UK`s top four lenders pass stress tests: Bank of England 

London: Britain`s four biggest lenders have passed the Bank of England`s stress tests, which are designed to show their ability to withstand a new economic crisis, the central bank said on Tuesday.

Barclays and HSBC, and state-backed pair Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, are strong enough to cope with a painful downturn that would see house prices plunge by 35 percent, the BoE said in a statement.