While floating rates are the norm in Australia, less than 10% of all Kiwi mortgages are on floating rates. The reality for Kiwi is that floating rates are consistently so much more expensive than fixed rates. So what's causing this, and should they be so high?
Despite the Reserve Bank holding off on increasing the Official Cash Rate, ANZ has just announced it’s lifting its home loan interest rates across the board by between 0.10% and 0.26%. So why have they increased their rates, and is the move justified?
The Reserve Bank is holding the OCR steady at 5.50%, and after rumblings from parts of the market that suggest we could be in for another hike, most economists are now predicting the OCR will remain at 5.50% through much of 2024. It’s not the news that Kiwi mortgage-holders were hoping for, but how can Kiwi benefit from higher interest rates?
Two New Zealand banks are sticking their necks out on the home loan rates front right now - one high, one low. Why? It all comes down to profit strategy. But in his latest article Chief Squirrel, David Cunningham, explains why the bank leading the pack is likely to need to rethink its "go high" strategy soon.
New Zealand is deep in a cost-of-living crisis, and those with mortgages are struggling. And yet amidst all of this, New Zealand banks are thriving – bringing in record profits. So, what’s the driver behind what the banks are doing with home loan rates?
Bank margins in New Zealand are at record levels right now – higher than they’ve been in about 10 years. So why are headlines painting the image that bank margins are worryingly low?
Squirrel is offering a free* refinancing service for HSBC customers impacted by the bank's plan to exit the New Zealand retail banking market.
If you’ve been thinking about making a few tweaks and upgrades to get your household on that sustainability buzz, ANZ have just launched a brand spanking new loan product which could help you do it.
Launchpad allows deposits of as low as 5%, and is aimed at helping first home buyers who have good incomes but not enough deposit to meet the 20% often demanded by trading banks, or who don’t qualify for the Government’s Kāinga Ora scheme.
As a general rule of thumb, any property investor who has at least six rental properties is viewed as a "professional" property investor through the eyes of the bank. And the way these investors are treated by the banks is markedly different to someone whose main income is not from property.
As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency for our investors, we're sharing a couple of case studies about the type of lending we are doing in our new investing classes: Home Loans and Business Property Loans. We were confident in approving these loans and what their characteristics are, and by sharing this we hope to pass some of that peace of mind to our investors.