APPLICATIONS FOR possession orders on homes and properties by Start Mortgages were adjourned in 15 cases listed before the High Court yesterday, on request of the subprime lender.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Paul Murphy, head of sales and marketing for the mortgage lender, said the cases were not adjourned as a goodwill gesture for Christmas.
"That said, our objective is not to repossess properties, we have given 11,000 mortgages, with only 20 homes repossessed in the last four years," he added.
A possession order was granted to IIB Homeloans after the court heard that no mortgage repayments had been made since December 2006.
The defendant, who lives in the home with his two children, had accrued arrears of €22,420.49 on an outstanding balance of €254,203.63.
The judge said the situation "seems pretty hopeless as no payment has been made for two years and there is a substantial loan".
Granting a stay of four months on the order, the judge said: "It is not a family home but I note he [the defendant] is there with his children."
Mr Justice Brian McGovern also granted an order for possession for a family home after arrears of €14,161.36 accrued, with no payments made in 14 months. The court heard how the defendants had made no contact with the plaintiff mortgage lender, GE Capital Woodchester, either acknowledging the proceedings or with providing proposals to dispose of arrears.
The judge granted a stay of four months on the order, saying, "If they were here I might extend that, but they're not here."
An order for possession was also granted to EBS Building Society for a home in Co Meath after arrears of €86,000 had accrued on a loan.
Orders for possession were granted in four cases out of 37 cases listed before the court.