ANGLO-IRISH BANK:WILLIE MCATEER, the executive director of Anglo-Irish Bank, said in the last five years the bank had lent €50 billion to businesses in Ireland, €8 billion of which was lent in the last six months.
He said the negative sentiment in the economy was "sentiment that is not borne out by fundamentals. We are trying to establish the perception is a true perception, and not a sentiment-driven one."
He said the debt-capital markets had been "effectively closed" since August last year, but Anglo-Irish had ensured that it had other sources of funding available.
"We're committed to the Irish market and very much to the business sector in Ireland," he said.