Finance & lending
Home loans, interest rates and borrowing power, and what they mean for Queensland buyers and owners.
Who passed on the rate rise, and when: BOQ first, big four on 9 October
A week after the cash rate rose to 4.60 per cent, lenders have passed the increase on in full. Effective dates for Queensland borrowers run from 3 October to the middle of the month.
One borrower in 50 is short each month, the RBA's stability review finds
The Reserve Bank's October review puts about 2 per cent of variable-rate owner-occupiers in a cash flow shortfall, with arrears near pre-pandemic levels and a year of repayments in reserve.
One broker for every 904 adults: where the home loans they write go
The MFAA's annual report counts 24,116 brokers and $495.55 billion in home loans settled in 2025, with regional banks losing ground on broker panels and clawbacks rising with refinancing.
Pre-approval explained: what a conditional approval is and is not
A pre-approval tells a buyer roughly what a lender may lend. It is not a loan. What sits behind the letter, how long it lasts, and how it fits a Queensland contract or auction.
Great Southern Bank grows home loans 7.6% with first buyers in front
The Brisbane-based customer-owned bank lifted its home loan book to $18.78 billion in 2025-26 and says it wins about 3 per cent of first home buyers, three times its share of all mortgages.
Offset balances drop by a record $8.6 billion as loan arrears climb
APRA's June quarter figures show 1.01 per cent of bank home loans are non-performing, households drawing on offset accounts, and more loans approved outside standard repayment tests.
NAB and ANZ lift fixed home loan rates, making nine lenders this month
Two of the big four raised fixed rates on 17 September, twelve days before the Reserve Bank meets. Fixed loans now cost more than variable ones, and few borrowers are choosing them.
Mortgage hardship: what a lender must do when repayments get too hard
A borrower who cannot keep up with a home loan has a legal right to ask for changed repayments, and the lender has 21 days to answer. How the request, the reply and the next steps work.
Suncorp Bank tells 1.2 million customers their banking moves to ANZ
Suncorp Bank began writing to customers and brokers on 7 September: products, services and digital platforms shift to ANZ by June 2027. What is known for home loan customers, and what is not.
Queensland has the lowest home loan arrears of the large states: S&P
S&P Global Ratings puts Queensland's prime mortgage arrears at 0.55 per cent in June against 0.85 per cent nationally, with borrowers paying loans out early at a faster rate.
August minutes: a fourth rate rise was weighed as loan demand dropped
The minutes of the August meeting, published on 25 August, show a Board that weighed a fourth rate rise, saw home loan demand drop sharply and expects repayments to take more of income.
Refinancing a home loan: the steps, the costs and the lender's checks
Switching lender can cut repayments, but it is a new loan application with its own fees, a fresh valuation and a full look at income and spending. A Queensland guide to each stage.
Queensland owner-occupiers now borrow $751,000 on average, a record
ABS figures for the June quarter put the average new owner-occupier loan in Queensland $20,000 above the national figure and $88,000 higher than a year earlier, while refinancing eased.
Commonwealth Bank home loan arrears reach 0.73% as applications fall
The country's largest home lender reported its full-year result on 12 August: more borrowers behind, 147,000 payment arrangements and a 15 per cent drop in mortgage applications since May.
Mortgage hardship cases rise 5.3% as AFCA complaints hit a record
Two readings published on 4 and 5 August show more borrowers asking lenders for help and more disputes reaching the ombudsman. The average loan enquiry is shrinking fastest in Brisbane.
Queensland's average new home loan passes $700,000, broker data shows
Figures from the broker group AFG for the June quarter show Queenslanders borrowing more per loan, with larger deposits, while the number of new loans falls.
Fixed rates fall in July as Suncorp cuts by up to 80 basis points
Suncorp, People First and Heritage are among lenders lowering fixed home loan rates while the cash rate stands still. What the cuts signal, and what fixing involves.
Bank of Queensland's home loan book shrinks by almost $1bn in May
Regulator figures for May show the home loan books of Queensland's two best-known bank brands still contracting while Macquarie adds more than $3 billion in a month.
June minutes: mortgage payments are up, but lighter than last time
The Reserve Bank's June minutes say scheduled repayments have risen yet take a slightly smaller share of income than when rates were last this high. Home lending is set to slow.
Fixed, variable or split: how home loan rate types work in Australia
A variable rate moves when the lender moves it, a fixed rate holds for a set term, and a split loan does both. What each costs, restricts and protects against.