Lloyds Share News (LLOY)

London's blue chips have made a bright start after the late pick-up on Wall Street overnight, even though there is some disappointment with the figures from Lloyds Banking. The state-controlled bank joined sector peers Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland in reporting better than expected figures. The lender reported a pre-tax loss of £6.3bn in the year ended 31 December compared with £6.71bn last time. Miners have also improved with the late upswing in share prices on Wall Street overnight. Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are both favoured today.Outsourcing group Serco has increased the dividend by a quarter as it ramped up profits by almost a third in 2009 and ended the year with a record order book. Profit before tax for the 12 months ended 31 December hit £177.1m, up from £136.1m in 2008, on revenue up 27.1%, or 20.8% excluding currency, to £3.97bn.Better winnings from its football book meant a strong fourth quarter for bookmaker William Hill with the current year also largely on course despite the cancellations in events sparked by the freezing weather. Profits in 2009 tumbled by 59% to £121m including nearly £77m of one-off costs, though underlying profits of £258.5m, down by 7%, were slightly better than forecast last month.Engineering giant Rolls-Royce has agreed to buy the outstanding 67% it doesn't own of Norwegian marine technology group ODIM ASA for £154m in cash. The price per share offered is the same Rolls-Royce paid for its 33% holding last year. ODIM ASA specialises in handling systems for seismic and offshore vessels. Laundry and workwear group Davis Service has appointed ex-Tate & Lyle chief executive Ian Ferguson to the board in a shake-up of its non-executive representatives at director level.Cost-cutting and an increase in average online spending helped property website Rightmove improve underlying profit in 2009, but income fell 1% at the pre-tax level. Profit before tax fell to £37.8m in the 12 months to 31 December from £38.2m the year before on revenue down 6% to £69.4m. Underlying operating profit rose 2% to £41.9m.Brit Insurance reiterated its concerns about pressure on underwriting premiums this year, warning that the position is finely balanced with the market being distorted by insurers rescued from collapse by their government. "There is little doubt that the outlook for the premium rate environment for 2010 is not as positive as it was 12 months ago," it said. Colt Telecom increased profits markedly in 2009, but the telecom operator is still cautious about the pace and timing of macro economic recovery. Pre-tax profit rose 32% in 2009 to €94.7m from €71.9m in 2008 and jumped 55% to €85m before exceptional items due to higher EBITDA, exchange gains, and a drop in net finance costs.