A man who is celebrating holding on to his home after securing a 53% mortgage writedown required morphine doses to deal with severe migraines while his wife contemplated suicide over the debt.

A Limerick couple who received letters from their lender on three successive Christmas Eves telling them they had to leave their property are to hold on to their home after securing a mortgage writedown of 53%.

A Co Clare stone-mason has secured a €223,000 write-down on his €346,390 family home mortgage as part of a Personal Insolvency Arrangement (PIA)