Deposits in Irish banks fall by 3%

Dublin: Deposits in commercial banks in Ireland fell more than 3% in December from the previous month, while banks in other crisis-hit eurozone states fared better, European Central Bank data showed.

Irish banks saw deposits fall to €201.1 billion from €207.9bn the previous month and from €213.8bn in October.

Monthly fluctuations in the figures are common, though such sharp consecutive drops in countries with stable banking systems are unusual.

Deposits at Greek banks, excluding those from central government and financial institutions, stayed relatively stable at €214.9bn, down a fraction from €215.0bn in November.