More than €193.5m has been paid out in legal costs relating to applications for the Government’s redress scheme for victims of institutional child abuse.

Calls to the State’s money advice helpline, established to assist people dealing with problem debt reached a six-year high in 2017, figures have revealed.

Consumer champions have criticised the Central Bank’s decision to begin operating its new national credit database without finalising the fees to be charged for its use.

The holders of the purse-strings for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (Mabs) have been slammed for their “penny pinching” and ‘miserly’ leap year reduction on frontline workers.

"He told me he didn't feel good. I knew he didn't have much money and was struggling with mortgage payments as work was not plentiful."

Households struggling with mortgage debt are being advised to reach out and get free professional advice, as research shows two-thirds of borrowers are unaware of free support services.

Banks are committing to spending up to €1bn in “putting people out of family homes”, it has been claimed.

Struggling families will be able to avoid going to loan sharks by using a new low-interest lending scheme.

Plans for free financial and legal advice to help struggling borrowers stay in their homes will be brought to Cabinet this week as a part of a €15m package to help people in mortgage arrears.

The State’s free money advice service has secured millions of euro in debt write-offs since January for people struggling with problem debt.

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.

FIRST Holy Communions are on the horizon. Parents can feel under pressure to produce the day of days for their son or daughter so plan ahead to avoid struggling with the cost.

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The state’s Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) has rolled out a new service to help homeowners struggling with mortgage debt. The new dedicated mortgage arrears service will include the provision of court mentors at repossession sittings right across the country.

The five main banks have been accused of insulting Irish groups which help people in debt by funding a similar British charity to start work here.

Economic recovery and a more humane approach to financial debt is being seen in the courts, after six years of recession and personal financial trauma.

Couples should be upfront about spending habits once their relationship gets serious. That doesn’t mean that they have to forsake their independence says Grainne McGuinness but it means when times are tough, they will be more united

The number of households in arrears on mortgage payments on their homes has fallen by almost one third in less than two years, according to the latest data from the Department of Finance.

Central Bank figures showing a slowdown in the numbers entering so-called early arrears fails to capture the huge scale of the home debt crisis, debt experts have said.

Senior debt advisers have warned that households continue to face paying down intolerable debt burdens despite new official figures showing that overall personal debt levels had fallen to a 10-year low.

Little has been done to increase the level of support available to people as they seek to restructure mortgage debt, writes Noeline Blackwell.

The Energy Minister Alex White has said surcharging pay-as-you-go electricity customers is "not acceptable" and should be ended.

The Central Bank of Ireland today asked consumers to "think twice" before using the services of moneylending firms this Christmas.

Retailers have come under pressure to remove a surcharge of up to 50c imposed on customers topping up their pay-as- you-go electricity and gas cards.

Affordable and sustainable repayment schedules are required to protect vulnerable consumers should a proposed state debt collection agency be established.

Just over 1,000 domestic gas or electricity accounts were disconnected during the month of June.

Gardaí hope to break a major crime operation which includes drug-dealing and illegal moneylending following a search targeting homes and rented properties yesterday.

A website provided by the Citizens Information Board for people finding it difficult to pay their mortgage or rent saw a 78% increase in visits last year.

A quarter of people who use moneylenders run into problems paying back the loan, research has shown.

Moneylending agencies could be invited to appear before an Oireachtas committee in the coming weeks after figures showed 360,000 people have borrowed from licensed moneylenders.

MOTHER-OF-SEVEN Kate Byrne has been saving for Christmas since last June — her boys are hoping to get the new X-Box One this year. Byrne, whose seven sons range in age from seven to 23 years, says this year they’ve all agreed to share a ‘family present’ rather than opting for individual gifts.

A provision of the new personal insolvency arrangements, due to come into effect at the beginning of next week, will effectively allow banks 20 years to claw back mortgage debts written off under certain circumstances.

Deepening austerity measures are pushing households into a “live for now” culture, causing shrinking savings and risks triggering a fresh personal finances crisis.

Debt-ridden householders in the North West are waiting up to five months for an appointment with the State’s Money Advice and Budgeting Service, as it was revealed that Mabs staff will be “floating” between their normal jobs and the soon-to-be-launched Irish Insolvency Service.

The Central Bank has said its pilot debt restructuring scheme will go ahead without the involvement of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU).

Struggling borrowers will be able to avail of debt write-offs and restructure their loans under a deal agreed with the Central Bank, financial institutions, and credit card companies.

People availing of Ireland’s personal insolvency procedure will not have to worry about enjoying the odd treat or holiday so long as they comply with their banking agreement.

The Government has announced it is cutting the exceptional needs payments for religious ceremonies.

Banks should cover the cost of financial and legal aid for distressed homeowners who engage with them in an effort to reach a sustainable alternative arrangement on their mortgage, according to human rights group Flac.

Debt may be the f-word in many households, but for those fearing being put through the wringer by the new Insolvency Service, the f-paragraph might provide reassurance.