Irish business debt judgements decline

16th July 2019

The number and total value of judgments registered against businesses in Ireland in the first six months of 2019 were the lowest on record for a first half-year, with 250 judgments registered according to the latest figures released by Registry Trust. The judgements were 10 percent fewer than in the first half of 2018. It continued an eight-year downward trend.

The total value of business judgments dropped by seven percent to €4.9million, compared to Q1 and Q2 2018. However, the average value increased by four percent to €19,484, though the median dropped by three percent to €8,155.

Malcolm Hurlston as Registrar said “At first sight it looks as if businesses did well in the first half of the year, while consumers suffered. A likely reason for consumer judgments to have gone up in number and down in average value is the increasing market presence of debt buyers whose efficiency makes it worthwhile for them to pursue smaller claims. In the longer run this benefits consumers too because the absence of a judgment after debt has been mismanaged would give a misleading impression which could well lead to unaffordable borrowing.”

Q1+Q2 2018 Q1+Q2 2019 Change (compared with Q1+Q2 2018) notes
Judgments against businesses  
volume 278 250

[record low]

-10%
total value

€5.2m

€4.9m

[record low]

-7%
Average* value

€18,741

€19,484

+4%
median

€8,388

€8,155

-3%

* Average value refers to the ‘mean’. The mean average tends to be higher than the median, as it more likely to be distorted by outlying, high value cases.