- The loan repayment deferral scheme introduced a year ago to help borrowers financially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic ends today. The scheme allowed home and business loan repayments to be fully deferred temporarily. Deferrals were made possible by the Reserve Bank allowing these loans not to be viewed as in hardship. Credit reporting agencies also... Read more »
- The New Zealand Bankers’ Association and FinCap have today announced a new partnership, with the banking industry contributing $5 million over five years to support the financial wellbeing of all New Zealanders. The collaboration agreement will provide funding for initiatives that will directly benefit the 200 services FinCap supports who provide financial advice to tens... Read more »
- Banks welcome today’s announcement that the Reserve Bank will consider the impact of its monetary and financial policy decisions on the housing market. “Banks support today’s announcement and are keen to be involved in discussions around how to tackle the current housing situation,” says New Zealand Bankers’ Association chief executive Roger Beaumont. “There’s no single... Read more »
- More than two thirds of consumer loans that had principal and interest repayments deferred due to the impact of Covid-19 were now ‘back to normal’ said the New Zealand Bankers’ Association today. At the same time, nearly 40% of consumer loans that had reduced repayments were now back on track. “As we near the end... Read more »
- A trial of Regional Banking Hubs to test the demand for basic banking services in regional communities will begin in November. The trial, which includes ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, TSB and Westpac, will run in four regional centres: Twizel, Martinborough, Stoke and Opunake. Three of the sites will have community partners, who will host the... Read more »
- The New Zealand Bankers’ Association today launched guidelines to help banks serve customer needs. “The guidelines are designed to help bank staff deliver good customer outcomes. They build on the banking industry’s work following the Bank Conduct and Culture Review in 2018. They also reflect the Financial Markets Authority’s expectation that banks will serve customer... Read more »
- The Code of Banking Practice is now available in six other commonly used languages the New Zealand Bankers’ Association announced today. “We wanted to make the Code more widely available, and that includes to people who don’t speak English as their first language. That’s why we’ve translated the Code into te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan,... Read more »
- The New Zealand Bankers’ Association today welcomed further changes to the government’s Business Finance Guarantee Scheme. “We think expanding the criteria should make it more relevant for businesses in need at this time,” says New Zealand Bankers’ Association chief executive Roger Beaumont. “Changes that will help include extending the loan maximum from $500,000 to $5... Read more »
- Banks are offering options to customers financially affected by Covid-19. Customers may be eligible for a new loan deferral for up to six months or an extension to their current loan deferral. There are several options available to customers, depending on their circumstances. Options may include customers restarting their loan repayments, moving to interest-only repayments,... Read more »
- Banking has become New Zealand’s first fully living wage accredited industry, leading to nearly 1800 employees and contractors moving onto the living wage and gaining greater economic independence for them and their families. As of today, all 17 members of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association, and the association itself, have been fully accredited. “As one... Read more »