The Central Bank has been called to take a more "proactive role" in the tracker mortgage scandal after it was revealed that only 40 of the 3,500 affected Ulster Bank customers have had the money they were overcharged returned to them.

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Finance, Michael McGrath TD was speaking following a meeting of the Oireachtas Finance Committee where it was confirmed by Ulster Bank executives present that the number of bank customers affected by the tracker scandal has increased from 2,000 to 3,500.

He said: "While Ulster Bank has put affected existing customers back on the correct rate, it is simply not good enough that two-years after the Central Bank launched the Tracker mortgage probe, only 40 of the bank's 3,500 affected customers have been repaid the money they were overcharged.

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"It was confirmed that in some cases customers are owed over €100,000.

"The bank also confirmed that some 1,000 of the 3,500 customers identified no longer have their mortgage with the bank as the mortgage has either been fully repaid or the customer switched to another bank.

"These customers have not been put on the correct rate as they are no longer with the bank. However, the bank has confirmed that the differential between the interest rate the customers are paying with another bank now and the tracker rate they should be on with Ulster Bank will be repaid to them.

"The Central Bank also needs to answer the simple question; how is it that all the main banks made the same mistake and overcharged thousands of mortgage customers by wrongly denying them their contractual rights?"

(CD/LM)