ONE of Brian Cowen’s first steps when taking over from Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach was to abolish Fianna Fáil’s infamous fundraising tent at the Galway Races, to which property developers and builders had been frequent visitors.

The Construction Industry Federation has raised concerns that Irish banks are seeking to increase margins on business loans despite a drop in the cost of borrowing.

INSURANCE companies paid out claims for more than 80,000 road accidents in 2004, according to figures from the Financial Regulator.