BUSINESSMAN Dermot Desmond has offloaded a lease of the third of Ferry House at Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. One of his companies, Quay Computers, had been paying an annual rent of £78,200 for 7,300 square feet of office space and 14 parking spaces. The 35-year lease had another 12 years to run but Mr Desmond succeeded in assigning it to the Irish Progressive assurance group by making a financial contribution towards upgrading the accommodation. NCB Stockbrokers, the company founded by Mr Desmond, occupies part of Ferry House, which is owned by Friends Provident.

Estate agent Jim Cobb handled the negotiations for Irish Progressive and Jones Lang Wootton acted for Mr Desmond's company.

Meanwhile Irish Life is to transfer one of its loan companies to 2 Hume Street, Dublin 2, where it will occupy 17,250 square feet of space which have been lying idle. Irish Life assumed responsibility for the lease when it persuaded Ulster Bank to amalgamate its services in a new headquarters at George's Quay.

The Hume Street lease has about 13 years to run and the current rent is £198,000. Roland O'Connell of Hamilton Osborne King, which was marketing the building, said he was not in a position to confirm an assignment of the lease.