Limerick court told former partner was making off with mortgage money

A YOUNG mother was on the brink of losing her home this week after she found that her estranged partner had been making off with the cash she gave him to pay their mortgage.

The story unfolded at a repossessions hearing of Limerick Circuit Court when the woman said the first she knew of any issue with her repayments was when she received a hand delivered letter from County Registrar Pat Wallace last Thursday.

The letter outlined that the home where she lives with her daughter and granddaughter was to be repossessed by the bank due to non payment of the mortgage for more than five years.

Counsel for Stepstone Mortgages said the mortgage account was €37,000 in arrears with a total debt of €128,000. The last monthly payment of €518 was made in September 2011 but there was no response to letters or phonecalls made.

The woman borrowed €90,000 from Stepstone Morgages and, because they didn’t operate a retail bank, repayments were made by borrowers to other banks who would facilitate a lodgement box service.

Visibly distressed, the woman stood up when her case was called and addressed Mr Wallace.

“I had an issue in 2010 when my daughter was pregnant and I got sick and I missed a payment, but I was back on track again.

“Every month, I gave the cash to my partner in the payment envelope which I thought he was lodging into the Ulster Bank. Clearly, he wasn’t and I never saw any of the letters they are on about. He kept them too.”

When counsel for Stepstone said it was “somewhat extraordinary and proposterous to suggest that her estranged partner was making off with the money”, she said she  would swear on a court document outlining what happened.

“i was working and I didn’t get to do the banking or get in to town so I trusted him to do it,” she said.

When counsel for Stepstone said she should have brought this to the attention of the Gardaí, Mr Wallace said any criminal complaints were not for this court and he urged the young mother to seek legal advice.

“I was going to grant the repossession order today as it seemed that you were not engaging with the bank, but there seems to be a very different story here,” Mr Wallace said.

“I can pay my mortgage. I want to keep my house. I thought it was being paid,” she replied.

Adjourning the case to next May, Mr Wallace said he wanted to see “bona fide proof of that over the next four months.”