The number of mortgage approvals for all types of house loans rose by less than 2% in November from a year earlier, banking industry figures show, as lending growth continues to be pegged back by limited new housing supply and affordability.

Meat Industry Ireland says there are “green shoots” in the beef market, and these should hopefully feed through in terms of positive price developments soon.

The green light came as the Central Bank unveiled new lending rules that free up credit unions from January to effectively offer loans to home borrowers and businesses for the first time.

Irish banking faces another overcharging scandal, as EBS investigates the way it has bundled charges for building and life insurance payments and mortgage protection insurance into its monthly mortgage bills.

Tensions between beef farmers and meat processors continued today, when talks were abandoned amid angry scenes at the Department of Agriculture.

A scuffle has broken out between beef farmers and the boss of Meat Industry Ireland outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin.

Fears that the beef crisis may become entrenched have intensified after Meat Industry Ireland pulled out of planned talks.

The Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has confirmed that he will facilitate new talks aimed at resolving the ongoing beef dispute.

The Oireachtas Agriculture Committee is calling for retailers to be included in talks to try to resolve the beef dispute.

A Chinese delegation has visited a meat plant in Co. Roscommon.

Talks aimed at resolving the impasse between farmers and beef producers were continuing late last night.

Talks between beef farmers and producers could reconvene as early as Thursday, as both sides attempt to reach an agreement that will end the standoff over prices paid for cattle.

Beef Plan Movement delivers 13-point proposal as discussions on resolving price dispute get under way

Borrowers shouldn’t hold their breath for Irish banks to cut mortgage rates by any great extent despite the ECB being widely-tipped to cut some official rates next month, a leading broker has said.

Bank of Ireland said its offer of a 0.2% discount for ‘green’ mortgage borrowers to upgrade their homes will incentivise homeowners to install energy insulation and help the fight against climate change.

New mortgage lender Finance Ireland has signalled its plan to make a splash in the market by matching the lowest variable and fixed-rate mortgages from the large banks.

Home buyers have been warned off buying fixed-rate mortgages of two or three years because borrowers will likely be exposed as the ECB starts hiking rates by the end of next year, a leading expert has said.

The Government and Central Bank regulators have been accused of letting down customers after it emerged Irish first-time buyers will pay up to €61,641 more in interest costs over the lifetime of their mortgages than anywhere else in Europe.

First time and existing borrowers should buy 10-year fixed-rate mortgages as the ECB prepares to hike interest rates by the end of 2019, a mortgage expert has said.

First time and existing borrowers should buy 10-year fixed-rate mortgages as the ECB prepares to hike interest rates by the end of 2019, a mortgage expert has said.

Aviva Ireland wants to increase its market share in pensions and life-assurance, having completed a €130m acquisition of Friends First, writes Eamon Quinn. 

Aviva Ireland wants to increase its market share in pensions and life-assurance, having completed a €130m acquisition of Friends First.

Kerry Group shares rose nearly 3% despite management cutting the upper limit of its full-year earnings expectations, writes Geoff Pervical.

New mortgage lending will rise to €10bn next year but the loans market will remain constrained because too few new homes are coming on stream, a leading mortgage expert has said.

If the recent controversy regarding Ryanair and cancelled flights has an upside, it is the reminder to travellers to be aware of their rights, and their chosen airline’s responsibilities, when plans go awry.

New proposals from the Central Bank to aid mortgage switching are helpful but fail to address the biggest hindrance — the level of paperwork and administration in the process, a mortgage expert has said.

The first Traveller to receive an honorary doctorate from UCC has accepted the award on behalf of her community and Ireland’s countless activists.

A medical intern who sent photos of a seriously-ill patient to a doctor-on-call was following instructions, an inquest heard.

It is a good time for mortgage borrowers to look to fix the costs of their home loans, an expert has said after KBC Bank announced cuts to its fixed rates for new and existing customers.

A mortgage industry expert has predicted the new mortgage loans market will reach €10bn a year well before 2020, as Central Bank figures suggest the market is sparking into life.

The confirmation from Pepper, an Australian mortgage lender based in Shannon, Co Clare, that it will sell home loans directly, has been welcomed by a leading expert as it boosts hopes that new entrants will shake up the market.

The Irish Brokers Association has reiterated its call for a loosening of mortgage loan restrictions, as the Central Bank published research on the way the rules are affecting the mortgage market since they were first introduced in early 2015.

Michael McGrath, Fianna Fáil finance spokesman, has turned up the heat on the debate about the best ways to lower the still elevated levels of mortgage arrears, saying one approach — the so-called mortgage-to-rent scheme — is not working as it should.

New Central Bank figures showing falls in the average costs of mortgage rates have done little to silence calls for more aggressive cuts in home loan rates to eurozone levels.

The running sore of mortgage arrears — eight years after the onset of the financial crisis — is back on top of the political agenda as Independent TDs negotiate their participation in a new government, the Irish Examiner has learned.

A new entrant is eyeing potential “rich pickings” in the Irish mortgage market because home lenders here have failed to cut their standard variable rates, one of the country’s leading mortgage experts has predicted.

An EU directive aiming to boost protections and opening up choice in buying a mortgage outside national boundaries has been transposed into Irish law, the Department of Finance said yesterday.

Two of the country’s largest mortgage broker groups opened up a new battle saying Irish lenders were short-changing borrowers on variable and fixed-rate home loans.

The entry of Pepper Homeloans is good news but will fail to loosen to any significant extent the grip Bank of Ireland and AIB holds over the Irish mortgage market, a leading mortgage expert has said.

There is unanimous agreement that we have a housing crisis which remains unresolved.

The Irish mortgage market is “dysfunctional”, a leading mortgage broker said yesterday, squarely putting the blame on strict new Central Bank home-lending controls.

The Government is being urged to bring in a scheme to help first-time buyers save for a deposit for a new home.