Home Loans Mortgage News

Athena offers automatic interest rate cuts to mortgage holders

Digital-only home loan lender Athena is dishing out automatic interest rate cuts to borrowers as they pay off bigger chunks of their mortgages.

Alison CheungAug 12, 2020( 4 min read )

Mortgage stress affecting 40% of households, despite property market aflush with stimulus

Billions of dollars’ worth of government and bank support has failed to put a lid on mortgage stress, soaring to its highest level ever.

Alison CheungAug 11, 2020( 4 min read )

Lenders slash mortgage rates while Australians top up offset accounts

Average home loan interest rates have declined by between 33 and 45 basis points over the last quarter, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). While this has reportedly led more Australians to refinance their mortgages and top up their offset accounts, fewer new home loans have been recorded.

Mark BristowAug 8, 2020( 4 min read )

Government COVID-19 support payment extended, criteria relaxed

The Federal Government has expanded its JobKeeper support payment for businesses and relaxed eligibility criteria in the wake of a pandemic teetering on a second wave along Australia’s east coast.

Tony IbrahimAug 7, 2020( 4 min read )

The newest suburbs in Australia to crack the million-dollar mark

Forty-six suburbs across the country entered the million-dollar club in the year to June 2020.

Alison CheungAug 6, 2020( 5 min read )

Renters hit by pandemic rarely offered helpful discounts, survey finds

Less than ten per cent of renters confronted with a loss of income during COVID-19 were granted relief with an adequate discount, a report has found.

Tony IbrahimAug 6, 2020( 4 min read )

Home loan market shows signs of life as variable rates hit 1.95%

New home lending has partially recovered from its record drop last month according to ABS figures released today. It comes as home loan rates keep on tumbling, with a new lowest ongoing variable rate of 1.95 per cent now on the market.

Laine GordonAug 5, 2020( 4 min read )

RBA makes the case for 20-storey apartments in Sydney

Planning controls -- and not demand -- have pushed the price of apartments in Sydney up by more than half of their construction costs, Australia’s central bank has found.

Tony IbrahimAug 5, 2020( 3 min read )

As jobless figure creeps, more people defer mortgage repayments

Homeowners who deferred their mortgages are making less repayments than when the pandemic first struck, putting them in the position where they will likely face compounding interest charges in the thousands, according to data released by the financial regulator.

Tony IbrahimAug 5, 2020( 4 min read )

How COVID-19 is affecting the property rental market

Rental markets in Australia have taken a beating from COVID-19, with rents and yields falling in inner city areas.

Alison CheungAug 4, 2020( 5 min read )

Cash rate held but low rates are still up for grabs

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has today held the cash rate at a record low of 0.25 per cent for the fifth month in a row. But there are still record-low home loan rates up for grabs for borrowers willing to make the switch.

Alex RitchieAug 4, 2020( 3 min read )

Borrowers rush to refinance as loyalty tax bites

The Reserve Bank is expected to leave the cash rate on hold at 0.25 per cent when it meets this afternoon. But a new survey from RateCity.com.au found 43 per cent of home loan borrowers are looking to refinance in light of COVID-19 and record low rates.

Laine GordonAug 4, 2020( 3 min read )

RBA considers cutting record low cash rate

High unemployment, tapering stimulus payments, a sagging property market and a possible second COVID-19 wave will be front of mind when the RBA meets to decide if a rate cut should take place.

Tony IbrahimAug 4, 2020( 5 min read )

Property values shrink in capital cities as COVID-19 casts uncertainty: CoreLogic

Australia’s sale and rental market fell for a third month straight led by drops in its largest cities, new data shows, testing its resilience as the country grapples with a pandemic.

Tony IbrahimAug 3, 2020( 4 min read )