Welfare mum in fight to keep her €700,000 house

Ray Managh and Saurya Cherfi

APPEAL: Mary White has paid nothing on the property since 2010

A mother of four on social welfare is asking the High Court to halt an order for possession of her €700,000 family home by a bank.

Judge Jacqueline Linnane in the Circuit Civil Court yesterday told counsel for Mary White that she had no jurisdiction to extend a stay that runs up to February 28 as Ms White had already lodged an appeal to the higher court.

REPAYMENTS

The judge said the order made last August in the Circuit Civil Court had granted Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank possession of the three-storey property in Dublin 6, with a stay for six months.

The court heard earlier that Ms White, who is unemployed, had not made any repayments since 2010 on three loans totalling €469,000 that were taken out 10 years ago, and that she now owed more than €210,000 in arrears.

Barrister Anne Lawlor, for the bank, had previously told the court that the outstanding balance was €569,960 and rising because of interest charges.

In October 2009 the bank had demanded repayment of all sums with interest. It had held back proceedings in 2011 when Ms White had put the property up for sale.

Ms White had refused an offer of €600,000 as she had said it was not enough to pay off the mortgages and meet a judgment against the property by Sandford Park School, Ranelagh, and a High Court judgment against it by Paul Healy.

The court had heard the bank sought to repossess and sell the house where Ms White's four children, two of whom were dependent, lived with her.

Judge Linnane, in dismissing Ms White's application, said the Circuit Court had no jurisdiction to make any order regarding extension of the stay or the legal costs for the application.

hnews@herald.ie