Don’t look for us, we’ll f ind you...
IF you are looking for a loan from a licensed moneylender it could be harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Ireland’s credit barons may be willing to give you a loan but you could find your wallet still empty as many are difficult to track down.
Headquarters of some moneylenders licensed by the Central Bank of Ireland are found in the most unlikely places – such as tattoo shops, massage parlours and even a fortune-teller’s unit.
Hard-pressed families seeking to top up their bank balance for Christmas may have a hard road ahead as they try to get their hands on these legitimate lenders, many of whom are elusive – with no one at the premises that are listed as their business addresses.
Moneylender Eamon O’Neill’s business is l i sted as being located on Dame Street in Dublin but he was nowhere to be found. The doorway of the address has signs for a tattoo company, a massage business and a firm that cashes cheques but there was no sign that Mr O’Neill was based in the building. The Irish Daily Mail spoke to a businessman who works in the building. He said Mr O’Neill was based there but also had other premises which the man was unwilling to disclose.
The businessman said he knew Mr O’Neill and our queries should be put in a letter and sent to the address on Dame Street and he would ensure he got it. However, when the Irish Daily Mail delivered it, there was no letterbox for Mr O’Neill at the premises.
Meanwhile, Stock Investments – another money-lending firm in Walkinstown, Dublin – has an office in the same building as a fortune-teller.
When the Mail called to the office of moneylenders Kathleen and Stephen Cahill we were told the office was in one room of the building.
After knocking on the door, it emerged that it was unlocked as it swung open but there was no one there and one woman who works in the fortune-teller’s unit said that the Cahills are rarely in the office.
It was just as hard to track down moneylenders Belaga on Lower Baggot Street, Dublin.
THERE was no buzzer for the company and no sign for it on the premises. What’s more, employees of other companies in the building did not know the firm.
However, one of the directors of Belaga, David Keogh, confirmed his moneylending business was based in the building.
Calling to Crofton Road in Dún Laoghaire – the address listed for Southside Finance Ltd – there was yet again no sign of company activity. A woman working in the building in another business said it was not based in the premises.
Of the f i ve moneylenders licensed by the Central Bank that the Mail called to, there was only one company – Jordan Estates in Drogheda, Co. Louth – that we found easily and got to speak to one of its directors, Kevin Carey. The exhausting hunt to actually find a licensed moneylender leaves us wondering how people wanting a loan actually manage to get one.