Rate Hikes Return in 2026 After a year of easing in 2025, the Reserve Bank of Australia surprised markets by lifting the cash rate on 3 February 2026, marking its first hike in more than two years. Inflation Back in Focus: Early-year inflation proved more persistent than forecast, prompting the RBA to reverse course and reassert its inflation-fighting stance. What This Means for Brokers: All four major banks have already moved to lift fixed mortgage rates. This opens a short but critical window for brokers to proactively review client loan structures, challenge “lender loyalty,” and secure more resilient setups ahead of ...

As the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) first policy meeting of 2026 approaches, financial markets are increasingly focused on what the central bank’s next move on monetary policy may be. The RBA lowered interest rates three times throughout 2025, bringing the official cash rate down to 3.6%. This easing cycle offered welcome relief to mortgage holders and property investors who have been grappling with high living costs and persistently strong property prices. However, recent signs of rising inflation combined with a tight labour market have dampened expectations for further rate cuts in the short term. As a result, some market participants ...

As we navigate the final days of January 2026, the Australian mortgage market is entering a pivotal phase marked by new regulatory "guardrails" and a significant digital revival in specialist lending. For homeowners and investors, understanding these shifts is essential to securing financing before the next wave of policy changes takes effect in February. The February 1st "DTI Guardrail": What You Need to Know Starting February 1, 2026, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) will officially activate its first cap on high debt-to-income (DTI) lending. The 20% Limit: Banks will be restricted to issuing only 20% of their new mortgages to ...

If you’ve tried to secure an investment loan through a major bank branch this month, you may have noticed the door starting to close. As we enter 2026, a "perfect storm" of regulatory changes and shifting bank risk appetites is fundamentally changing how Australians access credit. For many, the traditional path of walking into a local branch is no longer enough to secure a "Yes." The Rise of "Complex-Prime" Australia’s housing market is evolving, and so is the definition of a "standard" borrower. With the rise of the self-employed, trust-based investment structures, and SMSF portfolios, "complex" is the new normal. While ...

The latest data for the September 2025 quarter confirms that mortgage brokers remain the preferred choice for the vast majority of Australian homebuyers. Record-Breaking Market Dominance 77.3% Market Share: Mortgage brokers facilitated nearly 77.3% of all new residential home loans during the September 2025 quarter. Highest Settlement Value: Brokers settled a record $130.23 billion in new home loans, the highest value ever recorded for any single quarter since the commencement of this data series. Strong Year-on-Year Growth: This represents a significant 26.1% increase (an additional $27 billion) compared to the $103.23 billion settled in the same quarter of 2024. Why Borrowers ...