Major British mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley PLC was considering selling shares to raise cash as it tries to weather a punishing credit market, newspapers reported Sunday.The lender, which has seen its share price fall by more than a third since the beginning of the year, has asked Citigroup Inc. to help with a possible rights issue, The Sunday Telegraph said, citing unidentified people close to the company. Both it and The Sunday Times reported that no decision had yet been made on selling shares, although the Times said a final decision was likely within days.

A phone call by The Associated Press to Bradford & Bingley went unanswered Sunday, but the Times quoted the company as saying it did not comment on speculation.

Bradford & Bingley, which specializes in buy-to-let loans, has some 200 branches across Britain.

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