This Month
Auction rates crash as higher rates, Iran war takes toll on buyers
The proportion of real estate sold last weekend fell to its lowest level in 15 months amid fears the Middle East conflict will send interest rates soaring.
Stand up to whinging gas giants
Readers’ letters on a controversial drawing in The Australian Financial Review, gas tax, replacing Jacinta Allan, and self-managed superannuation funds.
Banks face climate stress as home insurance crisis widens
By 2050, one in four Australian houses may be uninsured, as rising premiums from climate change make it unaffordable, creating problems for lenders.
Ex-Macquarie banker drives mortgage broker roll-up Recludo towards IPO
Tim Brown says attacking the mortgage market niches with a private-equity lens can help increase broker loan books, keeping power from major banks.
Why older Australians are becoming a housing pain point
New data shows there is another generation starting to feel the pinch from higher mortgage rates. And it’s not who you think.
AUSTRAC calls in 10 banks for key meeting on spike in mortgage fraud
The agency requested data from the lenders as it works to assess the extent of the fraud and whether properties funded by criminal proceeds should be seized.
Households can handle global shocks, interest rate pain, says RBA
The central bank’s health check shows households are 15 months ahead on payments, giving the RBA room to lift the cash rate to a 15-year high.
Big banks are wrongly blaming brokers for mortgage fraud
The reality is that the biggest vulnerabilities sit in these institutions’ referral networks and internal sales channels – both run by the banks themselves.
KKR-contingent $1b Pepper bid first victim of oil shock, rising rates
A $2.60 a share bid six weeks ago is chipped to $2.25, recognising just how much markets have changed and putting a company’s board in a squeeze.
Why Macquarie is winning the home loan wars (according to Macquarie)
A cold war has been bubbling away between the upstart lender and the country’s dominant bank, CBA. Unsurprisingly, there are two very different narratives.
Macquarie’s ‘no-hoops’ bank hustle can’t stay under the radar
The bank has very deliberately pulled back the curtain on its retail operation just as it gets too big to ignore.
Macquarie’s disruption to banking ranks up there with AI
The bank’s role as the disruptor in chief to traditional banking warrants equal prominence as questions about the impact of artificial intelligence.
A $500,000 mortgage at 55: Millennials face grim retirement
Rising property prices, later market entry, and frequent refinancing now extend loan terms well past borrowers reaching their 60s.
Macquarie’s bank warning: 10pc of mortgage payments at risk from AI
Australia’s banks remain priced for perfection. But Macquarie argues that a shock to employment from AI could create ripple effects that test the system’s stability.
CBA refers brokers, accountants to police over massive loan fraud
People briefed on the widening inquiries said the country’s largest lender became particularly concerned about anomalies detected among clients of two firms.
Iran’s rate threat, AI job tsunami, and the $200m radio split
James and Anthony discuss the Kyle and Jackie O divorce, the marriage of Barrenjoey and Magellan, and the uncertainty of war on markets.
Macquarie tells CBA’s Comyn to ‘bring it on’ amid intense mortgage war
The financial services giant’s chief executive, Shemara Wikramanayake, issued a tacit rebuke of concerns that it was getting an easier run from regulators.
ATO tax return data could help to alleviate mortgage fraud risk
As the country’s big four banks scramble to get ahead of the problem, there are solutions that can be implemented to greatly lower the risk of home loan fraud.
Heat on APRA from CBA attack on MacBank
If APRA is persuaded there is no level playing field in retail banking in Australia, it would have implications for competition and the future of regional banks.
February
Mortgage fraud issues put the blowtorch on CBA
The bank’s application processes and the way documents are verified leave it vulnerable. The sector must lift its game to protect the integrity of the market.
