S&P analyst says there's no financial reason to delay AIB sale

AIB is in sufficiently good financial health for the Government to sell shares in the bank, an S&P Global Ratings analyst has said.

Sadat Preteni said the Government would decide on the best timing for any initial public offering, but that the balance sheet and the bank’s still-elevated level of non-performing loans should not stand in the way.

Even though Brexit could have a notable negative effect on Ireland’s economic and fiscal performance over the medium term, “there is fundamentally no financial reason to delay an IPO,” Mr Preteni told the Irish Examiner.