Bank of Ireland Life is one of the largest life companies in Ireland. Initially established under the name Lifetime Assurance in 1987, this was Ireland's first bancassurance company. Today the business markets savings and investments, pensions and protection products, operating in the bank channel under the Bank of Ireland Life brand, and in the broker and direct sales channels under the New Ireland Assurance brand. This business aims to differentiate itself as a value provider of life, pensions and savings policies, with a service-driven philosophy based on customer needs. This entry was shortlisted for an award based on a highly successful PR campaign around the SSIA product.

Bank of Scotland (Ireland) is among Ireland's most successful banks and is part of HBOS plc, one of the largest banks in Europe. It employs 1300 people across Ireland, at its offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. The bank offers services such as business and property loans, current accounts, integrated and acquisition finance, asset finance, and treasury. It also provides motor finance and residential mortgages to the general public. Halifax is the new name for Bank of Scotland (Ireland) personal banking, the first completely new high street bank in Ireland for some 120 years, providing personal banking products such as mortgages, loans, savings, credit cards and investment products.

EBS Building Society is one of Ireland's leading mutual building societies. Founded in 1935 by school teachers, EBS has over 400,000 members today. With a network of 100 offices, EBS provides a complete range of financial services including mortgages, savings, investments, insurance, loans, pensions and credit cards. With a heritage in Education, EBS strives to improve understanding of financial matters in the community, and it operates a programme of educational initiatives it calls 'Shared Know How'. Through seminars, educational websites, digital resources and EBS publications, the society is able to share its expertise on financial topics with a wide audience, supported by a major PR campaign to get the messages across.