Lloyds Share News (LLOY)

Lloyds Banking Group has been accused of unlawful behaviour by the Bank of England after it emerged its traders had manipulated interest rates in order to cut fees for its emergency lifeline at the height of the financial crisis. [...] The revelations unleashed an angry attack by Mark Carney, the Bank of England's governor, who said: "Such manipulation is highly reprehensible, clearly unlawful and may amount to criminal conduct on the part of the individuals involved." - The GuardianFresh doubts over Philip Clarke's strategy at Tesco were raised yesterday after the surprise resignation of the founders of the Giraffe restaurant chain acquired by the supermarket last year for almost £50 million. Only a week after Mr Clarke's abrupt ousting as chief executive, the retail giant has parted company with Juliette and Russel Joffe, who said it had been "an incredibly emotional decision to step away from our business". The news led to further questioning of Mr Clarke's strategy of trying to turn some large Tesco Extra stores into retail destinations with high street names including Giraffe family restaurants, Harris + Hoole coffee shops and Euphorium bakeries. - The TimesUS politicans are to unveil proposals to block American companies from winning government contracts if they move their tax headquarters overseas, unless they can show they have substantial business in their new "host" country. The new legislation comes just days after President Barack Obama attacked US firms seeking to reduce their tax bills by buying European businesses as "corporate deserters" who show a lack of "economic patriotism". - The TelegraphFamilies setting off on summer holiday breaks have been given some welcome news in the form of supermarket petrol price cuts. Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco are all reducing the cost of their petrol and diesel by 2p a litre from Tuesday. Asda's customers will pay no more than 126.7p a litre for petrol and 129.7p a litre for diesel, its lowest price since January 2011. Asda said the pound's increasing strength against the dollar had been the key driver of the cuts. - The GuardianAgents have been appointed to sell the "Gherkin" skyscraper in what will be one of the most closely watched property sales in the Square Mile for years. Savills and Deloitte Real Estate are expected to be confirmed this morning as the appointed sales advisers for the building, which collapsed into receivership in April when a group of banks, owed more than £500 million, lost patience with the owners. - The TimesSterling is "overvalued" and this may hamper efforts to rebalance the British economy, the International Monetary Fund has warned the Chancellor. In an otherwise-optimistic annual assessment of the UK economy, the IMF told George Osborne that the pound was 5pc to 10pc overvalued. This could hit exporters and take some of the steam out of the improving economy - the fastest growing among the world's largest countries, according to the fund. - The TelegraphConfidence that the coming months will be a good time to buy a home has slipped back to its lowest levels in at least three years amid growing concerns over spiralling property prices and the prospect of interest rates rising, according to a consumer survey. London and the South East were identified as the places where people were most likely to feel negative about buying a property in the next 12 months, while those living in Scotland and the North East were the most positive, according to Halifax's quarterly Housing Market Confidence tracker. - The Daily MailBC