Homeowners can be reasonably confident interest rates won’t rise this year and they can even hope for a rate cut following today’s Reserve Bank statement.

Homeowners can be reasonably confident interest rates won’t rise this year and they can even hope for a rate cut following today’s Reserve Bank statement.

An increasing number of people think house prices will keep rising but that is now being countered by more people doubting it’s a good time to buy, according to ASB Bank’s latest survey of housing confidence.

The latest stats from REINZ show that house prices cooled in December.

Economists are expecting the Reserve Bank to leave the OCR unchaged this week, however some reckon the rate will fall in June.

Mortgage brokers have a more diverse range of clients than they used to, NZMBA chairman Brian Berry says.

Housing consents plummeted a seasonally adjusted 27% in November from October, but practically all the decline represented the return to more normal monthly levels of consents for new apartments.

Challenger has abandoned its plans to establish a stock broking operation in New Zealand.

Expect further changes at mortgage broking firm Loan Plan this year following director Chris Barneo selling his third stake to New Zealand Finance.

Brokers who shop or farm loan proposals to a number of lenders could be penalised.

KPMG has survey building societies and the PSIS and warned other lenders not to ignore them.

The housing market continued to bubble in November with the number of transactions reaching an annual record and the median house price hitting a record $195,000.

Kiwibank says that it will use brokers to distribute its products in the future.

Kiwibank says it plans to sell its home loans through mortgage brokers.

Jenny Ruth asks who will take over the top job at Tower now that James Boonzaier has left.