Britain's RBS paid 3 staff more than $5.5 million last year

LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - State-backed Royal Bank of Scotland said it paid three staff between 5 million euros ($5.5 million) and 6 million euros ($6.6 million) last year, risking a political backlash.

The bank, which is 79-percent owned by the British government, said it paid Chief Executive Ross McEwan 1.85 million pounds for the year, including a basic salary of 1 million pounds.

Finance Director Ewen Stevenson, who joined the bank in May 2014, was paid 3.1 million pounds, including a 1.9 million pound award in shares to replace awards he forfeited on leaving his previous employer Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS - news) .

RBS (LSE: RBS.L - news) said it paid 110 staff over 1 million euros in 2014, down from 131 staff the year before.

The bank last week announced plans to dramatically reduce the size of its underperforming investment bank. It was fined in 2014 for failings at its foreign exchange business.

($1 = 0.9121 euros) (Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Steve Slater)