The Chairman of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority says he is completely satisfied with the financial health of AIB and Bank of Ireland.

The chairman of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority is due to appear before an Oireachtas committee today to answer questions about the crisis in the Irish banking sector.

Auditors who checked the annual accounts of Anglo Irish Bank should have spotted secret multi-million euro loans, Financial Regulator Patrick Neary said today.

Ireland's largest group of financial brokers, The Professional Insurance Brokers Association (PIBA), has added its voice to calls for the entire board of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority to be sacked.

Financial regulator Patrick Neary is to make his first public appearance since resigning over a secret loans scandal at troubled Anglo Irish Bank when he is grilled by an Oireachtas Committee in Leinster House tomorrow.

The Financial Regulator, who faced calls to resign over a secret loans scandal at troubled Anglo Irish Bank, tonight announced he is quitting his post.

THE festive Christmas break prevented proper analysis of one of the most shocking and infamous scandals ever to arise in corporate Ireland.

CHINESE cash could soon be flooding through the International Financial Services Centre after a landmark financial deal was unveiled yesterday.

THE Financial Regulator, Patrick Neary, will be forced to answer questions on whether Irish banks were involved in irresponsible lending leading to the current financial crisis when he meets a Dáil watchdog today.

ONE of Britain’s biggest mortgage lenders has applied to operate in the Republic.

Ryanair today sought permission to file a case against IFSRA (The Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority) for its failure to launch any investigation of what Ryanair believes was the blatant abuse by Aer Lingus of Irish Stock Exchange listing rules by the company to one large shareholder in the run up to the closure of Aer Lingus’s Shannon base.

New research shows that people are becoming more aware of the risks of financial fraud.

GREATER regulation is needed for equity release schemes aimed at property-rich older people, according to a new Law Reform Commission report.

A LEGAL action by multimillionaire stockbroker Bruce Ashmore against his former employer, Goodbody Stockbrokers, and the financial regulator was settled at the High Court yesterday.

PANICKED savers swamped a credit union yesterday amid rumours it was facing imminent financial collapse.

RECORD profits of €1.7 billion last year were not enough for AIB. They want more. Unlike Oliver, they are not on the breadline, being the country’s biggest bank with a 23% increase in profits for the past 12 months.

The financial regulator, IFSRA, has announced that it is planning a New Year campaign to help people make informed choices on what to do when their Special Saving Incentive Scheme accounts mature.

IF the hugely successful viewing figures for Rip-off Republic indicate anything - one-in-two of the watching audience tuned in to the first show - it’s that Eddie Hobbs has come to be regarded as something of a people’s advocate; a “consumer campaigner”, as he terms it.

The Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority has rejected calls for it to impose a ban on 120% mortgages.

The Consumers Association has called on the financial regulator to impose a ban on 120% mortgages before they are introduced by Irish banks and building societies.

The financial regulator has reportedly said that it would not oppose a move to introduce mortgages of up to 120% in the Irish market.

More than €69m has been returned to customers who were overcharged by their banks, according to the Irish Financial Services Regulator.

The Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority has advised bank customers to shop around for the cheapest and most suitable current account.

A NEW system making it easier for small businesses to switch between banks will be in place early next year, the Irish Bankers’ Federation (IBF) said yesterday.

HOUSEBUYERS who take out life assurance from their mortgage provider could be missing out on thousands of euro if they fail to check for better deals elsewhere, the financial regulator warned yesterday.

FINES for banks who deliberately flout regulations should be increased 10-fold to a maximum of €50 million, an Oireachtas Committee report said last night.

THE European Union has moved to regulate the reinsurance sector following recent scandals that have rocked the industry.

The financial services regulator IFSRA has advised consumers that they can make significant savings by shopping around for credit cards.

Claire O’Sullivan

THE new president of the Irish Brokers Association has criticised the financial regulator IFRSA.

A SENIOR executive at the Dublin arm of reinsurance firm General Re is facing a civil fraud action by US financial regulator the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).

BANK of Ireland customers who invested in fixed interest rate SSIA accounts are set to enjoy an estimated “bonus” of around €150 each due to confusion over the interest rate to be paid on top-up amounts.

MOTORISTS can save over €1,700 per annum on the cost of car insurance by shopping around between insurance firms, according to the latest survey by the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority.

The Financial Regulator today published a motor insurance cost survey which shows that drivers can save from €300 to €1,700 by shopping around.

The Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority has advised people to shop around when planning to buy goods on hire purchase agreements.

IRISH credit unions have the highest proportion of savers and borrowers of any credit union movement in the world, it emerged last night.

THE latest entrant to the health insurance market, Vivas health, has complained to the European Commission that the State is protecting the VHI from real competition.

ONCE again the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority (IFSRA) has swooped mercilessly on an errant bank.

INSURANCE giant AXA is to hand over €1.7 million to its Irish customers after failing to pass on refunds on 130,000 home and motor policies.

The insurance company AXA is to refund €1.7m to customers, after withholding the money over a 13-year period, it emerged tonight.

Banks should clearly label ATMs to indicate the charges for the millions of withdrawals that are made by consumers each year, it was claimed today.

Around €15m is to be refunded to Bank of Ireland customers, it emerged today.