Average FHB age stable for two decades-Austalian Broker Online

  As read in the Australian Broker Online – The average age of the Australian first home buyer (FHB) has remained stable for the past two decades despite reaching an annual property price growth of 7.7% per year. A new paper from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), CommBank Connected Future Report, found that buyers generally entered […]


APRA wants more data on borrower debt levels – MortgageBusiness Online

  As read in MortgageBusiness online – The prudential regulator is seeking feedback from the banks on its plans to begin requesting additional data on borrower debt-to-income ratios. APRA this week responded to six submissions relating to its proposal to revise the current residential mortgage lending reporting requirements for banks, released in October last year. Now […]


Major banks make changes to IO lending – Aust Broker Online

  As read in the Aust Broker Online – Two of the big four banks have announced that they are making a raft of adjustments to their interest-only lending. In an update to its brokers this week, ANZ announced that from Monday, 29 May, interest-only availability for both owner-occupier and investment lending will be restricted […]


Housing and big banks in Budget spotlight – Australian Broker

  As read in the Aust Broker Online – The long awaited Federal Budget has finally been released with a variety of measures aimed at cooling down the heated housing market and helping consumers get a fairer deal from the banks. In parliament yesterday (9 May), Scott Morrison touted the budget as credible, affordable and honest – […]


Kolenda tells borrowers to bargain with banks – The Adviser

As read in The Adviser online – Finsure boss John Kolenda has urged mortgage holders to negotiate a better deal with their bank as out-of-cycle rate rises continue to plague the market. Mr Kolenda said that mortgage holders should maintain pressure on their lender to offer the most competitive interest rate available despite the Reserve […]


Funding pressures not to blame for rate hikes, says RBA

As read in MortgageBusiness online – Banks’ ratcheting up of interest rates is not due to funding costs as they claim, the RBA has underscored at its latest monetary policy meeting. Over the past few months, several banks have upped their interest rates, with increases from major and non-major lenders ranging from seven to 117 basis points. […]


Oversimplifying housing affordability ‘cynical and cruel’, says Treasurer- MortgageBusiness Online

As read in MortgageBusiness Online -The Treasurer has stressed that a housing affordability fix “must involve a scalpel, not a chainsaw” and has looked to the UK housing sector experience as “valuable” for Australia. Addressing the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute in Melbourne yesterday, Treasurer Scott Morrison stressed that “dealing with housing affordability must […]