Lloyds (LLOY.L) reported a higher-than-expected pre-tax profit of £3.5bn for the first half of 2025, a 5% jump as as the lender benefited from an increase in lending and savings balances.
Underlying profits for the first half of the year rose 2% to £3.56bn. Lloyds intends to pay an interim dividend of 1.22p, equivalent to £731m, representing a rise of 15% on a year ago.
Profits were helped by a smaller-than-expected impairment charge for bad loans. City analysts had forecast a £591m provision, but the actual impairment was £442m, although this was still up from £101m at the same point in 2024.
Underlying profit for the trimester rose by 32% year on year to £2bn, earnings per share landed at 2.1 pence, and the cost-to-income ratio stood at 52.2%. Return on tangible equity rose 2.9 percentage points from the previous quarter to 15.5%.
For the first six months of 2025, the lender's net income added 6% to £8.9bn, and earnings per share stood at 3.8 pence, up from 3.4 pence reported a year earlier.
The UK's biggest mortgage lender maintained its performance targets for the year, as improved house price expectations helped offset a decline in its economic outlook including higher unemployment expectations.
Lloyds said total customer lending increased by £11.9bn over the period, or 3%, driven by UK mortgages, with some 33,000 first-time buyers borrowing on a home.
Customer deposits also grew by £11.2bn, or 2%, following a strong season for ISAs, while more people moved money out of current accounts and into savings.
