Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 21 June 2018

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

Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Allied Irish Banks

9:30 am

Mr. Jim O'Keeffe:

That is not unique to this portfolio. These are the types of cases we have been working on restructuring. The significant drop that was required to reach our current position involved their restructuring in smaller or larger scales. That has been successful. The remaining cases have primarily not engaged or reached the point of a restructure. In many instances, it has been a question of investment. Deputy Michael McGrath referred to the concerns around trading businesses where individuals or businesses reached out and started investing in other asset classes but the core cashflow from the assets was unable to sustain the wider position. For a long time, our solution has been to examine each case, try to dispose of the investment properties, realise where the business is in the value cycle and then try to protect the core business.