Economy

Bank announces changes to fixed and variable mortgage rates
14 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

A non-major bank has today announced a range of changes across its fixed and variable rate home loans, including a 10 basis point cut to one of its products.

‘RBA will cut again,’ says economist
14 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

A leading Australian economist has predicted that the Reserve Bank of Australia will “reluctantly” cut interest rates next year, due to concern over house prices.

Banks must close the 'trust gap', says Westpac
14 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

Australian banks need to refrain from using “negative and often self-serving rhetoric” in order to rebuild the community’s trust in the system, according to Westpac.

Pressure mounting on bank assets: Moody’s
14 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

The asset quality of the big four banks is likely to come under pressure from “multiple headwinds” in 2017, says Moody’s Investors Service.

'Unsustainable' mortgage pricing drives bank to lift rates
13 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

A regional bank has decided to increase its residential mortgage variable interest rate in response to rising funding costs.

Rental yields hit record low in November
13 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

Rental yields reached a new low in November across the nation’s combined capitals, new research has found.

Lowest level of first home buyers in 25 years
13 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

The percentage of first home buyers in the owner-occupier market has plunged to the lowest level in a quarter of a century, a new report has revealed.

‘All the signs of a bubble are there’: Murray
12 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

Former CBA boss David Murray says property investors acquiring multiple dwellings have created a housing bubble that could end in economic disaster.

S&P raises MyState Bank rating to BBB+
12 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

A global ratings agency has raised its long-term credit issuer rating of MyState Bank to ‘BBB+’ with a negative outlook, from ‘BBB’ with a developing outlook, based on an improved risk ...

Housing contraction contributing to GDP decline
12 December 2016
mortgagebusiness

Reduced activity in the housing industry could be partly to blame for the first quarterly contraction in Australia’s economy since 2011, the Housing Industry Association has suggested.