A Dublin woman was unaware she was being sued for a €1.2 million mortgage debt, including €357,000 repayment arrears, until the matter was reported in the newspapers, a judge has been told. Evelyn Shanahan’s barrister told Judge Jacqueline Linnane in Dublin Circuit Civil Court that while possession proceedings had been served on her two years ago, she thought her husband, Niall Shanahan, had been dealing with the matter.
Judge Linnane said the court had been told it appeared there was an estrangement between the two defendants and Mr Shanahan was somewhere in the UK. She said the couple, both of whom were responsible for the debt, had been served with the civil bill seeking possession of the family home, Woodley, Fosters Avenue, Mount Merrion, Dublin. Neither defendant had ever attended court.
Counsel for Ms Shanahan said she had not known that she faced a court judgment against her before she saw it in the newspapers. She had recently returned to the workforce and sought an adjournment until January to see if some sort of arrangement could be reached between herself and Mr Shanahan that might meet the situation.
Dylan West, for Ulster Bank Ireland Limited, said the bank had entered a motion for November 24th when it would apply to amend its name, in accordance with the Companies Act, to Ulster Bank Ireland DAC (Designated Activities Company).
Judge Linnane said the €357,000 arrears was among the highest to come before the court, which had been told earlier the total debt stood at €1.2 million without a penny having been paid off the mortgage for the past two years. Having been told there was no question of the arrears being paid off before January, Judge Linnane said she would adjourn the proceedings until November 24th.
In the meantime, the two defendants could put their written proposals before the bank. “We will see then what level of co-operation has been reached,” she added.