Life and debt for families

The scale of debt crippling ordinary Irish families struggling to pay their bills and hold onto their homes has been laid bare in a stark new report.

The Mabs (Money Advice and Budgeting Service) study, commissioned by the Department of Social Protection, examined almost 6,000 mortgage arrears cases.

The study found that the majority of people in mortgage distress are aged between 41 and 65 — contradicting the commonly held view that most people struggling to repay their mortgages are in their 30s.