Mortgage and business loans fall puts focus on 'price of credit'

Mortgage loans advanced to home buyers and businesses fell again last month, Central Bank figures show.

The news raises concerns about the cost of loans and what will sustain lenders and the domestic economy in the long term.

Repayments of mortgages exceeded drawdowns of new home loans by €1.9 billion in the year to the end of October, and the stock of other household loans also fell.