The CEO of the Insolvency Service of Ireland, Lorcan O’Connor says that the Master of the High Court Edmund Honohan was “wrong” when he described the Abhaile service as “a sick joke.”

The Master of the High Court, who has been a vocal critic of the way banks handle repossession cases, has been told to stop dealing with all debt cases.

For many years, certainly since the collapse of 2008, any discussion about how our economy is managed, about how social justice and accountability might be made tenets of Government rather than occasional afterthoughts, invariably reaches the point where the performances of the conventional parties of power are questioned.

Recent weeks marked a significant turning point in the long-running mortgage arrears saga where the policy of kicking the can down the road has started running out of road.

Why should I continue to pay my mortgage if the State is to bail out those who aren’t paying theirs?

The Master of the High Court, Edmund Honohan, is correct in identifying the Government’s failure to address in any coherent way the concerns of the thousands of people in mortgage arrears.

The Master of the High Court has described advice given by the Taoiseach to a person facing repossession as “a sick joke” and said the Government is “misinformed” about the situation impacting many families.

If there is any further dragging of heels by the banks, he must exercise the full range of powers at his disposal — and demand more from Donohoe if necessary, writes Daniel McConnell, Political Editor

While politicians of all stripes line up to criticise the banks, Philip Lane, the Central Bank governor, has been reserved. So far, it seems to be working, writes Michael Clifford.

Local authorities are set to significantly miss their targets for spending on building social houses, despite the country’s escalating housing crisis.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly is facing fresh calls to publish the legal advice he says prevented him from adopting tough measures on the housing crisis, after experts challenged his claim such action would breach the Constitution.

The most significant part of Michael Clifford’s excellent tribute to Joe Higgins was his description of the exchange between Deputy Higgins and Prof Patrick Honohan at the banking enquiry. 

Small business group Isme has welcomed Central Bank plans to give small business owners more power in their dealings with their lenders.

Irish banks have made progress, but the costs of servicing their high-level of non-performing loans will likely not fall as quickly as they hope, despite the strong recovery, outgoing Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan said yesterday.

Outgoing Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan has admitted that while the recovery is “solid” and delivering plenty of jobs, small businesses are starved of credit.

The outgoing governor of the Central Bank, Patrick Honohan, has warned Finance Minister Michael Noonan that it is imperative to avoid a return to the type of pro-cyclical fiscal policies observed in the past.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been accused of being a “spoofer” and of making an “eejit” of himself over his claim that he was advised the Army might have to guard ATMs during the eurozone crisis.

Colin Murphy has been back raking over the coals of the banking crisis, with his latest play, Bailed Out, in effect, the sequel to Guaranteed, the story of how Ireland toppled into insolvency.

The Department of Finance has expressed disquiet with Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan for failing to share full information on mortgage matters before the Dáil.

Senior officials from the Department of Finance and the Central Bank are to meet to discuss measures to address weaknesses in the loss-making insurance industry.

O’Donovan Rossa 2-15 Bishopstown 1-10 (Cork SFC quarter-final): O’Donovan Rossa’s opening round defeat to Bishopstown was “a blessing in disguise”, reflected manager Shane Crowley in the aftermath of Saturday’s successful revenge mission in Dunmanway.

To lose one senior member of our Central Bank would be okay but to have the early retirement of three internationally-respected bankers, including the Governor, raises questions.

It is by a distance the most frequent face-off of the new millennium, with 26 championship clashes already since Cork partied like it’s 1999. Kieran Shannon has crunched the numbers from all those games, observed the trends — and how both camps might try to buck them this evening.

Brian Cowen said he never breached the public’s trust when he was taoiseach, as he outlined to the banking inquiry how Ireland was pressurised into entering a bailout programme.

Growing up in San Francisco, all Danny Culloty wanted to do was wear the red of Cork

Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan made his infamous RTÉ call confirming a bailout to quell “alarm”, despite claims it was to “undermine” the Government’s position and help a de facto ECB “financial coup d-état”.

The bust collapsed some peoples’ lives but it did not collapse this economy because very hard political decisions were taken, writes Victoria White

Much of the time the Oireachtas banking inquiry seems to take on the character of a whodunnit, writes Michael Clifford

Alex Tsipras has been the Greek Prime Minister since January 2014.

Tánaiste Joan Burton has backed the outgoing central bank governor’s calls to burn Anglo Irish Bank junior bondholders and thereby save taxpayers up to €300m.

TDs have criticised Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan after they said he signalled that he wanted repossessions speeded-up.