Business Story Of The Year

IN MAY this year, Catherine exposed the depths of the tracker mortgage scandal, revealing how unscrupulous banks were paying people compensation as a way of saving money, instead of putting them back on their original deals.

For the first time, people revealed the distress the overcharging by the banks had caused them — John Nangle revealed he had been overcharged for seven years while Helen Grogan struggled to make ends meet.

And it was Niamh Byrne’s courageous legal battle against the banks that exposed the dismissive attitude the lenders had towards the people whose lives had been turned upside down. These people came from all walks of life — teachers, solicitors, and even members of staff working in some of the banks themselves.

Many were suffering from stress, some had lost their homes, others were just angry at being cheated by the systems they were supposed to believe in. And like Niamh, many had been fobbed off with unrealistic and unacceptable compensation payments that they felt pressured into accepting.

As a result of Catherine’s dedicated battle for those who, up until then, had no voice, some of the banks have since apologised. But the campaign to get proper justice for the homeowners continues and Catherine — and the Irish Daily Mail — will continue to fight on their behalf, as you can see on page 10 of today’s issue.