Mr. Shane O'Sullivan:

There is a financial answer and an empathetic answer. Our unit takes and receives 2,000 phone calls every day of the week. From our branch network we receive 300 standard financial statements every week and the subject matter is always difficult. Our staff are trained to fully understand the difficult situations in which people find themselves. We work hard to try to find solutions and I am happy to say that in the great majority of cases we can do so. Unfortunately in other cases we cannot. From our efforts to date we have learned that selling one's underlying property, be it a family home or an investment property, is difficult. We did not get it right at the start. Where a shortfall existed we sought repayment in its entirety. We have moved our position in recent times. We are willing to work collaboratively with customers to agree upfront, before the sale of the property, the outcome with regard to the shortfall if one arises.