Ulster Bank has refused to rule out further sales of distressed mortgage loans to vulture funds despite a school of thought emerging that such transactions could end under a Sinn Féin or Fianna Fáil led government.

Ulster Bank has said that they have fixed the technical glitch which had stopped around 10,000 social welfare payments today.

Ulster Bank is preparing to sell €900 million worth of non-performing mortgage loans.

Around 10,000 Ulster Bank customers are paying one of the highest mortgage rates in the eurozone, at 4.3%, despite opportunities to move to a lower band, the lender has said.

Ulster Bank is expected to sell off more non-performing loans in order to reach a European Central Bank target.

Philip O’Leary, managing partner of Cork law firm FitzGerald Legal & Advisory, has been appointed as a board member to the Irish Banking Culture Board (IBCB), funded by Ireland’s five main retail banks with the aim of rebuilding trust in the sector.

From tomorrow, Ulster Bank customers will be charged every time they use their card.

Some Ulster Bank customers are reporting difficulties receiving payments this morning.

The rate of growth in the construction industry has quickened to a seven-month high.

Ulster have made three changes for the clash with Dragons on Sunday with two Irish internationals returning to the squad.

Ulster Bank plans to reduce by a significant amount its elevated level of non-performing mortgages through another loans sale this year.

Construction activity growth hit a four-month high in the month of December.

Ulster Bank has urged farmer to hone their digital banking skills to protect themselves against fraud.

A body to be set up in the wake of the €1bn tracker mortgage scandal and a decade after the financial crash has asked for the public’s submissions on the culture of banks.

A leading consumers’ advocate has called on Ulster Bank’s new chief executive, Jane Howard, to guarantee she will oppose closing more branches until customer service across the industry improves significantly.

Confirmation that Ulster Bank has struck terms with a vulture fund for a major sale of its troubled mortgages with a face value of €1.4bn has reignited the debate over loan sales by Irish banks, with debt advocates again questioning if regulators should insist lenders writedown debt rather than selling on loans.

The Government has been accused of “washing its hands” of the problem of mortgage arrears after Ulster Bank becomes the latest bank to sell over 5,000 of its non-performing loans to a vulture fund.

Ulster Bank has denied considering making approaches to buy out rival banks in the Republic, as the lender returns to financial health with the improving economy.

Ulster Bank’s reduction in fixed rates is a sign of “a mortgage war that shows no sign of abating”, but Irish homeowners still face hefty payments in comparison to their European counterparts.

Well-known hotelier Joseph Comerford and his two sons have launched proceedings against Ulster Bank over a €3m refinancing payment which they claim they were forced to pay the bank.

The Central Bank should “kick the ass of every bank up and down the country” for perpetuating “a culture that hasn’t changed”, bosses of Ulster Bank were told as it conceded 2,000 customers remain on the wrong tracker mortgage rate.

Some 6,500 non-performing mortgage loans at Ulster Bank, with a face value of €1.6bn, are to be sold off, the bank will say today.

Ulster Bank will refund and compensate thousands of business customers who were overcharged interest.

There has been criticism of Ulster Bank after it became the latest lender to confirm it is selling thousands of mortgages to vulture funds.

Ulster Bank looks set to face political opposition head-on from Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin after announcing the start of the sale of 6,500 loans worth €1.6bn of distressed mortgage debt, a move which is likely to embolden other main lenders to offload their troubled loan books too.

Ulster Bank has announced it will be selling 6,500 Irish mortgages in arrears which have a face value of €1.6bn.

Ulster Bank has sold on cash machines it operated under the EasyCash name in 400 stores in Ireland, but the bank has at the same time said that the transaction doesn’t lessen its commitment to retail banking after its recent technical glitches.

Ulster Bank has announced that it is the first bank open for applications for the Government's new Credit Guarantee Scheme.

Pádraig Hoare A bad week for Ulster Bank ended with it announcing first-quarter operating profits of €11m, down almost 66% on the €32m generated in the same quarter last year.

Ulster Bank has said it has “resolved” the problem which caused the disappearance of money from customer bank accounts over the weekend.

Ulster Bank says a glitch that left some customers unable to view their transactions has been fixed.

Ulster Bank is again facing intense scrutiny after the Central Bank, the Oireachtas Finance Committee, and the Finance Minister raised serious concerns over the latest financial panic to hit the institution.

Update 4.40pm: Ulster Bank says an issue with money disappearing from some customers' accounts was caused by human error.

Ulster Bank has today announced the appointment of Gervaise Slowey to its board of directors.

Permanent TSB has become the third bank to reduce mortgage rates in the last three weeks.

By Pádraig Hoare