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.

The estimated net worth of Kiwi households is down $0.7 billion, or 0.3 per cent, over the last quarter thanks to falling house prices and rising debt.

With the risk increasing that the Reserve Bank will increase rates in a fortnight, it's looking like a good time to lock into a cheap mortgage deal.

A group of dissenting shareholders hasn't given up hope of affecting the merger of several Waltus property syndicates into one company and is taking the matter to the Court of Appeal.

Online mortgage broker E-Loan is trying to put a rocket under the home loan market by offering conditional loan approvals within 30 minutes.

Greater reliance on electronic banking, fewer bank branches and a move away from personal service to call centres are behind many of the problems dealt with by the Banking Ombudsman's Office.

Armstrong Jones is now going the OEIC route and will unveil a range of these beasties, managed by Edinburgh Fund Managers, at roadshows later this month.

Slugged the Rate Breaker, Wizard's new home loan has a floating rate of 7.79 per cent that should leave little doubt these guys are here to play hard ball.

One of Australia\'s leading non-bank lenders is revving up its engines here, offering borrowers a fee-free home loan and planning to debut other low-cost products shortly.