Prospective bidders for Danske Bank A/S's (CPSE:DANSKE) retail book have submitted offers for the portfolio as the Danish lender races to cast off its last, large-scale legacy asset by this autumn. According to sources, Bank Of Ireland Group plc (ISE:BIRG) and Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. (ISE:AIB1) have both submitted bids and are viewed as key contenders. Permanent TSB Group Holdings plc (ISE:IL0A) also cast an eye over the book but the relatively high volume of tracker mortgages is understood to have deterred the lender, which continues to hold the biggest exposure in the market to these variable-rate home loans.

It is understood that Bank of America Merrill Lynch is fielding offers, with the pillar lenders among the key contenders. Private equity firms have also expressed an interest, with sources claiming that the two non-bank mortgage lenders, Dilosk and Pepper, ran a ruler over the portfolio. However, it is unclear whether either submitted a bid.