Lloyds bank-Article-201607221015Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) lawyer Tom Spender as its new general counsel (GC) for group litigation, regulatory and competition legal.

At the FCA, he was director of retail and regulatory investigations and a member of the senior leadership team.

Spender trained as a litigator in Australia before moving to London in 1999. He brings expertise in regulatory requirements to Lloyds, having previously worked at Allen & Overy on capital markets and UK listing authority regulation issues.

Kate Cheetham, group GC at Lloyds Banking Group, said: "I know he [Spender] will play a key role in how we support the group in its journey to continue to be the best bank for customers."

Spender added: "I am very pleased to be joining Lloyds Banking Group and I look forward to the many opportunities that lie ahead, working with colleagues in legal and across the group."

Cheetham took over from Lloyds' previous GC Andrew Whitttaker in 2015 after he had been in the role for two years. Cheetham had previously been deputy GC at Lloyds.

Legal Week understands that the Lloyds global panel review is set to take place later this year.