Financial market volatility may be slightly elevated as coalition negotiations evolve, says one of the major banks. However, Westpac says, the centre-right’s strong performance during Saturday's general election will assuage some uncertainty.

Despite high interest rates, more than 43% of home loan borrowers are ahead on their loan repayments, compared to 1.4% who are behind and more than 11,000 loans switching to interest only.

A Responsible Debt Collection Code has been launched by the Financial Services Federation (FSF).

New Zealanders who work with a financial planning professional are better off, a new study shows.

Mortgage adviser Deepesh Chaudhary has turned his hand to helping small businesses.

Growth in the property market is on the way up although at a gentle place.

Borrowers appear to be coping as mortgages roll off lower to higher interest rates. Centrix August data show the number of home loans in arrears fell for the third consecutive month to 1.25%, down from 1.26% in July.

As expected the RBNZ has left the OCR at 5.5% as it fights to bring inflation into the 1-3% range.

Newly self-employed people, renters, those with some business or credit blips and others needing a higher LVR are increasingly looking to mortgage advisers and non-bank lenders for help.

Whether National or Labour is elected in a fortnight’s time, chartered accountant and tax specialist Matthew Gilligan of Gilligan Rowe & Associates says tax rules will change.

Part of the early-stage recovery in the housing market comes from loan-to-value ratio rules being loosened in June.

Mortgage adviser Jeff Royle, a significant player in the non-bank sector, says he has never come across a country so obsessed with interest rates.

Using Stats NZ’s urban-rural area classification, Infometrics has looked at New Zealand’s larger towns and cities and how they are projected to change.

For the first time this year the value of new mortgages for home buyers was higher than the same month last year.

While the OCR is expected to hold at 5.50% at next month’s OCR review, at least three banks – ANZ, Westpac, HSBC – believe it will rise to 5.75% at the November RBNZ meeting. That’s despite the Reserve Bank’s indication it is not expecting to hike further in this cycle.