The High Court has approved personal insolvency arrangements allowing musician Frank McNamara and his wife barrister Theresa Lowe write off almost €3m from their debts.

There has been a 31% increase in the number of people turning to the Insolvency Service of Ireland.

Hundreds of people in mortgage arrears have reached settlements with their creditors through the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) this year but the numbers applying for help has fallen.

A year after being declared bankrupt, Independent TD Mick Wallace is scheduled to walk away from debts of more than €30m.

The Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) has said that the number of new applications it received more than doubled between July and September, compared to the same period last year.

The Dáil has passed a bill which could make it easier for people to enter insolvency arrangements.

Insolvencies in some parts of the country have nosedived by more than 50% in the past month despite a quarterly nationwide increase, two reports indicate.

New laws later this year are set to stop banks from being able to stop mortgage holders from entering an insolvency arrangement.

Almost three quarters of people living in insolvency and who have used a personal practitioner to liaise with their creditors have managed to agree a settlement which could leave them debt free.

Tánaiste Joan Burton has said that it is "extremely wrong" for banks to pull out of debt and insolvency discussions with mortgage holders.

By understanding what bankruptcy is, and how it works, people can escape from an impossible debt burden and get on with their lives, says Ross Maguire

This week’s Small Business Show looks at developments for rural communities and whether consumers can work with more austerity budgets and still be expected to spend in order to buoy the economy.

The Insolvency Service of Ireland has admitted it is off to a slow start after it secured just four mortgage write-downs for hopelessly overburdened debtors in its first seven months in operation.

The first protective certificate in a High Court personal insolvency case was issued yesterday for a woman with debts of over €2.5m that she was unable to repay.

As people finally begin applying to the Insolvency Service of Ireland for support in dealing with their mountain of debt, fears have been expressed that the applicants will face fees of up to €3,000 to simply have their application processed.

When President Higgins signed the 2012 Personal Insolvency Act into law on St Stephen’s Day last, it promised a new beginning for the tens of thousands of individuals who find themselves hopelessly in debt, in many cases through no fault of their own.

The importance of childcare is not adequately recognised in the new personal insolvency guidelines, according to the National Women’s Council, despite assurances that parents will not be forced to quit their jobs.

The average family will be left with €1,760 a month to live on under new rules outlining what should be considered reasonable living expenses for people in mortgage distress.

What it means for those struggling with debts

The Government published three case studies and eight thresholds for families to be granted insolvency.

Minimum allowances laid out in the insolvency guidelines do not guarantee a debt deal and the banks are still very much in control, writes David Hall

Justice Minister Alan Shatter said he would “swiftly intervene” and change the laws if the new personal insolvency service was not working properly.

Banks can decide the hours, location, and type of childcare that working parents pay for under the new guidelines on their dealings with distressed mortgage holders.

Our ‘life as the nouveau poor’ columnist explains what the insolvency guidelines mean to her

People availing of Ireland’s personal insolvency procedure will not have to worry about enjoying the odd treat or holiday so long as they comply with their banking agreement.

Struggling debtors will be asked by banks to move to cheaper accommodation under certain conditions included in the new insolvency guidelines.

Concern that people will be forced to live on “food rations” of just €5 a day under tough new insolvency rules have been brushed aside by the Taoiseach.

Guidelines need to be flexible in a case-to-case basis, writes Paul C Carroll

Though our situation is not as bad as the people of Shanghai, whose drinking water is under threat after 16,000 diseased pig carcasses were found in tributaries of the Huangpu river, a new Environmental Protection Agency report shows that we must do much more to protect the integrity of our water sources.

The Government is under pressure to scrap the provision in the personal insolvency guidelines that lets banks ask people to quit their jobs in mortgage writedown deals.

Even for such a clumsy Coalition it has been a desperate spectacle to watch as Enda Kenny and Co lost control of the political narrative surrounding new insolvency rules — and then blamed everyone else for their own incompetence.