Goldman Sachs, which was hired in 2007 to manage an abortive attempt to sell Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS) before the financial crash, told regulators at the time it had concerns over the availability of information from the lender, an inquiry into INBS heard on Wednesday, the Irish Times reported. INBS picked the Wall Street investment bank in September 2007 to run a long-awaited sale of the building society, including the compilation of detailed financial data for prospective buyers.

Gayle Dunne, wife of bankrupt developer Seán Dunne, is asking the High Court to halt proceedings brought against her here over the transfer of South African properties between the couple, the Irish Times reported. The case relates to Mr Dunne’s 2013 bankruptcy adjudications in both Ireland and the United States, Chris Lehane, the official in charge of Mr Dunne’s Irish bankruptcy, has brought proceedings over the alleged fraudulent transfer of assets in South Africa and Ireland between Mr and Ms Dunne.

Businessman Seán Dunne “misled” his Irish bankruptcy official and was “as obstructive as he could possibly be” in response to questions about dealings with a Dublin 4 property, the High Court has been told. Mark Sanfey SC, for official assignee Chris Lehane, who is administering his bankruptcy here, said Mr Dunne gave certain answers to questions during a June 2016 interview with Mr Lehane which amounted to “clear” non-co-operation, the Irish Times reported.

The wife of former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean Fitzpatrick is claiming some € 40 million investments he had were mostly funded from loan accounts in their joint names before he was declared bankrupt in 2010, the High Court heard. Catriona Fitzpatrick, Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow, says that under family law she has a beneficial interest in these investments regardless of the bankruptcy, the Irish Times reported. The court heard some € 45million was realised from the sale of those assets.

Irish drinks company C&C has bought the wholesale business of Conviviality, after the ailing alcoholic drinks retailer and supplier appointed administrators on Wednesday, the Financial Times reported. Following “advanced discussions” with Conviviality, which owns brands such as Wine Rack and Bargain Booze, C&C said it had agreed to buy Conviviality brands Matthew Clark, Bibendum, Catalyst, Peppermint, Elastic and Walker & Wodehouse for a nominal sum. C&C brands include Magners cider and Tennent’s lager.

The Central Bank has warned of the “increased indebtedness” of consumers who sign PCPs, as well as the banking system’s exposure to the car market with the controversial scheme now the go-to source for finance in the Irish market, the Irish Times reported. PCPs, or personal contract plans, were introduced following the economic crash as sales of new cars fell by 63 per cent in 2009. They address situations whereby consumers do not have enough trade-in value to use their car as a deposit for a new one.

Ryanair has agreed to buy a majority stake in the airline founded by Niki Lauda — two months after the former Formula One champion scuppered an attempt by British Airways’ owner IAG to snap it up, the Financial Times reported. The Irish carrier will acquire 75 per cent of Austria’s LaudaMotion subject to EU competition approval, it said on Tuesday. It will take a 24.9 per cent stake until the all-clear is received. British Airways’ parent, IAG, had originally emerged as the successful bidder for the airline when it was sold under the insolvency of previous owner Air Berlin.

The Revenue Commissioners settled more than 60 cases of tax defaulting totalling more than €10 million during the final quarter of last year, the Irish Times reported. Settlements in 26 of the cases, involving sums of €4,923,453 remains outstanding, at least in part, at year end. The biggest settlement concerned Dunbar IT Consulting, a company in liquidation with an address on Upper Mount St in Dublin 2. The total of €1,042,236 involved €482,285 under various tax headings, plus penalties and interest.

The failure to put some problem loans before a committee set up to deal with the issue was a failing of Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS), its former credit administrator Frank Casey has conceded, the Irish Times reported. Under cross-examination at the Central Bank’s inquiry into the building society’s failure on Friday, however, Mr Casey denied being to blame for the failure to alert the committee to every bad loan on the bank’s books.

Staff levels in Irish Nationwide Building Society’s credit risk function were inadequate, an inquiry into alleged regulatory breaches at the building society before the financial crisis has been told, the Irish Times reported. Giving evidence to the public inquiry on Wednesday was Frank Casey, who joined Irish Nationwide in 2003 from Bank of Ireland. Mr Casey was a commercial lending administrator at the building society, involved in rating and reviewing the credit risk of commercial mortgages.