Bank of Ireland residential property repossessions in the UK doubled last year while Irish customers remained relatively unscathed.

According to its preliminary statement for the year ending March 2009, the bank repossessed residential properties worth a total of €73m in the UK in the preceding 12 months compared with €34m in 2007. With the average price of a home in the UK estimated at £163,605 (€185,685) in December 2008, Bank of Ireland could potentially have repossessed 393 homes over the period. By contrast, the bank repossessed just €1m worth of residential property in Ireland in the same year.