Ulster Bank has refused to rule out further sales of distressed mortgage loans to vulture funds despite a school of thought emerging that such transactions could end under a Sinn Féin or Fianna Fáil led government.

Auctioneers have reiterated their call on Finance Minister Michael Noonan to rethink the sale of Nama assets, saying it is time to scrap the sale of the €7.2bn Project Arrow loans, the largest auction by the agency to date.

Denis O’Brien has sold his controlling stake in Aergo Capital — the aircraft leasing group he co-founded in 1999 — to a US buyer for an undisclosed sum.

Only €1.9bn of the €21.7bn par value IBRC loan book will go into Nama following the completion of the sales process.