International firm Investec has become the first company to enter the Irish mortgage market since 2008.

THE prospect of some general scheme of debt forgiveness being available to distressed mortgage holders has increased after the Government signalled that it may consider further ways to ease pressure on struggling borrowers.

The Independent Mortgage Advisors Federation have predicted that the property market bubble will burst next year.

Life sciences company Nanosense has won first prize in the 2004 entrepreneurship programme organised by NovaUCD, UCD’s centre for innovation and start-up businesses.

Potential home buyers are set to benefit with the launch of the mortgage "brain".