Fears over PTSB job cuts and free bus fares in Dublin
The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk
Mortgages
Interest rates have hit the floor. Here are the vital lessons for borrowers
The ECB is holding rates steady, though borrowers will hope the sale of PTSB introduces new competition to the Irish mortgage market
Last 12 months saw highest number of first-time-buyer mortgages since 2007
Figures indicate first-time buyers continued to be the most active segment of the market
AIB reduces some mortgage rates by 0.65%
Bank says the reductions could benefit more than 10,000 people each month
How house-buyers can borrow more than four times their income
Borrowing power can be boosted in various ways, including pitching for an exception and using Child Benefit
Austrian-owned MoCo launches savings offering as it continues to grow mortgages
Account offers initial annual interest rate of 2 per cent
Cerberus among bidders for portfolio of AIB problem loans totalling €500m
Mortgages in default and debt from Covid pandemic among borrowings set to be sold at steep discount
Irish mortgage arrears fall to lowest level since 2009
About 3.5 per cent of private-dwelling home mortgage accounts were in arrears over 90 days
Mortgage approval activity softens with approval volumes down
Total of 4,536 mortgages were approved in August, with first-time buyers approved for almost two thirds
Selling agents’ outlook for new-homes market: Buyers find themselves in ‘fiercely competitive environment’
Property professionals give their views on demand, Government schemes and housing completions
Credit unions make mortgage move
New Central Bank lending limits will treble what credit unions can offer in home loans with €5bn funding available
First-time buyers ‘could save up to €10,000 on mortgage protection by shopping around’
Many rush to take out policy with their lender, unaware they are free to seek better-value cover elsewhere
Your local credit union needs you! How to become a volunteer
New Central Bank rules will see many credit union stalwarts forced to stand down next year, and volunteers will be needed to replace them
Our interest-only home loan is ending; can we find a new interest-only lender?
Options are very limited for homeowners looking to roll over home loans in retirement
Have ECB interest rates reached their floor?
Markets downgrade chance of another interest rate cut in wake of comments from ECB president Christine Lagarde
Credit union lending now at highest level since 2008
Milestone surpassed even as number of loans issued in the 12 months to June drops 4.7% compared with previous year
The debate: Does every apartment really need a balcony?
Are apartment balconies a waste of space and money - or valuable access to the outdoors for city dwellers?
First-time buyers drive mortgage activity to new heights
FTBs accounted for a record €1.1 billion of mortgage approvals in July
AIB gives Pearse Doherty an open goal for criticism
Sinn Fein spokesman assails AIB over tracker mortgages
Spending on EVs and retrofitting homes pushes growth in green personal lending, BPFI report finds
The value of car loans has reached a record €259 million in the first quarter of the year amid ‘strong demand’
Credit unions get green light to lend more money for home mortgages
Long-awaited reforms increase sector’s lending capacity by more than 340% to €9.9bn
Would-be homebuyers urged not to hold off in expectation of lower mortgage rates
Over 85% of Irish household savings still sitting in demand deposit accounts offering an average 0.13% interest per year, Central Bank says
Irish house prices up by 51% since 2020, Geowox data shows
The median Irish home price rose €32,000 or 9.5 per cent in the past year
Ten first-time buyer tips: From mortgage interest savings of €35,000 to funds for a doer-upper
Getting the wrong mortgage can be costly for first-time buyers. Here’s how to avoid the common pitfalls
Why now is not the time to be complacent on mortgage arrears
Mortgage market players need to offer more ways to allow once distressed borrowers to clear their mortgage debt
Buying a home after surviving cancer: ‘No matter how much paperwork I gave, it never sufficed for mortgage protection’
Programme for Government aims to require mortgage protection companies to disregard cancer diagnoses seven years after treatment, although doctors give ‘all-clear’ after five years
Seized criminal assets to be disposed of more quickly under new measures
Under new Bill, assets seized by Criminal Assets Bureau can be disposed of after two years instead of five
Irish households owe €99.2bn at end of March
Amid changes in ECB interest rates, homeowners have continued to move away from tracker mortgages
Irish mortgage approvals hit record €14.1bn over last year
Value of approvals rose 17.8 per cent in May compared with year earlier
Median value of homes bought by first-time buyers has risen to nearly €372,000
Mortgage drawdowns by this cohort exceeded €7.8bn last year, the highest since 2006
Mortgage lending by credit unions up 34% on foot of homebuyers seeking alternatives to banks
Total credit union loan book now stands at €6.08 billion, which is its highest point since 2008
Cross-Border workers refused mortgages
Substantial decline in numbers officially working across the Border from where they live since Brexit, conference is told
Irish fixed-term savings rates fall faster than interest offers on mortgages
Irish mortgage interest rates are, on average, the fifth highest across the 19 states in the euro zone
Move now or wait: First-time buyer and fixed mortgage rates
The temptation is to think that delaying the closing of the sale suits all sides but that might not be how it works out
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