A new high of $2.6 billion in mortgage money changed lenders last month.

Recommendations in the recently released Finance & Expenditure Select Committee inquiry into banking competition are on the right track to encourage competition, Squirrel Mortgages says.

A new country manager for the Finance and Mortgage Advisers Association of New Zealand (FAMNZ) is expected to be appointed in the next fortnight.

First home buyers’ share of the housing market is hovering at its highest in 20 years – making them the dominant buying force all year.

Failure to give customers legally required information about their loans and, in some cases, agreed interest rate discounts had landed Westpac in hot water.

Average house prices around New Zealand have fallen for five months in a row now despite mortgage interest rates falling over 2% from this time a year ago.

Home loan affordability need another boost with an OCR cut tomorrow, FAMNZ says.

This week’s expected OCR by the RBNZ and a signal it will make another is not going to be nowhere enough to dig the economy out of its hole.

Economists expect the OCR will drop on Wednesday as the economy struggles and unemployment hits a five-year high.

New research shows 72% of Kiwis without a home believe buying a property is beyond their reach.

Kiwibank says the stars, or data, have aligned for an OCR cut next week to 3% and an eventual move to 2.5%.

The RBNZ’s most watched barometer of inflation expectations has dropped after increasing sharply in February.

In what could be a global first, Dylan Ferreira from Vega has launched a new website-based business where New Zealand and Australian advisers can exclusively buy and sell mortgage, insurance and wealth books.

Economists are pushing for two OCR cuts before the end of the year in light of the weak labour market data.

One-year fixed term mortgages became the overwhelming choice for home buyers in June.

With about 40% of existing mortgages due to roll over in the next six months and another 10% on floating rates, now could be the best time for those borrowers. That’s because Kiwibank is predicting the RBNZ will be forced to cut interest rates more than either it or the market currently expects, due to weaker economic data both here and overseas.