More than £3.3 billion (€3.8 billion) of Nama loans are secured on assets in Northern Ireland, a conference in Belfast was told today.
Most of the debt involves undeveloped land and some may go back to farmland, the bank’s Northern Ireland representative Peter Stewart told the audience.
He said while the agency did not have to sell immediately, it had to operate on a 10-year timescale.
“Even over such a period of time it is likely that we will see what was previously viewed as potential development land being sold to go back to farm land,” he said.
“For those builders, developers and also land traders and speculators who got caught up in the frenzy, unfortunately there is going to be financial pain.”
Mr Stewart, chairman of Nama's Northern Ireland advisory committee, said there was not a huge over-supply of residential properties in Northern Ireland comparable to that in the Republic.
He added the investment property market had been worth almost £1 billion (€1.15 billion) at its peak in 2007.
“It is clear that the Nama-secured supply side of the market is significant in terms of normal turnover levels and there will be challenges in realising these assets,” he said.
He said Nama will be prepared to consider financing proposals that could involve joint ventures, shared security, phased transfers of ownership and so on.
The chairman warned developers the agency was prepared to take court action to force debtors to work with it.
Northern Ireland Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has warned against a firesale of assets which could flood the local market and depress prices.
Mr Stewart added: “What we must do, and which is in our interest as well as that of the Northern Ireland economy, is to carefully manage the impact of the ending of the false boom in property values.”
PA