Ulster Bank says more than 3,000 customers in mortgage arrears are currently before the courts.
The bank says while it's policy is to keep families in their homes, it has had to begin repossession proceedings against some customers.
Appearing before the Oireachtas finance committee, Ulster Bank's chief executive Jim Brown said some people weren't engaging to deal with their debts and hadn't made payments in years.
He also said the bank has received 18 billion euro from British taxpayers to deal with its losses in Ireland.
