Mortgage borrowers nearly 18-month love affair with floating and short-term fixed rates appears to be all but over.

ASB is on a hiring drive to recruit 80 additional home ownership specialists as it prepares for a surge in home loan applications.

Misuse of market power is being levelled at the big four Australian-owned banks by lobby group Banking Reform Coalition. It wants the Commerce Commission to prosecute.

While the country’s mortgage stock rose by $1.9 billion in March, the number of problem mortgages also rose by $61 million to $2.4 billion and withdrawals from KiwiSaver on hardship grounds reached a record monthly high.

ANZ economists say the bulk of mortgage interest rates falls has likely ended, barring any major surprises.

Borrowers signed up for $8.5 billion in new mortgages last month – up 45.2% from $5.8 billion in February and up 40.7% from $6.035 billion March last year, the latest Reserve Bank data show.

Mortgage brokers say they are hearing from many first-home buyers wondering what to do about the slump in their KiwiSaver balances caused by US President Donald Trump's tariff war.

Mortgage demand has increased over the past six months for the first time since 2021.

Westpac is sticking to its forecast of a 3.25% OCR bottom.

ANZ is adding two more OCR cuts to its economic forecast after next month’s expected drop to  3.25%.

Despite a recession, the number and value of home loans were up by 21% in the second half of last year, compared to the first half.

Although carded one- and two-year fixed mortgage rates are now about 200 basis points (bp) below last year’s high the vast majority of lower mortgage rates have yet to flow though.

Lobby group the Banking Reform Coalition wants the FMA to use its powers under the new Conduct of Financial Institutions (CoFI) regime to get tough on banks not passing on OCR cuts in mortgage rates immediately.

Kiwibank says the economic environment simply demands more interest rate relief.

Newly minted HomeSec New Zealand manager Ziggy Munz is confident residential mortgage advisers will be able to add another arrow to their lending bow after an education programme he is planning.

Two-year fixed mortgage rates are starting to slowly eat into the share of total lending by banks.