H&R Block's loss widens as global tax filing fees fall

* Q2 adjusted loss/share from continuing ops bigger than expected

* Revenue falls 2 pct to $134.3 mln

Dec 10 (Reuters) - U.S. tax preparer H&R Block Inc reported a bigger-than-expected loss for the second quarter due to a fall in international tax preparation fees.

The company has been realigning to focus on its core tax preparing business after several years of losing customers to do-it-yourself tax filing services like Intuit Inc's TurboTax and Liberty Tax Service.

H&R Block has been trying to sell its banking assets since July to avoid a sharp rise in costs associated with the introduction of stricter banking rules by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The company failed to close the sale of its banking unit to Republic Bancorp Inc in October as it could not get the necessary regulatory approvals.

H&R Block's revenue declined 2 percent to $134.3 million in the quarter ended Oct. 31, while its international tax preparation fees fell 19 percent to $41.6 million.

The company's net loss from continuing operations widened to $103 million, or 38 cents per share, from $101.2 million, or 37 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, it lost 42 cents per share. Analysts on average had expected a loss of 37 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The second quarter is seasonally a weak one for tax preparers. They earn most of their profits in the third and fourth quarters when most people file their taxes.

Kansas City, Missouri-based H&R Block's shares were down 1 percent in extended trading after closing at $28.80 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.