Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has sold more than 95% of the shares it issued to raise an extra Ј12bn in capital.
The firm hopes the rights issue, which is the biggest in UK corporate history, will help cover losses related to the global credit crisis.
There had been fears that RBS shares would collapse if the banks that have underwritten the deal were left with huge amounts of unsold stock.
HBOS and Bradford & Bingley have also asked their investors for extra cash.
RBS shares have more than halved in value over the past year - including a 25% slump since the rights issue was announced in April, but they rallied last week.
Tough times
As a result of the sub-prime crisis, banks have been reluctant to lend to each other and found it harder to raise capital.
RBS and other banks have also suffered from a drop in the value of risky assets, particularly those related to the US sub-prime market that lends to homebuyers with poor credit histories.
RBS's circumstances have been exacerbated by its lead role in acquiring ABN Amro for 71bn euros last year.
There are about 200,000 RBS shareholders; 93% of the shares are held by major investors, such as pension funds, with the other 7% owned by private individuals.
Shareholders are generally not keen on new share issues because it means that their investments are diluted, the firms' earnings are spread more thinly and each share takes a smaller slice of the company's earnings.
To compensate for these downsides, they are offered the shares at a discount to the market price so they could sell for a quick profit.
(BBC)
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