RBS has announced its intention to raise another £ 20 bn, Sir Fred Goodwin (CEO)is to leave the bank, Sir Tom McKillop (Chairman) is to leave at the next AGM and Jonny Cameron is to step down from the board.

RBS announces £20 billion capital raising

• RBS announces an offer of ordinary shares to raise £15 billion of core tier 1 capital. The offer will be underwritten by HM Treasury at a fixed price of 65.5 pence per share.

• Existing RBS shareholders will be invited to subscribe for all or part of their pro rata entitlements. New institutional shareholders may also be permitted to subscribe for new shares under the offer.

• In addition, HM Treasury will subscribe for £5 billion of Preference Shares, further increasing RBS's Tier 1 capital ratio.

• The capital raising will increase RBS's pro forma core tier 1 and tier 1 capital ratios by approximately 3 percentage points and 4 percentage points respectively, on a proportionally consolidated basis.

• RBS commits to maintain the availability of SME and mortgage lending at least at 2007 levels.

• Sir Tom McKillop will retire as Chairman at the Group's Annual General Meeting in April 2009.

• Sir Fred Goodwin, Chief Executive, will step down and be replaced by Stephen Hester, currently Chief Executive of British Land and a non-executive director of the Group.  

• In addition, Johnny Cameron, Chairman Global Markets, will step down from the Board with immediate effect.

Sir Tom McKillop, Chairman, said:

"The steps we have announced today, taken in conjunction with the Government, will secure a stronger future for the RBS Group. We regret having to raise new capital but believe that decisive action is necessary in this unprecedented market environment. 

Following the recapitalisation, RBS will be one of the best-capitalised banks in the world, enabling us to support our customers while pursuing our refocused strategic goals."

RBS announces £20 billion capital raising

Background

Conditions in global financial markets have deteriorated markedly in recent weeks, and following a significant number of high profile failures of financial institutions the point has been reached where confidence in the financial system itself has been called into question.

Despite strong credit ratings and capital ratios, investors and counterparties have become concerned over the capacity of banks to absorb the effects of the unfolding economic slowdown.

These market concerns have extended to RBS as they have to many of our peers, to the extent that governments around the world have introduced measures to support banks and, in turn, the financial system.  These economic and market pressures have impacted the Group through rising impairments and write-downs on the carrying value of certain structured credit assets. In addition, the Group has been affected by the heightened vulnerability or in some cases the collapse of certain financial counterparties.

The prospects for financial markets and for the economies in which RBS operates remain uncertain, and notwithstanding the increase in capital ratios brought about by our rights issue earlier this year, the Board believes that a further strengthening of the balance sheet is now required.

On 8 October 2008, the UK Government announced a range of measures which should ease both the cause and the symptoms of the current difficulties.  These include the provision of liquidity and funding support, and facilities to enable banks to raise new capital to strengthen their capital base. RBS welcomes these measures, which address both confidence in the strength of the banking system and the functioning of the interbank markets, and plans to participate in the Government's programme. 

Capital raising

In light of the current market concerns and their impact upon RBS, the Board has decided to take action to further strengthen the Group's capital base by raising an additional £20 billion of capital.

RBS intends to make an offer of ordinary shares to raise £15 billion of core tier 1 capital. The offer will be made by way of a Placing and Open Offer to Shareholders (the "Offer") and will be fully underwritten by HM Treasury ("HMT") at a fixed price of 65.5 pence per share.  This represents an 8.5% discount to the closing price on 10 October 2008. 

HM Treasury will in addition subscribe for £5 billion in Preference Shares with a coupon of 12%.

This capital raising will increase our pro-forma core tier 1 and tier 1 ratios by approximately 3 percentage points and 4 percentage points respectively, on a proportionally consolidated basis, significantly enhancing the Group's financial flexibility in the face of continuing turbulence and uncertainty in the financial markets.  Our previously announced capital targets are for our core tier 1 ratio to exceed 6% and for a tier 1 ratio in the 7.5 - 8.5% range and, as a result of this capital raising, these current targets are substantially exceeded. 

At the time of the launch of the Offer, RBS shareholders will be invited to subscribe for all or part of their entitlements.  Any new shares not taken up by RBS shareholders will be placed with HM Treasury at a fixed price of 65.5 pence per share.  New institutional investors may also be permitted to subscribe for new shares under the offer.

The Offer is subject to shareholder approval and further details and the terms and conditions of the Offer will be set out in the prospectus which is expected to be published in late October 2008.  The Offer is expected to close in November 2008.

Business Strategy

As a result of the current market conditions, the Board will be giving significantly greater emphasis to a number of elements of the Group's strategy. 

These include a refocusing of RBS's Global Markets division on its core strengths in providing risk management, financing and transaction services to its customers, with a parallel reduction in proprietary risk and a significant downsizing of capital-intensive businesses.

The increased capital ratios will allow the Group to accelerate the de-leveraging and reduce its wholesale funding globally.   Future profitability and capital generation will be optimised by placing a greater emphasis on risk- adjusted returns.

RBS will continue with its disposal programme and is reviewing its portfolio to identify further disposals of non-core assets which do not meet strategic objectives. Additional measures will be taken to reduce risk-weighted assets, although the environment remains difficult for the sale of assets. 

RBS will remain a globally important bank with a strong range of powerful franchises in retail and wholesale customer businesses. Profitable growth opportunities will be pursued within a disciplined risk framework, conservative capital and funding ratios and a business mix shifted more towards stable customer businesses.

  At the Group's core is its leading position in the UK. RBS remains committed to serving its personal, small business, commercial and corporate customers in these difficult economic conditions. The Board is determined that RBS will continue to support homeowners and small businesses by providing them with the financial services they require.

RBS is already the leading provider of financial services to small businesses, serving 25% of the UK SME market, and remains committed to providing its customers with its full support in the face of deteriorating economic conditions. In the UK mortgage market, RBS has increased lending by 12% in the first nine months of 2008 and had a market share of 17% in the first half of 2008. In both of these vital markets, with the benefit of the new capital, RBS is committed to maintaining its SME and mortgage lending availability to at least  2007 levels with the active marketing of competitively priced loan products.  Furthermore, we will be increasing our support to shared equity projects.  

RBS is already one of the principal providers of support to the independent money advice sector. The Group will increase its investment in Money Sense, which provides free and impartial money guidance to customers, by £4 million over the next 12 months and will participate fully in further industry initiatives to address these issues.

Board and Management

The Board has considered the implications of the current situation on the governance and management of the Group. HMT will work with the Board on its appointment of up to three new independent non-executive Directors who will bring relevant commercial experience and participate as appropriate in the principal committees of the Board.

The Board is appreciative of the contribution made by its Chief Executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, and his Executive Team. It recognises, however, that there should be a change of leadership in the Group and, accordingly, it has been agreed that Sir Fred Goodwin will step down and be replaced by Stephen Hester, currently Chief Executive of British Land and a non-executive director of the Group. Sir Fred Goodwin will continue for a short period as Chief Executive until Stephen Hester is released by British Land and to allow a smooth handover at both companies. In addition, Johnny Cameron, Chairman Global Markets, will step down from the Board with immediate effect. 

Sir Tom McKillop, Chairman, has agreed to continue in office following the recapitalisation to complete the restructuring of the Board but will retire at the Group's Annual General Meeting in April 2009.

The Board expects to be fully engaged with peers and the authorities in developing its approach to compensation in the financial services industry whereby remuneration is linked to long-term value creation.  No bonus will be awarded to any Board member in 2008 and any bonuses earned in 2009 will be paid in shares.  Board members who are dismissed will receive a severance package which is reasonable and perceived as fair.  

  Dividend 

No dividend will be paid on ordinary shares until the Preference Shares have been repaid.  It is the Board's intention to repay the Preference Shares as soon as possible.

Current Trading 

Since RBS announced its interim results on 8 August, the market dislocation has accelerated, particularly during the unprecedented events of the last four weeks. In light of this, it is difficult to forecast the results for the second half of the year with precision, however results will be below the expectations of the Board at the time of the interim statement.

Notwithstanding the above, preliminary results show the Group continued to trade profitably in the third quarter in total and across all of its business divisions.  However, we expect that the deterioration in economic and financial market conditions may lead to a rise in impairment charges and further asset write-downs in the fourth quarter.  

RBS continues to target significant reductions in third party assets with a view to further de-leveraging and de-risking its balance sheet, although progress has been affected by the turbulent financial market conditions.

The integration of the RBS-acquired ABN AMRO businesses is proceeding ahead of schedule. RBS confirms that the Dutch Government's purchase of Fortis Bank Nederland (Holding) NV, including Fortis's interests in RFS Holdings, will not affect the integration benefits envisaged by RBS, nor will it affect the businesses to be retained by RBS. Fortis has already paid in full in cash for its shares in RFS Holdings, and RBS and Banco Santander have consented to the Dutch Government joining the Consortium.

Global Banking & Markets has continued to produce strong performances in rates and currencies, with market volatility driving increased customer risk management activity. However, our credit markets activities have been significantly affected by the severe market dislocation experienced in recent weeks, with reduced business volumes and additional write-downs to some asset classes. Our equities performance has also been negatively affected.  The outlook for the remainder of the year is expected to remain very challenging.  

Global Transaction Services, the Retail & Commercial Banking businesses, RBS Insurance and Group Manufacturing have continued to perform well in the context of tougher market conditions, although impairment charges have risen in most banking segments, in line with general economic conditions.