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* Bellwether bank makes 2.4 bln stg loss provision
* Posts pretax loss of 602 mln stg, income falls
* Says support of the economy will come at cost
* Ramps up worst-case economic assumptions
(Adds analyst, CEO comments)
By Iain Withers and Sinead Cruise
LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - Lloyds Banking Group
swung to a rare pretax loss in the first half of 2020, after
setting aside a bigger than expected 2.4 billion pounds ($3.1
billion) second-quarter provision to cover a potential hike in
bad loans due to the coronavirus.
The hefty provision, which was 60% higher than an average of
analyst estimates, came as it drastically revised its models for
the worst-case scenario for Britain's economy as it grapples
with the fallout from the pandemic.
The United Kingdom's biggest domestic bank, seen as a
bellwether for the wider economy, said it had adopted a gloomier
outlook and estimated the impact of lockdown measures was "much
larger" than previously forecast.
It said Britain's GDP could shrink by 17.2% over the year,
compared with a 7.8% fall previously modelled as the
worst-possible outcome at Lloyds' first quarter results in
April.
Under new accounting rules known as IFRS9, banks have to
disclose these best-to-worst case economic forecasts, which they
weight according to probability and use to determine how much to
set aside for loan losses.
Lloyds' base case for GDP decline in 2020 was unchanged at
5%.
The fresh charge pushed Lloyds' provisions for the first
half to 3.8 billion pounds, resulting in a pretax loss of 602
million pounds.
Lloyds shares fell as much as 9% to their lowest level in
over eight years and were last down 8% at 0845 GMT, compared
with a more than 1% fall in the FTSE 100 index.
"These are hardly ideal conditions for Lloyds, in fact
they're pretty close to the perfect storm," said Nicholas Hyett,
equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"While we don't think the bank will be rushing to restart
dividend payments, even when they do begin they may not be at
the level investors had previously expected."
COST TO GROUP
Lloyds said it had lent more than 9 billion pounds to
businesses through various government-backed relief schemes and
granted more than 1.1 million payment holidays to consumers hit
by the pandemic, but its support of these customers "will have a
cost to the group".
Major banks across Europe have been counting the cost of
likely bad loans due to the pandemic this week, with Spain's
BBVA also setting aside extra provisions on Thursday.
Lloyds' domestic rival Barclays booked a higher
than expected 1.6 billion pound provision on Wednesday, while a
big charge at Spain's Santander dragged it to a record
quarterly loss.
Lloyds' loss compared with pretax profits of 2.9 billion
pounds last year. The bank posted a statutory post-tax profit of
19 million pounds, largely due to tax credits earned on some of
its most valuable assets.
Its net interest margin - a key measure of lending
profitability - sunk by 20 basis points to 2.59% in the three
months to end-June, as interest rates hover just above zero and
demand for loans and mortgages wilts.
Income for the half-year fell by 16% to 7.4 billion pounds
in line with expectations.
The lender is searching for a new CEO to help steer it
through the economic fallout from the pandemic, after António
Horta-Osório said earlier this month he would step down by next
year after a decade leading the bank.
Horta-Osório told reporters he had no current plans for what
he would do after leaving Lloyds and would present the bank's
plans for next year in February.
He said the bank's next strategic review would require the
input of incoming chairman Robin Budenberg and whoever replaced
him as CEO, and would likely be announced later in 2021.
($1 = 0.7714 pounds)
(Editing by Lawrence White and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
