For some time there has been the peception that floating rates move in lockstep with changes to the official cash rate. In the past that has been true, but the linkage between the two has reduced in recent years. Jenny Ruth explains.

More potential house buyers are attending open homes and real estate agents rate it a sellers' market, according to the Bank of New Zealand's latest survey of more than 10,000 agents.

The Reserve Bank will keep interest rates on hold for some time in the face of the lacklustre economic recovery and contained inflationary pressures, according to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER).

The Reserve Bank will keep interest rates on hold for some time in the face of the lacklustre economic recovery and contained inflationary pressures, according to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER).

House prices are likely to rise further all year but the strength will only last until mortgage rates start rising, according to Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens.

The housing market is buzzing, if not quite on fire. But it's the Auckland and quake-affected Christchurch markets which are to blame while markets in the rest of the country remain subdued.

National house prices rose 4.2% over the past year with values rising in all major centres, according to Quotable Value.

Kiwibank has bought the remaining 24% of New Zealand Home Loans it doesn't already own.

Z Energy, which owns the former Shell operations, is going ahead with an up to $150 million offer of seven-year senior retail bonds.

Kiwibank, which kicked off the latest mortgage rate war in late April, has launched another “special” offer.

TrustPower is planning to sell up to $200 million in subordinated retail bonds which will be stock exchange-listed.

Blue Star Group is looking at selling all or parts of its business but has warned its listed bonds may already be worthless.

The price war between banks in fixed-rate mortgages is starting to shift borrowers out of floating rates.

The $885,000 Nathans Finance directors were ordered to pay in reparation will go the the receivers for the benefit of all out-of-pocket investors, a High Court judge has ruled.

The March quarter was a bumper one for mortgage lending with total lending by all banks jumping to $1.39 billion compared with just $0.32 billion in the December quarter and $0.8 billion in the September quarter last year.

Former World Bank and New Zealand Treasury official Graeme Wheeler will succeed Alan Bollard as governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.