- The New Zealand Banking Association (NZBA) also welcomed the changes, with chief executive Roger Beaumont highlight that the changes would allow banks to exercise flexibility and discretion to better meet customers’ needs, especially in emergency situations.
- New Zealand Banking Association’s revealed almost 30 percent more home loans were taken out from June to December 2023, than the previous six months.
- “We welcome the removal of overly prescriptive affordability assessment requirements because it should help fix the one-size-fits-all approach that treated all types of lending and borrowers the same. The change still means that consumers are protected, and lenders need to be responsible,” NZBA Chief Executive Roger Beaumont says.
- “What it means is it’ll go back to the way it was prior to these regulations, when banks could exercise discretion in determining whether a customer was suitable for a loan or not,” said chief executive Roger Beaumont.
- Beaumont is pleased to see moves to simplify other matters in the CCCFA, especially personal liability for directors and senior managers, the requirements for disclosure of information to borrowers and the updating of the Responsible Lending Code guidance, to get the balance right and help ensure consumers don’t see a prescriptive approach reintroduced.
- “This will help bring back flexibility and discretion for banks to help customers in need, for example in emergency situations, and better recognises that banks already have their own prudent lending policies, which help ensure borrowers can afford to repay any debt.”
- “We’re also asking the government to help remove any regulatory barriers to the Anti-Scam Centre working effectively, and to set scam prevention expectations for other industries,” Beaumont said.
- “Banks have launched phase one of the Anti-Scam Centre by identifying and sharing more information faster about mule accounts. We’d like to see other sectors in the scam ecosystem contribute to the Anti-Scam Centre, and the Government can help encourage them to do so,” Beaumont says.
