Indeed, Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich said the current pandemic has helped reinforce the importance of good advice.
Kiwibank has signed up one dealer group already - although it won’t disclose which one.
Also, its proposition is build around a SaaS (software as a service) model which will make it different from other banks.
Again it is not naming which SaaS service it is using, but says it will help advisers with turnaround times, knowing where deals are at and provide better clarity around the process.
He expects to announce more details on its proposition in four to six weeks time.
Jurkovich would not be surprised more than 50% of home loan originations are coming from mortgage advisers, as some in the industry has speculated.
He said in times like this borrowers want to speak to people and get expert advice.
In the 12 months ending June 30 Kiwibank grew its mortgage book at a faster rate than the market. Lending growth ran at 9% compared to market growth of 5%.
Jurkovich says the housing market has been stronger than expected and potentially put the growth down to a number of factors including more first home buyers and many New Zealanders returning from overseas.
What is driving the lending growth is a little unknown he says.
While mortgage deferrals were running at around 20% across the banks, Kiwibank had a much lower rate of 13%. Jurkovich says it's also been encouraging that many of its customers who have been contacted want to get back on track with paying dowi their debt.
