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First half losses up at Ulster Bank ROI as exit continues

The bank has sold most of its assets to Permanent TSB and AIB
The bank has sold most of its assets to Permanent TSB and AIB

Ulster Bank recorded an operating loss of £295m over the first six months of the year in the Republic of Ireland, as it continued to wind down its operations.

The losses at the exiting lender were up from £213m booked during the January to June period last year.

£136m of the loss so far this year came in the quarter ending in June, with £159m in the previous three months.

Ulster Bank is moving towards completion of its exit from Ireland, having sold most of its business to Permanent TSB and AIB.

Earlier this month, Ulster Bank completed the sale of its commercial loan book to AIB, with €3.1 billion of loans fully migrated.

The transfer of the final cohort of staff to AIB who were wholly or mainly assigned to supporting this part of the business has also been completed.

The transfer led to losses on disposal of €55 million being recognised during the first half of the year.

During the second quarter, the bank's €6.3 billion in remaining performing non-tracker mortgages and micro-SME loans were transferred to Permanent TSB.

While earlier this month, Ulster Bank’s Lombard Asset Finance business which included loans worth around €500m, also migrated to PTSB, along with remaining staff who were eligible to move to the bank under the deal.

25 Ulster Bank branches had already been transferred to PTSB during the first three months of this year.

Also this month, Ulster Bank completed the migration of €4 billion of performing tracker and linked mortgages to AIB.

The remaining migrations are expected to occur in the second half of the year.

Customer deposits had fallen to £400m by the end of June, as account holders’ business moved elsewhere.

The bank racked up operating expenses of £163m over the first half of the year, up from £145m over the same period last year.

It also revealed that it had set aside a provision in relation to an appeal it has lodged following a High Court ruling against it in a case it had taken challenging a ruling of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman in a number of tracker mortgage cases.