Many financial planners are facing a major business issue in that their traditional client base is dying off, according to James Turnbull, manager of Macquarie Adviser Services.

Two mortgage broking firms have got together under the Mortgage Alliance banner to create a firm with more than 120 brokers.

Kiwibank is turning down home loan applications at a rate of more than one in two, says chief executive Sam Knowles.

Sales of Auckland homes worth $1 million or more showed a remarkable jump in the past quarter.

The theme for this year’s Mortgage Brokers Association (MBA) conference to be held in Rotorua from September 19-21 will be "meeting the challenge."

The latest Reserve Bank figures suggest the three increases in official interest rates so far this year have done little to dampen our appetite for mortgage debt.

New Zealand’s fledgling non-bank home lending sector has gained another new entrant which styles itself New Zealand Mortgage Funds.

Ever since the Reserve Bank last raised interest rates back on 15 May, the five major home lenders have been playing a game of possum.

Housing consents rose again in April, with Statistics New Zealand saying the trend in the number has risen 30% since November 2000.

The latest house sales figures from the Real Estate Institute suggest the still very strong housing market is stabilising after dramatic growth since late last year.

Acting Reserve Bank governor Rod Carr has raised interest rates, as expected, but not as much as some economists had predicted.

Acting Reserve Bank governor Rod Carr has raised interest rates, as expected, but not as much as some economists had predicted.

Three of New Zealand’s big five banks still rank among the top 10 retail fund managers, although total funds under management fell slightly in 2001 compared with a year earlier, KPMG’s latest annual survey shows.

While mortgage lending grew in 2001 and still dominates New Zealand bank’s loan books, it declined as a proportion of total lending assets, according to KPMG’s latest annual survey of financial institutions.

Just about everybody expects the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates on Wednesday for a third time this year. The only argument is over whether the official cash rate (OCR) will rise from 5.25% to 5.5% or to 5.75%.

The partnership between rebel non-lawyer conveyancer Lester Dempster and Australian-owned real estate firm LJ Hooker has ended over differences over the way the work was handled.