Scots a good addition to Irish banking

THREE cheers for Bank of Scotland Ireland. At last we may have the prospect of some real competition in the Irish banking sector.

While the 400 ESB workers affected may not be cheering, it is fair to say that BoS has put its money where its mouth has been.

When it failed to buy National Irish Bank it looked as if it might never emerge as a challenger to the major banks deeply embedded in the Irish market.