Ireland
Central Bank of Ireland eases burden on first-time buyers
Abolition of LTV caps means first-time buyers are now able to borrow up to 90% of the whole value of a property, the central bank says, while restrictions placed on banks’ loan book are squeezed tighter
Draft Irish law could compromise central bank independence, ECB says
Proposals would oblige central bank to promote competition in housing market
Irish central bank levies record fine for AML and CFT breaches
Failures occurred over “extended period of time”, central bank says; case highlights need for controls over outsourcing of AML/CFT functions, says enforcement chief
Brexit may not lead to ‘new dominant location’ for European finance – Irish governor
Regulatory considerations should not drive firms’ location decisions, Lane argues
‘Strong’ correlation between leverage and financial connectivity – paper
Irish paper shows interconnected banks experience 'sharper contractions' in lending when faced with a shock; findings could have consequences for Basel III
Irish central bank publishes minutes of first macro-prudential committee meeting
Governor and senior staff approve current O-Sii and C-Cyb plans; intend to look further at impact of macro-prudential measures on housing markets
Irish central bank issues first fine under ‘related parties’ code
Case is first brought under code governing deals with “related and connected parties”
Targets key tool in reducing NPL levels, Irish deputy governor says
Banks can be unwilling to start sustainable NPL restructuring, Donnery says; repeats call for reform of European restructuring processes
Special purpose vehicles make ‘very limited’ contribution to GDP – Irish central bank study
Study permits a better analysis of "shadow banking" sector, authors say; concentrates on non-securitisation vehicles
Banks leaving London for Dublin must be ‘run from here’ - senior Irish official
Central bank planning to recruit more regulators if necessary, Cross tells financiers; hints at possible need to boost salary packages for some staff
Irish central bank announces major internal reorganisation
Bank will split market supervision department in two and create new financial stability directorate; full-time director of corporate affairs to be appointed
Bank of Slovenia introduces macro-prudential measures for housing market
Slovenia’s central bank has recommended lenders impose loan-to-value and debt service-to-income ratios on all new housing borrowers
‘Iconic’ Irish central bank property put on market
No asking price for Dame Street site – sale is by best bid; more than 1,500 central bank staff to move to new site in North Wall Quay
People: Irish market supervisor quits; Emefiele appointed president of AACB
Gareth Murphy resigns as head of market supervision at the Central Bank of Ireland, Nigerian governor appointed president of African Association of Central Banks, and more
Borrowers’ characteristics are key to successful mortgage restructuring, paper argues
How mortgage was restructured is less important than distressed borrowers’ own characteristics in determining whether loan is repaid, Bank of Ireland paper says
Irish central bank forms macroprudential committee
Governor Philip Lane announced internal advisory committee on design of macroprudential policy; featuring senior officials, the group will convene for the first time in “early September”
IMF’s crisis performance criticised by internal review
Report evaluates IMF’s handling of eurozone crises from 2010 to 2013; work during programme design and implementation described as ‘uneven’ and concerns raised over political pressure
Irish central bank warns of ‘negative and material’ impact from Brexit
Quarterly bulletin discusses channels through which UK vote to leave EU will affect Ireland; economy expected to grow by 4.9% this year and 3.7% next
Irish central bankers take first look at effectiveness of macroprudential housing policies
Ireland’s central bank publishes examination of its first full year of operating macroprudential measures affecting the housing market; compares data on borrowers subject and free from limits
Ratings agency fined €1.38 million by Esma for regulatory breaches
The European Securities and Markets Authority fines Fitch for improper discussions of information and mishandling timing of Slovenia’s sovereign downgrade
Irish central bank announces new protections for mortgage borrowers
Variable-rate housing loan borrowers must be informed of cheaper alternative mortgages and have rate rises explained to them by lenders
Irish paper proposes three-phase model of volatility in bond markets
Irish paper finds ‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘ugly’ phases in eurozone sovereign debt markets from 2003 to 2014; crisis not caused by changes to the shock mechanism, but by pre-existing cross-country links
Central Bank of Ireland to form analytical teams to improve ‘data architecture’
Governor Philip Lane encourages regulators to “embrace” technological advances, while stressing the balance between innovation and consumer protection
Irish banks prepared for Brexit but face material effects, deputy says
Effects on profitability and business models could be ‘material’ if UK votes to leave EU, Irish deputy warns, though central bank is satisfied with short-term contingency planning