21/01/2009

IFSRA Chairman Happy With AIB And BOI Health

The Chairman of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority claims he is completely satisfied with the financial health of AIB and Bank of Ireland.

Speaking during an appearance before the Oireachtas Finance Committee this morning, Jim Farrell gave the banks a tentative bill of good health, and said he was determined to get to the bottom of what happened in relation to the directors' loans scandal at Anglo Irish Bank.

The AIB and BoI have suffered major falls in their share prices this week over speculation around the integrity of their finances, but Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has insisted they are financially sound and the Government has no plans to nationalise the two institutions.

Meanwhile, Mr Farrell also defended the authority's lack of action on the matter, saying it happened during a different economic context. He is due to appear before an Oireachtas committee today to answer questions about the crisis in the Irish banking sector.

The Oireachtas Finance Committee is investigating the effectiveness of the regulation of Irish banks in light of the crisis that has prompted the Government to nationalise Anglo Irish and to inject €2bn of taxpayers' money into AIB and Bank of Ireland.

(DW/BMcC)

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