RBS could take decade to return to private sector

State-owned lender Royal Bank of Scotland(RBS)has predicted it could take ten years to fully return to the private sector, according to reports.

The bank intends to be ready to start paying dividends in late 2014, which would be seen as a signal it will be ready to re-enter the private sector, the Times reports. After further repairs to the bank's balance sheet over the next 18 months, senior RBS figures believe it will be returned to the private sector in four offerings over ten years. That would equate to four rounds of shares worth over £10bn, the paper reports.  In 2008, Gordon Brown's government bought a controlling stake in RBS for £45.5bn at 50p a share, or 500p a share post consolidation. The market value of RBS sh...