Home loan rate changes are moving fast today (Monday). And it is not the majors who are setting the pace, it is the challenger banks.
Hot on the heels of SBS Bank releasing market-leading fixed mortgage rates, now Heartland Bank has gone even lower.
Their latest offer is just 1.99% for one year fixed.
Also on offer are two year or three year fixed term options, for 2.35% and 2.45% respectively. These are -90 basis points, -62 bps and -94 bps reductions respectively from their previous levels.
All these three new fixed rates are now market-leading.
And they have cut their floating rate as well, taking it down to 2.95% and well below the Kiwibank 3.40% level, which until today was the lowest floating rate in the market. For Heartland, this is a -1.00% reduction from their previous offer.
Heartland re-entered the market in March 2020 with a digital, self-serve offer where customers could apply and receive approval without needing to make an appointment, visit a broker, or arrange a house call. In this trial, all available funds were approved within a month of the launch, demonstrating that their ‘do-it-yourself’ online offering had market appeal.
“Digitalisation means a low cost of onboarding, which can be passed on to borrowers. It also means speed – an answer can be given in minutes, so customers don’t have to endure the lengthy processes of mainstream banks. Moreover, Heartland’s group structure provides it with broad funding flexibility,” said Heartland Group CEO Jeff Greenslade.
To be eligible for Heartland Home Loans, customers must be refinancing or purchasing a standalone house on a single section in a major New Zealand centre, have a deposit or equity of at least 20% and intend to live in the home.
This offer is described as being "available for a limited time". They are not available for new-build projects.
To be eligible for a Heartland Home Loan you also need your income paid into a Heartland YouChoose Account. And, existing Heartland home loan customers will not automatically be moved across to a Heartland Home Loan. However, anyone who meets the eligibility requirements is welcome to apply, including their customers with an existing home loan.
Details of the new low SBS Bank fixed rate reductions are here.
One useful way to make sense of these new lower home loan rates is to use our full-function mortgage calculators.
And if you already have a fixed term mortgage that is not up for renewal at this time, our break fee calculator may help you assess your options.
Here is the updated snapshot of the lowest advertised fixed-term mortgage rates on offer from the key retail banks at this time.
| Fixed, below 80% LVR | 6 mths | 1 yr | 18 mth | 2 yrs | 3 yrs | 4 yrs | 5 yrs |
| as at October 12, 2020 | % | % | % | % | % | % | % |
| ANZ | 3.55 | 2.55 | 2.65 | 2.69 | 2.79 | 4.15 | 4.25 |
 |
3.39 | 2.55 | 2.49 | 2.69 | 2.79 | 2.99 | 2.99 |
 |
3.39 | 2.55 | 2.49 | 2.69 | 2.79 | 2.99 | 2.99 |
 |
3.55 | 2.55 | 2.79 | 2.79 | 3.09 | 3.19 | |
 |
4.15 | 2.55 | 3.25 | 2.69 | 2.79 | 2.99 | 2.99 |
| Bank of China | 3.45 | 2.55 | 2.65 | 2.65 | 2.75 | 2.85 | 2.95 |
| China Construction Bank | 4.70 | 2.65 | 2.65 | 2.65 | 2.80 | 2.89 | 2.99 |
| Co-operative Bank | 2.55 | 2.55 | 2.69 | 2.69 | 2.79 | 2.99 | 3.19 |
| Heartland Bank | 1.99
 |
2.35
|
2.45
|
||||
| HSBC | 2.79 | 2.45 | 2.55 | 2.60 | 2.65 | 2.79 | 2.89 |
| ICBC | 2.95 | 2.45 | 2.60 | 2.65 | 2.79 | 2.89 | 2.99 |
 |
3.39 | 2.55 | 2.49
 |
2.49
|
2.49
|
2.99
|
2.99
|
[incl Price Match Promise]  |
2.89 | 2.49 | 2.65 | 2.65 | 2.79 | 2.99 | 2.99 |
In addition to the above table, BNZ has a unique fixed seven year rate of 5.20%.
* TSB also offers all fixed rates below 3% too, but that is only via their Price Match Promise.
Fixed mortgage rates
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42 Comments
BNZ offered a 3.99% fixed for 2 years rate back in November of 2018, which at the time was a very good offer. I ended up fixing all of my non-offset mortgages at that rate, so they're all coming up for renewal in the next month.
I suspect that BNZ had a fair bit of uptake for the offer, so they may be looking to have another echo campaign to re-capture everyone coming off that rate offer.
Here's the article for it: https://www.interest.co.nz/news/96835/bnz-unveils-two-year-395-home-loa… look at the rate table, eye-popping!
Once the banks start drinking the negative interest rate cool-aid from the TLF facility, it's almost game over for them.
Having your Principal diminished and risk underwritten by the Government leads to all sorts of unforeseen problems. Or maybe they are already there in plain sight, and there's' nothing they can do about it now?
If so, it won't be long now.....The Smart have already made a break from the cult for it into the Forest of the Unknown. But at least it's a forest that they understand.
When I started out in the mid 80's I paid %18 interest and %23 if I went over my limit. My business could afford that, I had no problem paying the bills but interest was often my biggest cost.
Fast forward to today and there is no way my business with %40 debt could even afford %8.
So what is happening is our ability to pay has being eroded, interest rates are falling to reflect this new reality.
Eventually we will run out of rope and yet out incomes will continue to be eroded with poor outcomes down the track. Govt debt will push the recovery further out and make it less of a recovery than it could have been.
A bit of a sham Heartland is:
- Maximum lending amount is $1mil
- All online, so doesn't cater to any nuanced applications
- 20% deposit (not so bad, but good luck FHBs)
- Only single or joint applicants, so not sure how FHBs can use bank of mum and dad
- Only stand alone houses
Re: joint applicants - assuming they want to protect family wealth, FHBs and their parents should be documenting it as a loan from M&D (or better yet, a family trust) to the couple that is to be repaid on certain events (sale of the house, separation, death of M&Ds child, etc). That way SIL/DIL doesn't walk away with 50% of M&Ds money if they split up.
There is no way that is 75% of the market. For one, low deposit is about 15% of market alone, take away investor loans, another 15-20 percent, then cross leases, terraced houses and anything not in Auckland, Wellington, Chch or Dunedin ... not sure that would even come to 30%
Keep your powder dry folks, there is going to be a "backlash" from all of this ....it can't keep going on like this ad infinitum ....you may be able to reduce your interest payments BUT what about the principal owed on these new mortgages ???
It will be an overseas event that will eventually "tip the scales" in NZ .....until then 90% of the sheeple will carry on believing His Lordship Ashley Church, granny herald and the One Roof BS !
Was Covid not supposed to tip the scales? What sort of event are you hoping for? If any NZ govt lets the market fall to the point that many here are waiting for then we have bigger problems than a few houses. Can you not see that the NZ economy is underpinned on housing? Investors are going nuts and the vast number of those mortgages are interest only hoping for capital gain to account for miserable cash flows they are getting now. This isn't considered investing, rather speculating. That said, these same investors can have a some confidence that the market will be propped up not matter what.
causecelebre ...do you know anyone at all who has lost a job ? .......btw whether COVID-19 arrived or not doesn't really make much difference, as it just "bought forward" what is going to happen .....and "who" is going to prop up this market, as you mentioned ? .....I can tell you one thing for sure, it won't be your "friendly bank"
Did you not see the report that America's top richest 100 have made hundreds of billions since the start of the Covid-19 crisis back in March ? The system is broken, it has been for years that's because the people at the top are making the rules and are simply looking after one another.
I would be taking the best short term rate you can get. Still predicting 1.75% accross all the major banks by March - April 2021, its almost set in stone. The economic pain is really going to start to bite hard after Christmas, its the only way to keep the party going now. Hopefully throw in some of that new legal weed into the mix to keep this all going so even if you wanted to leave, you can no longer find the door.
Makes sense to me, they can concentrate on the most profitable market segments and pass through real savings. The model that makes far less sense is trying to be everything to everyone offering full service with the bells and whistles (and inevitably ending up mediocre at everything.) Pick a fight you can win decisively.
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