The Irish Banking Federation provides a guide to dormant accounts on this website (A Guide to Dormant Accounts). You can get dormant account application forms from banks and building societies or from An Post. Please ensure that you send the completed application form to the institution that you believe has the dormant account, not the Irish Banking Federation. You can find contact details for member organisations here.

The National Consumer Agency provides guidance and advice about how to open a bank account and the types of accounts and services on offer at its website (www.nca.ie/your-money).

The Irish Banking Federation has no role in setting bank holidays. The Irish Payment Services Organisation publishes a list of bank holidays on its website (www.ipso.ie). 

There are nine public holidays, as prescribed by the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997. The Government’s consumer information portal Citizens Information provides details of public holidays and holiday entitlement.

Many organisations, including banks, may, at their own discretion, also close on other days.

Information on the sort codes of bank branches in Ireland is available through the Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO). Please visit their website here for more details.

In the unlikely event of a bank/building society failure, depositors receive compensation through the deposit protection scheme operated by the Central Bank & Financial Services Authority of Ireland (CBFSAI). The scheme covers current accounts, demand deposit accounts and term deposit accounts in banks, building societies and other deposit-taking institutions authorised by the CBFSAI but not the credit unions. The maximum compensation available through the scheme is €100,000 for each bank, building society or credit union regulated by the Financial Regulator. For more details on the Deposit Protection scheme and how to claim, please visit the National Consumer Agency’s website (www.nca.ie/your-money).

The Central Bank introduced its Code of Conduct on the Switching of Current Accounts with Credit Institutions in October 2010.  This Code built on the voluntary IBF Personal Account Switching Code and IBF Business Account Switching Code.

For more information on switching accounts, please visit the National Consumer Agency website here.

Under the Central Bank's Code of Conduct on the Switching of Current Accounts with Credit Institutions consumers have the option of closing their existing current account or keeping it open after they switch.  For more information on switching accounts, please visit the National Consumer Agency website here.

If you want to switch your account from one branch to another but you want to stay you’re your current financial institution, you should contact your financial institution directly.

The Government imposes stamp duties on bank cards, cheques and other financial instruments.

The stamp duty on payment cards depends on the type of card: €2.50 per ATM or cash card per card per year; €2.50 per Laser or debit card; €30 per credit card account; and €30 per charge card, although individuals are only charged for the first or principal card, while companies are charged for each card on the account.

The stamp duty is €5 per card for a combined ATM/debit card if the card is used as both an ATM and debit card during the year. It’s worth remembering that even if you only use your ATM card at the bank branch counter, you will be liable for stamp duty.

The stamp duties on ATM and debit cards are usually charged to the account on 31 December of each year, while stamp duties on credit and charge cards are collected in April of each year.

You can avoid paying the full stamp duties on both your old and new accounts when switching if the old account is closed. Please visit the Revenue Commissioners website for details.

The stamp duty on cheques is €0.50 per cheque or €12.50 per book of 25 cheques. This stamp duty is charged at the time the chequebook is issued. If you close you plan to close your account, you should return your unused cheques to receive a refund on stamp duty.

A range of financial institutions, including banks/building societies, offer loans for a variety of purposes. The National Consumer Agency’s website here provides advice on deciding on what type of credit suits your needs best and how you should choose your loan.

The National Consumer Agency provides information and advice on how to apply for mortgages through its website here.

The National Consumer Agency provides information and advice on what to do if you are refused a loan through its website (www.nca.ie/your-money).

When deciding on a loan application, lenders will take into account the customer’s loan repayment history, as recorded by credit institutions individually or centrally by a credit reference agency to which both institutions and customers refer.

Most lenders in Ireland send information about borrowers and their repayments to the Irish Credit Bureau (ICB), a credit reference agency owned and financed by its members, which are mainly financial institutions. This information is held in a credit report on each borrower.

Most lenders in Ireland send information about borrowers and their repayments to the Irish Credit Bureau (ICB), a credit reference agency owned and financed by its members, which are mainly financial institutions. This information is held in a credit report on each borrower. You can check your credit history for a small fee by applying to the Irish Credit Bureau.

The key in dealing with a debt problem is to confront the issue; don’t ignore it, it will not go away.

Banks and other credit institutions are always willing to offer guidance and assistance to customers who have difficulties in coping with credit repayments, especially if they are approached as soon as a problem arises. The National Consumer Agency provides advice on dealing with debt problems on its website (www.nca.ie/your-money).

Lenders will usually work with their customers to explore options to address the problem. These options could include rescheduling the debt by lowering repayments by repaying the loan over a longer period of time or deferring repayments, or consolidating various debts into one more manageable, and perhaps cheaper, loan.  You'jll find more infomration on this site on managing your mortgage repayments and other debt management issues.

If you need advice or assistance in managing your debts, you can contact an independent third party, such as a Money Adviser attached to the nearest Money Advice & Budgeting Service (MABS) centre. MABS, which is funded by the Department of Social and Family Affairs, provides assistance on a free and confidential basis. You can find your local MABS centre through the MABS website.

The Central Bank of Ireland’s statutory Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears came into effect on 27 February 2009.  This Code builds on IBF's voluntary Code of Practice but it applies to all mortgage lenders, whether or not they are credit institutions, providing mortgage borrowers with added reassurance.  You can access the amended Code here (link to the Central Bank website)   In addition, the bank-customer relationship is governed by the provisions of the statutory Consumer Protection Code (link to the Central Bank website) .

It is wise to take precautions when dealing with your money and to be aware of and alert to possible frauds or scams. The National Consumer Agency provides information and advice on how to protect yourself against fraud on its website (It's your money).

Be Aware, Beat Fraud is a guide to fraud prevention for consumers.  It was developed jointly by IBF, IPSO, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and An Garda Síochána.  It is available on in bank branches and post offices as well as Garda/police stations.  Click here for more details.

You can also find advice on preventing card fraud on the Irish Payments Services Organisation’s SafeCard website.

For information on how you can protect yourself from fraud online, visit the website for makeITsecure, a public-private partnership aimed at raising awareness of IT security amongst Irish internet users that is spearheaded by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the Republic and the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland. The Irish Banking Federation is a key partner in the campaign.

For information on how you can protect yourself from identity theft, visit the website for makeITsecure, a public-private partnership aimed at raising awareness of IT security amongst Irish internet users that is spearheaded by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the Republic and the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland. The Irish Banking Federation is a key partner in the campaign.

It pays to shop around for the products that suits you best and for the best value. This is true for all products and services and banking is no different. You can compare the cost of bank products and services by visiting the websites of IBF members (you can find links to member websites here) or by using the cost comparisons on the National Consumer Agency’s website here.

Retail banks and building societies serve Irish personal and business customers. They provide a range of savings and investment products and enable customers to plan for a secure financial future. They make available financial resources for Irish consumers to make homes for themselves and their families and to fund their lifestyle choices. They also supply funding for businesses, small and large, to set up and grow, providing jobs and opportunities across the economy. Mortgage lending institutions provide housing finance, enabling thousands of people each year to buy their homes.

Wholesale banks and operations provide corporate, investment, treasury, capital markets and international financial services. These services include activities such as international lending, asset management, short-term and long-term capital raising, specialist derivatives, specialist debt, treasury operations, securitisation and custodian/trustee and administration services for mutual funds.

Corporate banking is a fully integrated service intended to meet the needs of large business customers – both domestic and international.

Investment banking services include asset management, corporate finance, international trade finance, stockbroking, custodial and funds administration.

Treasury and international banking relates to the management of market exposure, trading in foreign exchange and interest rate products, including swaps.

The Irish Banking Federation collects and collates data from its members to compile an overview of the industry. Most of this data is published in the Publications section of the website. IBF does not publish market share or other data relating to individual members.

IBF does not publish market share or other data relating to individual members.