Lehman class action settlement close

Parties involved in the class action against Lehman Brothers Australia over the sale of credit derivatives have agreed on a settlement. Litigation funder Bentham IMF (formerly IMF) announced yesterd.. read more

First-home buyers getting scarcer

The number of first-home buyers in the mortgage market fell further in November, according to the latest AFG mortgage report. First-home buyers accounted for 10.3 per cent of the business written by.. read more

Mortgage market's glacial flow

The mortgage market is picking up momentum, but the rate of growth is glacial. Reserve Bank figures released on Friday show that the annual rate of growth in housing finance aggregates has increased.. read more

Firstmac buys Waratah mortgage book

Lender Firstmac has acquired an A$80 million portfolio of mortgages originated by the Waratah Cooperative Housing Society, which has been in receivership since last December. read more

Modest take-up of IMB's latest buyback offer

IMB has completed its second share buyback since it accepted a consultant's report last year that it cancel its ordinary shares through a series of buybacks. The building society announced last week.. read more

Smartpay returns to profitability

New Zealand point-of-sale payment system provider Smartpay has released its first financial report since listing on the Australian Securities Exchange in September. The company reported strong growt.. read more

ARCA to launch consumer website

The Australian Retail Credit Association is developing a website that it hopes will help consumers better understand credit reporting. The organisation that led the lobbying for the change to a comp.. read more

Down-traders skew the housing finance market

The high proportion of so-called "down-traders" active in the residential property market at the moment helps explain the disparity between strong house price growth and weak housing finance growth,.. read more