Borrowers refinancing have allowed the major banks to maintain their market share dominance, the aggregator has revealed. The latest AFG Index released by the Australian Finance Group (AFG) has revealed that the market share of Australia’s big four banks rose to 61.7 per cent during the third quarter of the 2024 financial year. Meanwhile, the […]
Challenges concerning mortgage serviceability, housing affordability, and hurdles to saving a deposit could dampen first home buyer (FHB) activity this year, according to a new report. The latest ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report for the March 2024 quarter has highlighted the challenges FHBs face amid multiple economic headwinds like rising interest rates and a deterioration […]
It’s the first rate decision to be handed down outside of the former ‘first-Tuesday-of-the-month’ announcement pattern. In its second meeting for 2024, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has opted to hold the cash rate at 4.35 per cent. The decision to keep the cash rate at 4.35 per cent was widely expected from economists […]
Rising interest rates dampened new loan values in 2023 but led to a surge in refinancing activity as borrowers shopped for better mortgage rates, according to new research. The latest Mortgage Insights Report by digital property exchange platform PEXA has revealed that the aggregate value of new home loans declined by 12.7 per cent from […]
After two months of anticipation, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has revealed whether February will see a cash rate hold or a 14th rate rise. As the summer holidays come to a close and Australians begin settling back into the swing of work, the RBA has chosen to hold the official cash rate at […]
Mortgage prison doesn’t have to be a financial sentence, according to one mortgage broker. Eva Loisance from Finni Mortgages concedes there’s a lot of people “struggling to find a way to get back to interest only, or to a better rate”. But rather than despairing, she notes “there are options out there”. “It’s just a […]
A new survey has revealed that spending habits are rapidly changing amid growing consumer stress, with consumers using these savings to pay down their mortgages. The National Australia Bank (NAB) Consumer Sentiment Survey Q4-2023 of around 2,000 Australians has found that around one in five consumers who cut back on spending used their savings to […]
After much anticipation, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has finally revealed whether this year will close with a cash rate hike or hold. As Australia enters the festive season, the RBA has chosen to hold the official cash rate at 4.35 per cent. The news comes as a relief to commentators, who had warned […]
More than one-third (or 36.3 per cent) of homes across the country are cheaper to buy than they are to rent at current prices. It’s based on a national analysis of estimated purchase and rent prices by PropTrack, which found that buying conditions are “most favourable” across Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. For PropTrack […]
The average Australian has seen a 30 per cent drop in their borrowing power since the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) began lifting rates 19 months ago. When the RBA lifted the cash rate by a further 0.25 per cent in November, the maximum borrowing capacity of the average earner dropped by an estimated $10,500. That’s according […]