EBS Building Society has expanded its share of the retail mortgage business

The company's stake has grown by 5% to 18.5%.

It also boosted its slice of the first-time buyer market during the first half of 2009 by 5%.

-- Advertisement --

The figures have been released by the Irish Banking Federation.

EBS said it had seen a surge in mortgage applications in the three months to the end of June.

"We are seeing strong growth in application levels over the course of the first two quarters of this year - application levels in the second quarter of the year are 45% more than in the first quarter," the Society said in a statement today.

(PR/BMcc)