Shortlist of Bristol & West bidders

A SHORTLIST of bidders for Bank of Ireland-owned Bristol & West has been drawn up, according to reports yesterday.

The bank, which put the “for sale” sign above its Bristol & West branches last year, is said to be close to offloading the business.

Bristol & West, which has 90 branches, was given the axe by Bank of Ireland’s chief executive Brian Goggin as part of a wide-ranging review of its operations. This has already seen the sale of Chase De Vere, its financial advice division for €30 million.