Culture of contempt: How banks blocked 1,700 debt deals for struggling borrowers

Insolvency agency says lenders flouting spirit of legislation; banks using legal loophole to thwart customers

Bankers should be 'looking in the mirror' over trackers, says Sibley
The head of the Insolvency Service of Ireland, Lorcan O’Connor

The ‘culture of contempt’ in Irish banks is in sharp focus this weekend, with new evidence about how financial institutions have used their veto to block personal debt settlements with 1,700 struggling borrowers. Fresh revelations have also emerged of how the banks used legal loopholes to thwart customers.

According to new figures, banks have turned down 45 per cent of debt proposals put forward under ...