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Europe > Ireland

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 10 items for :

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Cover IMF Working Papers
The Right Tool for the Job? Mortgage Distress and Personal Insolvency during the European Debt Crisis
Mr. Wolfgang Bergthaler
,
Jose M Garrido
, and
Anjum Rosha
The European debt crisis in the early to mid 2010s brought to the fore the issue of household debt distress: in the countries affected, widespread over-indebdtedness resulted in serious financial and social challenges. The crisis was primarily a mortgage debt crisis, but in several cases, the legal response was based on the introduction of personal insolvency procedures. This paper examines the challenges in designing and implementing legal reforms in this area to promote a better understanding of the main considerations in resolving personal insolvency and distressed mortgage debt in the context of crises. Lessons from the European crisis may prove valuable when dealing with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine on household debt distress.
Keywords:
consumer insolvency; household debt; mortgage debt; consumer debt; household debt distress; mortgage debt crisis; B. mortgage debt distress; mortgage distress; Solvency; Mortgages; Corporate insolvency; Debt sustainability; Debt settlement; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Ireland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Insolvency and Creditor Rights
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This note analyzes select aspects of the system for insolvency and creditors’ rights in the context of an overall assessment of the Irish financial sector. It focuses on two areas: (1) the use and effectiveness of the corporate restructuring regime and (2) the resolution of mortgage related nonperforming loan NPLs. Ireland’s corporate insolvency regime is largely in line with international best practice, although the regime is little used, and a review is in order. The issue of long-term mortgage arrears is complex and will require further development of an overall strategy, with multiple government bodies playing a role. While mortgage arrears are largely a legacy issue from the 2008 crisis, the failure to fully resolve these arrears has the potential to undermine credit growth and affordability, given the impact on credit risk of higher uncertainty of realizing collateral. The Government should adopt a coordinated, multi-agency strategy for resolving mortgage arrears, informed by the granular data available on the financial situation and debt servicing capacity of borrowers. Published guidance on expected solutions based on financial indicators, and broader social support would be critical to this approach and possible strategy.
Keywords:
PDH mortgage account; mortgage ARREARS resolution process; mortgage lending; period accounts; companies registration office; Solvency; Mortgages; Corporate insolvency; Arrears; Data collection; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Corporate Sector Vulnerabilities in Ireland
Nir Klein
The paper uses both macro- and micro-level data to assess how has the financial health of the Irish non-financial corporate (NFC) sector changed in the post financial crisis period. The analysis suggests that vulnerabilities have generally declined in recent years, but the NFC sector and especially smaller domestic firms remain vulnerable. A sensitivity analysis indicates that a non-extreme shock, which comprises a decline in profitability and an increase in interest rates, is likely to push many firms into a vulnerable state and that the share of firms with interest cover ratio of lower than one would triple to nearly fifty percent, largely reflecting the deterioration in the financial health of small firms. In such a scenario, the share of risky debt would increase to the level observed during the financial crisis, resulting in a significant increase in new corporate defaults.
Keywords:
WP; firm; interest rate; Corporate sector; financial crisis; leverage; interest rate shock; profit shock; firm size; current ratio; interest expense; firms' interest cover ratio; medium-sized firm; Foreign corporations; Loans; Bank credit; Europe; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Ireland: Financial Sector Assessment Program: Technical Note-Nonbank Sector Stability Analyses
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This Technical Note discusses the findings and recommendations made in the Financial Sector Assessment Program for Ireland in the areas of nonbank sector stability. Both nonparametric and parametric methods suggest that the residential real estate market in Ireland is close to or moderately below its equilibrium level. Two standard metrics of price-to-income and price-to-rent ratios show that following a protracted period of overvaluation prior to the crisis and a correction afterward, the market has been close to its equilibrium level in recent quarters. Households have deleveraged, but are still highly indebted. The stability analysis results also suggest that vulnerabilities among nonfinancial firms have moderated in recent years.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; interest rate; banking sector; sensitivity analysis; investment funds; negative equity; interest rate shock; long-term debt; household financial assets; primary sector; CRE price; current ratio; Loans; Mortgages; Housing prices; Stocks; Corporate sector; Global; Europe; Markov regime; balance sheet composition of financial assets; Household indebtedness; loss forecasting; liabilities of household; real estate investment trust; evaluation of REE price; Tier 1
Cover The Mechanics of a Strong Euro Area
The Mechanics of a Strong Euro Area
IMF Policy Analysis
Ms. Petya Koeva Brooks
and
Mahmood Pradhan

Abstract

Among member states, many structural weaknesses were exposed when economic performance declined significantly and financial markets became more discerning. This book focuses on the analytical underpinnings of real-time policy advice given to euro area policymakers during four cycles of the IMF’s annual Article IV consultations (2012–15) with euro area authorities.

Keywords:
BOOK; European Central Bank; bank; euro; euro area; area country; household debt; Euro area; securities lending; youth unemployment; Bank resolution framework; Small and medium enterprises; Fiscal stance; Securities; Securitization; Europe; Global; Western Europe; SME securitization; securitization market; IMF staff calculation; investment dynamics; Fiscal union
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Euro Area Policies: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper assesses the youth unemployment problem in advanced European economies, especially the euro area. Youth unemployment rates increased sharply in the euro area after the crisis. Much of these increases can be explained by output dynamics and the greater sensitivity of youth unemployment to economic activity compared with adult unemployment. Labor market institutions also play an important role, especially the tax wedge, minimum wages, and spending on active labor market policies. The paper highlights that policies to address youth unemployment should be comprehensive and country specific, focusing on reviving growth and implementing structural reforms.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; investment; euro area; youth unemployment; securitization market; investment dynamics; area country; labor market feature; creditor economy; Fiscal stance; Current account; Small and medium enterprises; Securitization; Unemployment; Europe; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Dismal Employment Growth in EU Countries: The Role of Corporate Balance Sheet Repair and Dual Labor Markets
Mr. Bas B. Bakker
and
Mr. Li Zeng
This paper argues that the large differences among EU countries in post-crisis employment performance are to a large extent driven by the need to adjust corporate balance sheets, which had greatly deteriorated during the boom years in some countries but not in others. To close the large gaps between saving and investment, firms reduced investment and cut costs to boost profits. With much of the cost adjustment falling on firms’ wage bills, employment losses were largest in countries under the most intense pressures to improve corporate profitability and with limited wage flexibility due to labor market duality.
Keywords:
WP; profit; profit share; share; labor market; Employment; saving; debt; firms; employment growth; increase variation; labor market duality; share change; Labor markets; Corporate sector; Wages; Baltics; Global; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Complex Ownership Structures and Corporate Valuations
Mr. Luc Laeven
and
Mr. Ross Levine
The bulk of corporate governance theory examines the agency problems that arise from two extreme ownership structures: 100 percent small shareholders or one large, controlling owner combined with small shareholders. In this paper, we question the empirical validity of this dichotomy. In fact, one-third of publicly listed firms in Europe have multiple large owners, and the market value of firms with multiple blockholders differs from firms with a single large owner and from widely-held firms. Moreover, the relationship between corporate valuations and the distribution of cash-flow rights across multiple large owners is consistent with the predictions of recent theoretical models.
Keywords:
WP; cash-flow right; ownership structure; founding firm; cash-flow dispersion; firm c
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Effect of Capital Controlson Foreign Direct Investment Decisions Under Country Risk with Intangible Assets
Miss Kinga Z Elo
This paper examines how capital controls affect FDI decisions and how the impact of these restrictive measures varies with different levels of country risk. We construct a model of firms' FDI decisions, broadly in Dunning's "eclectic theory" framework, using "real options" to emphasize economic uncertainty and country risk. Numerical results of the model take the form of "quality statistics" that uncover the underlying dynamics hidden in the aggregate data that is responsible for the low performance of recent empirical studies. We find that increasing levels of capital controls reduce the life-span of FDI investments at each level of country risk and foreign investors' willingness towards risk sharing increases. We reveal a significant interaction between capital control and country risk, resulting in a nonlinear relationship between these and the volatility and volume statistics. We estimate a standard cross-sectional model that provides strong support for our theoretical findings.
Keywords:
WP; country risk; capital control; Foreign direct investments; capital controls; decisions under uncertainty; FDI flow; fixed cost; FDI project; transaction costs; FDI volatility; decision model; GDP equation; macro FDI datum; FDI investment; country risk parameter; FDI decision; decision problem; Foreign direct investment; Capital flows; Business environment; Foreign corporations; Global
Cover Value Added Tax
Value Added Tax
International Practice and Problems
Mr. Alan A. Tait

Abstract

This book, by Alan A. Tait, is an examination of VAT. It looks at problems and theoretical options and potential impacts, as well as detailing the practical aspects of implementing new tax structures. The author advances arguments for and against alternative policies and illustrates his study with international examples from Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific. He suggests that countries can learn from each other's experiencees with VAT.

Keywords:
BOOK; sc; tax; income tax; rate; tax liability; flat rate; tax authorities; zero rating; tax content; Value-added tax; Income and capital gains taxes; Sales tax; Auditing; Income tax systems; Africa; Europe; Asia and Pacific; Global; Western Hemisphere; EC country; Caribbean; Central America