Increasingly likely Ulster Bank in the Republic will be wound down, business figures warn      

The bank is dwarfed by the huge market shares of AIB and Bank of Ireland

John Teeling, a longstanding Ulster Bank customer, said any exit could further dent banking competition and customer choice, and increase borrowing costs.

Ulster Bank operations in the Republic will likely be wound down and the loan books sold off, strengthening the dominance of AIB and Bank of Ireland, analysts and leading business figures have warned.  

Ulster parent NatWest, formerly known as RBS, launched an unexpected review of its operations in the Republic last September and has since said little to dissuade observers it will decide to do anything other than run down the bank. Fears that Ulster will exit have risen after reports it may already be willing to sell off parts of its mortgage and small-business lending.