Westpac cuts interest-only term
It said it made the move as investors continued to dominate the housing market.
Interest-only terms are popular with property investors, who usually focus on paying down the mortgage on their own homes first.
Reserve Bank figures released late last month show more than 40% of new mortgages by value are interest only and in Auckland 47% of the lending in May was to investors. The move by Westpac follows the bank’s decision last month to stop lending to offshore-based investors.
Simon Power, GM Consumer Bank and Wealth, said the reduced term for interest only home loans was to provide customers with a checkpoint at the end of the interest-only period to assess if they were still comfortable with and able to meet their obligations.
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