Bank chiefs face Dáil questioning

THE chief executives of Ireland’s four largest banks will appear before a parliamentary committee next Wednesday, after raising lending rates and restricting loans amid the global shortage of credit.

The heads of AIB, Bank of Ireland, Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life & Permanent have agreed to a request from Fine Gael.

“The banks have been invited to discuss their lending policies for business and mortgage customers and the impact this is having on the money supply and the deteriorating economic climate in Ireland,” Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell, said yesterday.