Lloyds Share News (LLOY)

BP is leading London's blue chips higher in early dealings on Thursday following yesterday's meeting with the US president.BP has cancelled dividends for the rest of the year and agreed to a demand from US president Obama to put $20bn in an escrow account to cover claims resulting from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The UK company will pay $3bn into the escrow account in the third quarter of 2010 and $2bn in the fourth quarter. This will by followed by payments of $1.25bn a quarter until a total of $20bn has been reached.Banking shares are reacting positively to Chancellor George Osborne's promise of a "new settlement between our banks and the rest of society" last night. In his maiden Mansion House speech, Osborne announced he would abolish the Financial Services Authority and give new powers to the Bank of England to help it regulate the UK financial sector.Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking are among the top five risers.Miners are limiting the rise, with Fresnillo, Xstrata, Vedanta Resources, Kazakhmys, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto all stuck in the red.Computer gaming retailer Game Group has announced a former Vodafone man as its new chief executive officer, though he will inherit control of a company facing declining sales. The group has appointed Ian Shepherd as its new chief executive. In an update on recent trading the group said in the 19 week period to 12 June total group sales were 11.4% lower than a year earlier.Design and engineering firm WS Atkins reported a 5.9% drop in full-year pre-tax profits, but the fall was not as steep as feared. Pre-tax profit came to £96.6m for the year to 31 March, down from £102.70m the year before. The group was forecast to announce pre-tax profits of £89.3m. The Federal Court of Canada has blocked drugs giant AstraZeneca's attempt to delay the launch of a generic version of Astra's gastrointestinal disease treatment, Nexium.Equipment rental group Ashtead saw underlying full year earnings tumble but has seen some signs of improvement in the fourth quarter, especially in the US, where it makes the bulk of its money.Hammerson, the UK property giant, is selling a majority stake in a shopping centre near Paris, though it will continue to manage the asset. Property giant Land Securities has sold an unfinished development in London's West End for £250m plus construction costs.Kazakhstan focused gold and copper company Frontier Mining said pre-tax losses swelled to $30.3m in 2009 from a loss of $5m the year before. Luxury handbag maker Mulberry revealed a 22% rise in full year profit as consumers flocked to buy products from its Alexa handbag range. FTSE 100 - RisersBP (BP.) 360.00p +6.82%Man Group (EMG) 244.30p +2.13%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 45.89p +1.59%Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 1,594.00p +1.40%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 56.21p +1.04%National Grid (NG.) 515.00p +0.68%Severn Trent (SVT) 1,257.00p +0.64%Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 1,840.50p +0.63%Aviva (AV.) 347.40p +0.61%Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 1,767.00p +0.54%FTSE 100 - FallersFresnillo (FRES) 1,033.00p -2.09%Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,264.00p -1.79%Xstrata (XTA) 1,020.50p -1.40%Vedanta Resources (VED) 2,278.00p -1.39%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 1,178.00p -1.26%Associated British Foods (ABF) 1,002.00p -1.18%Shire Plc (SHP) 1,445.00p -1.16%Admiral Group (ADM) 1,399.00p -1.13%Antofagasta (ANTO) 867.50p -1.08%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,305.50p -1.00%