More than 535 members of staff at the Bank of Ireland have become the first graduates of a new Certificate in Mortgage Practice course, which will enable the bank to be the first financial institution to offer customers specialist mortgage advice. The course is accredited by the Institute of Bankers and is part of its education and training programme leading to the Bachelor of Financial Services Degree, a joint programme between the Institute and University College, Dublin. Bank of Ireland, which was involved in developing the course, is now offering mortgage seekers free access to expert advice in all its branches in the Republic. A spokesperson for the bank said that a similar course was being conducted for staff in its Northern Ireland branches.