New Zealand Bankers’ Association chief executive Roger Beaumont said: “On top of the support measures already announced by the government, we encourage anyone experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the lockdown to contact their bank.
According to Roger Beaumont, chief executive at NZBA, data collected and aggregated from NZBA’s 10 main retail member banks showed that 50% of home loan customers are ahead on their repayments.
Half the people with home loans in New Zealand are ahead on their repayments the New Zealand Bankers’ Association revealed today.
“Our data shows that 50 per cent of home loan customers are ahead on their repayments. That says a lot about the financial capability of people with a mortgage. They think it’s a good idea to repay your loan faster if you can,” says New Zealand Bankers’ Association chief executive Roger Beaumont.
“The historically low interest rate environment we’ve experienced over the last few years will also have had an impact on borrowers being able to repay their loans faster. Depending on the type of loan, borrowers often choose to maintain the level of their repayments if interest rates go down.
“Many borrowers are in a relatively good position to manage the cost of borrowing, which may rise gradually in response to changing economic conditions.
“Nearly 55 per cent of home loan customers are on fixed interest rates, with the rest split between a mix of fixed and floating interest rates and only floating. That means any interest rates rise won’t have a widespread immediate impact on borrowers.”
Other key home loan data:
- 1 million bank customers have a home loan
- The average value of all home loans is $271,000
- The average value of new home loans is $340,000.
This home loan information is as of 31 December 2020. The information was collected and aggregated from NZBA’s 10 main retail member banks.
ENDS
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Bankers’ Association spokesman Philip van Dyk told Stuff last week that it supported the initiative “in principle” before adding that “research shows that few people think sharing your personal information with third parties is a good idea.”
The closure of branches sparked a hearing in Parliament in which the Bankers’ Association defended the closures saying they only reflected customer demand digital banking.
“Research shows that few people think sharing your personal information with third parties is a good idea. Third parties seeking to use consumers’ personal data will need to show they have proper safeguards in place.”
Less than 1% of payments were made by cheque and options for former cheque users included direct debit, automatic payments and phoning a bank, he said.
“Covid-19 impacted many New Zealanders and our banks deferred or reduced loan repayments on $70 billion in business and household loans,” Beaumont says.