Banking is dirtier than Drug debt collection .I kid you not .I dissolved a business partnership about 20 years ago .Went into the bank and was invited to talk to the Manager who advised that as I didnt have a pension I might consider investing in a property portfolio .The deal was I put the bit of cash and my Equity in my house up and then join a group of other investors to buy a Block of Appartments being built in Clondalkin .The basic deal was we would rent out the whole block to SDCC they would pay us the Rent Subsidy direct and we would collect the difference from the tenants .Now the deal was to be Interest only for 5 years .The Fella putting the deal togeather reckoned the Rent Roll would cover the Mortgage and Insurance for the first six years then the property value which was rising @ about 4% PA would mean that in 5 years we could sell as a going concern to another Property Company and take the Appreciation on the Property or re mortgage as the Value of the Property would be Greater than the Value of the Mortgages .I kept me house and spent the Cash to hand on Holidays ,Drink ,Car then wasted the rest .Two lads I meet got involved in that Scheme .banks decided they would not give Interest only Mortgages on existing projects as they now attracted Commercial Interest Rates .The whole thing sank quicker than a Shopping Trolley in the Ninth Lock .Use to work the NAMA rank some of the stories I heard about fellas walking away from millions in Debt and starting up again .The system is rigged the small man gets caught all the time if he lets them .