Category: Syndicated

Mortgage approvals down on December but up year-on-year – BPFI

Mortgage approvals fell in January when compared to the previous month, but were higher year-on-year, according to data from the Banking Payments Federation of Ireland. There were 3,621 mortgages approved last month, down 6.1% on December but 7.9% higher than in January 2021. The total value of the month’s approvals stood at €932m, which was […]

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Inflation hitting low income, rural and older households harder – Central Bank

A new report from the Central Bank has found that lower income, older and rural households have faced a higher than average increase in the cost of living in recent months. This is because they spend a bigger proportion of their income on heating, energy and transport, all of which have gone up sharply in […]

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Ireland’s national debt ‘one of the highest in the world’ on a per capita basis

The State took on an additional €33 billion in debt over the two years of the pandemic, according to a new report from the Department of Finance. The national debt stood at €237 billion at the end of last year. This equates to €47,233 for every person in the country and is described in the […]

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New rights for consumers on digital goods and services under new law

A new law strengthening consumer rights has been approved by the Government. The Consumer Rights Bill will provide protections over digital goods and services, meaning people will have the same rights over anything they stream or download as they do over a product or service they would buy in a shop. The legislation also cracks […]

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Housing supply falls to record low level – Sherry FitzGerald

New analysis shows that the country’s stock of houses available for sale is now at the lowest level on record. The analysis from Sherry FitzGerald shows there were only 14,400 second-hand properties listed for sale nationwide in January. The estate agents said this represents a 6.7% fall over the past twelve months, with over 1,000 […]

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Gas demand up over 10% in January – GNI

Demand for gas in January was up almost 11% on December’s levels, according to Gas Networks Ireland’s latest gas demand statement. A drop in temperatures and the return of people to schools and offices after the Christmas holidays accounted for much of the increase. Demand was so strong that three days during January were among […]

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Credit unions want bigger chunk of mortgage market

The Irish League of Credit Unions has called on the Minister with Responsibility for Credit Unions, Sean Fleming, to make the necessary regulatory changes to enable credit unions to significantly increase their footprint in the mortgage market. In a statement, the Irish League of Credit Unions said credit unions would like to be in a […]

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Doherty calls for new EU ‘fiscal standards’

Sinn Féin’s spokesman on finance Pearse Doherty has said the EU’s fiscal rules need to be replaced by “fiscal standards” which would allow for investment in areas like housing as well as the environment. The fiscal rules were suspended during the pandemic but are due to be reintroduced next year. There is currently a broad […]

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Land deals of close to €650m struck in 2021 – report

Land deals to the value of €648 million were transacted in 2021, representing growth of 11% on the previous year, a report from property consultants Savills Ireland concluded. Demand for land in prime areas with planning permission in place was described as ‘very strong’, attracting significant bids. Sites without permission have also been performing well, […]

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Office vacancy rate could move above 10% this year – BNP Paribas Real Estate

The vacancy rate in the Dublin office market stood at 10% last year and could edge higher this year, a report from consultants BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland concludes. 2021 was the weakest year for lettings since 2012, the report found. But the rise in the vacancy rate was contained by relatively modest levels of […]

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