Up to 20% of loan applications in some credit unions are now coming through Facebook, a body representing the sector has said.

A group representing some of the biggest credit unions in the country said they plan to make a splash into the mortgage market, with €400m in new lending.

Credit unions are breaking new ground in offering its 350,000-plus members a debit card.

Credit unions will aim to have issued 500,000 of their new debit cards within the next five years to make the project viable, according to the head of the company rolling out the project.

THE elderly Limerick teacher who accidentally locked herself into a school for four nights over a bank holiday weekend has still not returned to work, more than a month after the incident.