Bancorp's merger and arbitrage fund is sitting on the sidelines although takeover activity is ripe in the market.

ANZ Bank is in the process of setting up a mortgage selling franchise network in Australia.

The housing market still has some way to go before the current boom is over, according to Kieran Trass at Hybrid Consulting.

While the debate on whether it is appropriate for mortgage brokers to promote their services as "free" to their customers has flared recently in New Zealand, it appears the Australian industry is about to decide such claims aren’t kosher.

The New Zealand Mortgage Brokers Association’s (NZMBA) progress towards establishing a broader industry-wide organisation is continuing with the current focus on the accreditation process.

Previous tentative signs of a housing market slowdown appear to have reversed in the latest figures on sales of existing homes.

While some may have written off any role for the internet in selling home loans, one website is quietly beginning to gain traction.

The Reserve Bank surprised the market for a third consecutive time yesterday.

Economists are divided as to whether Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard will raise rates again when he releases his latest monetary policy statement on Thursday, but most think it will be a close call.

Economists are divided as to whether Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard will raise rates again when he releases his latest monetary policy statement on Thursday, but most think it will be a close call.

Loans on investment properties are no more risky than loans to owner-occupiers, S&P says.

PSIS has signed up mortgage broking aggregator Allied Mortgage Brokers (AMBL) to sell its home loan products through its member brokers.

The latest figures underline just how strong the housing market has been and also suggest it will be some time before it cools much.

Asteron, formerly Royal & SunAlliance Financial Services and a subsidiary of listed insurance company Promina, will be launching its new home loan products with a roadshow beginning Monday, March 29.

Prices of existing houses showed further weakness in January, but that reflects more sales of lower valued properties and a marked slowdown in sales of higher valued properties.