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Bank of Ireland to make €1.5 billion available for mortgages

Image: James Horan/Photocall Ireland

BANK OF IRELAND will be making €1.5 billion available for mortgages next year.

The mortgage fund, which will support customers buying their first home or moving home in 2012, may be expanded to support demand, the bank said this afternoon.

The move comes on top of yesterday’s Budget announcement by Minister for Finance Michael Noonan which included several schemes aimed at encouraging people to buy homes.

The measures include increased mortgage relief for first-time buyers next year as well as for buyers who bought property between 2004 and 2008.

The moves are seen as a targeted attempt to encourage people to buy homes in the current depressed property market.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Bank of Ireland said that the fund will act as a “further support” to Noonan’s announcements aimed at supporting first time buyers.

“Should we see demand outstripping the fund then we will extend the size of the fund to cater for and support this demand. Bank of Ireland is committed to supporting customers who wish to purchase a home and we will continue to take further steps to demonstrate this support”.

Bank of Ireland provided mortgage finance to almost six in every ten first time buyer customers, according to the most recently-published Irish Mortgage Council market data.

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Comments (27 Comments)

  • Robert McDonnell 07/12/11 #
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    Good idea. Encourage yet more people to buy houses that they can’t afford.

    Full of geniuses this place.

    Reply
    • Billygoatmuff 07/12/11 #
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      The more in debt mortgage holders, the power to screw on property tax etc.

    • P Wurple 07/12/11 #
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      Ever consider people who want to move out of a one bedroom place into a house with a small garden now that time has passed and they have children now?

      Peoples needs change as they move along in life…

      For those who are now 5 or ten years further along in their career, they can now afford to trade up, and this is good news for them if it actually happens. Banks were locked down tight before, freezing thousands of families in homes they had grown out of.

  • Seamus McDermott 07/12/11 #
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    Will the bank keep the mortgage, or will it bundle and sell it with other debt?

    Reply
  • Ronan Lyons 07/12/11 #
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    Banks are currently not lending due to fear of being burnt all over again. If Bank of Ireland lend on the basis of rental multiples, they will be able to lend to more couples and they will have less of a downside risk due to negative equity.

    The only question is whether there are enough sellers out there willing to lend at the 60% below peak that these rental multiples typically imply.

    Reply
    • Inda Kinny 07/12/11 #
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      If the government are pushing for a boost in the property market during 2012 then surely we’ll see all those from the past 2/3 years who held back buying coming onto the market and giving it a relative lift. Does that mean that in 2013 that house prices will have a big drop as the backlog of buyers, so to speak, have all done their purchasing in 2012? Better bargains in 2013 so! I’m assuming that the rules of lending will remain the same for all the banks for at least a good number of years i.e. quite strict (rightly so)

    • RP McMurphy 07/12/11 #
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      Hi Ronan. Sorry to be thick. What do you mean by ‘….enough sellers out there willing to lend…..’? Thanks.

    • RP McMurphy 07/12/11 #
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      Hi Ronan. Can you clarify’…..sellers out there willing to lend at…..’. Thanks.

  • Derek Durkin 07/12/11 #
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    Where’s the money 4 small buisnesses? More interested in consigning people 2 long term debt. And the cycle continues, boom, bust, boom, bust. Makes me sick.

    Reply
  • Adam Magari 07/12/11 #
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    The chances of any of this alleged fund making its way into the property market are near zero. For two years now the banks apparently have Benin lending. Ask yourself how many people do you know who bought a new house or premises on the back if a mortgage. Few. But the government is happy to run with this blather.

    Reply
  • Tony Skillington 07/12/11 #
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    1.5 billion for mortages??….ya’d need the 1.5 billion just as collateral!

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  • James Gibbons 07/12/11 #
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    Did they not say that last year ?

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  • Report this comment

    I’m just gutted I missed out on the increased tax relief by less then a year! : ( ah well, I just have to remember what Enda said, I am not responsible, I am not responsible, I am not responsible……

    Reply
  • David o Mahony 07/12/11 #
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    That’s all well and good and positive they are lending. However, the reality according to many sources also the front page of the Irish Indepenent last week is the property Market to drop for another 2 years. So, if one was to borrow eg. 400,000 euro for a home next month would the home be worth eg 325,00 Euro in 24 months time as we are led to believe . ( approx drop give or take ) HELLO….. Reckless lending is back for young unsuspecting victims!!!!

    Reply
    • David 07/12/11 #
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      Ya, your being too simplistic. your factoring in a 10% drop on average per year. for a more realistic average in Ireland I believe apartments and houses should be seperated. At the end of the day it comes down to circumstances. If house prices are falling at a slower rate than the cost of your rent, etc. If you buy good in a good location it’s obviously gonna hold value way better.

  • Tony Stack 07/12/11 #
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    What are you on about David? houses can be picked up for 150k these days , for less than the monthly rent.

    Reply
    • Tim McAlpin 07/12/11 #
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      To simplistic a way to look at it. Look at this way. You pay 20k in rent for the next two years but the prices of the houses you have your eye on fall by 40k in the next two years. For a current price of 200k that’s only a 10% fall per year. Not beyond the realms of possibility.

  • Conor Gallagher 07/12/11 #
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    Is this, and the government’s retention of s23, no cgt for purchases by 2013 and extension of mortgage interest relief, to make the property bust less bustier? (all for the sake of Nama).

    Reply
  • David o Mahony 07/12/11 #
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    Tony- only passing on information I read about. Take a look at property value in Germany. Complete your own research and then ask me what I’m on about! Let me put it this was. Borrow eg ( note I use eg ) 200,00for a property and 2 years could be worth 160,000 ( approx) If you dis-agree thats cool and all entitled to opinion. Best of luck if your a first time buyer by the way ;)

    Reply
  • elaine 07/12/11 #
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    This is great in theory. But what about those who struggle to save for a deposit because day to day living is so expensive, rent etc. Could well afford a mortgage would be cheaper than my rent but struggling to save deposit so any increased lending by the banks is still unreachable by many!! 100% mortgages were abused by developers and banks in the boom and as a result there absence is leaving potential first time buyers behind!

    Reply
    • Michael Milner 08/12/11 #
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      100% mortgages were abused by everyone – because they could. If you can’t afford the deposit then you need to be honest with yourself and admit that you really can’t afford the house/ mortgage…..

  • John 07/12/11 #
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    Worse mistake evrr is to get a mortgage. Bank sucks you in and fucks you over for the rest of your life. Wish I’d never done it.

    Reply
  • David o Mahony 07/12/11 #
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    hello tim. Thanks for that. You want to take that 20 k drop that’s great!!! 20k to earn after tax these days are???? By the way……. How many Germans own their property in germany these days? ( they advise and really run our country in my opinion) Again, I am referring to facts . Thanks in advance for reply. penny dropped yet? If not….. Work it out otherwise borrow borrow borrow ;()

    Reply
  • elaine 08/12/11 #
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    Michael its about disposable income, paying roughly 300 more on rent than would on a mortgage hence there goes my saving. Maybe I should give up my job and apply for rent allowance probably more likely to save money there. Wonder will the government pay for my wedding too!

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  • HELLO SPRUIKER 08/12/11 #
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    I’m so looking forward to buying.

    I just cant wait to pay the jumbo property taxes they’ll be bringing in next year.

    Reply

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