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Holiday period sees a number of mortgage rate changes by many banks as wholesale markets rise and economic conditions get murky

Holiday period sees a number of mortgage rate changes by many banks as wholesale markets rise and economic conditions get murky

SBS Bank has now ended it unique 3.99% one year 'special'.

Today, that 'special' rate has moved back to 4.35%.

This is the latest in a series of small tweaks made by banks over the holiday period.

While none have been major, together they have shifted the landscape somewhat, changing who has the sharpest 'price'.

Here are the price leaders:

Term Lowest
carded rate
by these Banks
     
Floating 5.65% Kiwibank
6 months Fixed 4.69% ICBC
1 year Fixed 4.25% HSBC
18 months Fixed 4.49% ASB
2 years Fixed 4.35% Westpac
3 years Fixed 4.75%  ASB
4 years Fixed 4.99%
 HSBC
5 years Fixed 4.99% HSBC
7 years Fixed 5.90%
Ten years Fixed 5.75%

Changes to mortgage rates will become regular features in 2016, principally because benchmark wholesale rates will need to absorb the impact of the US Fed's tightening plans.

The recent cut in the OCR by the RBNZ means that the short end influences (one year and less) could diverge from the longer dated rates.

The market turmoil and uncertainty in China will also influence rate pricing if it continues. This will mainly be felt through the risk premiums that wholesale borrowers must pay to access funds. These risk premiums have been rising fast in the past few days, even as wholesale rates have been softening.

See all banks' carded, or advertised, home loan interest rates here.

Mortgage rates now compare across all banks as follows:

below 80% LVR Floating  1 yr  18mth  2 yrs   3 yrs   5 yrs 
    % % % % %
5.74 4.35 4.95 4.49 5.10 5.35
ASB 5.75 4.39 4.49 4.49 4.75 5.25
5.79 4.39 5.09 4.49 5.25 5.50
Kiwibank 5.65 4.49   4.49 4.85 5.35
Westpac 5.85 4.39 4.95 4.35 4.80 5.35
             
5.70 4.39 4.49 4.49 4.75 5.15
HSBC 6.10 4.25   4.49 4.99 4.99
HSBC 5.74 4.35 4.69 4.49 4.79 5.29
5.74 4.35 4.69 4.39 4.79 5.35

In addition, BNZ has a fixed seven year rate of 5.75%, while TSB Bank offers a fixed ten year rate also at 5.75%.

Fixed mortgage rates

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2 Comments

On your swap rate page all rates seemed to be heading back down when you adjust the scale to cover the last 8 weeks.
http://www.interest.co.nz/charts/interest-rates/daily-swap-rates
Expect that all main banks will be offering sub 4% 2 year mortgage rates later this month. The banks published rates can be ignored as they are all offering significant discounts - variable/floating rate at 4.75% i.e. 1% below published rate is available - all you have to do is ask!

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A record level of mortgage approvals were granted in the two weeks ended 18 December - 14,958 of them!
What is all this money being used for - is it simply people refinancing with a different bank or are we back into using the house as an ATM and spending up large on new cars, overseas trips, renovations or refinancing credit card debt?

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