US bank Citigroup has agreed to buy British insurer Prudential's loss-making Internet bank Egg for £575 million in cash.
Britain's second-largest insurer has been reviewing its underperforming UK operations, including Egg, hit by tough conditions in the personal loans market.
In full-year new business figures, Prudential said trading conditions at Egg had deteriorated further since it updated the market in October.
Egg accounts for only a fraction of Prudential's group business, but the bank is facing a full-year loss, a potential embarrassment for Prudential Chief Executive Mark Tucker, who took the decision to buy out minority shareholders in 2005.
News of the Egg sale initially lifted Prudential shares by more than 2 per cent, but the stock was standing up 1.1 per cent at 710 pence earlier.
Prudential separately announced its full year sales numbers, with insurance new business up 16 per cent year-on-year in 2006 at £2.47 billion, boosted by growth in the US and Asian business.
The company said its UK retail insurance sales were up 14 per cent to £689 million, primarily driven by growth in individual annuities and corporate pensions.
Jackson, Pru's US insurance business, achieved record new business of £613 million, a 21 per cent jump on the previous year, thanks to strong growth in sales of variable annuities.
The insurer's Asian life operations had sales of £956 million, up 30 per cent on 2005.