Ernst & Young has expanded its financial services practice in Northern Ireland and Scotland with the addition of 15 new business advisers.

The new recruits will help Ernst & Young provide services such as risk management, regulation and internal audits to clients, according to Mr Douglas Nisbet, regional managing partner with Ernst & Young in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland, the company's clients in the financial sector include Ulster Bank, Northern Bank, Bank of Ireland and Irish Life. In Scotland, major financial institution clients include Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS and Scottish Widows.

The 15 advisers, including two partners, come from Andersen, the accounting firm forced to wind up its operations after its US parent firm was convicted of obstruction of justice in the investigation of the Enron financial scandal.

In April, the British branch of Andersen announced cuts of up to 1,500 jobs. A further 3,500 Andersen partners transferred to rival firm Deloitte & Touche in a proposed merger.

The expanded Ernst & Young practice is the largest team of business advisers in the UK to be based outside London. It will be headed by Mr Eamonn Rice, formerly partner in charge of Andersen's Scottish financial services group.

"I am confident we are well-positioned to achieve our goal of becoming the preferred supplier of advisory services to the financial services sector in this area," said Mr Rice.