Barclays refuses to rule out rights issue

LONDON (Reuters) - British bank Barclays, facing growing pressure over its capital strength, refused to rule out a rights issue to lift ratios currently at the lower end of the UK sector and said all options remained open.

"We are clear that all the options remain available," finance director Chris Lucas told reporters on a conference call after the bank's first-quarter trading statement.

"We are not going to rule in or rule out anything."

Lucas dismissed, however, speculation the bank could follow rivals and pay its interim dividend in shares as a measure to help bolster its balance sheet.

"Our view on scrip dividends is they are not really a dividend, and therefore are not attractive to us," he said.

(Reporting by Clara Ferreira-Marques and Steve Slater)