Blog - Loans Near Me

Walker Corp goes green with new loans on flagship towers

Walker Corp goes green with new loans on flagship towers By Carolyn Cummins Property developer Lang Walker has struck an agreement with leading banks to create green loans for its flagship assets as it joins the push by all companies to focus on reducing their environmental impact and making buildings more sustainable. Under the deal, Walker Corporation, one of the country’s largest private developers, will create new green loans for its Parramatta Square in Sydney and Collins Square in Melbourne. The loans are with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and ANZ Bank. An artists impression of Lang Walker's $3.2b Parramatta Square project.CREDIT: It comes as the property sector embraces sustainability and focuses on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria of the business. It has become a priority for developers with more tenants now looking for higher rated properties to lease and investors using it as a key inclusion in a sale. Walker …

‘Liar loans’ on the rise as risky mortgages drive house price boom

'Liar loans' on the rise as risky mortgages drive house price boom By business reporters Michael Janda and Gareth Hutchens Based on a survey of around 900 borrowers, UBS estimates that 41 per cent had inaccurate mortgage applications.(ABC News: Elise Pianegonda) Australian home prices have surged almost 20 per cent over the past year, and investment bank UBS has warned that a record level of "liar loans" as buyers "chase the market" could be one reason why. Key points: A record 41 per cent of loan applications contain factual inaccuracies The most common fudges are under-representing living costs and financial commitments The banking regulator says it has seen "no obvious poor-quality lending"

The bank's annual survey of around 900 people who took out a mortgage over the past year showed that 41 per cent submitted loan applications that were not completely factually accurate — so-called "liar loans".

Experts warn against resorting to buy now, pay later loans for essentials during lockdown

Experts warn against resorting to buy now, pay later loans for essentials during lockdown Experts warn against resorting to buy now, pay later loans for essentials during lockdown By David Taylor Experts warn that some Australians waiting on government support could be targeting by lenders.(ABC News: Kit Mochan)

Consumer advocates say some lenders are cashing in on those facing financial distress while under lockdown conditions.

Key points:

The Consumer Action Law Centre believes lenders are taking advantage of people still waiting on government support

Financial counsellor Peter Thompson says he has spoken to people turning to buy now, pay later lenders to pay for essentials

Afterpay says it has never enforced a debt nor sold debt to a collection agency

Financial counsellor Peter Thompson has been field…

Mortgage costs to jump as interest rate rises loom, warns CBA

Mortgage costs to jump as interest rate rises loom, warns CBA ahead of Reserve Bank meeting By business reporter Michael Janda CBA is expecting interest rates to rise earlier and faster than many other institutions. (ABC News: John Gunn)

Australians could soon be paying more than $26 billion a year in extra mortgage repayments as interest rates begin to "normalise", but the Commonwealth Bank argues there are several reasons why most households will be able to cope just fine.

Key points: The RBA's interest rate decision will be announced at 2:30pm AEST, followed by a rare press conference from the governor No-one is expecting a rate rise, but there are likely to be announcements about the future of other measures that have kept mortgage rates very low CBA says households should be able to cope with a forecast rise in the cash rate from 0.1 to 1.25 per cent over the next two-and-a-bit years Read more

Getting a home loan when self-employed or work on a casual and contract basis

Getting a home loan when self-employed or work on a casual and contract basis ABC Everyday By Ginger Gorman As someone working primarily on a contract and casual basis, Melanie says it was impossible to get a clear picture of how to secure a loan.(Supplied: Jill Kerswill)

For Melanie, owning her own home — and getting a loan in her own name — was a hard four-year journey.

The 38-year-old creative writing lecturer jokes that it took her "47 jobs" and working up to 100 hours per week without taking holidays to finally secure her three-bedroom Brisbane Queenslander in 2019. "I'm exaggerating, but if I went through my payslips and [short-term teaching] contracts with the different universities, I probably did technically have about 47 jobs," she says. "Every contract that you do counts as another job with the bank." As someone working primarily…

Home loans buoyant, but investors subdued

Home loans buoyant, but investors subdued Colin Brinsden, AAP Economics and Business Correspondent Despite ultra-low lending rates, 20 per cent of Australians are estimated as under mortgage stress. The amount of outstanding mortgages in Australia grew by the fastest monthly pace in four years. But economists doubt financial regulators will be too concerned at this stage with investor loans still relatively subdued. New figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia showed housing credit grew by 0.6 per cent in May, the largest rise since June 2017. Annual growth now stands at 4.8 per cent, its highest since 2018. Owner-occupier loans rose 0.7 per cent in the month to 6.6 per cent, also the highest year rate since 2018. However, growth in loans to housing investors remained relatively modest, rising 0.4 per cent in May to 1.6 per cent. …

What homebuyers should look for when comparing home loans

What homebuyers should look for when comparing home loans as interest rates remain low

It’s a great time to buy property with record-low interest rates, but homebuyers are cautioned to avoid these mistakes when shopping for loans.

Kathy Skantzos

With unprecedented cuts to Aussie home loans and ultra-low interest rates, now could be the ideal time to buy, but buyers have been warned to shop around before committing to a mortgage.

Canstar’s group executive of financial services Steve Mickenbecker told news.com.au that homebuyers should not be getting a loan for anything around the 3 per cent mark or above. He said home loan rates are down at around 2 per cent – an ultimate low we haven’t seen before – and buyers shouldn’t be going any higher. “We’ve not seen a minimum anywhere around that. In 2015, the average interest rate was around 5 per cent and in 2020 the national average was 3.32 per cent. That’s…

Simpler lending rules for home loans

Simpler lending rules for home loans and credit to free up the economy Customers will be promised faster access to loans under simpler rules that aim to free up credit and lift the economy by ending confusion over lending obligations for banks and finance companies. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will overhaul the laws governing mortgages, personal loans, credit cards and payday lending to streamline decisions on whether customers can afford the loans they seek. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will overhaul bank lending rules to make it simpler to decide mortgages and credit card lending.CREDIT:ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN The changes respond to growing concerns over court disputes and the duplication of regulators in home and personal lending, sparking fears that restrictive rules on credit would curb economic growth. With the government preparing to unveil tax cuts and spending measures in the October 6 budget, the lending reforms are intended to improve access to credit fro…

Many Aussies are making a big mistake with home loans

Many Aussies are making a big mistake with home loans: here’s how

How mortgage hunters could be dudding themselves out of the best deal, all because of an unfounded fear.

Rebecca Le May

Many mortgage hunters have an unfounded fear of non-bank lenders and could be dudding themselves out of the best deal.

After the Reserve Bank of Australia slashed the cash rate to record lows earlier this month, it was the smaller, little-known outfits Athena, Reduce Home Loans, Homestar Finance, Homeloans.com.au and Pacific Mortgage Group that led the charge in passing on interest rate cuts to customers. RateCity research director Sally Tindall said non-bank lenders had helped drive prices down across the entire home loan market, particularly in recent months as record numbers of mortgage holders moved to refinance, especially when it came to fixed rates. “Right now, the lowest fixed rate loan on the market is just 1.…

Beforepay, Afterpay and everything in between

Beforepay, Afterpay and everything in between: Do Australia’s BNPL players have consumers’ best interests at heart? STEPHANIE PALMER-DERRIEN Among other things, 2020 has been the year of e-commerce, and, by extension, it’s become the year of buy-now-pay-later too. Aussie market leader Afterpay has seen its share price top $100, up from $8.90 in mid-March. Competitor Zip Pay has also been going gangbusters on the ASX, and newer players like Payright and Limepay are reaping the benefits of a mass shift online. Such products essentially extend short-term credit to consumers, allowing them to take on a small debt and spread their payments into more manageable chunks. We’re also seeing other alternative credit solutions appearing. Last week, fintech BeforePay raised $4 million for its product allowing users to borrow up to $200 from their pay cheque in advance. BeforePay charges a flat 5% fee, for short-term loans, often over just seven or 14 days. SmartCompany…