Mortgage interest rates in Ireland are lower than the EU average and deposit rates on savings are higher, according to figures from the Central Bank.
The weighted average interest rate for outstanding Irish mortgages is 2.98% compared to almost 3.87% across the rest of the euro zone.
The Central Bank says the gap is explained by the higher proportion of Irish homeowners on tracker mortgages, which have become cheaper as the ECB has cut interest rates to record lows of 1%.
The figures also show that interest rates on outstanding loans to households fell in recent months with the weighted average on all outstanding loans falling to 6.12% by the end of January.
The Central Bank says that interest rates on household term deposits have increased over the last year, reflecting the banks' efforts to win additional funding by offering attractive rates on longer-term deposit products.
It noted that for shorter-term deposits - which are redeemable at notice - interest rates have declined in recent months after moderate increases during the first ten months of 2011.
