Mortgage holders still hedging their bets
Floating and short-term interest rates for mortgages gained traction again in September before the RBNZ’s big 0.50% OCR cut in October.
BNZ again shuns advisers and the numbers show it
The numbers are showing convincingly that Bank of New Zealand is again shifting away from using mortgage advisers to originate home loans.
Financial stress stabilises while household credit demand picks up
Household stress has started to decline as debt-servicing costs have fallen, the Reserve Bank’s latest Financial Stability Report shows.
Westpac CEO explains commission cut decision
Westpac chief executive Catherine McGrath explains why the bank is ending trail commissions on home loans and says the move isn't impacting applications.
Westpac profit up 13%; Advisers account for more loans
Westpac New Zealand accelerated its mortgage lending in the six months ended September, adding a net $1.72 billion in new loans in the six months, up from the $1.51 billion added in the six months ended March. Also, the share of business written by advisers grew.
Market recovery signals consistent with interest rate falls
The early stages of a property recovery could have appeared in the past two months, Kelvin Davidson, Cotality chief property economist says.
Only months not quarters to consider fixing home loan terms
The country’s biggest mortgage lender says homeowners should start thinking about fixing interest rates for longer as the bottom of the mortgage cycle is near.
More stories
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Another swipe at property investors
Labour’s capital gains tax of 28% on residential and commercial property won’t deter investors who invest for cashflow, Nick Gentle, iFind Property founder and buyer’s agent says.
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Bets are on for OCR to fall even further
Financial markets have fully priced a 0.25% OCR cut next month and a chance of even further falls, despite inflation lifting to 3%.
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Mortgage advisers identify issues shaping the industry’s future
As the mortgage industry enters a “decade of unprecedented change” a white paper from the recent International Mortgage Brokers Federation’s (IMBF) world summit predicts personalised human advice will keep advisers at the centre of the profession.
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Fast turn around times and reliabily win over advisers
Two challenger banks from each side of the Tasman say that fast turn-around times and reliability are key factors in doing business with mortgage advisers.
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Interest rate rises may be needed by the end of next year
The Reserve Bank is walking a fine line between kick-starting the economy’s recovery and overstimulating growth by the end of next year.
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Capital gains tax almost irrelevant – English
Former Finance Minster Bill English says the days of guaranteed capital gains in the housing market are over,
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Long term rates need to also come down
One interesting point the RBNZ brought up when it cut the OCR by 0.50% last week is that long-term interest rates haven’t fallen much, even as short-term interest rates have, says ASB in an economic note.
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Westpac scraps trail commissions on mortgages
Westpac is axing trail commissions on home loans from June next year.
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Loosened LVR settings long overdue - adviser
The RBNZ should have eased LVR restrictions months ago, says one seasoned adviser who has worked on both sides of the fence.
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RBNZ to ease LVR restrictions
The Reserve Bank intends to ease mortgage loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions from December 1.
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First home buyers take advantage of soft housing market
A quarter of all new home loans went to first home buyers in the first half of this year, data from the New Zealand Banking Association’s retail insights show.
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First home buyers stumbling at the own psychological hurdles
The problem getting in the way of first home buyers is not financial, it is psychological, an experienced mortgage adviser says.
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New mortgage loan terms again yo-yoing
The latest data from the RBNZ’s series new lending fully secured by residential mortgages, shows home owners are far from set on longer mortgage terms, although the interest rates are below 5%.
