The Oireachtas Finance Committee has begun hearings with the chief executives of the major banks.

Ulster Bank CEO Jim Brown is appearing before TDs this afternoon to discuss the banks progress in dealing with customers in mortgage arrears.

The CEOs of AIB, Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB are all due before the same Committee later this week.

Last week, it emerged that only a handful of people had been declared insolvent under the new regime because banks were exercising their veto in most cases.

But Mr. Brown says since September of last year, they have helped 2,500 people move out of arrears with a number of restructuring measures.

The Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath said earlier the Committee wants to make sure all struggling households are being treated equally.