Loans

Caution urged ... in the current market margin lending is too risky for the potential return, some advisers say.

Margin loans still on the nose

Margin loans are still out of favour, more than three years after the global financial crisis (GFC) began, with fewer investors than ever inclined to use them - and those that do opting for much more...

Banks' could pull back on home loans

Gareth Hutchens Banks could pull back from lending to new home owners after making losses on mortgages.

Bank staff pressured to flog unnecessary loans

Cameron Houston More than half of all bank employees have steered a customer towards a financial product they did not need in order to achieve performance targets set by management.

Rise in CBA bad home loans

Eric Johnston Commonwealth Bank's decision to aggressively grow its mortgage market share at the height of the financial crisis is starting to go bad.

Low-doc loans on borrowed time

By Lesley Parker Responsible lending laws may bring an end to these potentially predatory financial products.

Reverse loans cast a shadow

By Barbara Drury Tapping into home equity may seem like an easy way to gain extra cash but mistakes can cost you dearly.

Devil in the detail

Lesley Parker New ''responsible lending'' provisions have made life harder for the dodgy operators among debt consolidation services but recent surveillance by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission...

Line-of-credit loan disastrous

Lesley Parker Good debt turned bad for Pix Jonasson when she and her former husband borrowed to invest in a business and four investment properties.

Foundations of a secure future

Debt is a four-letter word and never more so since the global financial crisis.

Lenders need competition to keep them keen

Mark Bouris AUSTRALIANS look at the Reserve Bank's cash-rate announcement on the first Tuesday of each month and make decisions based on it.

Extra payments a winner

Consumers are being pulled in two directions at once. The Reserve Bank's decision to cut the cash rate by 50 basis points will make home loans more affordable and encourage buyers.

Mortgage insurance should be portable

John Collett Critics say lenders' mortgage insurance is a rip-off and there is not enough competition in the industry to drive prices down.

Lenders are on borrowed time

Penny Pryor Why three-quarters of mortgage holders are ready to switch.

What the great credit card con could cost you

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon The average credit card holder will be in debt until 2056 - but you can lessen the plastic pain.

Lock in and save

John Collett Competition among mortgage lenders is strongest in fixed-rate home loans rather than variable-rate loans.

Borrowers flock to certainty of fixed-rate mortgages

John Collett A fall in fixed rates has increased the portion of home-buyers who buy fixed-rate mortgages.

Reserve should stash its finest cuts

Potts Spot Europe's troubles, Australians squirrelling away cash - it all points to another drop in interest rates.

Rise in the abuse rate

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon ANZ's interest hike is a signal that consumers should get smart to stop blatant exploitation.

Big four finally slash rates

Peter Martin and Clancy Yeates The standoff over home loan interest rates ends, with each of Australia's big four banks finally yielding to political pressure and passing on the Reserve Bank's 0.25 point cut.