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 yearsMortgage 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)
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Many Aussies are making a big mistake with home loans
Many Aussies are making a big mistake with home loans: here’s how
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How mortgage hunters could be dudding themselves out of the best deal, all because of an unfounded fear.
Rebecca Le MayMany 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.…Westpac, St George: Banks hit by class action over car loan ‘flex commissions’
Westpac, St George: Banks hit by class action over car loan ‘flex commissions’
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Alannah Fox was forced to pay a whopping $24,864 in interest for a 2015 Hyundai. Now, she and many other Aussies are fighting back.
Alexis Careycarey_alexis When Alannah Fox bought her first new car, she trusted she was getting a fair deal on her loan. Instead, the teachers’ aide, who was 25 at the time, was charged 12.99 per cent on a loan of just over $47,000 – which meant she had to pay a staggering $24,864 in interest for her 2015 Hyundai ix35. She claims she was only told of the interest rate after the deal was struck. “They didn’t tell me the interest rate until I went to pick up the car. We bargained hard on the initial price, but I believe they knew what they were doing and slugged me with the high interest rate to compensate,” Ms Fox said. Ms Fox is now one of the lead applicants in a new class action over shonky bank car loans, which leadi…