- New Zealand Banking Association chief executive Roger Beaumont told NZ Adviser that the drop in the number of new home loans was a likely reflection of the state of the housing market and wider economic conditions during the first half of 2023.
- “For a long time, when interest rates were at an historic low, people who relied on income from bank deposits got relatively low returns. Now that interest rates are up, people are investing more in term deposits.”
- “Over 43% of home loan customers were ahead on their loan repayments, compared to 1.4% of home loan customers behind on their repayments. That shows that many people with home loans are managing relatively well. It means that those paying more than their minimum repayments likely built in a cushion in case their circumstances change.”
- The NZ Banking Association said last week that the industry was focusing on a number of initiatives to fight fraud and scams, including real-time information sharing between organisations affected by scams, and a confirmation of payee account name checking service.
- According to the New Zealand Banking Association, banks have made significant investments when it comes to fraud analytics and prevention. These investments aim to help identify unusual spending on credit cards and check with customers before processing those payments, as well as warn of potential scams when customers make payments in suspicious circumstances.
- As part of the banking industry’s Friday announcement, the NZBA said the industry supported a national anti-scam centre, would remove hyperlinks from text messages and would work together to freeze mule accounts, used to siphon stolen money from victims.
- New Zealand Banking Association chief executive Roger Beaumont said, “The joint commitment by retail banks is expected to have a positive impact in tackling fraud and scams.”
- NZBA is backing the establishment of an anti-scam centre, similar to that in Singapore, to “provide a centralised and coordinated multi-sector approach to fighting scams from a New Zealand-wide perspective.”
- “Our retail banks already have systems in place to help detect and warn customers about potential scams and the further initiatives announced by the industry today are expected to have a significant impact in combatting scams. But we have reached a point where a new approach to fighting fraud and scams is required and this... Read more »
