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.

Direct employment in the Irish beer industry is up 8%, according to a report on the sector.

The finance minister has been asked to lobby at EU level to close loopholes which allowed Setanta to leave 75,000 insurance customers without cover when it went bust.

The Irish Brokers Association is calling for a complete overhaul of insurance regulation after the liquidation of Setanta Insurance left 75,000 people uninsured.

It’s no barrel of laughs — the growing problem of stolen beer kegs is estimated to have cost the drinks industry €40m since 2007.

Motor insurance premiums will soar by 30% if the Government pushes ahead with increasing award limits of district and circuit courts, according to the Irish Brokers Association (IBA).

Demand for barley in the domestic market will be reduced by the recent 22% excise rates imposed on beer, an Irish Brewers’ Association impact analysis study reveals.

The Ireland squads for this month’s European Bowling championships in Pesaro, Italy were announced last night at a ceremony in which four new European team cups were also unveiled.

A few females are plying their trade in male-dominated sectors hit by recession, says Sue Leonard

The Irish Brewers Association (IBA) has released new figures showing that the Irish beer market has declined by 3% in the year to date.

SO long as men and women live and whether it is legalised or not, gambling in one form or another will continue.

THE head of the country’s largest pensions provider has warned of a “crisis in confidence” in the sector and of a real possibility of earners being dissuaded from saving for the future.

HOMEOWNERS looking to renew their home insurance should brace themselves for rises in premiums of up to 15% by the end of the year, the Irish Brokers Association warned yesterday.

The share of beer sold in Irish pubs fell significantly in 2010, according to the Irish Brewers Association (IBA).

THE Government is to take €2,000 from hundreds of thousands of workers’ private pensions over the next four years under a new levy.

THE new government has been urged to help Ireland’s literary industry survive by removing barriers to sales in the business — or face the prospect of mass bookstore closures.

The worsening situation in relation to people in trouble with mortgage repayments was a ‘financial timebomb’ which would go off unless action was taken to help hard-pressed homeowners, according to Ciaran Phelan, chief executive of the Irish Brokers Association (IBA).

HARD-pressed consumers are set to be hit in the pocket yet again after insurers announced plans to raise house premiums by 15%, significantly reduce coverage and force customers to pay up to €1,000 of their claim costs.

THE Irish Brokers’ Association has welcomed the decision by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) to start issuing Government bonds specifically aimed at Irish-managed pension funds, but has said that the failure to remove other restrictions for the investment of funds continues to hamper economic growth.

THE Irish Bookmakers’ Association has been accused of “behaving recklessly” after it emerged its allegations of financial irresponsibility against Horse Racing Ireland were based on a report that according to its authors, was not an appropriate foundation for such claims.

THE Irish Bookmakers’ Association got it all wrong having a go at Horse Racing Ireland during the week, complaining about an increase in expenditure over the course of 10 years.

LEADING national hunt jockey Barry Geraghty has called on the Government to increase betting taxes so that racing can become self-sufficient.

BRIAN KAVANAGH, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, last night hit back at calls by the Irish Bookmakers’ Association for a value-for-money investigation into his organisation.

A spending watchdog was today urged to probe the accounts of Horse Racing Ireland over claims spending is out of control.

THE ENORMOUS gap between ministerial pensions and private pensions has been dramatically outlined in research which shows a self-employed person would have to pay €20,000 each month into their pension fund to achieve a pension equal to that of a minister.

A REMOVAL of many of the domestic restrictions over what Irish pension funds can invest in could result in an extra €7 billion being pumped into the economy over the next couple of years, a Dáil Committee has heard.

Bookmakers hit out today at 80-year-old laws on opening hours, claiming they cost 500 betting shop jobs last month.

THOUSANDS of jobs would be lost and a third of betting shops would close if a proposed 2% tax on winning bets is introduced in December’s budget, bookmakers have warned.

THE Government’s proposed cut in pension tax relief will hit as much as 90% of all worker pension contributions, and not just the wealthy segments of society, one industry representative group has suggested.

TRACKER-MORTGAGE holders have been warned not to rush into accepting discounts from their banks in exchange for moving to a different type of loan.

THE Central Bank has warned that banks arelacking clarity and transparency when communicating with customers who switch their mortgage product from a tracker rate to a variable or fixed rate.

IRISH music should be used to lift people out of the economic gloom and “engender a sense of wellbeing” around the country, according to chairman of the Oireachtas Arts Committee, Tom Kitt.

BROKERS are calling for an overhaul of mortgage lending so that homeowners are only liable for the value of the house.

The Irish Brokers Association is today warning homeowners not to give up their tracker mortgages

SOLICITORS, property developers and accountants are all facing a mortgage crisis, with many owing up to €500,000 more than their house is worth.

FAMILIES can save up to €400 a year on their life insurance costs according to brokers who are urging consumers to take a proactive approach with insurance companies.

THE Irish Bookmakers Association has described the legislation that dictates that all betting shops must close on Easter Sunday as archaic and completely out-of-date.

CONCERNED Quinn Insurance policyholders have been advised – by one industry watchdog – to shop around, after the company went into administration yesterday.

HOUSEOWNERS are over-insuring their houses because they are unaware that premiums are calculated on rebuilding costs, not the market value.

International online gambling sites will be forced to pay tax on Irish bets, under Opposition proposals revealed today.

CONSUMERS can shave up to €1,800 off their annual insurance bills by shopping around, according to the Financial Regulator.

AROUND 11,000 jobs could be axed because of cross-border spending sprees, business chiefs have claimed.

HOMEOWNERS living in areas subject to subsidence and flooding could find they are unable to get house insurance as companies refuse to offer cover.