Britain has cut its stake in Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) to below 17 percent, the finance ministry said in a stock market disclosure on Tuesday, taking the total sum recovered by the taxpayer to 11.5 billion pounds ($18.2 billion). The taxpayer’s stake has fallen by 1 percent to 16.87 percent as UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which manages the government’s stakes in bailed-out banks, seeks to cash in on increasing investor appetite in Britain’s biggest retail bank.