RBS reports record anual loss ($34.4 Billion), the biggest in British corporate history

The Royal Bank of Scotland posted an annual loss of 24.14 billion pounds ($34.4 billion) -- the biggest in British corporate history -- and unveiled a massive restructuring plan on Thursday that will offload many of its international businesses.
The already part-nationalized bank also said it will dump 325 billion pounds of toxic assets into a government insurance program, a step that could result in the state increasing its stake to as high as 95 percent.
RBS Chairman Philip Hampton blamed the massive 2008 loss, which compared with a 7.3 billion pound profit in 2007, on the "unprecedented turbulence" in financial markets and deteriorating conditions around the world.
The bank's revenue fell 15 percent to 25.87 billion pounds.
RBS Chief Executive Stephen Hester, who replaced Fred Goodwin after he resigned in the wake of the bank's financial downfall, refused to make forecasts for the current "difficult" year but said he was confident the restructuring and the government assistance would return RBS to "standalone strength."
The bank said it planned to shift 240 billion pounds, or 20 percent, of its funded assets to a noncore division. Those assets will then be disposed of or run down over the next three to five years.