A couple with a special needs child residing in Ferrybank are in danger of losing their home, after falling into arrears with their mortgage repayments.
The mother of the child made a heartfelt plea to High Court Judge Brian McGovern on Monday to give her family more time to come up with the money owed to Stepstone Mortgage Funding. Fighting back her tears, the woman told the court that the family had invested €100,000 into the property, having moved from a rural area to Ferrybank to cater for the special needs of their child.
However they had run into financial difficulty in August 2008 and fallen into arrears on their €1,900 per month mortgage repayments. The balance due on the loan secured on their home was €308,559.
The mother said she had written to the mortgage company last July in a bid to reach a deal on the repayments but had received no reply. The home had been vacant since November last year after the family made efforts to meet payments by renting it for nearly €1,000 a month. However the woman told the court that this had been declined by Stepstone Mortgage Funding.
Judge McGovern ordered the company to clarify if it had responded to the letter and gave the family a number of months to meet arrears. The case was adjourned.
A total of 78 cases for repossessions were listed for hearing at the High Court this week, the largest number so far this year. However, that figure is expected to soar even further when the courts return in the autumn. While a 12-month moratorium against pursuing mortgage arrears has been in place at both Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks since February, a six-month stay on all other lenders is set to run out in the coming weeks while the courts are on holidays.
