This Month
CBA tightens grip on mortgage crown while Westpac relents
‘Far more competitive’ CBA extends dominance of home lending market, adding almost $16 billion to its loan book in just five months.
- Lucas Baird
December 2024
What the average first home buyer looks like (according to the banks)
The country’s biggest lenders have offered a glimpse into their lending habits in the midst of a debate over whether to ease rules for younger borrowers.
- Lucas Baird
Troubled RAMS trips to $18.6m loss
Westpac had earlier in the year failed to find a buyer for the business, which is involved in two court cases alleging fraud.
- Lucas Baird
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The 3 housing charts that should make young people furious
New data shows how housing is slipping even further out of the reach of younger people. The election will kick off a new debate on the problem.
- James Thomson
Barrenjoey stokes political debate over APRA’s home-lending policy
The investment bank says a Coalition-led Senate committee report last month – challenging the prudential regulator on first home buyers – “appears logical”.
- James Eyers
Older, ‘cheaper’ houses hide costs that bite owners
More than 80 per cent of Australia’s houses have half the energy efficiency of the latest standards – and that’s going to make them less valuable.
- Michael Bleby
November 2024
- Opinion
- First-home buyers
Tweak lending rules to tilt the scales for first home buyers
Reforms to prudential regulation will be a solution for many Millennials and Gen Zs missing out on the Australian dream.
- Andrew Bragg
Victorian mortgage arrears top other states
Fresh data from ratings agency S&P shows Victoria has the highest rate of home-loan arrears of any Australian states, overtaking Western Australia.
- Gus McCubbing and Patrick Durkin
Home loan stress rises to $23b, doubling since 2016
John Lonsdale used the situation to push back on calls to reduce borrower stress-testing standards.
- Updated
- Lucas Baird and James Eyers
High-income households locked out of half of the housing market
The latest data shows an income of $172,000 is only enough to buy half of the homes on offer in Australia. Four years ago, it would buy 80 per cent of the market.
- Updated
- Nila Sweeney
Where cash buyers are splurging billions on property
More than 141,000 residential properties were sold without a bank loan involved in FY24, according to PEXA.
- Nila Sweeney
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Economists give up on rate cuts. Investors and borrowers can too
Impossibly wedged between predicting the future and giving traders something to discuss, nobody wants to hear from the experts that the RBA is standing still.
- Anthony Macdonald
CBA says borrowers are banking tax cuts to bolster mortgage buffer
Commonwealth Bank said its borrowers hoarded the benefits of the government’s stage three tax cuts to afford themselves breathing room on their mortgages.
- Updated
- Lucas Baird and James Eyers
New Bendigo boss’ first move? Raising mortgage rates for Up customers
Richard Fennell said the digital challenger brand would lift interest rates for borrowers in the coming days. It is the cheapest offering in the market.
- Lucas Baird
ANZ banks on Plus to cut costs by a third despite market scepticism
The lender has floated the idea of cutting mortgage costs if it can transition some 7 million customers onto the new technology platform by the end of 2028.
- James Eyers and Lucas Baird
- Updated
- Earnings season
ANZ’s Elliott warns Trump policies could mean later, smaller rate cuts
The bank’s chief executive said local borrowers were resilient despite an increase in overdue loan payments, with most tax cuts being saved instead of spent.
- Updated
- Lucas Baird and James Eyers
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
ANZ has a plan to break from the pack. It must pass these four tests
Chief executive Shayne Elliott has bet the bank’s next growth era on two big tech platforms and the Suncorp deal. But he needs to convince the market these moves are working.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Why NAB is taking a leaf out of CBA’s book
Andrew Irvine is borrowing from Matt Comyn’s successful strategy of creating a virtuous flywheel in consumer banking.
- James Thomson
- Updated
- Earnings season
NAB arrears hit highest since 2020, and could worsen
Borrowers behind on their loan repayments “could trend a little bit up”, National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Irvine says.
- Updated
- Lucas Baird and James Eyers
Tapping super to help your kids buy a home? Read this first
While accessing your super to help the kids buy property may seem like a good idea, there are a few things to understand first.
- Ben Smythe