Last checked at 
(Adds Barclays support package, analyst comment)
* Lloyds, Barclays and RBS offer support to affected firms
* RBS extends relief to personal customers, mortgages
* 321 cases and five deaths from coronavirus in Britain so
far
By Sinead Cruise and Iain Withers
LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Three of Britain's biggest
banks, RBS, Lloyds and Barclays, are
offering repayment holidays on loans to customers affected by
the coronavirus outbreak as it spreads in the country.
State-backed RBS said on Tuesday that affected borrowers
would be able to defer repayments on mortgages and other loans
by up to three months, as part of its policy of supporting
customers who suffer financial hardship from unexpected events.
The bank will also waive early closure charges on fixed
savings accounts and offer refunds on credit card cash advance
fees so customers can access cash without penalty.
NatWest, part of RBS, has already announced measures to help
small firms suffering cash flow or supply chain problems due to
the health crisis.
RBS rivals Lloyds and Barclays also announced support
packages for business customers on Tuesday.
Britain's biggest domestic lender Lloyds said it was
offering relief on fees and loan repayments to some small firms
hit by the virus.
Lloyds said it would offer 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion)
of finance with no fees to affected small firms that have a
turnover of up to 25 million pounds. The funding is part of its
expected 18 billion pounds of business lending this year.
Barclays said it was contacting business customers affected
by coronavirus to offer them 12-month capital repayment holidays
on existing loans of more than 25,000 pounds, as part of a
package of measures to support companies hit by the outbreak.
None of the three banks defined exactly how customers would
have to be affected by the virus to receive help. There have
been 321 cases and five deaths in Britain so far.
Lloyds itself has been disrupted, shutting a call centre in
Northern Ireland that employs 1,000 people after a member of
staff tested positive for the virus.
Some businesses have had to shut offices and ask employees
to work from home, while cross-border supply chains have also
been disrupted.
Analysts at Jefferies estimate that RBS and HSBC's
loan books are most exposed to a potential spike in bad loans
resulting from the spread of coronavirus, with Lloyds and
Barclays least.
RBS's move to extend support to personal customers comes as
Italy's deputy economy minister said payments on mortgages could
be suspended across the country, where the most serious outbreak
in Europe continues to unfold.
Lloyds said its managers had spoken to more than 10,000
small and medium-sized enterprises about the outbreak, but said
the damage on businesses so far had been minimal.
It said any loan repayment holidays would be offered subject
to individual agreements.
($1 = 0.7656 pounds)
(Reporting by Sinead Cruise and Iain Withers; Editing by Susan
Fenton/Mark Potter/Jane Merriman)
