conflicts.

                     We utilise forward looking macroeconomic scenarios provided by Moody’s Analytics in the
                     assessment of provisions. The use of an independent supplier for the provision of scenarios
                     helps to ensure that the estimates are unbiased. The macroeconomic scenarios are assessed and
                     reviewed monthly to ensure appropriateness and relevance to the ECL calculation.

                      
                     Exposure

                     We may be exposed to financial crime risk if we do not effectively identify and appropriately
                     mitigate the risks of criminals using our products and services for financial crime.
                     Financial crime risks include money laundering, sanctions violations, bribery and corruption,
                     facilitation of tax evasion, proliferation financing and terrorist financing.

                     Failure to prevent financial crime may result in harm to our customers, ourselves and third
                     parties. In addition, non-compliance with regulatory and legal requirements may result in
                     enforcement action such as regulatory fines, restrictions, or suspension of business or cost
                     of mandatory corrective action, which will have an adverse effect on us from a financial and
                     reputational perspective.

                     Response
Financial crime risk
                     We are committed to safeguarding both ourselves and our customers from financial crime. We
                     continue to invest in our financial crime control framework to ensure compliance with current
                     as well as newly issued legal and regulatory requirements. We continue to identify emerging
                     trends and typologies through conducting horizon scanning activity, through information
                     obtained from investigative and intelligence teams and through attending key industry forums
                     (or associations) such as those hosted by UK Finance. As required, we continue to update our
                     control framework to ensure emerging risks are identified and mitigated.

                     Outlook

                     Recognising the evolving landscape of financial crime risk against the backdrop of increasing
                     regulatory focus, we continue to invest in our financial crime control environment to prevent
                     financial crime and remain aligned to our legal and regulatory requirements.

                      

 

 

 

 

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

For the year ended 31 December 2024

 

                                                                                     Years ended 31 December
                                                                                            2024        2023
                                                                              Notes
                                                                                       £’million   £’million
Interest income                                                               2            935.4       855.7
Interest expense                                                              2          (557.5)     (443.8)
Net interest income                                                                        377.9       411.9
Fee and commission income                                                     3             98.0        95.0
Fee and commission expense                                                    3            (4.8)       (4.6)
Net fee and commission income                                                               93.2        90.4
Net (loss)/gain on sale of assets                                             4          (101.4)         2.7
Other income                                                                  5             35.6       143.9
Total income                                                                               405.3       648.9
General operating expenses                                                    6          (489.0)     (502.9)
Depreciation and amortisation                                                 11, 12      (77.3)      (77.7)
Impairment and write-offs of property, plant, equipment and intangible assets 11, 12      (44.0)       (4.6)
Total operating expenses                                                                 (610.3)     (585.2)
Expected credit loss expense                                                  14           (7.1)      (33.2)
(Loss)/profit before tax                                                                 (212.1)        30.5
Taxation                                                                      7            254.6       (1.0)
Profit for the year                                                                         42.5        29.5
Other comprehensive income for the year                                                                     
Items which will be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss:                                            
Movement in respect of investment securities held at FVOCI (net of tax):                                    
  • changes in fair value                                                                    3.4         2.4
Total other comprehensive income                                                             3.4         2.4
Total comprehensive profit for the year                                                     45.9        31.9
Earnings per share                                                                                          
Basic (pence)                                                                 17             6.3        13.8
Diluted (pence)                                                               17             6.3        13.4

 

 

Consolidated balance sheet

As at 31 December 2024

 

                                                                                  Years ended 31 December
                                                                                         2024                 2023
                                                                    Notes
                                                                                    £’million            £’million
Cash and balances with the Bank of England                                              2,811                3,891
Loans and advances to customers                                     9                   9,013               12,297
Investment securities held at fair value through other              10                    377                  476
comprehensive income
Investment securities held at amortised cost                        10                  4,113                4,403
Derivative financial assets                                                                16                   36
Property, plant and equipment                                       11                    711                  723
Intangible assets                                                   12                    126                  193
Prepayments and accrued income                                                             93                  118
Deferred tax asset                                                  7                     240                    -
Other assets                                                                               82                  108
Total assets                                                                           17,582            22,245
Deposits from customers                                                                14,458               15,623
Deposits from central banks                                                               400                3,050
Debt securities                                                                           675                  694
Repurchase agreements                                                                     391                1,191
Derivative financial liabilities                                                            1                  –  
Lease liabilities                                                   13                    205                  234
Deferred grants                                                                            13                   16
Provisions                                                                                 11                   23
Deferred tax liability                                              7                       -                   13
Other liabilities                                                                         245                  267
Total liabilities                                                                      16,399               21,111
Called-up share capital                                                                   –                    –  
Share premium                                                                             144                  144
Retained earnings                                                                        1022                  978
Other reserves                                                                             17                   12
Total equity                                                                            1,183                1,134
Total equity and liabilities                                                           17,582               22,245

 

 

Consolidated statements of changes in equity

For the year ended 31 December 2024

 

                                             Called-up                                             Share
                                                           Share    Merger  Retained     FVOCI               Total
                                                 share                                            option
                                                         premium   reserve  earnings   reserve              equity
                                               capital                                           reserve
                                                       £’million £’million £’million £’million           £’million
                                             £’million                                         £’million
Balance as at 1 January 2024                         –       144         -       978      (11)        23     1,134
Profit for the year                                  –         –         –        43         –         –        43
Other comprehensive income (net of tax)
relating to investment securities held at            –         –         –         –         4         –         4
FVOCI
Total comprehensive income                           –         -         –        43         4         –        47
Equity-settled share based payment charges           -         -         -         -         -         2         2
Transfer of b/f share option reserve                 –         –         –         1         –       (1)         -
Balance as at 31 December 2024                       –       144         –     1,022       (7)        24     1,183
Balance as at 1 January 2023                         –     1,964         –   (1,015)      (13)        20       956
Profit for the year                                  –         –         –        29         –         –        29
Other comprehensive income (net of tax)
relating to investment securities held at            –         –         –         –         2         –         2
FVOCI
Total comprehensive income                           –         –         –        29         2         –        31
Net share option movements                           –         –         –         –         –         3         3
Cancellation of Metro Bank PLC share capital         –   (1,964)         –     1,964         –         –         –
and share premium
Issuance of Metro Bank Holdings PLC share            –         –       965     (965)         –         –         –
capital
Bonus issuance                                     965         –     (965)         -         –         –         –
Capital reduction of Metro Bank Holdings PLC     (965)         –         –       965         –         –         –
share capital
Shares issued                                        –       150         –         –         –         –       150
Cost of shares issued                                –       (6)         –         –         –         –       (6)
Balance as at 31 December 2023                       –       144         –       978      (11)        23     1,134

 

 

Consolidated cash flow statement

For the year ended 31 December 2024

 

                                                                                     Years ended 31 December
                                                                                            2024        2023
                                                                               Notes
                                                                                       £’million   £’million
Reconciliation of loss before tax to net cash flows from operating activities:                    
(Loss)/profit before tax                                                                   (212)          31
Adjustments for non-cash items                                                    18       (359)       (376)
Interest received                                                                            948         834
Interest paid                                                                              (585)       (370)
Changes in other operating assets                                                          3,320         744
Changes in other operating liabilities                                                   (4,497)       (235)
Net cash (outflows)/inflows from operating activities                                    (1,385)         628
Cash flows from investing activities                                                                        
Sales, redemptions and paydowns of investment securities                                   1,017       1,870
Purchase of investment securities                                                          (630)       (816)
Purchase of property, plant and equipment                                         11        (41)        (12)
Purchase and development of intangible assets                                     12        (19)        (26)
Net cash inflows from investing activities                                                   327       1,016
Cash flows from financing activities                                                                        
Repayment of capital elements of leases                                           13        (22)        (23)
Issuance of new shares                                                                         -         150
Cost of share issuance                                                                         -         (6)
Issuance of debt securities                                                                    0         175
Cost of debt issuance                                                                        (0)         (5)
Net cash (outflows)/inflows from financing activities                                       (22)         291
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents                                     (1,080)       1,935
Cash and cash equivalents at start of year                                                 3,891       1,956
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year                                                   2,811       3,891

 

 

1. Basis of preparation and significant accounting policies

Basis of preparation

Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared using International Financial
Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the UK.  There have been no changes in the accounting policies compared
with the prior year. They were authorised by the Board for issue on 26 February 2025.

2. Net interest income

Interest income

                                                                         2024      2023
 
                                                                    £’million £’million
Cash and balances held with the Bank of England                         193.1     120.9
Loans and advances to customers                                         586.2     599.9
Investment securities held at amortised cost                            126.1     118.6
Investment securities held at FVOCI                                      18.3       6.8
Interest income calculated using the effective interest rate method     923.7     846.2
Derivatives in hedge relationships                                       11.7       9.5
Total interest income                                                   935.4     855.7

 

Interest expense

                                                                          2024      2023
 
                                                                     £’million £’million
Deposits from customers                                                  303.6     147.8
Deposits from central banks                                              124.2     161.3
Debt securities                                                           84.8      55.7
Lease liabilities                                                         12.4      13.1
Repurchase agreements                                                     26.5      50.1
Interest expense calculated using the effective interest rate method     551.5     428.0
Derivatives in hedge relationships                                         6.0      15.8
Total interest expense                                                   557.5     443.8

 

3. Net fee and commission income

                                          2024      2023
 
                                     £’million £’million
Service charges and other fee income      38.6      36.8
Safe deposit box income                   19.0      18.2
ATM and interchange fees                  40.4      40.0
Fee and commission income                 98.0      95.0
Fee and commission expense               (4.8)     (4.6)
Total net fee and commission income       93.2      90.4

 

4. Net loss on sale of asset

                                                  2024      2023
 
                                             £’million £’million
Investment securities held at amortised cost         -       2.9
Loan portfolios                                (101.4)     (0.2)
Total (loss)/gain on sale of assets            (101.4)       2.7

 

Loan portfolio sales
Loss on sale relates to £2.5 billion of prime residential mortgages to NatWest Group PLC. Metro Bank completed the
sale on 30 September 2024.

5. Other income

                                   2024      2023
 
                              £’million £’million
Foreign currency transactions      29.7      34.0
Gain on debt extinguishment           -     100.0
Other income                        5.9       9.9
Total other income                 35.6     143.9

 

6. General operating expenses

                                                        2024      2023
 
                                                   £’million £’million
People costs                                           209.6     241.2
Information technology costs                            60.1      59.7
Occupancy costs                                         30.9      31.7
Money transmission and other banking-related costs      49.3      49.2
Transformation costs                                    31.1      20.2
Remediation costs                                       21.3         –
Capability and Innovation Fund costs                     3.4       2.4
Legal and regulatory fees                                9.0       7.0
Professional fees                                       27.7      23.2
Printing, postage and stationery costs                   7.5       7.2
Travel costs                                             1.4       1.5
Marketing costs                                          9.4       7.7
Costs associated with capital raise                      0.1      26.0
Holding company insertion costs                          0.0       1.8
Other                                                   28.2      24.1
Total general operating expenses                       489.0     502.9

 

 

7. Taxation

Tax expense

 

                                                       2024      2023
 
                                                  £’million £’million
Current tax                                                          
Current tax                                           (0.0)     (0.1)
Total current tax expense                             (0.0)     (0.1)
Deferred tax                                                         
Origination and reversal of temporary differences   (254.1)     (0.5)
Effect of changes in tax rates                          0.0     (0.4)
Adjustment in respect of prior years                  (0.5)         –
Total deferred tax expense                          (254.6)     (0.9)
Total tax expense                                   (254.6)     (1.0)

 

Reconciliation of the total tax expense

 

                                                                                    Effective            Effective
                                                                               2024                 2023
                                                                                     tax rate             tax rate
                                                                          £’million            £’million
                                                                                            %                    %
Accounting (loss)/profit before tax                                         (212.1)                 30.5          
Tax expense at statutory tax rate of 25% (2023: 23.5%)                         53.0     25.0%      (7.2)     23.5%
Tax effects of:                                                                                                   
Non-deductible expenses – depreciation on non-qualifying fixed assets         (3.0)    (1.4%)      (2.5)      8.3%
Non-deductible expenses – investment property impairment                          –         -          –         –
Non-deductible expenses – remediation                                             –         -          –         –
Non-deductible expenses – other                                               (7.7)    (3.6%)      (0.8)      2.6%
Impact of intangible asset write-off on research and development                  -         -        0.1    (0.3%)
deferred tax liability
Share-based payments                                                          (0.2)    (0.1%)      (1.2)      3.9%
Adjustment in respect of prior years                                            0.6      0.3%          –         –
Current year losses for which no deferred tax asset has been recognised           -         -     (15.4)     50.5%
Losses offset against current year profits                                        -         -        1.1    (3.6%)
Movement in recognised deferred tax asset for unused tax losses               211.7     99.9%        1.8    (5.9%)
Effect of changes in tax rates                                                    -         -      (0.4)      1.3%
Income tax not taxable                                                            -         -       23.5   (77.0%)
Tax expense reported in the consolidated income statement                     254.6    120.0%      (1.0)      3.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax assets

A deferred tax asset must be regarded as recoverable and therefore recognised only when, on the basis of all
available evidence, it can be regarded as more likely than not there will be suitable tax profits from which the
future of the underlying timing differences can be deducted.

 

The following table shows deferred tax recorded in the statement of financial position and changes recorded in the
tax expense:

                                                      31 December 2024
                                           Investment
                                                         Share- Property,
                                   Unused  securities                     Intangible
                                                          based plant and                Total
                               tax losses         and                         assets
                                                       payments equipment            £’million
                                £’million impairments                      £’million
                                                      £’million £’million
                                            £’million
Deferred tax assets                   269           1         1         –          –       271
Deferred tax liabilities                –           3         –      (31)        (3)      (31)
Deferred tax assets (net)             269           4         1      (31)        (3)       240
1 January 2024                         14           6         1      (29)        (5)      (13)
Prior year movement                   (1)         (1)         -         -          1       (1)
Income statement                      256           -         -       (2)          1       255
Other comprehensive income              -         (1)         -         -          -       (1)
31 December 2024                      269           4         1      (31)        (3)       240
                                                      31 December 2023
                                           Investment
                                                         Share- Property,
                                   Unused  securities                     Intangible
                                                          based plant and                Total
                               tax losses         and                         assets
                                                       payments equipment            £’million
                                £’million impairments                      £’million
                                                      £’million £’million
                                            £’million
Deferred tax assets                    14           2         1         –          –        17
Deferred tax liabilities                –           4         –      (29)        (5)      (30)
Deferred tax liabilities (net)         14           6         1      (29)        (5)      (13)
1 January 2023                         12           7         1      (26)        (6)      (12)
Income statement                        2         (1)         –       (3)          1       (1)
Other comprehensive income             14           6         1      (29)        (5)      (13)
31 December 2023                       14           2         1         –          –        17

 

Offsetting of deferred tax assets and liabilities

We have presented all the deferred tax assets and liabilities above on a net basis within the balance sheet. This
is on the basis that all our deferred tax assets and liabilities relate to taxes levied by HMRC and we have a
legally enforceable right to offset these.

 

Deferred Tax on unused Tax losses

We have total unused tax losses of £1,073m, and a deferred tax asset has been recognised on these losses. The
future profit projections as per the board approved long-term plan support the recognition of the deferred tax
asset. There is no time limit on the utilisation of tax losses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Financial instruments

Our financial instruments primarily comprise customer deposits, loans and advances to customers and investment
securities, all of which arise as a result of our normal operations.

The main financial risks arising from our financial instruments are credit risk, liquidity risk and market risks
(price and interest rate risk).

The financial instruments we hold are simple in nature and we do not consider that we have made any significant or
material judgements relating to the classification and measurement of financial instruments under IFRS 9.

Cash and balances with the Bank of England, trade and other receivables, trade and other payables and other assets
and liabilities which meet the definition of financial instruments are not included in the following tables.

Classification of financial instruments

                                             31 December 2024
                                 Fair value

                                    through           Amortised
                                                FVOCI               Total
                                 profit and                cost
                                            £’million           £’million
                                       loss           £’million

                                  £’million
Assets                                                                   
Loans and advances to customers           –         –     9,013     9,013
Investment securities                     –       377     4,113     4,490
Derivative financial assets              16         –         –        16
Liabilities                                                              
Deposits from customers                   –         –    14,458    14,458
Deposits from central bank                –         –       400       400
Debt securities                           -         –       675       675
Derivative financial liabilities          1         -         -         1
Repurchase agreements                     –         –       391       391

 

                                            31 December 2023
                                Fair value

                                   through           Amortised
                                               FVOCI               Total
                                    profit                cost
                                           £’million           £’million
                                  and loss           £’million

                                 £’million
Assets                                                                  
Loans and advances to customers          –         –    12,297    12,297
Investment securities                    –       476     4,403     4,879
Derivative financial assets             36         –         –        36
Liabilities                                                             
Deposits from customers                  –         –    15,623    15,623
Deposits from central bank               –         –     3,050     3,050
Debt securities                          –         –       694       694
Repurchase agreements                    –         –     1,191     1,191

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Loans and advances to customers

 

                                            31 December 2024               31 December 2023
                                          Gross                 Net      Gross                 Net
                                                      ECL                            ECL
                                       carrying            carrying   carrying            carrying
                                                allowance                      allowance
                                         amount              amount     amount              amount
                                                £’million                      £’million
                                      £’million           £’million  £’million           £’million
Consumer lending                            745     (108)       637      1,297     (108)     1,189
Retail mortgages                          5,145      (15)     5,130      7,817      (19)     7,798
Commercial lending                        3,314      (68)     3,246      3,382      (72)     3,310
Total loans and advances to customers     9,204     (191)     9,013     12,496     (199)    12,297

 

Gross loans and advances by product category

                                                                  

                                           31 December 31 December
 
                                                  2024        2023

                                             £’million   £’million
Overdrafts                                          39          40
Credit cards                                        20          28
Term loans                                         679       1,219
Consumer auto-finance                                7          10
Total consumer lending                             745       1,297
Residential owner occupied                       3,692       5,851
Retail buy-to-let                                1,453       1,966
Total retail mortgages                           5,145       7,817
Total retail lending                             5,890       9,114
Professional buy-to-let                            283         465
Bounce back loans                                  346         524
Coronavirus business interruption loans             47          86
Recovery loan scheme1                              260         328
Core commercial lending                          1,599       1,341
Commercial term loans                            2,535       2,744
Overdrafts and revolving credit facilities         220         172
Credit cards                                         7           4
Asset and invoice finance                          552         462
Total commercial lending                         3,314       3,382
Gross loans and advances to customers            9,204      12,496

Recovery loan scheme includes £45 million acquired from third parties under forward flow arrangements (31 December
2023: £70 million). The loans are held in a trust arrangement in which we hold 99% of the beneficial interest,
with the issuer retaining the remaining 1% (the trust retains the legal title loans).

 

 

 

 

 

10. Investment securities

 

                                                        
                                                         31 December
                                             31 December
                                                                2023
                                                    2024
                                                           £’million
                                               £’million
Investment securities held at FVOCI                  377         476
Investment securities held at amortised cost       4,113       4,403
Total investment securities                        4,490       4,879

 

 

Investment securities held at FVOCI

                                                     
                                                      31 December
                                          31 December
                                                             2023
                                                 2024
                                                        £’million
                                            £’million
Sovereign bonds                                   149         220
Residential mortgage-backed securities              0           -
Covered bonds                                      83         112
Multi-lateral development bank bonds              145         144
Total investment securities held at FVOCI         377         476

 

Investment securities held at amortised cost

                                                              
                                                               31 December
                                                   31 December
                                                                      2023
                                                          2024
                                                                 £’million
                                                     £’million
Sovereign bonds                                            875         938
Residential mortgage-backed securities                     876         954
Covered bonds                                              478         594
Multi-lateral development bank bonds                     1,576       1,729
Asset backed securities                                    308         188
Total investment securities held at amortised cost       4,113       4,403

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Property, plant and equipment

 

                                                  Freehold    Fixtures,
                         Investment    Leasehold                                    Right-of-use
                                                  land and fittings and IT Hardware                  Total
                           property improvements                                          assets
                                                 buildings    equipment   £’million              £’million
                          £’million    £’million                                       £’million
                                                 £’million    £’million
Cost                                                                                                      
1 January 2024                   12          256       386           23          10          279       966
Additions                         0            1        37            0           2            1        41
Disposals                         –            -         –            –           –         (25)      (25)
Transfers                         –         (13)        13            –           –            –         –
31 December 2024                 12          244       436           23          12          255       982
Accumulated depreciation                                                                                  
1 January 2024                    8           79        42           21           4           89       243
Depreciation charge               0            5        12            1           4           12        34
Impairments                       -            -         -            -           -            1         1
Disposals                         –          (0)         –            –           –          (7)       (7)
Transfers                         –            3       (3)            –           –            –         -
31 December 2024                  8           87        51           22           8           95       271
Net book value                    4          157       385            1           4          160       711

 

                                                  Freehold    Fixtures,
                         Investment    Leasehold                                    Right-of-use
                                                  land and fittings and IT Hardware                  Total
                           property improvements                                          assets
                                                 buildings    equipment   £’million              £’million
                          £’million    £’million                                       £’million
                                                 £’million    £’million
Cost                                                                                                      
1 January 2023                   12          261       372           22           8          283       958
Additions                         –            –         9            1           2            –        12
Disposals                         –            –         –            –           –          (4)       (4)
Transfers                         –          (5)         5            –           –            –         –
31 December 2023                 12          256       386           23          10          279       966
Accumulated depreciation                                                                                  
1 January 2023                    8           69        34           20           2           77       210
Depreciation charge               –           13         5            1           2           13        34
Disposals                         –            –         –            –           –          (1)       (1)
Transfers                         –          (3)         3            –           –            –         –
31 December 2023                  8           79        42           21           4           89       243
Net book value                    4          177       344            2           6          190       723

 

 

 

 

12. Intangible assets

                          Goodwill     Brands   Software      Total
 
                         £’million  £’million  £’million  £’million
Cost                                                               
1 January 2024                  10          2        355        367
Additions                        –          –         19         19
Write-offs                       –          –       (85)       (85)
31 December 2024                10          2        289        301
Accumulated amortisation                                           
1 January 2024                   –          1        173        174
Amortisation charge              –          -         43         43
Write-offs                       –          –       (42)       (42)
31 December 2024                 –          1        174        175
Net book value                  10          1        115        126

 

                          Goodwill     Brands   Software      Total
 
                         £’million  £’million  £’million  £’million
Cost                                                               
1 January 2023                  10          2        338        350
Additions                        –          –         26         26
Write-offs                       –          –        (9)        (9)
31 December 2023                10          2        355        367
Accumulated amortisation                                           
1 January 2023                   –          –        134        134
Amortisation charge              –          1         43         44
Write-offs                       –          –        (4)        (4)
31 December 2023                 –          1        173        174
Net book value                  10          1        182        193

 

 

13. Leases

Lease liabilities

 

                                                        

                                   2024             2023

                              £’million        £’million
1 January                           234              248
Additions and modifications           1              –  
Disposals                          (20)              (4)
Lease payments made                (22)             (23)
Interest on lease liabilities        12               13
31 December                         205              234

 

Minimum lease payments

 

                                                   

                            31 December 31 December
 
                                   2024        2023

                              £’million   £’million
Within one year                      20          22
Due in one to five years             74          83
Due in more than five years         101         145
Total                               195         250

 

14. Expected credit losses and credit risk

Expected credit loss expense

                                        2024      2023
 
                                   £’million £’million
Retail mortgages1                        (4)       (1)
Consumer lending1                        (0)        33
Commercial lending1                      (4)      (20)
Investment securities                      -         1
Write-offs and other movements            15        20
Total expected credit loss expense         7        33

 

1. Represents the movement in ECL stock during the year and therefore excludes write-offs which are shown
separately.

 

 

 

Loss allowance

 

Total loans and advances to customers

                     Gross carrying amount                Loss allowance                Net carrying amount
£’million       Stage 1 Stage Stage POCI  Total    Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage 1 Stage Stage POCI  Total
                          2     3                    1     2     3                          2     3
1 January 2024   10,596 1,511   389    0  12,496    (63)  (43)  (93)    – (199)    10,533 1,468   296    0  12,297
Transfers
to/(from) Stage     385 (368)  (17)    -       -    (11)    10     1    -   (0)       374 (358)  (16)    -       -
11
Transfers
to/(from) Stage   (409)   416   (7)    -       -       2   (2)     -    -     -     (407)   414   (7)    -       -
2
Transfers
to/(from) Stage   (192) (100)   292    -       -       4     7  (11)    -     -     (188)  (93)   281    -       -
3
Net
remeasurement         -     -     -    -       -       9  (14)  (40)    -  (45)         9  (14)  (40)    -    (45)
due to
transfers2
New lending3      1,716   147     1    –   1,864    (11)   (3)   (1)    –  (15)     1,705   144     -    –   1,849
Repayments,
additional
drawdowns and     (619) (120)  (33)  (1)   (773)       -     -     -    -     -     (619) (120)  (33)  (1)   (773)
interest
accrued
Derecognitions4 (3,755) (507) (121)    - (4,383)      11    11    20    -    42   (3,744) (496) (101)    - (4,341)
Changes to
model                 -     -     -    -       -      20     5     -    1    26        20     5     -    1      26
assumptions5
31 December       7,722   979   504  (1)   9,204    (39)  (29) (124)    1 (191)     7,683   950   380    -   9,013
2024
Off-balance                                                                                                       
sheet items
Commitments and                              718                              -                                718
guarantees6

 

 

                     Gross carrying amount                Loss allowance                Net carrying amount
£’million       Stage 1 Stage Stage POCI   Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage 1 Stage Stage POCI   Total
                            2     3                    1     2     3                          2     3
1 January 2023   10,849 2,088   352    –  13,289    (66)  (51)  (70)    – (187)    10,783 2,037   282    –  13,102
Transfers
to/(from) Stage     872 (857)  (15)    -       -    (15)    15     -    -     -       857 (842)  (15)    -       -
11
Transfers
to/(from) Stage   (581)   589   (8)    -       -       4   (6)     2    -     -     (577)   583   (6)    -       -
2
Transfers
to/(from) Stage   (170)  (71)   241    -       -       3     4   (7)    -     -     (167)  (67)   234    -       -
3
Net
remeasurement         -     -     -    -       -      12  (13)  (38)    -  (39)        12  (13)  (38)    -    (39)
due to
transfers2
New lending3      2,060   239    16    –   2,315    (18)   (6)   (6)    –  (30)     2,042   233    10    –   2,285
Repayments,
additional
drawdowns and     (685) (172)  (40)    -   (897)       -     -     -    -     -     (685) (172)  (40)    -   (897)
interest
accrued
Derecognitions4 (1,749) (305) (157)    – (2,211)      13    10    26    –    49   (1,736) (295) (131)    – (2,162)
Changes to                                                                                                  
model                 -     -     -    -       -       4     4     -    -     8         4     4     -    -
assumptions5                                                                                                     8
31 December      10,596 1,511   389    –  12,496    (63)  (43)  (93)    – (199)    10,533 1,468   296    –  12,297
2023
Off-balance                                                                                                 
sheet items
Commitments and                          718                              -                                718
guarantees6

 

 1. Represents stage transfers prior to any ECL remeasurements.
 2. Represents the remeasurement between the 12 month and lifetime ECL due to stage transfer. In addition, it
    includes any ECL change resulting from model assumptions and forward-looking information on these loans.
 3. Represents the increase in balances resulting from loans and advances that have been newly originated,
    purchased or renewed as well as any ECL that has been recognised in relation to these loans during the year.
 4. Represents the decrease in balances resulting from loans and advances that have been fully repaid, sold or
    written off.
 5. Represents the change in ECL to those loans that remain within the same stage through the year.

 

 

 

 

Retail mortgages

                     Gross carrying amount                Loss allowance                Net carrying amount
£’million       Stage 1 Stage Stage POCI  Total    Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage 1 Stage Stage POCI  Total
                          2     3                    1     2     3                          2     3
1 January 2024    6,887   784   146    -   7,817     (7)   (6)   (6)    -  (19)     6,880   778   140    –   7,798
Transfers
to/(from) Stage     146 (138)   (8)    -       -     (1)     1     -    -     -       145 (137)   (8)    -       -
1
Transfers
to/(from) Stage   (171)   173   (2)    -       -       -     -     -    -     -     (171)   173   (2)    -       -
2
Transfers
to/(from) Stage    (53)  (46)    99    -       -       -     1   (1)    -     -      (53)  (45)    98    -       -
3
Net
remeasurement         -     -     -    -       -       1   (1)   (2)    -   (2)         1   (1)   (2)    -     (2)
due to
transfers
New lending         728   126     -    -     854     (1)   (2)     -    –   (3)       727   124     -    -     851
Repayments,
additional
drawdowns and     (113)  (12)     1    -   (124)       -     -     -    -     -     (113)  (12)     1    -   (124)
interest
accrued
Derecognitions  (3,066) (303)  (33)    - (3,402)       3     2     2    -     7   (3,063) (301)  (31)    - (3,395)
Changes to
model                 -     -     -    -       -       1     1     -    -     2         1     1     -    -       2
assumptions
31 December       4,358   584   203    -   5,145     (4)   (4)   (7)    -  (15)     4,354   580   196    -   5,130
2024

 

                           Gross carrying amount              Loss allowance              Net carrying amount
£’million               Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total
                          1     2     3                  1     2     3                  1     2     3
1 January 2023          6,195 1,343   111    – 7,649     (6)  (11)   (3)    –  (20)   6,189 1,332   108    – 7,629
Transfers to/(from)       745 (737)   (8)    –     –     (6)     6     –    –     –     739 (731)   (8)    –     –
Stage 1
Transfers to/(from)     (193)   199   (6)    –     –       –     –     –    –     –   (193)   199   (6)    –     –
Stage 2
Transfers to/(from)      (38)  (29)    67    –     –       –     –     –    –     –    (38)  (29)    67    –     –
Stage 3
Net remeasurement due       –     –     –    –     –       5   (2)   (2)    –     1       5   (2)   (2)    –     1
to transfers
New lending             1,195   147     1    – 1,343     (1)   (1)     –    –   (2)   1,194   146     1    – 1,341
Repayments, additional
drawdowns               (177)  (18)     –    – (195)       –     –     –    –     –   (177)  (18)     –    – (195)
and interest accrued
Derecognitions          (840) (121)  (19)    – (980)       1     1     –    –     2   (839) (120)  (19)    – (978)
Changes to model            –     –     –    –     –       –     1   (1)    –     –       –     1   (1)    –     -
assumptions
31 December 2023        6,887   784   146    – 7,817     (7)   (6)   (6)    –  (19)   6,880   778   140    – 7,798

 

 

 

Consumer lending

                           Gross carrying amount              Loss allowance              Net carrying amount
£’million               Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total
                          1     2     3                  1     2     3                  1     2     3
1 January 2024            906   314    77    - 1,297    (26)  (16)  (66)    - (108)     880   298    11    - 1,189
Transfers to/(from)        80  (79)   (1)    -     -     (3)     3     -    -     -      77  (76)   (1)    -     -
Stage 1
Transfers to/(from)      (74)    74     -    -     -       1   (1)     -    -     -    (73)    73     -    -     -
Stage 2
Transfers to/(from)      (27)  (14)    41    -     -       1     4   (5)    -     -    (26)  (10)    36    -     -
Stage 3
Net remeasurement due       -     -     -    -     -       2   (4)  (25)    -  (27)       2   (4)  (25)    -  (27)
to transfers
New lending                 4     -     -    -     4       -     -     -    -     -       4     -     -    –     4
Repayments, additional
drawdowns and interest  (226)  (83)  (10)  (1) (320)       -     -     -    -     -   (226)  (83)  (10)  (1) (320)
accrued
Derecognitions          (167)  (59)  (10)    - (236)       4     2     9    -    15   (163)  (57)   (1)    - (221)
Changes to model            -     -     -    -     -       9     3   (1)    1    12       9     3   (1)    1    12
assumptions
31 December 2024          496   153    97  (1)   745    (12)   (9)  (88)    1 (108)     484   144     9    -   637

 

                           Gross carrying amount              Loss allowance              Net carrying amount
£’million               Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total
                          1     2     3                  1     2     3                  1     2     3
1 January 2023          1,180   250    50    – 1,480    (21)  (12)  (42)    –  (75)   1,159   238     8    – 1,405
Transfers to/(from)        34  (34)     –    –     –     (2)     2     –    –     –      32  (32)     –    –     –
Stage 1
Transfers to/(from)     (182)   182     –    –     –       2   (2)     –    –     –   (180)   180     –    –     –
Stage 2
Transfers to/(from)      (35)   (9)    44    –     –       1     2   (3)    –     –    (34)   (7)    41    –     –
Stage 3
Net remeasurement due       –     –     –    –     –       2   (6)  (28)    –  (32)       2   (6)  (28)    –  (32)
to transfers
New lending               311    78     7    –   396     (9)   (4)   (6)    –  (19)     302    74     1    –   377
Repayments, additional
drawdowns               (217) (111)  (10)    – (338)       –     –     –    –     –   (217) (111)  (10)    – (338)
and interest accrued
Derecognitions          (185)  (42)  (14)    – (241)       3     2    12    –    17   (182)  (40)   (2)    – (224)
Changes to model            –     –     –    –     –     (2)     2     1    –     1     (2)     2     1    –     1
assumptions
31 December 2023          906   314    77    – 1,297    (26)  (16)  (66)    – (108)     880   298    11    – 1,189

 

 

Commercial lending

                           Gross carrying amount              Loss allowance              Net carrying amount
£’million               Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total
                          1     2     3                  1     2     3                  1     2     3
1 January 2024          2,803   413   166    – 3,382    (30)  (21)  (21)    –  (72)   2,773   392   145    – 3,310
Transfers to/(from)       159 (151)   (8)    –     -     (7)     6     1    –     -     152 (145)   (7)    –     -
Stage 1
Transfers to/(from)     (164)   169   (5)    –     -       1   (1)     -    –     -   (163)   168   (5)    –     -
Stage 2
Transfers to/(from)     (112)  (40)   152    –     -       3     2   (5)    –     -   (109)  (38)   147    –     -
Stage 3
Net remeasurement due       –     –     –    -     -       6   (9)  (13)    –  (16)       6   (9)  (13)    -  (16)
to transfers
New lending               984    21     1    – 1,006    (10)   (1)   (1)    –  (12)     974    20     -    –   994
Repayments, additional
drawdowns               (280)  (25)  (24)    - (329)       –     –     –    –     –   (280)  (25)  (24)    - (329)
and interest accrued
Derecognitions          (522) (145)  (78)    – (745)       4     7     9    –    20   (518) (138)  (69)    – (725)
Changes to model            –     –     –    –     –      10     1     1    -    12      10     1     1    -    12
assumptions
31 December 2024        2,868   242   204    - 3,314    (23)  (16)  (29)    -  (68)   2,845   226   175    - 3,246

 

                           Gross carrying amount              Loss allowance              Net carrying amount
£’million               Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total   Stage Stage Stage POCI Total
                          1     2     3                  1     2     3                  1     2     3
1 January 2023          3,474   495   191    – 4,160    (39)  (28)  (25)    –  (92)   3,435   467   166    – 4,068
Transfers to/(from)        93  (86)   (7)    –     –     (7)     7     –    –     –      86  (79)   (7)    –     –
Stage 1
Transfers to/(from)     (206)   208   (2)    –     –       2   (4)     2    –     –   (204)   204     –    –     –
Stage 2
Transfers to/(from)      (97)  (33)   130    –     –       2     2   (4)    –     –    (95)  (31)   126    –     –
Stage 3
Net remeasurement due       –     –     –    –     –       5   (5)   (8)    –   (8)       5   (5)   (8)    –   (8)
to transfers
New lending               554    14     8    –   576     (8)   (1)     –    –   (9)     546    13     8    –   567
Repayments, additional
drawdowns               (291)  (43)  (30)    – (364)       –     –     –    –     –   (291)  (43)  (30)    – (364)
and interest accrued
Derecognitions          (724) (142) (124)    – (990)       9     7    14    –    30   (715) (135) (110)    – (960)
Changes to model            –     –     –    –     –       6     1     –    –     7       6     1     –    –     7
assumptions
31 December 2023        2,803   413   166    – 3,382    (30)  (21)  (21)    –  (72)   2,773   392   145    – 3,310

 

 

Credit risk exposures

Retail mortgages

 

                                   31 December 2024                          31 December 2023
                        Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3     POCI        Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3     POCI

£’million              12-month Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime Total 12-month Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime Total

                            ECL      ECL      ECL      ECL            ECL      ECL      ECL      ECL
Up to date                4,356      504       57        – 4,917    6,885      695       37        – 7,617
1 to 29 days past due         2       21       11        –    34        2       28       10        –    40
30 to 89 days past due        –       59       21        –    80        –       61       16        –    77
90+ days past due             –        –      114        –   114        –        –       83        –    83
Gross carrying amount     4,358      584      203        – 5,145    6,887      784      146        – 7,817

 

Consumer lending

 

                                   31 December 2024                          31 December 2023
                        Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3     POCI        Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3     POCI

£’million              12-month Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime Total 12-month Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime Total

                            ECL      ECL      ECL      ECL            ECL      ECL      ECL      ECL
Up to date                  496      141        2      (1)   638      900      297        3        – 1,200
1 to 29 days past due         0        2        1        –     3        6        2        –        –     8
30 to 89 days past due        0       10        5        –    15        –       15        7        –    22
90+ days past due             0        0       89        –    89        –        –       67        –    67
Gross carrying amount       496      153       97      (1)   745      906      314       77        – 1,297

 

Commercial lending

 

                                   31 December 2024                          31 December 2023
                        Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3     POCI        Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3     POCI

£’million              12-month Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime Total 12-month Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime Total

                            ECL      ECL      ECL      ECL            ECL      ECL      ECL      ECL
Up to date                2,841      205       86        - 3,132    2,768      350       83        – 3,201
1 to 29 days past due        27       16        2        –    45       35       24        5        –    64
30 to 89 days past due        –       21       60        –    81        –       39       20        –    59
90+ days past due             –        –       56        –    56        –        –       58        –    58
Gross carrying amount     2,868      242      204        - 3,314    2,803      413      166        – 3,382

 

Credit risk concentration

 

Retail mortgage lending by repayment type

                                   31 December 2024                                31 December 2023
                                       £’million                                       £’million
                          Retail owner     Retail            Total        Retail owner     Retail            Total
                              occupied buy-to-let retail mortgages            occupied buy-to-let retail mortgages
Interest only                    1,330      1,398            2,728               1,933      1,878            3,811
Capital and                      2,362         55            2,417               3,918         88            4,006
repayment
Total retail                     3,692      1,453            5,145               5,851      1,966            7,817
mortgage lending

 

 

 

 

 

Retail mortgage lending by geographic exposure

                                    31 December 2024                                31 December 2023
                                        £’million                                      £’million
                           Retail owner     Retail            Total       Retail owner     Retail            Total
                               occupied buy-to-let retail mortgages           occupied buy-to-let retail mortgages
Greater London                    1,324        808            2,132              2,040      1,091            3,131
South-east                          975        283            1,258              1,564        381            1,945
South-west                          313         63              376                487         87              574
East of England                     379        114              493                590        150              740
North-west                          155         44              199                268         65              333
West Midlands                       154         47              201                240         71              311
Yorkshire and the                   107         25              132                185         32              217
Humber
East Midlands                       104         40              144                180         53              233
Wales                                67         13               80                111         17              128
North-east                           34          7               41                 60          8               68
Scotland                             80          9               89                126         11              137
Total retail mortgage             3,692      1,453            5,145              5,851      1,966            7,817
lending

 

Retail mortgage lending by DTV

                                   31 December 2024                                31 December 2023
                                       £’million                                       £’million
                          Retail owner     Retail            Total        Retail owner     Retail            Total
                              occupied buy-to-let retail mortgages            occupied buy-to-let retail mortgages
Less than 50%                    1,282        263            1,545               1,994        439            2,433
51–60%                             601        210              811               1,069        375            1,444
61–70%                             611        417            1,028               1,044        642            1,686
71–80%                             761        543            1,304               1,100        493            1,593
81–90%                             397         16              413                 550         16              566
91–100%                             39          3               42                  89          –               89
More than 100%                       1          1                2                   5          1                6
Total retail                     3,692      1,453            5,145               5,851      1,966            7,817
mortgage lending

 

 

 

 

Commercial lending – excluding BBLS by repayment type

 

                                        31 December 2024                              31 December 2023
                                            £’million                                    £’million
                          Professional      Other Total commercial term   Professional      Other Total commercial
                                                                  loans                                 term loans
                            buy-to-let term loans                           buy-to-let term loans
Interest only                      270        393                   663            438        222              660
Capital and repayment               13      1,513                 1,526             27      1,533            1,560
Total commercial term              283      1,906                 2,189            465      1,755            2,220
loans

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial term lending – excluding BBLS by geographic exposure

                                        31 December 2024                              31 December 2023
                                            £’million                                    £’million
                          Professional      Other Total commercial term   Professional      Other Total commercial
                                                                  loans                                 term loans
                            buy-to-let term loans                           buy-to-let term loans
Greater London                     181        813                   994            298        880            1,178
South-east                          48        334                   382             88        340              428
South-west                          10         90                   100             15        111              126
East of England                     20        200                   220             31        122              153
North-west                           7        115                   123             11        106              117
West Midlands                        3        185                   188              4        101              105
Yorkshire and the Humber             2         11                    13              2         17               19
East Midlands                        6         55                    60              9         44               53
Wales                                2          4                     6              3          8               11
North-east                           2         73                    75              3         19               22
Scotland                             1          1                     2              –          5                5
Northern Ireland                     -          3                     3              1          2                3
National                             1         22                    23              0          -                -
Total commercial term              283      1,906                 2,189            465      1,755            2,220
loans

 

Commercial term lending – excluding BBLS by sector exposure

                                           31 December 2024                           31 December 2023
                                              £’million                                  £’million
                               Professional      Other Total commercial   Professional      Other Total commercial
                                                             term loans                                 term loans
                                 buy-to-let term loans                      buy-to-let term loans
Real estate (rent, buy and              283        414              697            465        509              974
sell)
Hospitality                               –        442              442              –        368              368
Health and social work                    –        430              430              –        298              298
Legal, accountancy and                    –        207              207              –        150              150
consultancy
Retail                                    –        122              122              –        136              136
Real estate (develop)                     –         14               14              –         14               14
Recreation, cultural and sport            –         82               82              –         72               72
Construction                              –         36               36              –         48               48
Education                                 –         13               13              –         19               19
Real estate (management of)               –          5                5              –          7                7
Investment and unit trusts                –          6                6              –          7                7
Other                                     –        135              135              –        127              127
Total commercial term loans             283      1,906            2,189            465      1,755            2,220

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial term lending – excluding BBLS by DTV

                                   31 December 2023                                31 December 2022
                                       £’million                                       £’million
                      Professional      Other     Total commercial    Professional      Other     Total commercial
                                                        term loans                                      term loans
                        buy-to-let term loans                           buy-to-let term loans
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                             
Less than 50%                   81        578                  659             160        707                  867
51–60%                          39        414                  453              59        319                  378
61–70%                          59        275                  334             105        185                  290
71–80%                          64         65                  129              76         79                  155
81–90%                          38         82                  120              60         21                   81
91–100%                          1         45                   46               2         11                   13
More than 100%                   1        447                  448               3        433                  436
Total commercial               283      1,906                2,189             465      1,755                2,220
term loans

 

 

15. Legal and regulatory matters

As part of the normal course of business we are subject to legal and regulatory matters. The matters outlined
below represent contingent liabilities and as such at the reporting date no provision has been made for any of
these cases within the financial statements. This is because, based on the facts currently known, it is not
practicable to predict the outcome, if any, of these matters or reliably estimate any financial impact. Their
inclusion does not constitute any admission of wrongdoing or legal liability.

 

Magic Money Machine litigation

Arkeyo LLC (“Arkeyo”), a software company based in the United States, filed a civil suit against us in June 2017
in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania alleging, among other matters, that
we misappropriated certain of Arkeyo’s trade secret technology relating to money counting machines (i.e., our
Magic Money Machines). Arkeyo has sought damages in respect of a number of claims and attempted to serve the US
proceedings on us in the United Kingdom. This claim was decided in our favour on jurisdictional grounds. However,
Arkeyo has filed a new claim with a stated value of over £24 million. We believe Arkeyo LLC’s claims are without
merit and are vigorously defending the claim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16. Fair value of financial instruments

                                                                               31 December 2024
                                                                                                   With
                                                                         Quoted      Using
                                                                                            significant
                                                             Carrying    market observable              Total fair
                                                                                           unobservable
                                                                value     price     inputs                   value
                                                                                                 inputs
                                                            £’million   Level 1    Level 2               £’million
                                                                                                Level 3
                                                                      £’million  £’million
                                                                                              £’million
Assets                                                                                                            
Loans and advances to customers                                 9,013         -          -        8,982      8,982
Investment securities held at fair value through other            377       377          –            –        377
comprehensive income
Investment securities held at amortised cost                    4,113     2,857      1,122            –      3,979
Derivative financial assets                                        16         –         16            –         16
Liabilities                                                                                                       
Deposits from customers                                        14,458         –          –       14,459     14,459
Deposits from central bank                                        400         –          –          400        400
Debt securities                                                   675         –        711            –        711
Derivative financial liabilities                                    1         -          1            -          1
Repurchase agreements                                             391         –          –          391        391
                                                                               31 December 2023
                                                                                                   With
                                                                         Quoted      Using
                                                                                            significant
                                                             Carrying    market observable              Total fair
                                                                                           unobservable
                                                                value     price     inputs                   value
                                                                                                 inputs
                                                            £’million   Level 1    Level 2               £’million
                                                                                                Level 3
                                                                      £’million  £’million
                                                                                              £’million
Assets                                                                                                            
Loans and advances to customers                                12,297         –          –       12,156     12,156
Investment securities held at fair value through other            476       476          –            –        476
comprehensive income
Investment securities held at amortised cost                    4,403     3,143      1,072            –      4,215
Derivative financial assets                                        36         –         36            –         36
Liabilities                                                                                                       
Deposits from customers                                        15,623         –          –       15,622     15,622
Deposits from central bank                                      3,050         –          –        3,050      3,050
Debt securities                                                   694         –        585            –        585
Repurchase agreements                                           1,191         –          –        1,191      1,191

 

Information on how fair values are calculated are explained below:

Loans and advances to customers

Fair value is calculated based on the present value of future principal and interest cash flows, discounted at the
market rate of interest at the balance sheet date, adjusted for future credit losses and prepayments, if
considered material.

Investment securities

The fair value of investment securities is based on either observed market prices for those securities that have
an active trading market (fair value Level 1 assets) or using observable inputs (in the case of fair value Level 2
assets).

Financial assets held at fair value through profit and loss

The financial assets at fair value through profit and loss relate to the loans and advances previously assumed by
the RateSetter provision fund. They are measured at the fair value of the amounts that we expect to recover on
these loans.

Deposits from customers

Fair values are estimated using discounted cash flows, applying current rates offered for deposits of similar
remaining maturities. The fair value of a deposit repayable on demand is approximated by its carrying value.

Debt securities

Fair values are determined using the quoted market price at the balance sheet date.

Deposits from central banks/repurchase agreements

Fair values are estimated using discounted cash flows, applying current rates. Fair values approximate carrying
amounts as their balances are either short-dated or are on a variable rate which aligns to the current market
rate.

Derivative financial liabilities

The fair values of derivatives are obtained from discounted cash flow models as appropriate.

 

17. Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share (‘EPS’) is calculated by dividing the (loss)/profit attributable to ordinary equity
holders of Metro Bank by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period.

Diluted EPS has been calculated by dividing the loss attributable to our ordinary equity holders by the weighted
average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year plus the weighted average number of ordinary shares
that would be issued on the conversion to shares of options granted to colleagues.

As we were loss making in the year ended 31 December 2024, the share options would be antidilutive, as they would
reduce the loss per share. Therefore, all the outstanding options have been disregarded in the calculation of
dilutive EPS for 2024.

 

                                                                     2024    2023
Profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary equity holders (£’million)    42.5    29.5
Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue (thousands)                  
Basic                                                             672,784 214,297
Adjustment for share awards                                         2,466   6,459
Diluted                                                           675,250 220,756
Earnings per share (pence)                                                       
Basic                                                                 6.3    13.8
Diluted                                                               6.3    13.4

 

In Q4, 2023, shareholders approved a £925 million capital package that included £150 million of new equity made up
of 500,000 shares. The new shares increased the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue from 214,297
thousand in 2023 to 672,784 thousand in 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18. Non-cash items

                                                                                2024                          2023
 
                                                                           £’million                     £’million
Interest income                                                                (935)                         (856)
Interest expense                                                                 558                           444
Depreciation and amortisation                                                     77                            78
Impairment and write-offs of property, plant, equipment and intangible            44                             5
assets
Expected credit loss expense                                                       7                            33
Share option charge                                                                2                             3
Grant income recognised in the income statement                                  (3)                           (2)
Amounts provided for (net of amounts released)                                   (8)                            16
Haircut on Tier 2 debt                                                             -                         (100)
(Loss)/gain on sale of assets                                                  (101)                             3
Total adjustments for non-cash items                                           (359)                         (376)

19. Post balance sheet events

On 26th February 2025, Metro Bank confirmed entering into an agreement to sell a portfolio of approximately £584
million performing unsecured personal loans. The sale of the Portfolio is in line with Metro Bank’s strategy to
reposition its balance sheet and enhance risk-adjusted returns on capital. The transaction is capital accretive
and creates additional lending capacity to enable Metro Bank to continue its asset rotation towards higher
yielding commercial, corporate, SME lending and specialist mortgages.

Reconciliation from statutory to underlying results

 

 

                             Impairment and                                                      Cost
                               write-off of   Net C&I                Remediation           associated Underlying
  Year ended 31  Statutory property, plant,           Transformation       costs  Mortgage       with      basis
  December 2024      basis    equipment and     costs          costs                  Sale    capital             
                 £’million       intangible £’million      £’million   £’million £’million     raise1  £’million
                                     assets
                                  £’million                                                 £’million
  Net interest       377.9                –         –              –           –         –          –      377.9  
  income
  Net fee and
  commission          93.2                –         –              –           –         –          –       93.2  
  income
  Net loss on      (101.4)                –         –              –           –     101.4          –       0.00  
  sale of assets
  Other income        35.6                –     (3.4)              –           –       0.2          -       32.4  
  Total income       405.3                –     (3.4)              –           –     101.6          -      503.5  
  General
  operating        (489.0)                –       3.4           31.1        21.3         -        0.1    (433.1)  
  expenses
  Depreciation
  and               (77.3)                –         –              –           –         –          –     (77.3)  
  amortisation
  Impairment and
  write-offs of
  PPE and           (44.0)             44.0         –              –           –         –          –          –  
  intangible
  assets
  Total
  operating        (610.3)             44.0       3.4           31.1        21.3         -        0.1    (510.4)  
  expenses
  Expected
  credit loss        (7.1)                –         –              –           –         –          –      (7.1)  
  expense
  (loss)/profit    (212.1)             44.0         –           31.1        21.3     101.6        0.1     (14.0)  
  before tax

 

                            Impairment and
                              write-off of                                        Holding     Capital
                 Statutory       property,   Net C&I Transformation Remediation   company   raise and Underlying
  Year ended 31      basis          plant,                    costs       costs insertion refinancing      basis  
  December 2023  £’million   equipment and     costs      £’million                 costs
                                intangible £’million                  £’million £’million   £’million  £’million
                                    assets
                                 £’million
  Net interest       411.9               –         –              –           –         –           –      411.9  
  income
  Net fee and
  commission          90.4               –         –              –           –         –           –       90.4  
  income
  Net gains on         2.7               –         –              –           –         –           –        2.7  
  sale of assets
  Other income       143.9               –     (2.4)              –           –         –     (100.0)       41.5  
  Total income       648.9               –     (2.4)              –           –         –     (100.0)      546.5  
  General
  operating        (502.9)               –       2.4           20.2           –       1.8        26.0    (452.5)  
  expenses
  Depreciation
  and               (77.7)               –         –              –           –         –           –     (77.7)  
  amortisation
  Impairment and
  write-offs of
  PPE and            (4.6)             4.6         –              –           –         –           –          –  
  intangible
  assets
  Total
  operating        (585.2)             4.6       2.4           20.2           –       1.8        26.0    (530.2)  
  expenses
  Expected
  credit loss       (33.2)               –         –              –           –         –           –     (33.2)  
  expense
  Profit/(loss)       30.5             4.6         –           20.2           –       1.8      (74.0)     (16.9)  
  before tax

 

 1. Relates to capital raise in Q4 2023.

 

 

 

Capital information

Key metrics

                                                                                                    

                                                                 31 December             31 December
 
                                                                        2024                    2023

                                                                   £’million               £’million
Available capital                                                                                   
CET1 capital                                                             808                     985
Tier 1 capital                                                           808                     985
Total capital                                                            958                   1,135
Total capital + MREL                                                   1,479                   1,655
Risk-weighted assets                                                                                
Total risk-weighted assets                                             6,442                   7,533
                                                                                                    
Risk-based capital ratios as % of risk-weighted assets                                              
CET1 ratio                                                             12.5%                   13.1%
Tier 1 ratio                                                           12.5%                   13.1%
Total capital ratio                                                    14.9%                   15.1%
MREL ratio                                                             23.0%                   22.0%
Additional CET1 buffer requirements as % of risk-weighted assets                                    
Capital conservation buffer requirement                                 2.5%                    2.5%
Countercyclical buffer requirement                                      2.0%                    2.0%
Total of bank CET1 specific buffer requirements                         4.5%                    4.5%
                                                                                                    
Leverage ratio                                                                                      
UK leverage ratio                                                       5.6%                    5.3%
                                                                                                    
Liquidity coverage ratio                                                                            
Liquidity coverage ratio                                                337%                    332%

 

Leverage ratio

The table below shows our Tier 1 Capital and Total Leverage Exposure that are used to derive the UK leverage
ratio. The UK leverage ratio is the ratio of Tier 1 Capital to Total Leverage exposure.

 

                                                    

                             31 December 31 December
 
                                    2024        2023

                               £’million   £’million
Common equity tier 1 capital         808         985
Additional tier 1 capital              -           –
Tier 1 capital                       808         985
CRD IV leverage exposure          14,416      18,420
UK leverage ratio                   5.6%        5.3%

 

 

 

 

Liquidity coverage ratio

The table below shows the bank's Total HQLA and total net cash outflow that are used to derive the liquidity
coverage ratio.

 

                                                                   

                                 31 December            31 December
 
                                        2024                   2023

                                   £’million              £’million
Total high-quality liquid assets       6,071                  6,656
Total net cash outflow                 1,799                  2,002
Liquidity coverage ratio                337%                   332%

 

Overview of risk-weighted assets and capital requirements

                                                                                                                  
                                                                                        
                                                                                         Pillar 1 capital required
                                                          31 December        31 December
                                                                                                       31 December
                                                                 2024               2023
                                                                                                              2024
                                                            £’million          £’million
                                                                                                         £’million
Credit risk (excluding counterparty credit risk                 5,703              6,804                       456
(CCR))
Of which the standardised approach                              5,703              6,804                       456
CCR                                                                19                 26                         2
Of which mark to market                                            19                 26                         2
Of which CVA                                                        0                  0                         0
Market risk                                                         0                  0                         0
Operational risk                                                  720                703                        58
Of which basic indicator approach                                 –                  –                            
Of which standardised indicator approach                          720              703                            
Amounts below the thresholds for deduction (subject                –                  –                           
to 250% risk weight)
Total                                                           6,442             7,533                        515

 

Credit risk exposures by exposure class

Our Pillar 1 capital requirement for credit risk is set out in the table below.

                                                        31 December 2024                  31 December 2023
                                                                                  
                                                            £’million                         £’million
                                                 Exposure value Capital required   Exposure value Capital required
Central governments or central banks                      4,521                1            5,997                1
Exposures to multilateral development banks               1,465                –            1,614                –
Institutions                                                  2                0                9                –
Corporates                                                1,100               78              702               49
Retail                                                    1,048               58            1,639               93
Secured by mortgages on immovable property                6,206              210            9,061              291
Covered bonds                                               561                4              706                6
Claims on institutions and corporates with a                 61                1              133                3
short-term credit assessment
Securitisation position                                   1,122               10            1,075               10
Exposure at default                                         304               26              210               17
Collective investment undertakings                          115                –               58                –
 Items associated with particularly high risk                 4                0               12                1
Other exposures                                             907               68              973               72
Total                                                    17,416              456           22,189              544

 

Capital resources

The table below summarises the composition of regulatory capital on a proforma basis, including the profit for the
year1.

 

                                                             

                                  31 December     31 December
                              
                                         2024            2023

                                    £’million       £’million
Share capital and premium                 144             144
Retained earnings                         978             949
Profit/(loss) for the year1                43              29
Other reserves                             18              12
Intangible assets                       (126)           (193)
Other regulatory adjustments            (249)              44
CET 1 capital                             808             985
                                                             
Tier 1 capital                            808             985
Tier 2 capital                            150             150
Total capital resources                   958           1,135
                                               
MREL eligible debt                        521             520
TCR + MREL                              1,479           1,655

 

 1. The profit for the year is included to show our capital resources on a proforma basis as at 31 December 2024.
    The profit will only be eligible to be included in our capital resources following the completion of our audit
    and publication of our Annual Report and accounts.

 

Our capital adequacy was in excess of the minimum required by the regulators at all times.

 

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information in accordance with the Market Abuse
Regulation (MAR), transmitted by EQS Group.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

   ISIN:           GB00BMX3W479
   Category Code:  FR
   TIDM:           MTRO
   LEI Code:       984500CDDEAD6C2EDQ64
   OAM Categories: 3.1. Additional regulated information required to be
                   disclosed under the laws of a Member State
   Sequence No.:   377364
   EQS News ID:    2092289


    
   End of Announcement EQS News Service

   ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

    6 fncls.ssp?fn=show_t_gif&application_id=2092289&application_name=news&site_id=refinitiv~~~456f380e-074c-434c-ab61-d8ca972fa0de

References

   Visible links
   1. https://eqs-cockpit.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=f32178e858bb354ef48e02899f9e2a02&application_id=2092289&site_id=refinitiv~~~456f380e-074c-434c-ab61-d8ca972fa0de&application_name=news
   2. https://eqs-cockpit.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=68c8ad0a11a58040757d0d8913ebc176&application_id=2092289&site_id=refinitiv~~~456f380e-074c-434c-ab61-d8ca972fa0de&application_name=news
   3. mailto:IR@metrobank.plc.uk
   4. mailto:pressoffice@metrobank.plc.uk
   5. mailto:Metrobank-lon@fgsglobal.com


============

Recent news on Metro Bank Holdings

See all news