Banking

Buying time: is now the right moment to loosen mortgage lending rules?

The governor of the Central Bank says now is the right time to loosen the restrictions, but some question the wisdom of his decision

Gabriel Makhlouf, governor of the Central Bank: ‘The resilience of borrowers generally has improved since 2015.’ Picture: Bloomberg

On Tuesday afternoon rumours began to circulate that the Central Bank of Ireland was set to announce changes that would loosen mortgage lending rules first introduced in 2015.

When those changes were confirmed the following morning, the share prices in two of Ireland’s biggest housebuilders rose in response.

Shares at Glenveagh rose by 3.23 per cent, while Cairn Homes ended the day 1.85 per cent ahead after Gabriel Makhlouf, the governor of the Central Bank, ...