Money Guide Ireland

If you are travelling to the UK or another country that doesn’t use the EURO it is easy to just use your  debit card at an ATM to withdraw Sterling or other currencies – but be aware that your bank will usually charge you.
The foreign ATM cash withdrawal charges for the main Irish banks are listed below.

Ulster Bank 2% (min €3, max €12), plus foreign exchange fee of 1.5%
(But if you use ATM in the UK  owned by Ulster Bank, Easy Cash,Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest , you will not be charged.)

AIB – Currency conversion fee of up to 3% (depending on currency) plus commission of 1% (min €1.27, max €6.35)

BOI 3.5% (min €3.17, max €11.43)

NIB 3.5% (min €3.17, max €11.43)

Postbank €5.00 flat fee.

PTSB 3.5% (min €3.17, max €11.43)

Figures checked August 2010

As expected – following rate increases from EBS and PTSB – the 2 “main” banks in Ireland have jumped on the bandwagon and increased variable mortgage rates.

Bank of Ireland increased their rate  by 0.45 % to 3.49 %.
ICS (BOI broker arm) has increased its rate by 0.6 % to 3.64 %

AIB has increased variable mortgage rates by 0.5% (SVR rises from 2.75 % to 3.25 %
That equates to an increase of  18%

These increases follow similar rises by EBS – who increased its rate by 0.6 %, up from 3.23 % to 3.83 %.  Permanent TSB  also rose rates  this month by 0.5 per cent to 4.19 %

See all the lowest mortgage rates in Ireland here.

Tracker Mortgages are not affected.

We understand the following protection is in place with the following institutions: This is the latest information on the level of guarantee or protection for money held in Irish financial institutions or those operating in Ireland.
Updated July 2010 after the guarantee end date was extended from Sept to Dec 2010

Allied Irish Banks plc (AIB) Irish Government guarantees all deposits to the end of  Dec 2010
Anglo Irish Bank Corp. Irish Government guarantees all deposits to the end of  Dec 2010
Irish Life & Permanent plc (PTSB) Irish Government guarantees all deposits to the end of  Dec 2010
Bank of Ireland - -Irish Government guarantees all deposits to the end of  Dec 2010
EBS Building Society Irish Government guarantees all deposits to the end of  Dec 2010
Irish Nationwide Building Society Irish Government guarantees all deposits to the end of  Dec 2010

Read more about the Extension to the September 2010 Guarantee here

Post Office Savings Bank;(Not Postbank) below. State body Irish Government guarantees all deposits (always did)

ACC Bank Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;
Bank of Scotland (Ireland) t/a Halifax Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;
Danske t/a National Irish Bank The Danish Financial Regulator While Danske t/a National Irish Bank is a branch of an overseas institution;the Minister for Finance has confirmed that savers with branches of overseas banks operating in Ireland will benefit from the enhanced €100k guarantee providing the branch concerned has confirmed its intention to the Financial Regulator to participate in Ireland’s Deposit Guarantee Scheme.;Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;

Credit Unions Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;
First Active plc Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;
ICS Building Society;Note: ICS is a subsidiary of BOI and can apply to Govt for full guarantee – but currently is under the Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;
IIB Bank Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;
Pfizer International Bank Europe Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;
Postbank Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;Full details here
Ulster Bank Irish Deposit Protection Scheme – 100% of deposits up to max. €100,000;

Credit institutions covered by other schemes

Rabobank The Dutch Central Bank Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme;100% of the first €20,000, 90% of the next €20,000.;Doubled for joint account holders.
Investec Bank (UK) Ltd The UK FSA Financial Services Compensation Scheme;100% of the first £50,000 per person.
Leeds Building Society The UK FSA Financial Services Compensation Scheme;100% of the first £50,000 per person.
Northern Rock The UK FSA Deposits held with Northern Rock are guaranteed in full by the Bank of England and HM Treasury.

All of our Best Buy mortgage tables have been updated today with all the new rates from BOI, ICS, EBS and Haven. More rate rises to follow from EBS and KBC on May 1st.
Irish Nationwide have not yet announced increases.
See all the  lowest mortgage rates available currently.

Our page of the Best Rates on Investment Mortgages has been updated today to take account of recent changes. The lowest rate available on buy to let loans is from AIB on a 1 yr fixed rate at 4.1% .

Most of the general public in Ireland probably think that NAMA is fully owned by the Irish Government .  (Probably – most of the general public in Ireland don’t really care.)
If the bad debts turn out to be OK – then NAMA could make a profit – so that could be good for the taxpayer?

But – there is a small catch – PRIVATE INVESTORS  actually own 51% of  Nama’s (National Asset Management Agency) property loans.
17% is owned by Irish Life which is part of Permanent TSB
17% is owned by New Ireland – which is part of the Bank of Ireland Group
17% is owned by “major pension and institutional clients”  of AIB Investment Managers
They paid €51 Million for a 51% share in NAMA.

The government has set up an SPV  – special purpose vehicle  – to buy and manage the debts. This is a way of keeping the NAMA debts off the Irish State’s balance books -  and off the national debt. This was  done to get around   EU rules about state borrowing limits

The “SPV”  is  a separate entity to Nama and will have its own board, although this will include representatives of the asset management agency. Nama will supposedly have a veto over all of the SPV board’s decisions.

If the property loans can be managed profitably, then Nama and the private backers will be paid a yearly dividend, tied to returns from Irish Government bonds. Once the entire operation is finished, the SPV will be wound up. The Government says that the investors, that is Nama and the private backers, will only be repaid their €100 million if the resources are there.

If the loans are ultimately profitable, they will be repaid their capital plus 10 per cent – (€1.7  million for each private investor)  – once the SPV is wound up.
This means that the private backers will be repaid their €51 million, plus €5.1 million, plus any dividends they will have received along the way. Any further profits over and above these amounts will be returned to the exchequer.

However, if the property loans are not profitable, Nama and the private investors will lose their €100 million.
(In the scheme of things – the €49 million NAMA investment is a small drop in the ocean of the NAMA €80 Billion debts)

So it appears that the Irish taxpayers will have paid around €80 billion to buy overpriced property and bail out the banks. But -  51% of the debt is sold back to some of those banks – for just €51 Million !!
It’s a crazy world ….. run by bankers it seems.

Brian Lenihan – Finance Minister  spoke today about funding shortfalls in the Irish Banks . He said AIB would need to raise €7.4bn by the end of the year to meet targets. It plans to start selling off assets in Poland, the US and Britain to help raise this, but the State will have to take a stake in the bank.

Bank of Ireland will require €2.7bn in new capital, but it is hoping to meet much if this from private sources.

Irish Nationwide will require €2.6bn of new funds from the Government, most of which will be payable over 10 to 15 years.
EBS will need €875m. The State will provide €100m by taking new shares in the society, which will give the Government full control.

Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said the State would be providing €8.3 billion to Anglo Irish Bank this week alone, and that the bank may need a further €10 billion to cover its losses from bad property loans.

The State already owns Anglo Irish; it has an indirect stake of 25 per cent in AIB and a stake of 34 per cent in Bank of Ireland.
The investments in AIB and BoI will be in addition to €7bn that was provided in 2009. Anglo Irish recieved €4bn in 2009.

With the announcement that AIB are increasing mortgage rates tomorrow – we have updated all the following best buy pages to take account of the revised AIB rates.

Lowest Variable Rates
Lowest 1 Year Fixed Rates
Lowest 2 Year Fixed Rates
Lowest 3 Year Fixed Rates
Lowest 5 Year Fixed Rates