Financial Services Regulation.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 December 2009

Wednesday, 2 December 2009

Questions (144, 145, 146)

Noel Ahern

Question:

167 Deputy Noel Ahern asked the Minister for Finance if mutual building societies or other mutual organisations were not set up and approved for the purpose of granting home loans and mortgages only; if they always had the authority to engage in speculative commercial development transactions; if such authority was always used; if their activities have expanded in recent decades; and his views on confining any mutual body that emerges from the current banking and financial crisis to home mortgages exclusively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45048/09]

Written answers

Minister for Finance (Deputy Brian Lenihan)

Any building society which has been formed, registered with the Financial Regulator and incorporated in accordance with the requirements of the Building Societies Act, 1989, may undertake any of the activities permitted under the Act. Such activities include, but are not limited to, the making of housing loans. Decisions in relation to which permitted activity or activities an individual building society undertakes is a matter for that building society and its membership, subject to approval, as appropriate, by the Financial Regulator. Notwithstanding this, I have indicated, during the Committee Stage debate on the NAMA Bill, that it is desirable that the State should continue to have at least one functioning building society whose business, rather than concentrating on commercial lending, operates for the primary benefit of its membership.

Noel Ahern

Question:

168 Deputy Noel Ahern asked the Minister for Finance the way in which he proposes to change the system in relation to repossession or surrender of property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45053/09]

Minister for Finance (Deputy Brian Lenihan)

Changes in the system in relation to repossession or surrender of property are matters for my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Any proposals for changes will be presented to Dáil Éireann at the appropriate time.

Noel Ahern

Question:

169 Deputy Noel Ahern asked the Minister for Finance, in view of the outstanding mortgages for principal private residence, the amount of mortgages granted, the amount still due, the amount topped up since the mortgage was granted; if similar figures are available for all outstanding mortgages granted more than 11 years ago; the cost each percentage write-down of all existing mortgages under ten years would cost. [45055/09]

Minister for Finance (Deputy Brian Lenihan)

There are no publicly available data which would satisfy the very specific request of the Deputy. A historical breakdown of outstanding residential mortgages is available on the Central Bank's website. However, the series only begins in December 2003. The value of outstanding mortgages for principal dwellings issued by credit institutions' Irish domiciled offices to Irish residents was €113.5 billion at the end of Q3 2009, an increase of 1.9 per cent over Q3 2008, according to figures from the Central Bank Sectoral Developments in Private Sector Credit September 2009 (as published on www.centralbank.ie (Table 1)). Data on new business volumes indicate that approximately €31 billion in new mortgages were issued over the year ending Q3 2009. However, these figures for new business include renegotiations of existing mortgages and would also include investor mortgages.

Question No. 170 answered with Question No. 132.