Comparison site Mozo has asserted that "thousands of Australian mortgage holders are likely 'trapped' with their current lender" due to the introduction of tighter lending restrictions rendering them unable to negotiate or refinance their home loans to more competitive mortgage deals.  "A mortgage prisoner is a homeowner who is unable to move, even if they've met every repayment, because they would not pass new affordability tests applied by the banks. Typically, this is because they took out the loan before stricter lending rules applied," said Steve Jovcevski, Mozo property expert.Mozo data analysts suggest there are thousands of mortgage prisoners across Australia, among the nearly one million mortgage holders now experiencing mortgage stress across Australia due to stagnant wages and dropping house prices.With an increase in interest rates likely to grow over the next few years this group is predicted to grow, meaning a large group of banking customers will be effectively 'stuck' with their bank.Bank lending is now based upon customer income and expenses, and for many mortgage holders who secured loans before restrictions came into place, they must pay whatever rate their bank sets.The banks used to assess potential homebuyers seeking a loan using a 'house expenditure measure'. It looks at the applicant's income and annual expenses - this is everything from utility bills to Netflix subscriptions to monthly beauty treatments. Previously, a 'one size fits all' approach was applied, with modest expenses estimated regardless of income, resulting in inflated amounts being lent to hopeful homebuyers.While the debate over rising mortgage stress continues, it muffles the rise of homelessness, according to the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics census figures. These were from Census night 2016, released yesterday. Among the key homelessness estimates from the 2016 Census were these:•    There were 116,427 people classified as being homeless on Census night (up from 102,439 persons in 2011);•    The homeless rate was 50 persons for every 10,000 persons in 2016, up 5 per cent from the 48 persons in 2011 and up on the 45 persons in 2006.Most of the increase in homelessness between 2011 and 2016 was reflected in persons living in 'severely' crowded dwellings, up from 41,370 in 2011 to 51,088 in 2016.  This group is defined as residents of dwellings which needed four or more extra bedrooms to accommodate them adequately. The number of homeless persons living in improvised dwellings, tents or sleeping out in 2016 was 8,200, up from 6,810 in 2011.Under the ABS definition, a person is homeless if they do not have suitable accommodation alternatives and their current living arrangement:•    is in a dwelling that is inadequate;•    has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable; or•    does not allow them to have control of, and access to space for social relations.There was no category of "mortgage prisoner" in the 2016 census.