Latest news, updates, and insights on challenging unfair mortgage terms and protecting your home from vulture funds.
A home is different from almost every other asset we finance. If you finance a car and cannot afford it, you may lose the car. If a business finances machinery, the machinery can be sold. Painful, certainly — but these are assets that can be separated from the person who owns them. A home is
Read moreSubmitted to Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) European Commission Copied to Irish Government Irish State Institutions Oireachtas Judiciary (For Information Purposes Only) European Institutions and Civil Society Organisations Subject: Systemic Barriers to the Effective Enforcement of EU Consumer Rights in Ireland for Mortgage Holders Facing Home Repossession Dear Sir/Madam, This Open Letter is
Read moreWe are seeing consistent patterns across cases and courtrooms. This update covers the main situations currently arising: We are assisting six consumers prepare Judicial Review applications against the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) for breaches of timelines recommended under the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Directive 2013/11/EU. Another client has his application hearing for a
Read moreDear Subscribers, May has again highlighted the growing inconsistency across the Irish legal and regulatory system when ordinary consumers attempt to assert their European consumer protection rights. While some judges and legal professionals clearly understand the importance of the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) rulings on Unfair Terms in mortgage contracts, others continue to ignore
Read moreProtect Your Home. Protect Your Future. Protect Your Peace of Mind. Facing the loss of your home to a Vulture Fund? Whether you’ve received court papers, are already in the process, or a Possession Order has been granted — this could be the most important page you read this year. We also assist homeowners who
Read moreIf your mortgage is now owned or serviced by a vulture fund, there is a strong likelihood that the variable or standard variable interest rate being applied to your loan may not meet the required standards of transparency under European consumer law. In simple terms:You must be able to understand how your interest rate is
Read moreGiven the number of our clients in the legal process, we wanted to send you a simple but important message. Be brave. What is happening to thousands of Irish mortgage holders is not a personal failure. It is the result of a system that has become heavily weighted against ordinary consumers. Many of you took
Read moreMany borrowers believe that once they signed a mortgage contract, the court’s only job is to enforce it. That is how contract law traditionally operates. EU Consumer Law is fundamentally different. Under the EU Unfair Terms Directive (93/13/EEC), the court is not simply asked to enforce a contract. It must first consider whether standard terms
Read moreThe Irish residential mortgage market changed significantly after the financial crisis. Banks such as AIB, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, KBC, ACC, Bank of Scotland (Ireland), Start Mortgages and others sold large portfolios of mortgages to investment funds. Those investment funds typically appointed specialist credit servicing firms to administer the loans. The companies below generally
Read moreIreland is facing a quiet but insidious financial scandal: the calculated exploitation of the legal system by Vulture Funds and their legal representatives, aimed not at repossessing homes but at maximising cash extraction from distressed consumers. These funds—global private equity firms—have acquired over 118,000 distressed Irish mortgages, originally held by regulated banks. Now managed by profit-driven servicing
Read moreLeinster House Dublin D02 XR20 Email: financecommittee@oireachtas.ie Re: Investment Funds in the Irish Property Market Dear Chairman, Thank you for the opportunity to present to the Committee on the above matter. This paper draws on my experience of over 20 years in investment and retail banking and 3 years with Kennedy Wilson. Since 2015, I
Read moreMis-selling of mortgages in Ireland before 2009 is an issue that affects thousands of homeowners. Whether you were sold an interest-only mortgage, a mortgage that extended past your retirement age, a debt consolidation mortgage, or one based on self-certified income, you may have been misled. If so, you could be entitled to compensation. What is
Read moreBefore you read my article below, I want to explain why I am suddenly talking about car manufacturers, mechanics and faulty vehicles. Sometimes the easiest way to understand what is happening in the mortgage world is to step outside the legal language and imagine the exact same situation happening with a product everyone understands –
Read moreIn the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Ireland saw a wave of debt servicing companies buy up distressed mortgage portfolios at rock-bottom prices. What looked like a lifeline for banks turned out to be a nightmare for homeowners. These companies are now responsible for a significant share of Irish home mortgages, and, according to
Read moreYou Still Have Time to Act If you have received a Civil Bill for Possession, you are now in a legal process that can feel overwhelming. Most people in your position are thinking: “Is this the beginning of the end?” It is not. But one thing is critical: Do Not Wait. Take Action Now. What Most
Read moreWhat Your Affidavit Means – and What the Court Must Explain to You Many people attending the Circuit Court in mortgage or repossession cases do so without a solicitor. This can be intimidating and confusing, especially when legal language is used. This guide explains, in plain English: If you leave court feeling unsure, that is not your
Read moreWritten by Dr. Michael Huertas Client Alert | Banking Union QuickTake On 24 June 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) published its judgment in Case C-351/23 (GR Real) (the Judgment). The case arose from a Slovak context, where consumers lost their family home through an extrajudicial auction based on a mortgage contract, despite
Read moreIf you were mis-sold a mortgage in Ireland before 2009, you’re not alone. Thousands of Irish residents are trapped in unaffordable mortgages, many of which were sold under misleading terms. The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) offers a pathway for making mortgage mis-selling claims. But even if the Ombudsman rejects your case, all is not lost.
Read moreI wanted to share an update on how our clients are getting on in Court. We have added a new page to our website about attending Court without a solicitor and your rights as a lay litigant: https://misselling.ie/going-to-court-without-a-solicitor/. We have now received a substantial body of feedback from clients about their recent court experiences. On
Read moreDear member, this note is to explain what your Consumer Rights are as a European Citizen with respect to mortgages issued in Ireland prior to 2009. So if you are facing Court action, legal threats or had a Possession Order granted on your family home and you have been accepted as eligible by us for
Read moreYou’ve been wronged. That’s the basic issue with your mortgage; it was unsuitable for your family. The bank ignored the rules and you were always going to default on your payments at some stage in the future. Now the bankers want their money back and they have chosen to threaten or take you through the
Read moreIrish Government • Office of the Taoiseach • Minister for Justice • Minister for Finance • Office of the Attorney General Irish State Institutions • Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman • Central Bank of Ireland • Courts Service of Ireland • Legal Aid Board Oireachtas • Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance • Joint Oireachtas Committee
Read moreYou Could Be Owed Thousands — and It Costs Nothing to Find Out** Across Ireland, thousands of homeowners have had their mortgages sold to so-called “vulture funds.” What many don’t realise is this:the interest rates now being charged often bear no resemblance to normal market rates. We Are Seeing Rates of Up to 9% Through
Read moreIf you were mis-sold a mortgage in Ireland before 2009, you’re not alone. Thousands of Irish residents are trapped in unaffordable mortgages, many of which were sold under misleading terms. The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) offers a pathway for making mortgage mis-selling claims. But even if the Ombudsman rejects your case, all is not lost.
Read moreIn the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Ireland saw a wave of debt servicing companies buy up distressed mortgage portfolios at rock-bottom prices. What looked like a lifeline for banks turned out to be a nightmare for homeowners. These companies are now responsible for a significant share of Irish home mortgages, and, according to
Read moreMis-selling of mortgages in Ireland before 2009 is an issue that affects thousands of homeowners. Whether you were sold an interest-only mortgage, a mortgage that extended past your retirement age, a debt consolidation mortgage, or one based on self-certified income, you may have been misled. If so, you could be entitled to compensation. What is
Read more