Lloyds Banking Group has been assessing whether chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio, off work with stress, should return to his position with the British lender, a source involved in the process said. The appraisal will include meetings between Horta-Osorio and board members - a move investors said signalled the growing likelihood Horta-Osorio would step down from his post.
The Financial Times reported Horta-Osorio would have to reapply for his own job. Lloyds, 40 percent owned by Britain after a government bailout during the 2008 credit crisis, shocked investors last month by saying 47-year-old Horta-Osorio was taking a break due to stress-related illness.