Barclays Gets a $927 Million Jump Start as Japanese Banks Ramp Up Overseas

Barclays PLC (ADR: BCS), the United Kingdom’s fourth-largest bank, may get a $927 million cash infusion from Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. by the end of the month. The investment, which will be made through the group’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. unit, underscores an evolving trend among large Japanese banks that have so far been unaffected by the subprime collapse. Sumitomo Mitsui, Japan’s second largest bank, has not confirmed the agreement, but its 100 billion yen investment will secure an approximate 2.3% stake in Barclays. Barclays was racked by the housing collapse that started last year and has since dragged…