London midday: FTSE 100 falls but RBS leads banking surge

London's leading share index has drifted into the red following strong gains earlier in the week, but there are still some notable risers.Wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown has raced ahead. Assets under administration climbed 41% in the year ended 30 June. The wealth management firm hiked its dividend by nearly 60%. Elsewhere in finance, RBS, Lloyds and Barclays have powered forward, buoyed by rumours that reform of the banking sector will not happen until after the next election.The mining sector dropped as copper, gold and silver prices declined. Fresnillo, Lonmin and Randgold Resources are among the worst performers.In the FTSE 250, Charter International is in demand after engineering firm Melrose upped the price it is willing pay for its rival by 18p per share. Charter is valued at £1.43bn at this price. Melrose saw shares fall.International recruitment firm Hays jumped after reporting strong growth in profits last year, driven by its overseas interests. Net fees in the year to 30 June rose 21%, or 18% on a like-for-like (LFL) basis, to £672.1m from £557.7m the year before. Its rival Michael Page is a faller though.Train and bus services group Go-Ahead fell after reporting a fall in revenue from its buses around London. Nevertheless, group sales rose 6% as strength in rail and its deregulated bus division (outside London) offset this weakness.Salamander Energy, the FTSE 250 oil and gas firm focused in Asia, disappointed investors on Thursday after announced a sub-commerical oil and gas discovery in Vietnam. The 101-CB-1X exploration well in Black 101-100/04, offshore northern Vietnam, was drilled to a total depth of 1,724m. Results indicated that the tertiary reservoirs found are of good quality but pressure data and seismic mapping showed that the in-place resource volumes are "probably below levels needed for commercial development," the statement said. Shares in Namakwa Diamonds took a dive after it said it announced the departure of its chief executive and other major changes following a strategic review. Nico Kruger has stepped down as chief executive and will be replaced by chief financial officer Richard Collocott. Chairman Hans Smith and board member Dirk van Staden have also stepped down. FTSE 100 - RisersHargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 490.50p +13.54%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 25.83p +6.43%Barclays (BARC) 178.10p +4.30%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 35.01p +4.21%British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSY) 670.50p +1.51%Vodafone Group (VOD) 163.05p +1.27%Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 2,067.00p +1.22%Land Securities Group (LAND) 745.00p +1.15%Reed Elsevier (REL) 508.50p +1.09%BT Group (BT.A) 172.80p +0.76%FTSE 100 - FallersGlencore International (GLEN) 405.90p -3.69%GKN (GKN) 196.50p -2.72%InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 1,018.00p -2.68%Xstrata (XTA) 1,052.50p -2.46%Fresnillo (FRES) 2,049.00p -2.43%Carnival (CCL) 1,970.00p -1.94%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,732.00p -1.84%Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,353.00p -1.74%Prudential (PRU) 610.00p -1.69%BP (BP.) 395.90p -1.63%FTSE 250 - RisersUnite Group (UTG) 188.50p +5.72%Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) 37.18p +5.06%Hays (HAS) 79.30p +5.03%Charter International (CHTR) 796.50p +4.39%Home Retail Group (HOME) 132.70p +4.08%Big Yellow Group (BYG) 272.90p +3.72%Jupiter Fund Management (JUP) 198.70p +3.49%Phoenix Group Holdings (DI) (PHNX) 549.00p +3.00%New World Resources A Shares (NWR) 611.50p +2.26%JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 848.50p +2.17%FTSE 250 - FallersMelrose (MRO) 295.30p -5.90%Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 1,498.00p -5.37%Salamander Energy (SMDR) 218.30p -5.05%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 43.63p -4.42%COLT Group SA (COLT) 106.40p -3.71%Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) 120.80p -3.59%Michael Page International (MPI) 377.10p -3.31%Exillon Energy (EXI) 263.20p -3.09%Fenner (FENR) 358.20p -2.58%AZ Electronic Materials SA (WI) (AZEM) 225.20p -2.51%