This article is from page 5 of the 2014-07-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
EIGHT orders for repossession of properties in Clare were ordered at a sitting of the County Registrar’s court last week.
A total of 98 cases were before the court on Friday. Some of the applications were made by financial institutions seeking possession of properties from owners who have failed to make re-payments.
Cases that were before the court for the first time were adjourned in line with the practice direction.
In one case, county registrar Pat Wallace made an order for possession of one home on which he said “a ginormous amount of money” was owed.
The man had an overall debt to Ulster Bank € 668,000. The court heard that in 2005 the man secured a mortgage of € 552,000 from First Active.
Solicitor for the bank said the man agreed to a 30-year mortgage but fell into arrears in 2008. Ulster Bank subsequently took over the business of First Active. He last made a pay- ment to the bank in 2010.
Ulster Bank sought possession of the property.
The man, who was in court, had previously left Ireland to get work. He had worked in the construction sector.
He urged the registrar to adjourn the application. He said he was going to hire a solicitor to represent him in the case.
“My business got closed here. I had to go out foreign to work,” he said.
Mr Wallace put it to the man that he owed a “ginormous amount of money”. He said this was the second set of proceedings brought by a financial institution against him.
The court heard the man’s partner and a child are living in the property.
The county registrar granted the bank’s application for possession but put a stay of three months on the order.
He also ordered the debtor to pay costs of € 2,000. Outside Ennis Courthouse afterwards, the man said he intends to appeal the decision. He said he is still looking for work abroad.