Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

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

Banking Sector in Ireland (Resumed): Allied Irish Banks

4:00 pm

Mr. Jim O'Keeffe:

There is a flow of housing into the market from ourselves as well, not just the vacant housing that we are discussing now. I already called out the fact we have receiverships in place as well. Another issue worth noting is that we have a significant volume of residential properties that go onto the market on a consensual basis. One of the biggest pieces for us is where customers engage with us and we get agreement that they will sell down some of the properties, very often investment properties, that they have. In 2017, somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 properties will flow into the market in that way. Customers are engaging with us, a compromise is being reached with regard to the debt and the properties are being sold on. The real number influencing the flow of properties from our bank into the market is the story that is not on the page. Such properties are not coming to the market through repossessions, voluntary surrender or abandonment but through consensual sales. Borrowers engage with us, agree a compromise and sell the properties.