AIB reported last week that it limits the controversial home loans, which leave the borrower dangerously exposed to any slippage in house prices, to high-flyers with big earnings potential. "We act in a very restrained fashion with 100% mortgages and they only account for about 1% of our mortgage book, " said finance director John O'Donnell. "That's about one-third of the exposure of one of our main competitors.

We're paid a price for this restraint, because our mortgage business is growing by about 3% less than the market as a whole."

AIB chief executive Eugene Sheehy said that nodeposit mortgages were "appropriate on occasions but are not generic, commodity products". He refused to comment on aggressive selling of 100% mortgages by some other lenders, but said Central Bank fears about runaway credit growth were "in many cases reasonable comment".

The Central Bank reported last week that personal debt had soared by 30% in the past year to reach 69,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.

CHANGE MOBILE TARIFF AND SAVE �?�700 A YEAR

MOBILE phone users can save up to 60 a month by switching to the tariff that suits them best, according to a new survey by Consumer Choice, the magazine of the Consumers' Association.

People left behind by the constantly changing pricing plans offered by the mobile networks have the potential to make the biggest savings.

"Operators change their tariffs quite frequently, meaning that many users are on tariffs that may now not suit them because they have not bothered to shop around for some time, " Consumer Choice reported.

"We've found that shopping around can result in considerable savings on your monthly or annual bill.

This is particularly the case if you have owned your phone for more than two years and have never changed your tariff."

For example, somebody still using O2's outdated Select 1 pricing plan could save up to 35 a month by moving to Meteor.

Picking the best network and tariff has become a lot easier since the industry watchdog, ComReg, set up a new website, Callcosts. ie, which identifies the best package for you depending on your usage patterns.

BUY-TO-LET SUMS HARD AS RENTAL YIELDS SLIDE

SOARING property costs have made buy-to-let an increasingly tricky proposition for landlords, with rental yields dropping to an historic low of 3.27% during the three months to the end of June.

Limerick is now the best place for buy-to-let investments with an average yield of over 4%, according to property website, Daft. ie.

Dublin's pricey property . . .

the average asking price being 483,000, or double the price in Ballina, Co Mayo . . . makes the capital a no-go area for landlords seeking a decent return on their investment.

Unlike other recent property surveys, which have indicated no let-up in house price growth, Daft claims there is clear evidence of a slowdown.

"Because our figures are based on advertised asking prices rather than on closing prices, we can see trends as they happen, " said director Eamonn Fallon.

"While there are still areas where price growth is steaming ahead, many parts of country are beginning to see a much more realistic house price growth."

RABODIRECT OFFERS SMALL FRY GOLD OPTION

GOLD is a traditional refuge in troubled times and internet bank RaboDirect is offering investors a cutprice opportunity to get into the precious metal before the end of the month. The bank has dropped entry charges until the end of August for money invested in its Merrill Lynch world gold fund, which has gained 19.5% this year.

Rather than investing in gold directly, the fund buys shares in the big goldmining companies of North America, Australia and South Africa. With a minimum investment of just 100, the fund is pitched at small investors as well as high rollers.

The fund's strong performance has been driven by surging demand for gold, sending prices to a 26-year record high in May.

While prices have softened since, RaboDirect general manager Greg McAweeney predicts that demand will remain buoyant.

"We believe the outlook is positive for gold equities during the remainder of 2006, " he said.