Articles

A message from the MFAA CEO, Mike Felton 9 April 2018 https://www.mfaa.com.au/news/dont_blame_brokers_for_big_bank_misconduct There is a risk that the big banks are using brokers as a shield to divert attention away from allegations of their systemic issues, stifling of competition and massive community trust deficit. If this is the case and it proves successful for the […]

David Scutt| Business Insider| 5 April 2018 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/anz-australia-house-price-forecasts-2018-4 ANZ Bank remains confident that Australia’s housing market is on track for a “soft landing”, predicting that rather than heralding the start of a prolonged slump, prices will actually increase this year. “We retain our view that prices will not materially decline,” say Daniel Gradwell and Joanne […]

James Fernyhough| The New Daily| 4 April 2018 https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2018/04/04/greens-peoples-bank-unpicked/ The Greens have unveiled a radical plan to give Australians access to much cheaper home loans than are currently on offer, in an unabashed attack on the big four banks’ stranglehold on the mortgage market. Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Greens leader Richard […]

James Fernyhough| The New Daily| 3 April 2018 https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/work/2018/04/03/house-prices-falling-wages-rising-rba/ The era of historically lacklustre wage growth in Australia appears to have bottomed out, meaning Aussie workers may soon be looking at a pay rise above inflation. And with property prices in Sydney and Melbourne continuing to fall, and no rise in interest rates on the near horizon, […]

David Taylor| ABC| 21 March 2018 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-21/mortgage-brokers-heavy-lifting-may-not-say-you-money/9569112 Australia is witnessing the beginning of the end of the mortgage-broking industry, a prominent finance industry analyst claims. Key points: Analyst predicts relevance of mortgage brokers will wane as technology improves Comes as questionable lending practices exposed at banking royal commission Analyst suggests Australia follow UK and introduce […]

Efem Castelnuovo & Bruce Preston| The Conversation| 19 March 2018 https://theconversation.com/why-the-rba-needs-to-talk-about-future-interest-rate-policy-93292 The Reserve Bank of Australia should follow the example of other central banks and be clearer about when and how rates will change, called “forward guidance”, to make its policy more effective. At the moment the RBA follows an approach to implement monetary policy […]