Customers can beat their banks and avoid many charges if they are smarter with their cash.

The Irish Mortgage Holders Association has said the latest Central Bank figures show that the volume of mortgages either at risk of arrears, in arrears, or in default at the end of June has hit €46.6bn, or 33.4% of all balances.

Gary Duggan’s new play Shibari marks his debut at the national theatre, says Pádraic Killeen

Despite an increase in loans to first-time buyers and mover-purchasers for the first time since 2006, an industry expert has predicted that 2012 could be the worst year for mortgage lending since 1971.

There are fresh calls for the Government to force banks to pass on ECB interest rate cuts to its mortgage customers.

There are fears that more people will fall into mortgage arrears, because many banks will not pass on rate cuts.

The new Personal Insolvency Bill offers mortgage holders and others struggling with debt recourse to remedies to manage those loans in a more humane and sustainable way, writes, Frank Conway

The money advice and budgeting service (MABS) is welcoming the move by the Central Bank to survey mortgage holders.

MORTGAGE holders were disappointed that the European Central Bank chose to hold its benchmark interest rate at 1%, dashing hopes of a rate cut.

FRANK Conway’s piece (Analysis, Dec 8) on whether to continue to buy private health insurance or not was informative and all the more depressing for that.

MORTGAGE holders could see their repayments fall again today with a cut in interest rates expected.

SEVERAL thousand of the country’s mortgage holders could save hundreds of euro a month by checking their terms and conditions.

MORTGAGE lending has fallen by more than 50% in the last year but edged up slightly in the last few months.

STRUGGLING households are paying almost €1,300 more to clear their bills than a year ago.

AIB has relaxed its lending conditions for people seeking a mortgage, in a move that will see more people qualifying.

THE collapse in property prices shows no sign of abating as figures show Dublin residential property prices have collapsed by over 50% since the peak of 2007.

ONLINE betting accounts are being used as reasons for refusing struggling homeowners the option of having a mortgage approved or restructured.

HOMEOWNERS trapped in negative equity could be stuck there for the next 14 years.

THE number of homeowners looking for help from their bank has doubled in the last few months.

BRITISH investors are flocking to Ireland in a bid to scoop up bargain holiday homes.

THE scrapping of Ryanair’s flights from Cork and Kerry to Dublin will have a devastating impact on the region, tourism representatives have said.

IT could be 2014 before the European Central Bank (ECB) raises rates again, according to an Irish Examiner survey.

A €6 BILLION bailout for householders in mortgage arrears that would allow those hopelessly indebted to walk away from their home loans would solve the current crisis, according to the economist credited with predicting Ireland’s property demise.

THOUSANDS of staff at AIB have been offered the chance to get a new uniform — just over two years since they last got one.

CONSUMERS have been warned that banks may continue to hike charges as lenders are put under pressure to bring in cash.

THE Irish Banking Federation (IBF) said some banks have “no option” but to call in mortgage guarantees from parents on their children’s mortgages.

BANKS have been accused of “cherry-picking” who they want to give mortgages to as brokers claim people can’t secure loans despite the number of applications increasing.

STRUGGLING consumers are facing an onslaught of price rises over the coming months.

THE consumer debt crisis is deepening, with the amount of personal debt being pursued through the courts rising tenfold in five years.

FOR an honest person, and despite all of the evidence most Irish people are honest, unmanageable, out-of-control debt is a real nightmare.

CONSUMERS have been warned that banks may continue to hike charges as they are put under pressure to bring in cash.

MORE than half a million people see no future for their family in this country, as figures show a rise in those who are broke after paying their monthly bills.

ONE in 10 Bord Gáis gas customers are expected to be using pay-as-you-go meters by the end of this year as they struggle with rising energy costs.

ENERGY prices are going up. This has been confirmed by Bord Gáis which recently warned that households and businesses should expect higher energy prices in the coming months because of the rising cost of natural gas.

A MORTGAGE strike which has been proposed by trade union officials would hurt members more than the banks.

THE growing rate of people taking their own lives in Ireland has contributed towards a general international spike in suicide deaths, with the recession being blamed.

THE head of the European Central Bank (ECB) says it has a responsibility to 331 million people in the eurozone — not just Ireland.

HOMEOWNERS could be hit with further interest rate hikes later this year, followed by two more next year.

MORE than four out of five homeowners will be exposed to the prospect of rising mortgage costs today as interest rates are expected to rise.

THE number of mortgages given out by banks this year is expected to fall to levels last seen in 1971.

THE value of consumer judgments such as bills not being paid in the first quarter of 2011 rose by more than 28% year-on-year.

HOUSEOWNERS are facing a further rise in the cost of mortgage repayments next month.

HOUSE prices have fallen more than 5% since the start of the year and more than 12% in 12 months, with experts saying there is no end in sight to falling values.