Irish mortgage arrears fall but pace of decline moderates

DUBLIN, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The number of Irish homeowners in arrears for more than 90 days fell to 7.1 percent in the second quarter from 7.2 percent three months earlier, data showed on Tuesday, as the pace of the decline continued to moderate.

With (Other OTC: WWTH - news) regulators putting pressure on banks to tackle their most intractable non-performing loans, the Central Bank said all categories fell quarter-on-quarter including a 2.4 percent decline in those more than two years behind in payments.

The number of accounts in arrears over 720 days declined to just over 32,000 at the end of June, still representing more than half of homeowners who have missed three or more payments but down from a peak of 38,000 two years ago.

The proportion of residential investment property loans in arrears over 90 days also fell slightly to 15.5 percent. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; editing by John Stonestreet)