FINANCE & MORTGAGE

The one-year plan, which came into effect from Monday, was aimed at helping the housing industry build more homes for both buyers and renters across the state, Premier Jacinta Allan said.

Australian home prices have risen 60% in the past five years. That’s great news for the 7 million households who own one.

Victorian Legal Aid executive director Dan Nicholson has warned clients affected by a faulty debt-recovery system that their confidential information will be disclosed when they speak publicly.

Bankwest has announced that it will no longer include the negative gearing benefits in assessing the loan eligibility of new borrowers.

An aged pensioner's pension has been cut from $316 to $99 a fortnight after helping his kids with a deposit to buy their first home.

A rise in the cost of credit for lower-quality borrowers - which is how housing bubbles burst - will be a key thing to watch in Australia.

Australians are swapping mortgage forms for credit card and personal loan applications, with consumer credit demand rising 9.7 percent in the December quarter of 2015, as compared to the same period in 2014.

The current system with negative gearing may be benefitting the wealthy investors and making it difficult for first time house buyers.

In response to a weekend news article that claimed mortgage brokers fail to adequately disclose to customers the commissions they receive from lenders, Mortgage Choice CEO Michael Russell, one of Australia's largest independently-operated firms, seeks to set the record straight.

Australia home prices skid in October, giving a slight reprieve to the four-month gains, the latest RP Data-Rismark said.

Residential property prices in New Zealand have continued to rise in the third quarter of 2012. The national housing median price rose by 6% to NZ$371,000 (US$304,168) during the year to September 2012, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is among the bodies to suggest that loan-to-value (LTV) ratios should be capped for property lending in Australia.

Among Australian states, Queensland has the most number of mortgage defaults, a report by Fitch Ratings released on Wednesday said.

Westpac Bank (ASX: WBC), in a filing with the Australian Stock Exchange, said that it reclassified the allocation of loan purpose between owner-occupied and investment housing to better reflect the purpose of the loan.

Home loan delinquencies have strongly fell for the second consecutive quarter with new jobs boosting residents' ability to re-pay their home mortgages, Fitch Ratings said.

The Australia Statistics Bureau showed that during the period 2000 to 2011, renting outpaced home ownership in the country.

Housing finance edged up in September, but a housing group has claimed the result masks weak demand for new homes.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) housing finance figures for September 2011 show in trend terms that the number of finance commitments increased for the fifth consecutive month; the September increase was 1.2 percent.

If valuers “get it wrong” they will often find themselves being sued by Lenders Mortgage Insurance companies who may be out of pocket after selling a property to recover funds lent on a loan that went bad.

This year's Financial News has listed the world's top 10 most expensive streets. From Hong Kong to Fifth Avenue residents are splashing out a jaw-dropping $78,000 a square meter for these prestigious addresses.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) sought on Wednesday for interest rate cuts amid weak home sales.

Property developers have welcomed the NSW government's move to scrap stamp duty exemptions for existing homes, arguing it will help improve affordability and boost construction

Mortgage exit fees have drawn a lot of discussion recently, with the Federal Government announcing its plan to legislate against them (one of a range of proposed banking reforms) and the NAB offering to reimburse the exit fees of borrowers who switch to it.

Brokers should focus on what they are really good at when it comes to creating an ideal diversification mix for their business, according to Macquarie Bank.

National Mortgage Brokers has predicted brokers will continue to go from strength to strength as it turned 10 yesterday.

We’ve compiled some expert tips to help you land a hot mortgage deal that delivers on price and on features.

Banks are failing to differentiate on customer service, a survey has indicated.

Australia's small and big banks have cut down the term deposit rates of their bank products, which could discourage consumers from hoarding cash and explore other investment options.

National Australia Bank's direct asset management business, NabInvest, has announced it has acquired a 35 percent equity in AREA Property Partners (AREA), a global real estate fund manager based in New York.