BankDirect has launched a 100% home loan product which it says will make it easier for first home buyers to get on the property ladder.

Elders changes name, St Laurence (finally) sell Viaduct Carpark, ING and Nat Bank tie knot and the latest in Deposit rate news.

News has been a little thin on the ground this week, but one of the more interesting stories was ING Life's managing director Naomi Ballantyne commenting that advisers have to take some responsibility for the underinsurance of New Zealanders.

The prospect of cheaper homes loans isn't materialising and in some cases falls look more distant than they appeared a month ago.

Financial services organisations are becoming increasingly global in their reach and ambitions. With the growth in scale of global operations comes just not the promise of reward, but a step change in the sophistication of ensuing risks and challenges.

The New Zealand Superannuation fund is warning of below-par returns over the next few years.

Many investors and commentators are focused on current events, such as the price of oil and hurricanes in the United States, and wondering what it means for their investments.

Two bits of news this week illustrate a point which many people have forgotten. Growth assets are good and everyone needs some (a bit like your greens).

The stage is set for Auckland’s CBD apartments to fall in value by up to 40% by the end of 2006, property analyst Kieran Trass is warning.

So you’ve just bought a buy-to-let property. There’s plenty of legwork to be done before you get your first rent payment. Get it right and the tenancy could be plain sailing. Get it wrong and you’ll be on call 24/7 to fix problems and could end up out of pocket.

Auckland