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Close Brothers Group plc Close Brothers 10 Crown Place London EC2A 4FT T +44 ( 0 ) 20 7655 3100 E enquiries@closebrothers.com W www.closebrothers.com Registered in England No. 520241 Preliminary Results for the year ended 31 July 2026 29 September 2026 Mike Morgan , Chief Executive , said : " In FY 2026 we have made significant progress against our strategic priorities to simplify , optimise and grow the business . We have taken decisive action : exiting non - core activities and repositioning business lines ; taking out costs ; returning to growth , and sharpening our focus on our specialist lending markets in which we have expertise . In so doing we have established a stronger foundation for future growth , operating leverage and returns . We continue to make good progress on costs as we track ahead of schedule , delivering c . £ 36 million of annualised cost savings in FY 2026 against a target of c . £ 25 million . As execution continues through FY 2027 , we expect to realise further benefits of our cost initiatives , supporting sustainable growth , driving operating leverage and positioning us to deliver further efficiency in the future . Loan book growth accelerated through the second half of FY 2026 as the benefits of our strategic actions became increasingly evident across the business . With all divisions delivering growth in the final quarter , we enter FY 2027 with confidence to achieve our target of 5-10 % p.a. growth through the cycle . Capital ( CET1 ratio ) remains elevated at 14.1 % against a medium - term target range of 12-13 % , with capacity to absorb Basel 3.1 from 1 January 2027 , and to support growth opportunities across all divisions . During the year , we added c . £ 165 million to our provision in relation to the FCA's motor finance consumer redress scheme , which now stands at c . £ 320 million . As we await further clarity on the outcome , our focus remains on the execution of our strategy . We are now a simpler , more focused specialist bank , better positioned to serve customers , invest in growth and enhance returns for shareholders . The progress we have made this year gives me confidence in our strategy and I remain fully committed to returning the group to double - digit returns by FY 2028 , rising thereafter . " 1