UK motor finance ruling hits exposed lenders, analysts crunch numbers

Reuters

UK motor finance ruling hits exposed lenders, analysts crunch numbers

2024 10월 28, 오후 12:48 GMT

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UK MOTOR FINANCE RULING HITS EXPOSED LENDERS, ANALYSTS CRUNCH NUMBERS

Investors are punishing UK bank stocks with exposure to motor finance for a second session in a row, following Friday's London court ruling on motor finance commissions that potentially widens the scope of possible cases of mis-selling that could come under review.

Shares in Close Brothers Group CBRO.L are down 9.8% on Monday, having tumbled 24.5% in the previous session. Bigger rival Lloyds LLOY.L is down 3.4%, taking its loss over the last two sessions to over 10%. Barclays BARC.L is down over 5% since Friday's open.

But as analysts scramble to update their calculations on the potential impact, mixed views are emerging.

In a note, Jefferies analysts said they are assessing the motor redress estimate for Lloyds, and said the court ruling could impact these forecasts by 1-1.5 billion pounds.

"The additional cost would not, in isolation, detract from the 'buy' thesis. But the ruling clearly heightens risk and uncertainty in the near-term," says Jefferies. They think Friday's drop in Lloyds shares could even be a more attractive buying opportunity.

In a Friday note, Shore Capital analysts covering Close Brothers said the latest news is a further blow to the bank's investment case but argue that significant concern around the topic is already more than captured in the current share price and stock rating of just 0.3x TNAV.

Elsewhere, RBC analyst Benjamin Toms says his team thinks consensus has been too optimistic on this issue. His team's base case impact on Close Brothers is 250 million pounds versus a 190 million consensus, and 2.5 billion pounds for Lloyds versus a roughly 1.2 billion-pound consensus.

He said the judgement "potentially sets a precedent for many more similar claims to come through the courts."

Citi research analysts said on Friday it is near impossible to quantify any impact following the ruling, which "raises broader questions than just redress amount on historic claims."

(Lucy Raitano)

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FOR MONDAY'S OTHER LIVE MARKETS POSTS:

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