A friend of Denis Casey has described the former CEO of Irish Life & Permanent as an “ethical person with the height of integrity”.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

The European Court of Justice will deliver its opinion this week on a challenge by shareholders of Permanent TSB against the constitutionality of legislation used by the Government to recapitalise the bank during the economic crisis.

The jury in the trial of four former bank executives accused of conspiring to defraud has suspended its deliberations after a juror became ill this morning.

The jury in the trial of four former bankers accused of conspiracy to defraud in 2008 has begun its deliberations.

A jury in a conspiracy to defraud trial has been asked to consider the fact the financial regulator knew about the so-called “back-to-back transactions”.

Shareholders in the former Irish Life & Permanent (IL&P) who are suing the Government for loss of earnings after the 2011 bailout, can expect an EU judge to make a preliminary ruling on the case in four months.

Former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm walked out of a Dublin court smiling yesterday after he was released on bail pending his fraud trial.

Former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm could today taste freedom from custody for the first time since he was arrested by US officials last October.

The world’s largest accounting firms were yesterday cleared of blame for their audits of banks here as the country hurtled toward financial disaster in 2008.

A major report has cleared the external audit firms of any substantial failings in the audits carried out of the banks here on the eve of the financial crash in 2008.

Irish Life has said that demand from investors for products to help beat low returns from low deposit rates currently offered by banks had helped boost the profits at the pensions and investments firm.

Way back in the mists of time, while studying business at second level, one of the most basic questions set forth in a textbook was: ‘What is the role of a bank?’

The financial services firm appointed by Finance Minister Michael Noonan this week to advise on the capital restructuring of Allied Irish Banks has received more than €7m from the State since the banking crisis.

Permanent TSB customers in mortgage arrears who agree to a voluntary sale of their home will have to pay 20% of the shortfall of what they owe before they can qualify for a debt write-down.

Judge Iseult O’Malley, who has been dealing with a Permanent TSB shareholders’ challenge to the constitutionality of laws which permitted the bank’s €4bn recapitalisation by the State, is to seek a preliminary ruling on the law from the European Court of Justice.

A date in early 2016 has been set for the trial of four former bankers accused of conspiring to mislead Anglo Irish Bank investors in relation to €7.2bn worth of transactions.

The sentence hearing of former Anglo Irish Bank directors Pat Whelan and William McAteer will take place on April 28 following their conviction on charges of providing illegal lending to the Maple Ten for a share support scheme.

Former Irish Nationwide chairman Michael Walsh wrote to the late minister for finance, Brian Lenihan, warning him against bank mergers as the financial crisis escalated, according to a letter obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Three former bank executives are to stand trial charged with a €7.2bn fraud conspiracy.

At least two of the auditors who signed off on the parking of billions of euro from Irish Life & Permanent into Anglo Irish Bank have found themselves working on the liquidation of IBRC.

Personnel from Blackrock International are in the Central Bank preparing the groundwork for the next round of stress tests on Irish banks, which will be held this year, the Irish Examiner has learned.

Shareholders of Permanent TSB who wish to challenge the constitutionality of laws under which the State has recapitalised the institution with €4bn cannot do so by amending their existing court proceedings, the High Court has ruled.

Pensions and life assurance company Irish Life has been sold by the Government for €1.3bn.

A director of Permanent TSB has described as “an egregious breach of court process” a court bid by the bank and a group of directors to prevent any action aimed at disqualifying any of the directors from involvement in the management of a company.

US investment firm JC Flowers&, which was short-listed last year in the shelved sale of Irish Life, is still interested in buying the country’s largest life insurer, an executive at the firm said.

State-controlled AIB has 1,262 members of staff on remuneration packages, including pensions and benefits, of over €100,000 a year.

World and European markets continued a recent pullback as investors braced themselves by derisking in advance of what could be a tumultuous US third quarter earnings’ season.

Since the credit crunch, not too many Irish-owned financial institutions have reported such healthy figures as this life and pensions company, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

European markets were almost universally in positive territory yesterday.

A new normal dawns for the Irish banking sector.

Former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive and chairman Seán FitzPatrick could be facing further criminal prosecutions in addition to the 16 charges he was handed down before the Dublin District Court yesterday.

Perhaps there is no more telling a tale of Seán FitzPatrick’s reversal of fortunes than the May 2005 Greencore AGM.

Two former senior executives of Anglo Irish Bank are to face criminal prosecution later this year after becoming the first individuals to be charged in the long-running investigation into financial irregularities at the zombie bank.

If the Government offloads its stakes in Bank of Ireland and AIB, it will only do so for a price much higher than the value of €8bn by the National Pension Reserve Fund, said Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

Two new reports show that all sectors of the property market continue to struggle, although there are signs that the Dublin industrial property market could be close to stabilising.

Debate over the budget was reignited as Eamon Gilmore defended a minister’s comments that employers should further help plug a €1.5bn hole in the social insurance fund.

Bank of Ireland chief executive Richie Boucher survived a probe that could have cost him his job after the Central Bank said it had found no reason to doubt the fitness to serve of some of the country’s senior bankers.

The proposed €1.3bn sale of Irish Life and Permanent’s life assurance business, the Irish Life Group, to the Minister for Finance undervalues the company’s “crown jewels”, it was claimed before the High Court yesterday.

The Iseq index dropped below the 3,000 level yesterday to close down 52.16 points at 2,961.79.

The Iseq index slipped 63.08 points to close at 3,013.95, in line with European and world markets.

The Iseq index fell 41.54 points yesterday, to close at 3,062.02.

Markets across Europe were defined by red numbers as major bourses, without exception, gave up ground.