Central Bank leaves mortgage lending rules unchanged

Controversial measures introduced in 2014 to remain in place as economy faces uncertain period

The Central Bank said loosening the rules would lead to additional debt being taken on by borrowers and would weaken the banks if they were hit with losses. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

The Central Bank has left its mortgage lending rules unchanged for the year ahead as it warned that the economy faced an uncertain period because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The mortgage measures, which require would-be buyers to meet certain deposit and loan-to-income rules, were highly controversial when introduced in 2014. In its latest Financial Stability Review, the Central Bank said it had considered potentially loosening the rules, however this would only lead to additional debt ...