hardship

In an open letter to 30 large lenders, the corporate watchdog has urged them to step up their support for customers grappling with financial hardship.

Latest NAB hardship data has revealed Australians’ cost concerns and workforce changes to suit.

The major lender has found the number of Australians who have experienced financial hardship rose to 44 per cent in Q3 2023.

While most households are meeting loan repayments, hardship applications have risen materially, according to the Council of Financial Regulators.

Lenders are being urged to improve their hardship services with an increasing number of Australians needing assistance.

The regulator has warned lenders that it will take enforcement action if they do not improve their financial hardship assistance services.

Fewer borrowers took out mortgages in the second quarter of June 2023 as the impact of rising rates becomes “more evident”, data has revealed.

After a challenging couple of years for the economy and many Australians’ finances, there is a silver lining emerging in the financial services sector that comes from an unlikely place, ...

ASIC alleged the major bank failed to process 229 hardship applications within 21 days between 2015 and 2022.