Bank of Ireland sets date for dividend payout in 2017

Bank of Ireland reaffirmed it had set its sights on paying a dividend in 2017 for the first time since the crash, helping its shares claw back some of the large losses of recent weeks.

The stock market rout since the start of the year has hit European bank stocks hard, as fears mount the slowdown in the world economy could yet spill over to all banks.

However, in an upbeat presentation yesterday, Ireland’s largest lender said it would meet its own deadline to redistribute cash to shareholders.