Students starting college in the next few weeks are discovering the days of freebies from the banks seem to be over. In the mid-noughties, the banks were tossing €50 of phone credit and free flights to London at students. AIB's 'Ching Ching' student loan ads almost encouraged loan document falsification and were a symbol of the ready access to credit that the banks were giving. New students, though, will have to dampen expectations. Last week, one was offered a Rice Krispie square for her future custom. Snap, crackle and the banking sector's gone pop.

Nama cuts back on paperwork

On a larger scale, Nama has whittled down the level of detail and documentation it was seeking from the banks about their property loans, a move that should see the process of transferring the loans from the banks completed by year end. Anglo chief Mike Aynsley (pictured) said last week that as far as he knew all of the banks involved in the process "had pushed back fairly heavily" on the sheet, which apparently had included about 350 data fields. That has now been reduced dramatically.

NIB should practise its advice

This week, National Irish Bank will release details of how households can save up to €680 a year by switching to electronic payment systems. The bank telling people how to save money is somewhat ironic given one customer recently filled out a form there to transfer money from his account to another account but the paperwork "went missing" and he was charged by his other bank for breaching his overdraft facility. The bank's chief economist will say that use of cash and cheques here is higher than elsewhere in Europe and outline how payment reform can be achieved. One trusts the bank will take its own advice.

Council seeks property chief

The country's land is facing largescale nationalisation via Nama – aside from the cost it's not a bad idea if it results in proper planning rules being introduced and followed – but Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council is now seeking a chief executive officer for its property division, which is being incorporated as a separate company. DLR Properties has been set up to manage and develop the "significant commercial property assets recently acquired in Cherrywood" in south Dublin after a €60m deal was reached with former joint-venture partner Liam Carroll. A public job in the current climate? I imagine headhunters Merc will be inundated with CVs, probably from many of those who haven't been hired by the (very) well paying Nama.