1. We at Bank of Ireland are fully committed to working with customers who are in, or are facing, financial difficulties with their mortgage repayments in order that a mutually acceptable arrangement can be agreed if appropriate. We will actively encourage contact with such customers through web sites, media and printed material.
2. We have specially-trained personnel in our offices and branches, including specialised telephone contact points, to deal with customers facing or in financial difficulties.
3. This Standard Financial Statement (SFS) is designed to assist you in setting out your current financial circumstances.
4. We consider that the completion of the SFS is a serious undertaking and we will work with you to ensure that the information is accurate, enabling us to work with you to determine the most appropriate and viable option in each particular customer case.
5. The easiest way to see where you stand financially is to gather all the relevant information and documents so that you can write down all the money you have coming in and going out each month and complete this SFS. (If your income is weekly, multiply it by 52 and divide the result by 12 to get your monthly income.)
6. In the SFS you will have to provide information on your current income, expenses and other amounts you owe and any assets you own. It is important that you include all of your basic living expenses. You are also encouraged to ensure that you are maximising your income, including what social welfare entitlements you may be eligible for such as Mortgage Interest Supplement (see
www.keepingyourhome.ie).
7. It is important to fill out the SFS fully and accurately and to provide any relevant
documentation that we may need to assess your situation; we will only seek information that is relevant to this assessment.
8. Your completed SFS and other factors relating to your case will be assessed by our Arrears Support Unit which will decide whether or not an alternative repayment arrangement is necessary and, if so, what type(s) of alternative repayment arrangement(s) appropriate to your circumstances can be made available.
9. If an alternative repayment arrangement is not offered to you, we will give you a reason for that decision in writing. You will have the right to appeal that decision to Bank of Ireland; you may appeal to us initially in writing and subsequently to the Financial Services Ombudsman.
10. If you require further information, you can avail of support material available through a number of sources including our website
www.bankofireland.com and
www.keepingyourhome.ie. You can also seek independent advice from MABS (
www.mabs.ie) or an appropriate alternative. If you give us your written consent we will liaise with a third party, nominated by you, to act on your behalf.
