16/06/2023
1. Mortgage arrears have increased as lending rates have risen, with many struggling borrowers having their loans taken over by vulture funds with high interest rates.
2 Central Bank arrears figures show a spike in early-stage arrears, with over 3,600 mortgage accounts falling behind on payments in the first three months of the year compared to the same period last year.
3 The rise in early-stage arrears has been consistent for the past three quarters on an annual basis.
4 The Money Advice and Budgeting Services (Mabs) has warned that families whose loans were sold to investment funds may be forced back into arrears without effective solutions.
5 Comparing the first quarter of this year to the previous quarter, there were an additional 1,430 mortgage accounts classified as being in early-stage arrears.
6. The Central Bank attributes some of the arrears to a "reclassification effect" caused by loan sales during the first quarter, with differences in how selling banks and buying banks classify arrears.
7 Ulster Bank and KBC Bank, which are exiting the market, sold loans to Permanent TSB, Bank of Ireland, and AIB.
8 Close to 20,000 mortgage accounts are currently in arrears, with the majority held by vulture funds such as Pepper, Start Mortgages, and Mars.
9Long-term arrears (over one year) decreased from 26,016 in March last year to 22,015 in March of the current year.
10 Mortgage prisoners, whose loans are managed by Pepper and Start Mortgages, have been informed of variable rate increases and are unable to switch to other lenders due to their past arrears history.