A SENIOR banker with AIB who is heavily involved in the property market has transferred his interest in his family home in Rathmines, Dublin, to his wife, according to documents in the Registry of Deeds.
Also, a former head of Irish operations with Anglo Irish Bank, who has substantial debts to the bank, has transferred his interest in his family home in Foxrock, Co Dublin, to his wife.
Thomas or Tommy Hopkins, a director of AIB Commercial Services Ltd, based in AIB Bankcentre, Ballsbridge, Dublin, transferred his interest in a house on Palmerston Park to his wife in January, 2009, according to documents filed in the registry by A C Forde Co, solicitors, Dublin.
Registry documents show a mortgage with First Active registered against the property in June 2004 was satisfied in June 2006. A mortgage against the house taken out in December 2005, with AIB, remains outstanding, according to registry filings.
Further documents show that Mr and Mrs Hopkins transferred their interest in a property on Kenilworth Square, Rathgar, Dublin, to themselves acting as trustees for the Hopkins Trust, in March 2009. A mortgage with AIB against the property was taken out on the same date, with Mr and Mrs Hopkins acting as trustees.
On the same date Mr Hopkins transferred his interest in two adjacent properties on Kenilworth Lane, Rathgar, to his wife.
Mr Hopkins is a 50 per cent shareholder in Marchbury Properties, a company that had its address at Mr Hopkins’s home up to last week, when it was transferred. The company built 222 houses in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, in the year to the end of April 2007.
AIB has been conducting an internal inquiry into matters concerning Mr Hopkins and another senior executive, John Hughes, and their involvement in the property market. Mr Hughes is AIB’s head of business banking in Galway.
Mr Hopkins’s partner in Marchbury Properties is businessman Tommy Durcan. The two men registered what is called a “general mortgage” with Bank of Scotland (Ireland) in June 2004. The schedule to the mortgage cites 24 Northumberland Road, Dublin, and 47 Rathgar Road, Rathgar, Dublin, but also “all other freehold, leasehold property” of which the men were beneficial owners. Registry of Deeds documents indicate the mortgage remains outstanding.
Documents filed in the registry by Noel Smyth Partners, solicitors, Dublin, show former Anglo Irish Bank director Tom Browne transferred his interest in his family home on Brighton Road, Foxrock, to his wife in March 2008.
A mortgage against the home from First Active, dated January 2003, remains outstanding, registry filings indicate. Mr Browne has extensive property interests including property owned in conjunction with Mr Hughes.
In February 2006 Mr Browne and Mr Hughes took out a general mortgage with the EBS Building Society which cited the Exchange Building and Geata na Cathrach, a retail, office and residential development in Galway city, but also included all freehold and leasehold property owned by the men.
Mr Browne resigned from Anglo in 2007. The bank has recently appointed KPMG as receiver over UK property owned by him, but not over property in this jurisdiction.
In March 2006 he was one of four people who purchased 8 Herbert Street, Dublin 2, from MCR Sound Studios and registered a mortgage against the property on behalf of Irish Nationwide.
Neither Mr Hopkins or Mr Browne could be contacted for comment yesterday. AIB had no comment. A spokesman for Anglo Irish Bank said it did not comment on a customer’s affairs.
