Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Banking Sector in Ireland: Ulster Bank

9:30 am

Mr. Gerry Mallon:

I think this activity looks at 2008 and magnifies it into a global recession as well. RBS has been improving and continues to improve its capital position overall. The outcome of this stress test was that it modelled RBS as still being solvent and still performing, albeit below the levels of the systemic reference points that it wants to adhere to and that the board would seek to get to. These stress tests were based on 2015 and RBS has already taken steps to improve its capital position subsequent to that. A revised capital plan has now been accepted by the Bank of England. The approach is very much to continue to work through legacy and resolve legacy problem debt, which we continue to do and have been continuing to do. It also has been to look at building a stronger, more efficient and more effective business, which will make more profits. So there is no change in our strategy; it is consistent with what we have been doing in the past and what we will continue to do.