Abbey National is set to create almost 150 new jobs after a major new investment at its call centre in Belfast, it was announced today.

BANK OF IRELAND is still very much in the race to take over Abbey National despite the slamming of the gate on a buyout by the board of Britain’s sixth-biggest bank yesterday.

Banking group Abbey National today shrugged off concerns about the economic slowdown after revealing profits were ‘‘comfortably’’ up on last year.