Kiwibank offers 4.99% mortgage

Kiwibank offers 6 month mortgage 'special' at 4.99% for 'limited time only'; says it's a record low for Kiwibank; 'Normal' 6 month mortgage rate was 5.65%

17th Nov 11, 2:48pm by Bernard Hickey

Kiwibank has announced a 6 month mortgage 'special' at 4.99%, which is below its normal 6 month rate of 5.65% and only applies to borrowers with a minimum of 30% equity in their property.

Kiwibank Chief Executive Paul Brock said it was the lowest rate ever offered by the bank and significantly undercut the other main banks, who are grouped around 5.7% with their 6 month rates.

“We’ve seized an opportunity to offer what we believe is a startlingly low home loan interest rate. We’re looking to grow our mortgage portfolio and to pass through savings to customers,” Brock said.

Kiwibank said the 6 month special was only available for those with at least 30% equity, otherwise the banks standard 6 month rate of 5.65% applies.

Kiwibank said the rate "will only be available for a limited time."

See all bank mortgage rates here.

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42 Comments

by SK | 17th Nov 11, 3:20pm 1321496434

Now that's cheap money.

Aggressive from KB.

Let's see if any other banks return fire.

by Bernard Hickey | 17th Nov 11, 3:23pm 1321496609

Interesting twist is the 30% plus equity premium. Good to see some variation in rates dependent on risk.

cheers

Bernard

by Bernard Hickey | 17th Nov 11, 3:24pm 1321496652

Perhaps this begs the question. Should borrowers with already-high equity levels ask their banks for discounts?

Sounds like a plan to me.

cheers

Bernard

by SK | 17th Nov 11, 3:53pm 1321498406

Agreed. I do that as a matter of course. Everyone should.

Also agreed that its good that these kind of 'teaser rates' are not aimed at the FHB market with their 5% deposits.

by MortgageBelt | 17th Nov 11, 3:46pm 1321497978

I did mention recently to look for a 4.95% rate at a bank near you ..... but nobody believed me.

by Nicholas Arrand | 17th Nov 11, 3:57pm 1321498665

This is an attempt by Paul Brock to strengthen the quality of his mortgage lending portfolio. He needs the addittional equity that this rate hopes to attract; and he is prepred to pay for it. However, whatever the market's 'normal' rate will be in 6 months time for a short run/floating , it will not be 4.99%...it's likely to be...much lower.

by Hamish | 17th Nov 11, 4:29pm 1321500570

My thoughts exactly. Off out shopping for some quality customers to bolster the mortgage book.

by steven | 17th Nov 11, 7:28pm 1321511322

Yep....I think its a way to get in the BBs etc who are earning good money and have little mortgage left.....Im probably going to go for it....6months for a safety margin while this blows up is worth it IMHO....im hardly going to pay any money over the odds for that certainty.

regards

by steven | 17th Nov 11, 7:32pm 1321511520

I agree, but also those with low equity probably have good incomes as well....

I dont see how it can go much lower....but given I cant see the EU lasting six months, indeed xmas Im all for getting this....it means certainity at little cost, it might actually be cheaper.

What risks / negative aspects have a fixed over floating? I cant see much in 6 months.

regards

by KW John | 18th Nov 11, 9:50am 1321563044

Ignorance here again. The 'quality of the mortgage lending portfolio'... could this have any relationship to covered bond offers that a bank might choose to make. e.g. in terms of the quality of the security offered to prospective purchasers of the bond?

by KW John | 18th Nov 11, 11:55am 1321570544

Ta Mist, guess I'm really questioning the best way to compare the quality of the lenders, other than just what rate is on offer. I may,for example, prefer to go with a lender that doesn''t allow 'mortgage loans' to fund anything that isn't owner-occupier housing, or one that doesn't lend to prospective landlords... 'the quality of his mortgage lending portfolio' seemed quite a nice measure (if such a thing could be quantified). I suspect it means no more than 'less risk on the behalf of the bank'.

by robby217 | 17th Nov 11, 3:59pm 1321498751

By whose 'valuation'?

by Frazcam | 17th Nov 11, 4:39pm 1321501143

So, the common thought is that, rates will drop lower over the next few months??

by steven | 17th Nov 11, 7:26pm 1321511178

Even if the OCR does drop i find it hard to believe that it will go lower than 4.99% ...Given i expect a serious blowup Im seriously going to consider this....will chat to them in the morning.

regards

by Haggis Hague | 18th Nov 11, 10:32am 1321565567

Hi Steven

Avoid the temptation to assume that if it hasn't happened already, it won't. I speak from experience. But, if you are after a safety margin while the current situation plays out, you might look at a little more than 6 months. This is a slow train wreck.

Regards

Haggis

by OMG | 17th Nov 11, 4:51pm 1321501913

Open talk in the media here in HK of an impending 30% drop in property prices and not ruling out 50% - a scenario the govt could not "manage".

It's OK NZ is different ;-0

by steven | 17th Nov 11, 7:24pm 1321511085

yeah right....I think 50% is pretty certain....60% likely.....

regards

by mandalay | 17th Nov 11, 9:01pm 1321516883

not likely in NZ and will certainly NEVER happen in Auckland!

by Crazy Horse | 18th Nov 11, 11:01am 1321567317

Isn't this thread a cue for SK et al to give us 10 valid reasons why this will never happen ??

C'mon, no one can touch property values in Auckland .... we have imprinted on our foreheads "ya can't lose......... " need I bother saying anymore ..... I'm just glad I have diversified.

by mandalay | 18th Nov 11, 1:43pm 1321576987

am certainly not in the sk spruiker brigade. Just the dire predictions of a property crash in NZ have not happened, in reality the opposite is happening in most areas in Auckland and the so called balloon keeps rising. Clearly there are other forces at play in Auckland.
So until i see that massive 30%- 50% drop am sticking to my guns.
Ps i'd love nothing more than to see a substantial drop in house prices and see younger kiwis buying a home.

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 8:55am 1321559751

Awwww c'mon. There is no way prices will drop that much - I don't know how some of you people even dare leave the house in the morning.

by Nicholas Arrand | 18th Nov 11, 9:12am 1321560770

I'll bet,frazcam, the Japanese didn't think their prices would fall 50%+, either! Now sure, 'we' are all different. But the thing is, property prices can, and do, move in all sorts of unexpected ways ( ask Olly Newland apres 1987!).

"Japanese prices didn’t fall all at once. It was a long horrible drawn out process. Sure residential land prices ended up down, going on 70%. But they didn’t reach that point until 2005..."

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 1:33pm 1321576386

The problem is NA that the same people keep harping on about prices dropping so much. Then when there is a slight drop they all jump up and say "I told you so - here we go" - next month the prices are back up.

Japan is one country - that is all. I am sure there are plenty of places where prices keep rising - just look across the ditch. It's a bit nearer.

Anyway a friend of mine in Japan has just told me that house prices near Fukishima have dropped by 90% - you may be right NA.

by Nicholas Arrand | 18th Nov 11, 10:00am 1321563649

Demand for houses doesn't disappear. But the capacity to pay for them does. The need for the 'savings' tied up in property both squeezes those captured saving out and stops 'new' saving being put into property( especially if new purchases are not at an economic level to support them on their own ie. the rent = all outgoings, independent of tax treatment - which can change at whim). So property goes into a long, slow decline. Death by a thousand cuts, in other words, as it's difficult to see a 'bottom' to either buy off, or sell before it's reached. So property declines in relative value compared to income producing assets, which can be just plain old cash.

by Haggis Hague | 18th Nov 11, 10:36am 1321565794

Thanks Nicholas. Nicely put.

by MortgageBelt | 17th Nov 11, 8:01pm 1321513304

However, GE notified customers this week of a 1.3% rise in interest rates - which brings their GE Creditline rate to 28% from Dec 1. Due to "rising cost of funding & increasing costs to support the (monopoly Hire Purchase/revolving credit for consumers at dept stores)". Will this be included in the Govt crackdown on sharp moneylending practices? Perhaps the new ethical advertising will be "Interest free at Norman Harvey for 12 months but thereafter 28% on outstanding balances".

by steven | 17th Nov 11, 8:06pm 1321513582

Hmm, I got a email from GE offering 1 year interest freeand yes the prevailing rate applies once off it.........28% is bloody awful.....a kiwibank cc is 13% odd.....like why would anyone use GE if they had to pay interest? ......wierd.

regards

by MortgageBelt | 17th Nov 11, 8:11pm 1321513889

Well, I guess it's a good product for disciplined people. Use the interest-free period for the new Laptop, pay it off completely. But for low-income or undisciplined people the penalty is carrying a balance at 28% - also it's revolving credit tempting you back to debt again - whereas an old-fashioned HP meant people paid it off - then the account disappeared and they had to reapply at the next HP purchase. As well as the monopolistic effect of GE dominating all consumer credit .....

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 8:56am 1321559816

Because it is a great deal if you are strong enough with yourself to pay it off - you are serious with that question???

by Gertraud T. | 17th Nov 11, 9:39pm 1321519197

Do this customers know, how much they really are paying?

http://www.chrismartenson.com/forum/10-trillion-geometric-error-us-inte…

by muzza | 17th Nov 11, 10:05pm 1321520739

Can one go to Kiwibank and ask to refinance with them or is it only for purchase of new properties? It doesn't pesonally interest me as have all properties, residential rentals and commercial mortgage-free by April, 2012, but in principle it sounds good if one could refinance from an existing floating loan with another bank.

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 8:58am 1321559918

I think you can refinance - but only if you have 30% or greater equity. KB are trying to attract the 'safer' customers by offering them a short term fixed rate. I don't think it will appeal to many first time buyers as very few would have 30% equity in their properties.

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 8:54am 1321559688

Not really much to consider - after all it is only a 6 month fixed rate. Now considering a 5 year fixed rate would need some thinking. We had 5 mortgages and then consolidated them into two - we just look at the best rate for the longest erm and fix then - floating is not the best for us.

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 1:35pm 1321576511

Not as I know of - after 6 months you go onto variable, unless you want to fix again. If you are on variable, you can just walk away.

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 1:36pm 1321576592

The thing is, unless your mortgage is big enough, it sometimes isn't worth moving to save even 0.5%. The costs incurred with moving outweigh the benefit of the savings. Although most banks will court your business by offering to pay the 'legals'.

by Frazcam | 18th Nov 11, 1:39pm 1321576783

I have one question - perhaps you can help me out? All the slagging off of the Aussie banks that goes off in the media and how good KB is - how come KB doesn't discount like this regularly to bring the 'Aussie Banks' into line? The other thing we forget is that the Aussie Banks probably employ more Kiwis that KB does - KB can't get more stripped back than it already is.

by smw007 | 18th Nov 11, 1:44pm 1321577042

Just talked to ANZ - rate matched, but got a better deal on one of my loans for 18 months, rest is staying on floating... Why switch, just talk to your bank and they'll do it anyway (if your not a dodgy customer or high LVR!)

by Nicholas Arrand | 18th Nov 11, 1:50pm 1321577421

@swm007 : What are you going to do with the savings? Spend them or save them ( "pay off the mortgage, faster") The latter, of course, is deflation.

by SK | 18th Nov 11, 2:14pm 1321578899

What's it got to do with you what he does with the savings?

If he has any sense he will send it into an account to accumlate a deposit for another property - as close to Auckland CBD as possible.

by Nicholas Arrand | 18th Nov 11, 3:05pm 1321581940

It gives us all a clue, SK, as to the likely direction of the economy .What people in general do with whatever 'savings' they have will determine the future direction of our country. I'd like to know because it keep me abreast of popular thinking, even if it is 'put it into another renter'. Wouldn't you also like to know?

by SK | 18th Nov 11, 3:39pm 1321583975

Not very interested - but if he wants to share - share away.

by Nicholas Arrand | 18th Nov 11, 3:47pm 1321584424

Information is power, SK. Without it, descison making is, at best, a guess. You, surely, must have looked at all sorts of info before you launched into the property game? I'm sure you didn't just say," Well, what worked in the past must work in the future. I think I'll give it a go" Too many variables change as time goes on, for that to be so.