Ireland still a challenge for Allied Irish

Trading conditions have remained challenging this year, particularly in Ireland, the bank Allied Irish said in an update, but conditions have improved in Britain.In the Republic of Ireland division, bad debt charges in the first quarter were at a similar level to those of the same period the previous year.In the UK, there are signs of stability in the mainland, but conditions remain challenging in Northern Ireland.'Overall funding market conditions and pricing have improved during the first quarter of 2010,' the bank said. 'However, recent negative sentiment in the sovereign credit markets demonstrates that markets remain volatile and vulnerable to changes in sentiment.'