Bank shares have shrugged off the third quarter dramas.

A motor finance battle, hefty impairment charges and the shadow of 2008 all cast over banks third-quarter results but beneath the fog investors are rewarding the FTSE 100’s top lenders for another bumper quarter.

The FTSE 350 banks index has risen nearly four per cent this month and is up 17 per cent for the year-to-date.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for London’s top lenders. HSBC and Lloyds both missed analyst profit expectations in the third quarter and Barclays only narrowly hit the mark.

Natwest and Standard Chartered, however, breezed past estimates with the former recording its highest quarterly profit since before its tax-payer bailout in 2008.

The FTSE 100’s ‘Big Five Banks’ recorded a combined £12.3bn pre-tax pro

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