To help you deal better with your mortgage lender Ann Cunninghame checks out some of the more thorny cases the Banking Ombudsman has had to deal with recently.

Honeymoon, or low-start mortgages, may look good at first glimpse, but Ann Cunninghame says it's worth checking the deal over the long-term before signing up.

Residential rents have remained unchanged for the last two years, with the national median rent stuck at $190 a week.

The prospect of a hike in the cash rate next month is helping to increase the gap between short and long-term interest rates.

The switch back to income-related rents on state housing will pin back CPI inflation early next year, but it's still not clear how much impact it's going to have on the property market.

With the Christmas cards piling up on the mantelpiece, it's time for a whiz through the millennium year plus a quick look ahead.

The Reserve Bank left the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent at this morning\'s review.

Hold on to your hats as BankDirect kicks off an online mortgage tender, with $3 million worth of loans going to the highest bidders.

Waltus investors objecting to the company's merger plans were bitterly disappointed when the Court of Appeal dismissed their appeal yesterday, and they're saying that this raises serious questions about the rights of minority shareholders.

What the pundits think ahead of the next interest rate review this Wednesday.

Hard on the heels of its Rate Breaker loan, Wizard has launched a fee-free "switchover" product at 7.99 per cent floating.

Yes, there is a reward for being oversized: a new mortgage product called Jumbo.

The top's probably not far off, but expect to see some further increases in interest rates.

There is a glimmer of hope for the housing market, with confidence lifting in all regions for the first time since January 1999.

Visitors to the E-Loan New Zealand website can now compare and apply for credit cards as well as home loans.

Waltus investors railing against the company\'s merger plans have failed to stay proceedings until their Court of Appeal hearing December 4.