RBS recovery undermined by Irish losses

RBS recovery undermined by Irish losses | Reuters: "Stephen Hester, chief executive of the partly nationalized bank, said on Thursday that his turnaround plan was ahead of target. But Hester also said political pressures, such as calls by politicians to curb bonuses, could hold back recovery efforts as the bank was used as a 'political football.'

'It's a tough thing for us, it can feel pretty beleaguered working at RBS with external and internal pressures, that's one of the handicaps we work with,' Hester told reporters."