Large share of Cork, Kerry SME loans soured

The amount of non-performing loans advanced to small firms still on the books of the three main banks has fallen sharply, but there are large regional differences, according to Central Bank research.

The level of non-performing loans had fallen to just over 11% at the end of 2018, which was down sharply from 17.5% in mid-2018 and is likely to have fallen further in the first part of this year, said researcher Niall McGeever, as banks applied so-called loan cures.