Regulation

For the first time in more than a decade, the banking and financial services industry wasn’t served with the most class action lawsuits of any sector.

Despite having higher loan-to-valuation ratios and lower cash buffers, first home buyers have been found to be no more likely to fall into financial stress or arrears.

The Australian Financial Security Authority has recruited a former Austrade acting chief.

Fierce competition led to the banks squeezing their loan rates further than funding costs dropped in the past year, RBA economists have reported.

New loans to investors rose at a more rapid rate than owner-occupiers during the December quarter, according to new data from APRA.

The state government will aim to address housing shortages across regional NSW through a new strategy, according to the minister for homes.

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has said he doesn’t feel a “mounting pressure” to hike the cash rate, noting it would be a jolt for many borrowers.

Reserve Bank deputy governor Guy Debelle will depart to become an executive at an energy company.

The bank’s economists speculate August will see the cash rate reach 0.25 per cent, before gradually hitting pre-pandemic levels by 2022’s end.

The scheme devoted to assisting single parents into the housing market has been mostly embraced by women, according to the federal government.