Sluggish mortgage growth prompts aggressive loosening of lending standards
However, the bank grabbing the most market share, the government's Kiwibank, appears to be bucking the trend by gravitating towards less risky mortgage lending.
With all but HSBC's December quarter disclosure statements now published (and assuming HSBC's mortgage book will be steady at just below $1 billion where it's been since September 2010), it's clear growth in the mortgage market slowed in the three months.
Growth across all banks was just $330 million in the December quarter, down from $800 million in the September quarter. To ensure like-for-like comparisons, the figures include the Cooperative Bank, although it didn't become a bank until October 26.
Only the mortgage books of Bank of New Zealand, up $227 million, and Kiwibank, up $260 million, showed any significant growth.
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