Royal Bank of Scotland on Wednesday defended its award of hefty share packages to two new executives, as investor and taxpayer anger over bankers' pay escalates in the UK.

An RBS spokesman said the stock awards to Brian Hartzer, the new head of its retail branch network, and Nathan Bostock, who joined from Abbey in June to take on the new role of head of risk and restructuring, made the two men's compensation comparable to "what they were paid previously or could get elsewhere," and that the packages were "aligned to shareholder interests."