Labour’s policy proposals for KiwiSaver will move the New Zealand system closer to the Australian one, one expert group says.

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has issued its first peer-to-peer lending service licence.

An economic think tank supports loan-to-income restrictions on borrowers rather than the LVR restraints imposed by the Reserve Bank.

In Mortgage Rates Radio this week Philip Macalister reckons the latest home loan specials aren't so special. Also he expresses some surprise that one economic think tank is advocating lending restrictions based on your income, rather than equity levels.

Some of you may have missed last week's Wrap which came out on Monday as we had been waiting for news about TNP and Ginger.

Kepa may have only just been formed through a merger of TNP and Ginger, but it is already looking at taking over other groups.

KiwiSaver has been the New Zealand’s most successful savings innovation in the last hundred years, the Financial Services Council says.

There is criticism that the Financial Markets Authority has been tardy in getting its templates and online report systems ready for the next round of reporting required from financial sector participants.

Labour’s KiwiSaver policy has been criticised by the University of Auckland’s Retirement Policy and Research Centre.

A new leadership team has been appointed at Southern Cross. 

Kiwi Property Management, the manager of Kiwi Income Property Trust, is to offer up to $100 million of seven-year fixed rate senior secured bonds, with the ability to accept up to $25 million in oversubscriptions.