News Focus The great AIB sell-off – nine views on what should happen nextAlmost three-fifths of AIB is now in private ownership after the state sold 5 per cent of the bank – and now it must decide what to do with the remainder
Banking Cash still king? Cards and online banking dominate consumer spendingNew data from the BPFI shows €22.7 billion was spent via debit or credit card in Q2 alone
Housing First-time buyers continue to dominate market as mortgage approvals top 30,000The number of overall mortgage approvals fell by 4.5 per cent month-on-month and by 18.2 per cent compared with the same period last year
Housing Banking Federation says home completions could exceed 30,000 this yearIn the first six months of 2023, construction was completed on more than 14,000 homes
The Last Post Matt Cooper: Stingy banks are coining it – but that’s mainly thanks to depositors and taxpayersIt’s 15 years since the financial system was bailed out – and with the three main lenders now sitting on bumper profits, maybe it’s time to tax the sector more heavily
Housing ‘Challenges’ to accommodation affordability persist despite cool-off in property inflation Average price of a homes nationally has been declining on a monthly basis since the beginning of the year
Housing Mortgage activity hit historic levels of €1bn in April despite slowdownThe first-time buyer segment is now the only group growing in terms of mortgage volume and value
Housing First-time buyers dipped further into savings avoiding loans to secure homes in 2022 - BPFIHouse prices have risen at a faster rate than mortgage values, data shows
Crypto Younger people in Ireland more likely to invest in cryptocurrencies, use informal sources - surveySurvey from the Banking & Payments Federation also highlights that one in five consumers who hold investments (20 per cent) said they did not closely monitor their investments
Banking Ulster Bank to raise fixed mortgage rates by 0.75% following ECB hikesThe lender said the decision would apply to to two, four and seven-year loans
Mortgage approvals fell in number and value during OctoberNew figures show a slowdown in approvals in Ireland following the ‘upheaval’ of Covid-19 in 2020
European Commission adopts global banking regulations to tighten capital requirementsImplementation of Basel III rules will see capital requirements for Irish banks increase and mandatory disclosure of climate stress test results
Home building was back to 2019 levels in first half of year, latest report findsThe BPFI’s housing market monitor shows a 10 per cent increase to 8,955 completions compared to same time in 2020 as construction sector rebounds
Take it to the bank: Irish lending faces an uncertain futureAs KBC exits Ireland, how did we get to a banking landscape soon to be dominated by three large retail banks? And what role will non-banks and digital challengers play in the industry?
KBC’s shock exit strategy was months in the makingIt was not just the unfortunate staff who were caught by surprise last Friday by news of a BOI takeover. The plan was a secret to all but a select few at the two banks
Plan ahead coolly to secure the mortgage you needProperty experts predict a surge in house purchases when lockdown restrictions are lifted again – so make sure you are fully prepared when seeking mortgage approval