Bloomberg Barclays Reports It Had a ‘Strong Start” to 2009

March 16 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the U.K.’s third- biggest lender, said the bank had a “strong start” to 2009 and its businesses continue to perform well.

The London-based bank also said it has held talks about the sale of its iShares unit. The board has made no decision on the sale of any assets, Barclays said in a statement.

Barclays also said it is in talks with the government about participating in the state asset insurance program. The bank will decide whether to join the program based on the economic merits to shareholders, Barclays said in the statement.

Barclays has a lower Tier 1 capital ratio than either Royal Bank of Scotland Plc or Lloyds Banking Group Plc, which in the past month allowed the government to push its holdings to as much as 75 percent in return for capital and asset guarantees. Barclays will only enter the program if it can do so without giving up a stake to the government, according to five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jon Menon in London at jmenon1@bloomberg.net; Andrew MacAskill in London at amacaskill@bloomberg.net.