RBA’s First Meeting of 2022
The RBA board voted to leave the official cash rate on hold today, at its first meeting for the year. The decision failed to surprise experts, though a growing number of economists are firming in the belief that the central bank will be forced to hike rates at least once this year; well earlier than […]
The Lending Year That Was In 2021
The lending year that was in 2021 2021 was another crazy year in every sense of the word. Of course there was the pandemic, which put a stamp on us all for the second year running, with the Delta variant first becoming the dominant strain of Covid, followed by Omicron at the end of the […]
RBA Announcement December 2021
There were no Christmas surprises today as the RBA elected to leave the cash rate unchanged at 0.1% at its last meeting until February next year. After RBA Governor Philip Lowe sought to hose down rate rise speculation following the November board meeting, a movement today was never going to be on the cards. Bank […]
Buying Properties In 2022 – Get Organised
Here we are at the pointy end of the year already. And 2021 was a crazy one. Just as people spent the year going in and out of lockdowns, worrying about vaccines and facing financial uncertainty, property markets boomed all around the country. If you were looking to buy, the year may have gotten away […]
RBA Announcement November 2021
It’s all about the number ‘1’ this month for the RBA, after it left rates on hold yet again at its November meeting. It’s now 1 year since the official cash rate was last changed…and 11 years since the rate was last increased. Meanwhile, there are now more than 200 home loan product rates that […]
The Switch To A Different Loan Product
Banks have relied on Aussies paying the ‘lazy tax’ for generations. We think all banks are as bad as each other so there’s no point going through the hassle of switching loans. But if you’ve been with the same bank for a long time, or even more than one year, you’re almost certainly not on […]
First Home Buyers – What’s Available To You?
First home buyer grants, concessions and benefits chop and change, but in recent years, they have mostly been aligned to the construction of new homes. By helping first home buyers (FHB) buy new properties, governments are also stimulating the building industry and incentivizing the supply of extra homes. FHB grants have been around since 2000, […]
What The New APRA Restrictions Mean
This week the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) intervened in the property market by tightening some of its rules around borrowing and loan serviceability. APRA wrote to banks and told them they had until the end of this month to increase the rates at which they calculate a borrower’s servicing power from 2.5% to 3%. […]
RBA Announcement October 2021
There were no surprises today as the RBA voted to keep rates on hold at 0.1% at its October meeting. The central bank also decided to maintain the target of 10 basis points for the April 2024 Australian Government Bond and continue purchasing government securities at $4 billion a week until at least February next […]
When Was The Last Time You Had Your Loan Reviewed?
The lending environment is changing all the time, so it’s important to regularly review your loan or loans and make sure you’re getting the best deal you can. Say you’ve had a loan for the last 2 years for example, chances are that you’ve missed one or more potential interest rate reductions. On top of […]
