People walk past a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland in central London, Friday Aug. 8, 2008. Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC on Friday reported a half-year loss of 802 million pounds (US$1.5 billion), forced deep into the red by heavy write-downs as the U.S. subprime credit crisis exacted more pain fully a year after it began. The loss for Britain's second largest bank compared to a fat 3.6 billion pound profit it made in January to June of 2007, the bank's best-ever half-year. It is the first time in 40 years that RBS has posted a loss. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)