LONDON—Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC said its net loss widened to £ 2.05 billion ($2.68 billion) in the first half of the year, hit by soaring litigation provisions and more restructuring costs.

The bank said it made revenue of £ 6.1 billion in the period, down from £ 7.26 billion a year earlier. Its net loss figure was compared with £ 179 million a year earlier, as the bank crept toward its ninth straight annual loss.

The bottom line was hit by a £ 1.32 billion provision to cover litigation-and-conduct costs, including an undisclosed amount to settle a lawsuit over allegations the bank didn't disclose its financial health ahead of an emergency capital raising in 2008.

The bank, which was subsequently bailed out and is now 73% government owned, also gave up on an expensive project to carve out and list its Williams & Glyn unit. The unit, which it has to dispose of by the end of 2017 to meet European state-aid rules, will instead be sold. Earlier this week, the bank received an offer from Banco Santander SA's U.K. business to buy the unit, according to people familiar with the offer.

RBS also took a £ 450 million charge for selling payment-protection insurance products. Restructuring charges totaled £ 630 million in the half. Adjusted operating profit, which strips out provisions and restructuring costs, was £ 2 billion.

Write to Max Colchester at max.colchester@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 05, 2016 03:05 ET (07:05 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE:RBS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024 Click Here for more Royal Bank of Scotland Charts.
Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE:RBS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024 Click Here for more Royal Bank of Scotland Charts.