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Ulster Bank posts loss of €184m for third quarter

Ulster Bank reported an operating loss of €184m for the third quarter
Ulster Bank reported an operating loss of €184m for the third quarter

Ulster Bank said its total income for the third quarter was €112m lower than the same time last year due to reduced business levels as it continues its withdrawal from the Irish market.

The bank, which is owned by NatWest, said it continues to make progress on its phased withdrawal from the market here.

Ulster Bank reported an operating loss from continuing operations of €184m for the third quarter, an increase on the loss of €68m the same time last year.

But total Ulster Bank losses, including discontinued operations, rose to €652m from a profit of €46m the same time last year, the bank added.

It said its net loans to customers decreased by €0.8 billion, or 66.7%, due to the reclassification of mortgages to loans at fair value and repayments on the remaining portfolio.

Meanwhile, customer deposits decreased by €5.6 billion, or 30.4%, on the back of reducing personal and commercial deposits as momentum continues in account closures.

On its withdrawal from the Irish market, Ulster Bank said the migration of a further three tranches of performing commercial loans to AIB was completed during the third quarter.

Remaining migrations of commercial customers will be completed in phases over the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first half of 2023, it said.

Ulster Bank staff who are wholly or mainly assigned to supporting this part of the business have begun to transfer to AIB, it added.

Meanwhile, the planned migration of performing non-tracker mortgages to Permanent TSB is also is progressing and execution of the live migration is expected to start before the end of the year.

The transfer of its Lombard asset finance business, the business direct loan book and 25 branches to PTSB is still expected to be completed in the first half of next year.

Earlier this month, Ulster Bank extended the deadline for those customers whose accounts are due to become non-operational later this week by a further month.

The bank said the move was to avoid unnecessary worry or complexity for customers in receipt of one-off and additional social welfare payments announced in the Budget last month.

The additional child benefit payment is due to be paid by November 1.

As a result, the first accounts that were due to become non-operational on October 8, will now not become so until or after November 4.

Non-operational means the account becomes frozen to transactions and is closed 30 days later.