The head of Bank of Scotland (Ireland), Mark Duffy, is to step down after 16 years in the job.
The bank's chairman Maurice Pratt said Mr Duffy had been in talks since the end of last year about leaving. He will stay on until early April before handing over to Joe Higgins, who was formerly chief operating officer at the bank. He is currently Head of Mortgages at HBOS.
Mr Duffy said there was 'no story or big reason' for his departure, adding that the sale of parent company HBOS to Lloyds TSB and the completion of Halifax's move to a retail bank in Ireland offered him a 'natural point' at which to leave.
As CEO of the bank in Ireland, Mr Duffy was frequently critical of the established Irish banks, once claiming that the Irish banking market was 'riddled with anti-competitive practices' and that service levels were 'appalling'.
