THE Bank of Scotland and Ryanair have joined forces with 123 ie, the online arm of Richardson Insurance, to offer mortgages online via Ryanair.com.

Since last October, 123 ie has offered motor and home insurance on the Rynair site. It has now chosen Bank of Scotland as its preferred mortgage provider in the UK and Ireland.

According to Ryanair commercial director Michael Cawley, close to four million customers now use the airline’s website, which accounts for 80 per cent of its ticket sales.

He said: “The Bank of Scotland connection will further enhance its popularity and we plan to provide credit card, personal loans and other services online in the longer term.”

George White, head of intermediary mortgages sales and processing at Bank of Scotland, said: “We are committed to delivering value-for-money mortgage products to the consumer in an efficient manner. Our participation in this initiative fits in very well with this strategy.”