The winning entry was his story from last February entitled: “Thousands whose mortgages were sold to vultures cannot call on ombudsman for help.”
The story prompted a change in the law, with the then Finance Minister, Michael McGrath, announcing he would close the loophole whereby thousands of people whose mortgages were sold to vulture funds had no access to the State’s financial ombudsman service if they were in dispute over the handling of their loans.
This was the case if their complaints related to the time before the credit servicers, who act for the funds, were registered with the Central Bank. As many as 100,000 owners had mortgages sold to vulture funds, with credit servicing firms acting on behalf of the funds.
Seven journalists were recognised across the categories, with Brian Carey of The Sunday Times receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award.
The awards, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, recognise excellence in Irish business journalism across the media spectrum. They are delivered in conjunction with the Business Journalists Association of Ireland.
Professor Federica Pazzaglia, director of UCD Smurfit School, said: “In the 17th edition of the Business Journalist Awards, we are once again proud to recognise the best of Irish business journalism.
“In a tumultuous time around the world, journalists play an ever-important role in highlighting business trends that have an impact in Ireland and beyond. We sincerely thank our sponsors, Bank of Ireland, for partnering with us to celebrate the best of Irish journalism.”
Damien Garvey, head of group external communications and public affairs at Bank of Ireland, said: “The importance of journalism, including fact-checking and critical thinking, has never been clearer. An independent and impartial media is of immense value to our economy and society, and these awards recognise business journalists who uphold the highest standards.”
Conall Ó Móráin won in the category of audio story of the year. Business analyst was Eoin Burke-Kennedy of The Irish Times; business interview went to Thomas Hubert of The Currency, the women in business journalism award went to Catherine Sanz of the Business Post, and Emer Walsh of the Irish Examiner won the upcoming journalist award.