9am Briefing: Lloyds hails return to profit

LLOYDS Banking Group today flagged up a return to profit this year after seeing lower than expected bad debts.

The group, which is 41% taxpayer-owned after rescuing ailing HBOS, believes it will be "profitable on a combined business basis" in 2010.

Lloyds racked up 24 billion in bad debts during 2009, mainly due to the toxic debts in the HBOS loan book, which led to a 6.3 billion loss last year.

Edinburgh ID theft warning

RESIDENTS of some areas of Edinburgh are more than three times as likely to have their identities stolen than the rest of the UK, it was reported today.

A survey by financial company Experian claims that homes in Cumberland Street, Broughton Street and in Comely Bank Road are more likely to be targeted for identity theft.

The company says organised criminal gangs target mail from addresses with shared postal deliveries.

Wind fans roof blaze

STRONG winds fanned the flames of a huge roof fire in Colinton.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service were bombarded with calls with dozens of neighbours standing on the streets to watch the fire which broke out in the roof a house in Colinton Road just after 5:30pm last night and was eventually put out two hours later.

No-one was in the building at the time, and there were no injuries.

Spamalot heads to Capital

MONTY Python musical Spamalot is heading to Edinburgh.

The show, which is based on the 1975 film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is due to be staged at the Playhouse from 18 to 23 October as part of a UK tour.

It tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, with the addition of show girls, killer rabbits, and the familiar film characters the French taunter and the Knights who say "Ni".

RBS chief to retire on 580,000 a year pension

A SENIOR director at the Royal Bank of Scotland is to retire next month with a 580,000 a year pension despite presiding over the bank's collapse.

The pay-out to deputy group chief executive Gordon Pell works out at almost 1,600 a day, even more than the 342,500 a year taken by former chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin, who agreed to cut his pension after a public outcry last year.