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The average car loan was €12,901, new BPFI figures show

Drawdown of car loans hits record high in first quarter

Strong demand for cars helped drive volumes in the personal loans market during the first three months of the year.

Business • 09 Aug 24

FraudSMART has joined forces with the Irish SME Association (ISME) to urge SMEs to be on the alert.

SMEs lost €10m through email-related scams last year

Small and medium sized businesses lost almost €10m through email-related scams last year.

Business • 12 Jul 24

The number of mortgages approved in May fell by 7.5% compared with the strong month the same time last year

Fall in number of mortgages approved in May - BPFI

New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland show there was a fall in the number of mortgages approved by Ireland's main banks in May compared to the same time last year.

Business • 28 Jun 24

Production began to ramp up early this year

Increased labour needed to drive construction output

An increase in labour capacity in the construction sector may be needed if the number of houses that work has begun on this year are to be delivered.

Business • 21 Jun 24

Fraudulent card payments were up 8.2% on 2022

€100m stolen through frauds and scams in Ireland in 2023

Almost €100m was stolen by fraudsters through frauds and scams last year, new data shows.

Business • 30 May 24

First time buyers accounted for €862m of the total value of approvals

Mortgage approvals up again in April driven by new buyers

New mortgage approvals rose again by both value and volume in April, driven by continued strong demand from first time buyers.

Business • 24 May 24

Mobile wallet payments accounted for more than half of the value of all contactless payments made during the 12 month period.

Over €12bn spent using mobile wallets in past year

Over €12 billion was spent using mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google pay in the 12 months to March, new data shows.

Business • 16 May 24

A green loan includes green car or auto finance and green home improvement loans,

90% jump in 'green' loan drawdowns last year

The number of green loans drawn down last year jumped over 90% when compared to 2022, new data shows.

Business • 10 May 24

Between €1,000 and €10,000 is typically scammed from victims (Stock image)

Fraudsters re-target victims promising to recover money

The banking industry is warning people who have previously fallen victim to investment fraud about new scams where the fraudsters are promising to recover their lost money.

Business • 07 May 24

The fall was driven largely by switching.

Mortgage drawdowns drop almost 20%, switching plummets

Just over 8,400 new mortgages were drawn down between January and March, down almost 20% on the same time last year.

Business • 03 May 24

Just 32% of respondents said fuel emissions would influence their decision to buy a car

Consumers want to make 'green' choices but cost dominates

Consumers want to make sustainable choices but cost and other practicalities take priority, new research shows.

Business • 24 Apr 24

BPFI says SMEs need supports to increase productivity and efficiency

BPFI says SMEs face adjusting profit expectations

Small and medium sized businesses will need to adjust their profit expectations in order to ensure the viability and continued growth of the sector, a new analysis has suggested.

Business • 19 Apr 24

Just over 3,200 mortgages were approved in January - down almost 12% on the same month last year.

Mortgage approvals down across all groups, except FTBs

The slowdown in the mortgage market is continuing, driven by a declining numbers of switchers and mover purchasers.

Business • 01 Mar 24

The BPFI also stated that the Access to Cash Bill as currently drafted is neither fair nor equitable.

Access to Cash Bill may damage competition in banking

The organisation representing the banking sector has warned that certain provisions contained in draft legislation aimed at ensuring continued availability of cash services pose a very real risk to the present and future competitiveness of the Irish retail banking sector.

Business • 27 Feb 24

While today's data shows growth across all loan categories, there was a particular surge in car loans.

Personal loan draw downs hit new high, car loans surge

The volume and value of personal loan draw downs reached a new high between July and September last year, new data shows.

Business • 09 Feb 24

The BPFI is warning consumers to be on heightened alert for what it says are 'highly sophisticated' variants of investment scams (Stock image)

Investment scams growing in frequency and complexity

Consumers are being warned to be on the alert for elaborate investment scams involving online and mobile banking transfers.

Business • 01 Feb 24

Activity in 2023 was driven by strong demand from first-time buyers with volumes and values among that cohort reaching their highest level since 2007

Mortgage drawdowns decline but first time buyers active

Overall mortgage drawdown volumes declined in 2023, new figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland show, but the reduction was driven largely by a falloff in switching and remortgaging activity.

Business • 26 Jan 24

Overall, there has been a slowdown in mortgage approval activity, driven by this drop off in switching.

Drop off in switching drives mortgage approvals lower

Mortgage switching activity dropped 75% last November when compared to the same time the previous year, new figures show.

Business • 09 Jan 24

Despite the increase in costs, the level of housing commencements, completions and development approvals have continued to bounce back

Build costs up by almost 25% since 2019 - BPFI

Construction costs here have gone up by almost a quarter in the last four years, an analysis by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland has concluded.

Business • 19 Dec 23

The shortages are most acute in the areas of digital skills, regulatory and compliance and risk management

Skills shortage a challenge for banking sector

Nearly three quarters of bank executives here say skills shortages are posing a challenge, particularly in non-traditional banking roles.

Business • 04 Dec 23

The pipeline for drawdown remains solid for the remains of the year, BPFI says

Mortgage approvals for first time buyers hits record

The number of mortgages approved last month increased by 2.7% compared to a month earlier.

Business • 24 Nov 23

First-time buyer mortgages hit highest level on record

The latest Banking and Payments Federation Ireland report reveals that first-time buyers are very much dominating the mortgage market, despite headwinds from rising property prices and European Central Bank interest rate increases.

Business • 17 Nov 23

15,828 car loans to the value of €189 million were issued in the three months to the end of June

Near 50% jump in value of car loans - BPFI

There has been a surge in the volume and value of car loans being issued here, according to the latest Personal Loans Report from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland.

Business • 09 Nov 23