News Australia

Here is an excerpt from a story by Naomi Woodley on The World Today: “A bid to link up with the independent Senator Nick Xenophon to overturn a ban on mortgage exit fees is the next item on the list. It’s due to be debated later today and it doesn’t need to go to the [...]

Click on the link to watch MFAA CEO Phil Naylor talking about mortgage exit fees on Channel 9 in Sydney

SMEs are experiencing a finance crisis due to the scarcity of lenders and a return to strict lending criteria, according to the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia. The MFAA, which represents around 1,000 finance brokers who raise debt facilities for SMEs, says recent feedback from finance brokers suggests difficult times for their clients. According [...]

The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia has questioned the basis of the government’s ban on mortgage exit fees. A recent research conducted by MFAA – a survey of over 1,000 householders – has shown that the public’s concern about mortgage exit fees as claimed by the government is not supported by the data. It [...]

The ‘margin’ on an interest rate in this example is the difference between the Reserve Bank cash rate and the average standard variable rate advertised by lenders. For many years was a static ratio of around 4 per cent on variable rate mortgages. When non-banks lenders entered the Australian mortgage market in 1992, the average [...]

“Destabilising”. “An absolute nonsense”. “Wildly unfair”. It’s been called many things, but one thing is for certain – the Government’s proposed wholesale ban on exit fees has caused shockwaves throughout the mortgage industry, particularly among non-banks, mortgage managers and brokers. Today, Mortgage Choice CEO Michael Russell, Gadens Lawyers senior partner Jon Denovan and Provident Capital [...]

The mortgage industry’s peak association has warned borrowers that the major banks’ dominance in the home loan sector will eventually drive rates up. According to the MFAA, recent ABS figures confirm that smaller lenders are losing ground to the big banks. Australia’s banks wrote 90.2% of all new loans in February – the highest rate [...]

John Symond, founder and executive chairman of non bank financial lender Aussie reckons that the government proposal to ban exit fees could result in some smaller lenders being forced to exit the mortgage lending market, resulting in a new wave of consolidation in the business. Mr. Symonds has made his concerns to clear in a [...]

The issue of the government’s ban on exit fees is one that has crept up unnoticed on the Australian public. Some people have asked me, what the issue is and who cares? Well, the issue is that banning exit fees in the mortgage market will reduce competition by making it very hard for the most [...]

The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia has urged the government to rethink its controversial ban on mortgage exit fees after the Australian Bureau of Statistics released figures showing competition was further drying up in the crucial financial sector. Housing Finance statistics for April were released yesterday (June 8th) showing a further reduction in competition [...]