Royal Bank of Scotland, which is the parent company of Ulster Bank, is to separate its retail operations from its higher-risk businesses in a major overhaul to meet new ring-fencing rules in the UK, which also means the RBS brand will only be used in Scotland.

A High Court ruling has significant implications for Ulster Bank’s efforts to recover debts in Ireland.

BANK employees in Northern Ireland are being put on alert after several bomb attacks in recent months by dissident Irish nationalists.

The ratings agency Moody's has downgraded its credit ratings for 12 banks operating in Ireland, despite the Government's plan to create an asset management agency to buy up risky loans.