Economy

The head of an industry association is calling on lenders to stop “holding [borrowers] to ransom” in their “mortgage prisons” and quickly update home loan serviceability assessment criteria

Auction clearance rates spiked in the June quarter, which, according to CoreLogic, is further evidence of a recovery in the housing market.

House price growth is expected to be “muted” for some time, with “high levels of supply” and continued credit tightening to weigh on the market, according to BIS Oxford Economics.

An increasing number of Australian households are carrying debt at least three times higher than their income, new ABS data has revealed.

An extra $50 per week in mortgage repayments could shave nearly $47,000 off the total interest paid over the life of an average home loan, according to new modelling.

A big four bank has updated its home loan serviceability assessment policy in response to APRA’s regulatory amendments.

The prudential regulator has announced that it is temporarily raising capital requirements for three major banks.

The demand for credit assessors in the home and business loan sectors is increasing as banks tighten their lending standards. 

An increase to the interest rate buffer could push borrowers into the non-bank space and “unnecessarily” restrict access to credit, the association has said.

Descending house prices, income growth and lower interest rates are among the factors that have contributed to improvement in housing affordability, according to the HIA.