On February 19, 2021, when Ulster Bank announced they were withdrawing from Ireland and effectively shutting down, it came as a shock to everyone, not least the staff.

Killarney local Justin Healy was the branch manager in UB Killarney for nearly 15 years, ably assisted by his branch staff but also his Financial Planning Manager, Mike Doolan, who was in situ for 14 years.

It came as a shock, but Justin was quickly thinking about next his steps “My first thought was my brilliant staff, and that they would lose their jobs, and then to our fantastic customers, who were loyal over the years and with whom we had built up great relationships with, and how this was going to cause hassle for them, which was not their doing. Then of course, I started to think, what about me, what do I do next?”

It was then that Justin spoke to Mike and threw out the idea of maybe taking a leap of faith and instead of going into another similar PAYE job, to go it alone and look at setting up an independent brokerage.

As Justin says, the idea of being independent was what was the big motivating factor: “to be able to give customers unbiased, independent access to the various companies and products, be it Mortgages, Life companies, Investment or pension providers, was the carrot and with a little advice here and there we decided to go for it.”

One person Justin and Mike sought counsel from was John Healy, Justin’s brother, of Healy Insurances.

As Mike says: “There is great tradition from John and Justin’s late father, Jimmy, who started the Healy Insurance business at 11 New Street, and with John taking that forward to new heights, it was a natural fit for us to set up at 11 New Street and we are delighted to be here.?'

John, owner of Healy Insurances, says “We are delighted to be involved in this new venture. Justin and Mikes principles and ethos perfectly align with ours at Healy Insurances. It is a great asset to add another financial service to 11 New Street and we wish them every success. “
Healy Doolan Financial are now open for business.