Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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74. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will outline by mortgage lender the number of the 142,000 homeowners in mortgage arrears who have completed the MARPs process; of the remaining cases in arrears, the exact number, by lender, of borrowers at each of the five steps in the MARP process; the number of home owners in arrears, by lender, who had to appeal the initial decision of the MARP process to reach a satisfactory arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47541/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Central Bank’s Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears (CCMA) provides that each bank must put in place a formal Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process to deal with its mortgage customers who are in arrears or pre-arrears and for the establishment of dedicated arrears support units and appeals processes to handle such cases. Section 55 of the CCMA provides that complaints relating to the lender’s treatment of the borrower’s case under the MARP process and the lender’s compliance with the requirements of the CCMA must be dealt with in accordance with the complaints provisions set out in the Consumer Protection Code 2012. This provides a detailed complaints resolution framework which seeks, in the first instance, to resolve matters directly between the consumer and financial institution but, failing that, the matter can be referred to the independent Financial Services Ombudsman.

The Central Bank of Ireland has informed me that it does not track the number of borrowers covered under the MARP but does track the number of mortgage accounts in arrears and the number of alternative arrangements put in place across the regulated industry and which are published quarterly by the Central Bank. This is available on the Central Bank’s website, . The latest Central Bank quarterly publication on mortgage arrears, restructures and repossessions reports that at the end of June 2013 there are 142,892 PDH mortgage accounts in arrears. 79,357 mortgages are in a restructure arrangement, 42,309 of these are not in arrears as at end June 2013. Therefore of accounts in arrears 37,048 are in a restructure. The Central Bank of Ireland has advised me that it does not however release institution specific data.

The Central Bank has also informed me that it is monitoring the banks’ performance against the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Targets (MART), and a series of supervisory audits are planned to consider the completeness, accuracy and validity of the outcomes reported by the specified credit institutions.