British house prices rose in the three months to October at their fastest pace since February and the Bank of England’s interest rate hike is unlikely to offset the impact on prices from a lack of homes for sale, mortgage lender Halifax said.

Irish-bred horses continue to dominate the world of eventing, topping the latest yearly rankings by the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH), which were issued on Monday.

Signs that Britain’s economy is slowing as it prepares to leave the EU hardened yesterday, as official data showed a surprise drop in industrial output and construction in February, and a mixed performance for trade.

Irish wing Alan McMahon, hopes today’s big World Cup qualifying game against Russia at the Carlisle Grounds in Bray (5pm), will provide him with further opportunity to develop his new-found career in Rugby League.

UK house prices fell more sharply than expected last month after the introduction of a new tax on the purchase of rental properties.

British house prices rose strongly in August, pushed up by a lack of property coming onto the market, according to two surveys published yesterday, adding urgency to a push by the UK government to encourage more house-building.

Catch up with all the weekend antics from the Premier League in Monday Morning Leftback 

State-backed Lloyds Banking Group is to cut 9,000 jobs over the next three years as part of plans which will see the net closure of 150 branches.

Ireland made a dream start to their European Championship campaign with a 22-12 win over favourites France at Dublin’s Tallaght Stadium.

Rugby League: Ireland will be cast in the familiar role of underdogs as they launch their European Championship campaign against France in Dublin today, but this time they are not without hope.

Shares in TSB rose by as much as 15% today as the lender returned to the stock market after nearly two decades.

Two major banking groups have apologised after customers were hit by separate technical glitches today.

The decision by Britain’s biggest mortgage lender to clamp down on high-value lending has prompted expectations that some others may follow suit.

People’s spending using contactless “tap and go” card payments has topped £100m in a month for the first time, industry figures show.

Lloyds Banking Group, which is backed by the UK government, has agreed to sell off its Australian insurance and corporate lending businesses for £900m as it narrows its focus on the UK.

British prime minister David Cameron began setting out his stall for the 2015 election by talking up a contested plan to boost home ownership.

Barclays is the worst bank for honesty and customer service, according to a UK ethical scorecard launched today to guide those looking to switch their current accounts.

House prices in the UK edged 0.7% lower month-on-month in October as the weak economy continued to dampen demand, Halifax said today.

UK house prices showed a slight increase last month but are unlikely to move much over the rest of this year, the Halifax said today.

Bank of Ireland is to increase its mortgage rates on its UK residential mortgage book, affecting 100,000 UK customers.

Lloyds Banking Group is to claw back bonuses worth around £2m in the wake of the scandal over payment protection insurance, it was reported today.

The average price of a house in the UK was only marginally lower last month than at the start of the year as the market remained remarkably stable throughout 2011, lender Halifax said today.

A TOP Rugby League World Cup official last night described the enthusiasm for the sport in Limerick as “overwhelming.”

IRELAND’S rugby league international with France at Thomond Park this afternoon (5pm) hasn’t been setting the sporting world alight in terms of hype and publicity.

Ireland will make history tomorrow when they host France in the first rugby league match to be held at the rugby union stronghold of Thomond Park in Limerick.

IRELAND U21 boss Noel King has given one-time senior squad member Terry Dixon, 21, an international lifeline in tomorrow’s European Championship qualifier against Liechtenstein in Eschen.

LLOYDS Bank has said it is “closely managing” its exposure to Ireland, after seeing its Irish-based loan losses increase by 14% year-on-year during the first half of this year.

RUPERT Murdoch said phone hacking at one of his flagship newspapers was “deplorable and unacceptable” as David Cameron ordered a public inquiry into the scandal.

Families of July 7, 2005 bombing victims in the UK have been told they may have been targeted by phone hackers as MPs prepare to debate the scandal.

BRITISH police believe the News of the World hacked phones belonging to relatives of the victims of the July 7, 2005, bombings in London, it emerged last night.

HOMEOWNERS with 100% mortgages could be stuck in negative equity for the next 16 years.

A Romanian man who stole cash from a Dublin ATM with cloned credit cards has been sentenced to three years in jail with the final 18 months suspended.

The Bank of England today chose not to follow US counterparts into another round of emergency measures to prop up the economic recovery.

British House prices fell by 0.7% during October as buyers continued to stay away from the market, figures showed today.

The UK house market suffered a major jolt today as figures from the Halifax revealed prices slumped 3.6% in September – the biggest monthly drop since figures were first compiled in 1983.

IRELAND coach Andy Kelly has included 13 Super League players in his 30-man training squad for next month’s Alitalia European Cup. The contingent is headed by prop Eamon O’Carroll and hooker Mick McIlorum but Warriors team-mate Pat Richards, one of Ireland’s heroes from their 2008 World Cup campaign, is not available.

THE pending closure of Bank of Scotland’s entire Irish operations should not adversely affect the bank’s existing mortgage customers here, but could pose further credit challenges for the country’s small business community.

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable today accused high street banks of "ripping off" their customers as it was disclosed some are charging up to 167% interest on unauthorised overdrafts.

Bank of Scotland Ireland's retail arm Halifax will close half of its branches at 5pm today.

HALIFAX could rake in close to €7 million in interest payments from Irish customers from deals it is offering those looking to clear their credit card balances.

Halifax current account customers are today being warned to start the process of closing their accounts immediately .

BANK of Scotland is warning its current account holders that they need to close their current accounts quickly if they want to avail of the bank's customer-friendly switch code.