View this email in your browser Business Today Wednesday, 29 July, 2026 Editor's Note Good morning, reader Irish Life Group paid €157 million in dividends to its overseas parent last year, bringing total distributions since it was bought from the State during the financial crisis to about €1.98 billion. As Joe Brennan reports, the payouts eclipse the €1.3 billion that Canada’s Great-West Lifeco paid for the Republic’s largest life and pensions group in 2013. Paddy McKillen and Tony Leonard’s Clarendon Properties has reported a rise in the value of its Irish property portfolio following several revaluations and works to its buildings. As Killian Woods reports, filings for 11 of its subsidiaries indicate its Irish-based properties are now valued at nearly €150 million. Would you buy something that was tainted by crime? That is a question people have to ask themselves if buying at an auction of goods seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau. As Joanne Hunt writes in Money Matters, there are bargains to be had if you don’t mind their backstory. Continue Reading Peter Flanagan   TOP BUSINESS STORIES Business College Green building revaluations help lift Clarendon’s Irish portfolio to €147m Business Profits for group behind duck producer Silver Hill Farm fly above €5m Business Owner of refugee accommodation provider got more than €3m in pay Business Irish Life dividends near €2bn under Canadian ownership Work Is it discriminatory to only pay maternity top-ups after a certain period of service? John McManus ICG bid puts spotlight on McGuckian’s independence MORE BUSINESS STORIES Business Only 43% of Irish financial firms are fully prepared for new anti-money laundering rules Business Malin misses out on $25.9m earnout as centrepiece drug key to 2021 deal is scrapped Business Shares edge higher despite sell-off in chip stocks Business Green light for Raglan Townhouse hotel on Baggot Street Do you have questions about becoming an Irish Times subscriber, or about your subscription? You'll find handy guides in our FAQs, and you can manage many aspects of your subscription in the My Account section. Never miss a business story Subscribe now for just €1 for your first month SUBSCRIBE