- 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 »
- Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich has been elected chair of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association and takes on the role today. This is the first time Kiwibank has chaired NZBA. ASB chief executive Vittoria Shortt was elected deputy chair. The chair and deputy chair take on their respective roles for two years. New Zealand Bankers’... Read more »
- New Zealand’s banks are committing to paying suppliers of goods and services within two weeks. This initiative matches the government’s target for public sector agencies to pay 95% of invoices from New Zealand-based businesses within 10 working days. “The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that many small and medium-sized businesses now need good... Read more »
- The New Zealand Bankers’ Association has discovered and corrected a reporting error in lending data published on its website. The error relates to data classification and resulted in some movement, both up and down, across the data categories. Of particular interest, banks have lent $5.9 billion in new loans to business since 26 March instead... Read more »
