AIB said it’s delivering in cutting mortgage rates and was confident its provisioning for bad loans and its accounts were up to scratch after a whistleblower approached regulators.

Rare praise from one of AIB’s board most trenchant critics came late into what was one of the oddest shareholders’ meetings ever held in Ireland.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said the Government is in no rush to sell down its near-100% stake in AIB, adding that the timing of such a move will not be dictated by the agenda of a general election.

TURN on the radio or pick up a newspaper and you might just notice that there is an inquiry tasked with finding out why this State was nearly destroyed by its banks. It is in this context that I ask the question: why are Bank of Ireland (BOI) and Allied Irish Bank (AIB) running banks in our schools?

AIB has reiterated to shareholders that it is actively considering cutting the rate of interest it charges mortgage customers.

At first glance, the painting ‘On the Run, War of Independence’ by Sean Keating appears to depict a volunteer checking his mobile phone.

AIB will pay a €280m dividend to the Government in May as it begins the process of repaying €21bn in State aid.

Departing AIB chief executive David Duffy has his sights set on a return to Ireland before he has even assumed his new role as head of UK-based Clydesdale Bank.

A string of large bets has seen Bernard Byrne installed as the firm favourite to succeed David Duffy as chief executive of AIB.

The new chief executive of AIB will have to be ratified by the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) in Frankfurt.

AIB has appointed Richard Pym as chairman designate and a member of the board as a non-executive director to replace the outgoing chairman David Hodgkinson who retires next October.

The former boss of Alliance & Leicester has been lined up as the new chief executive of embattled lender Bradford & Bingley, it was reported today.

At least two firm bids for beleaguered British mortgage lender Northern Rock have emerged, but taxpayers in the UK could still end up propping up the company for up to three years.

Northern Rock’s potential rescuer has a strong record of snapping up stricken companies and nursing them back to health, often for big rewards.

Northern Rock suitor JC Flowers today unveiled a heavyweight management line-up for the stricken mortgage lender as talks over a possible offer continue.

Banking group Alliance & Leicester said today it had improved its share of key markets after revealing half-year profits rose 10% to £295m (€438m).

Alliance & Leicester posted lower half-year profits today as a slowdown in unsecured loans offset strength in mortgages and commercial lending.

Shares in UK banking group Alliance & Leicester fell sharply today after a potential suitor made a move on a different takeover target.

The Spanish owner of Abbey National was today said to have ruled out a bid for Alliance & Leicester as it looked to make a further raid on the UK banking sector.

Alliance & Leicester was at the centre of bid speculation today after reportedly rejecting an informal approach from France’s biggest bank.

British Banking group Alliance & Leicester warned today that a reduction in paperwork at its back-office operation would cost 350 jobs this year.

Banking group Alliance & Leicester posted an annual profits rise of 16% today after hitting all its strategic targets in 2004.

Alliance & Leicester remained on track to hit its key target for 2004 today as growth across its business helped half-year profits edge up 2% to £268m (€406.4m).

UK mortgage lender Alliance & Leicester, said pre-tax profit rose 12% to £525m (€781m) in 2003, in line with analysts forecasts.

Building society-turned-bank Alliance & Leicester today reported a 12% rise in profits and said it was on track to hit its revenue and cost-cutting targets over the next year.

Alliance & Leicester’s managing director Peter McNamara is to leave the group after a major management shake-up at the mortgage bank.