Clydesdale Bank has reported a small fall in annual profits and said it remains on course to complete a stock market listing early next year.

The bank saw cash earnings of £156 million in the 12 months to September 30, slightly behind the £158m in the prior year.

It cited costs related to the planned initial public offering as well as lower income after decisions to reduce fees related to personal current accounts.

Customer lending grew four per cent to £28.7 billion while deposits were up more than 10 per cent to £2.5bn.