THERE HAVE been “positive expressions of interest” from potential buyers of the MBNA credit card operation in Carrick-on-Shannon, Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation Richard Bruton said yesterday, after meetings with top executives at the Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters of Bank of America, which owns MBNA.
Bank of America announced on August 15th that it would cease running the plant in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, which employs 750 people.
“You are at the start of a process,” Mr Bruton said. “The important thing for us, what we were building in the meetings, is to have the IDA very much a part of the process so that when prospective buyers emerge, the IDA has every opportunity to present the case for Ireland.
“There’s very clear support from the company for that. The company realises the importance of the MBNA operation to Carrick and to the Irish Government.”
Mr Bruton met Bank of America chief executive Brian Moynihan.
“I have made contacts with the senior executive team right through the company at this point,” he said. “We have very good channels open to us. Bank of America wants to work with us to try and maximise the opportunity to protect the jobs in Carrick.”
The US bank of America wants to sell the Carrick operation “as a going concern”, without a shutdown, Mr Bruton said. “They are looking for companies who will seek to do that.”
The restructuring at Bank of America that led to it leaving the credit card business in Britain and Co Leitrim “was in no way a reflection on the work being done in Carrick”, Mr Bruton added.