While interest rates have been dropping, the decline has not been enough to stop nearly $2.5 billion in residential mortgage loans slipping into the non-performing category.

Higher qualifications and standards across the board are needed for advisers coming into the mortgage industry, says Matthieu Olo-Whaanga of Tasman Finance Partners.

Westpac economists say their forecast of 6.2% growth in house prices growth this year now looks optimistic when they have only ramped up 1% in the past six months.

There has been an increase in suspected mortgage fraud being reported to the FMA.

A housing market deep in the doldrums is likely to stay stalled for some time yet, ANZ says.

Mortgage holders switching lenders has reached a new high – up 30% during June.

Despite mortgage costs being higher than rents first home buyers have taken more than a quarter of all properties bought in the second quarter of the year.

Another cut to the OCR next month is now as close to a done deal as can be the case, the BNZ says.

Specialist lenders are urging lawmakers to strike the right balance on the country’s consumer credit rules.

Complaints about mortgage, insurance and wealth advisers made up the largest number of cases investigated by Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL) in the year to the end of last month.

An ageing population is expected to continue putting downward pressure on neutral interest
rates and house prices could increase, a RBNZ briefing paper reveals.

Banks have lobbied themselves another profit centre under open banking, which could kill fintech innovation, Sam Stubbs of KiwiSaver Simplicity says.

Adding to the RBNZ’s cautious OCR approach and pause on cuts this month is the full impact of the large interest rate reductions over the past year is yet to be felt.
 

Even though the OCR didn’t budge yesterday, a sizeable chunk of mortgage holders are expected to keep fixing at floating rates in the hope there will be further cuts.

Regulatory reform is needed to support improved competition and innovation across the banking sector, TSB says.