英国考虑将苏格兰皇家银行国有化

Senior government figures are discussing the possibility of buying out private investors in Royal Bank of Scotland and fully nationalising it amid mounting frustration at banks’ failure to lend to businesses.

英国政府高官们正在讨论如下可能性：收购苏格兰皇家银行(Royal Bank of Scotland)被私人投资者持有的股份，并将该行完全国有化。此事发生之际，政府对银行不愿向企业放贷越发失望。

Cabinet ministers are having conversations about whether to spend about ￡5bn buying up the 12 per cent of the bank the government does not own, although George Osborne, chancellor, is opposed.

内阁部长们正在讨论是否斥资约50亿英镑收购苏格兰皇家银行中未被政府持有的12%股份，不过英国财政大臣乔治·奥斯本(George Osborne)反对该提议。

The fact that ministers and officials are considering the proposal, which would mean taxpayers taking full responsibility for the bank’s toxic debts, shows how exasperated they have become at barriers they believe banks are placing on lending.

部长和官员们相信苏格兰皇家银行对放贷设置了障碍。他们考虑国有化提议，显示他们对此十分愤怒。如果国有化，意味着纳税人将对苏格兰皇家银行的不良债务承担全部责任。

Some at the top of government believe the Treasury’s various schemes to free up credit, the latest of which it launched yesterday, have not worked, and forcing RBS to lend more is the only way to push the banks into action. This would mean directing the bank to increase its lending to companies, which would be open to legal challenge by the remaining shareholders. The only way to get around this, say some ministers, is to buy out those shareholders.

某些政府高官认为，财政部放开信贷的各种举措（昨天宣布了最新举措）没有奏效，唯一的办法是“强迫苏格兰皇家银行增加放贷。这将意味着下令苏格兰皇家银行增加对企业放贷，而这很容易导致其他股东提起法律诉讼。某些部长表示，规避这种情况的唯一办法是收购那些股东的股份。

One official said: “This is a conversation that takes place all the time. Another said the calls for nationalisation had grown after the dire second-quarter UK growth figures and the ongoing problems RBS was having with clearing up its balance sheet.

一位官员表示：“这种讨论一直在进行。另一位官员称，在英国第二季度报出极差的增长数据、苏格兰皇家银行在清理其资产负债表方面持续面临问题之后，呼吁国有化的声音变得更为响亮。

However, several people close to RBS said the prospect of full nationalisation was unlikely. They also questioned how the government would force the bank to lend more to small businesses without saddling the taxpayer with excessive risks.

然而，接近苏格兰皇家银行的数位人士表示，完全国有化不太可能。他们还质疑政府如何能在不让纳税人承担过度风险的情况下迫使该行增加对小企业放贷。

The move would be a dramatic reversal of government policy since it first took a stake in the bank in 2010.

如果国有化，将标志着自2010年政府首次收购苏格兰皇家银行股权以来，政府政策的一次重大转变。

But, as the bank struggles to return to profitability and with a share sale looking further away than ever, some at the top of government are advocating abandoning the existing policy.

然而，眼下该行尚难以恢复盈利，股份出售也显得比以往更不可能，因此某些政府高官提议放弃现行政策。

RBS is expected to announce pre-tax losses tomorrow of about ￡1.5bn in the first six months of the year. The case for nationalising RBS has been given further weight by concerns over its balance sheet, which ministers say is proving more difficult to clean up than first expected.

预计苏格兰皇家银行将于明天宣布今年上半年税前亏损15亿英镑。部长们表示，清理苏格兰皇家银行资产负债表证明比最初预期的要困难，这种担忧进一步加强了国有化该行的理由。

The Treasury remains hostile to the idea of full nationalisation. The department said: “We are committed to repairing and returning RBS to full health so that it is able to support the UK economy in the future, and the current strategy is working to achieve that. The government’s policy has always been to return RBS to the private sector, but only when it delivers value for money for the taxpayer.

英国财政部依然不接受完全国有化的构想。财政部表示：“我们致力于帮助苏格兰皇家银行复苏，从而让它能够在未来支持英国经济。当前战略正在努力实现这一点。政府政策始终致力于将苏格兰皇家银行重新私有化，但只有在对纳税人划算的情况下才能如此。

Full nationalisation would be fraught with risks and complications. Apart from exposing the taxpayer to increased risk, it is also likely to need clearance from the European Union to avoid breaching state aid rules.

完全国有化将充满风险和困难。除了可能加大纳税人的风险以外，它还可能需要获得欧盟(EU)的批准以免违反政府援助规定。