Allen & Overy (A&O) has landed a trophy finance role advising Lloyds TSB on its first securitisation with a £7.02bn issue backed by residential mortgages belonging to subsidiary Cheltenham & Gloucester.

The instruction, the largest residential mortgage-backed securitisation (RMBS) yet in the UK, was secured after a competitive pitch earlier this year and comes as Europe’s main lenders rush to refinance their mortgage portfolios.