RBS boosts business lending funds

The RBS move has been welcomed by Holyrood and Westminster

The Royal Bank of Scotland group is to make an additional �250m of funding available to companies in Scotland this year, it has been announced.

The move by RBS and Nat West is aimed at small and medium sized enterprises.

It is part of a �3bn UK-wide scheme and follows a commitment made by the bank last month to increase lending to UK borrowers by an additional �6bn.

The announcement, part of the bank bailout, has been welcomed by the Scottish and UK governments.

The Royal Bank is set to be 70% owned by the British taxpayer after a year of turmoil which could leave it as much as �28bn in the red.

The bank's chairman, Sir Tom Killop, has stepped down two months earlier than planned.

Sir Tom, who was due to retire in April, brought forward his departure to allow successor Sir Philip Hampton to overhaul the troubled bank's board.

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