Ireland may consider range of penalties over mortgage overcharging

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland could increase a government levy on banks, amend its tax law, introduce stricter reporting or take shareholder activist actions if insufficient progress is made on a mortgage overcharging scandal, its finance minister said on Wednesday.

Paschal Donohoe also mandated the country's central bank to prepare a report on current bank culture and behaviour. The Central Bank said it shared the government's view that "significant and deep-rooted cultural issues" still exist in some of the banks.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Susan Fenton)