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16/01/2025: PTSB is making reductions of between 0.15% and 0.95% to its personal fixed-rate mortgage products.

The new rates will come into effect from 17 January and be available to both new and existing personal customers. Rate reductions will apply across all of the fixed-rate terms offered by PTSB including it’s 2, 3, 4,5 and 7 year terms.

The largest reductions of up to 0.95% will apply to its 5 and 7 year fixed term products, with rates from 3.8% for 60-80% LTV mortgages up to €250,000.

07/01/2025: More than 600,000 health insurance customers are facing premium price rises.

Three of the main health insurers - Irish Life, Laya and VHI - have announced another round of price increases to select plans. The announcement comes after a raft of hikes last October and July.

VHI will increase prices by an average of 6% - 11% (11 plans), Laya Healthcare between 2% - 10% (13 plans) and Irish Life Health by an average of 3.7%.

20/12/2024: One in eight Irish households are currently in arrears on their electricity bills.

The latest report by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) revealed that 284,000, or 13%, customers were behind on payments in October 2024 - which is the peak percentage of customers in arrears.

Close to 164,000 gas customers (24%) are behind on payments, the same number as the previous three months.

Electricity customer owe, on average, €413 while €187 is owed on gas bills. 203 electricity customers were disconnected in October for non-payment.

13/12/2024: ICS Mortgages is to cut its variable rates following the European Central Bank, which cut rates by 0.25% yesterday.

From February 2025, Owner Occupier variable rates will reduce by 0.25% and 0.41%, depending on the loan to value.

Buy-to-Let variable rates will also reduce by 0.25%.

12/12/2024: The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced a further 0.25% interest rate cut, the fourth drop this year. The move is in response to falling inflation rates.

The latest decrease in the ECB refinancing rate - the rate tracker mortgages are based on, takes it to 3.15%. Tracker mortgage customers will see their rate cut immediately.

The latest drop may prompt mortgage lenders to reduce their variable and fixed rate mortgages.

11/12/2024:The average mortgage rate in Ireland fell to 4.03% in October, latest figures from the Central Bank reveal.

This is down from 4.27% for the same time last year, and leaves Ireland with the sixth highest mortgage rates in the Eurozone - who have an average rate of 3.52%.

The Central Bank figures for Ireland show the average variable rate was 4.39%, while the average fixed rate stood at 3.89%.

09/12/2024: MoCo has cut their fixed term interest rates again, by an average of 0.18%.

The lender’s 3-year fixed mortgage rates are dropping by an average of 0.22% while their 5-year product will fall by an average of 0.14% - with the exact decrease depending on your loan-to-value (LTV).

The average interest rate across both fixed-terms now stands at 3.71%, down from an average of 3.90%.

22/11/2024: Irish Life is set to increase health insurance premiums by an average of 3.7% from January 1st, 2025.

This is the third increase in twelve months, with the insurer rising prices in January and July of this year.

Many family plans will increase by hundreds of euro a year, while other plans will increase by as much as 4.3%.

Insurance premiums have risen across the board this year, with insurers quoting the rising costs of delivering healthcare, increased use of more expensive, high-cost drugs, and a spike in claims.