Mortgage aggregator AFG reported that its overall residential mortgage lodgements were down 24 per cent in October, compared with October last year, but lodgements for AFG Securities, its own funded loans, were down 60 per cent.
It is another indicator that lenders that rely on funding through the securitisation market are finding it hard to compete now. A few weeks ago, Resimac reported that the value of its home loan book fell from A$15.3 billion at the end of June to $15 billion at the end of October.
AFG chief executive David Bailey said the sharp decline in lending by AFG Securities was driven by fierce competition from the major lenders underpinned by unprecedented levels of cashback offers.
Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting last month, Bailey said: “Interest rate increases have been quickly passed on by the major lenders, while they have been slow to pass on deposit rate increases.
“This is driving a funding advantage that smaller lenders, reliant on the RMBS market, have been unable to match.
“In the prime lending market, extremely competitive pricing and cashback lures by the major lenders mean our AFG Securities business will look to conserve margin and target growth in our white label, investor and near-prime product lines.”
Resimac’s observations about the market were much the same. It described competition for home loan originations as “fierce”, particularly in the prime loan end of the business where lenders are offering cashback incentives.
Resimac’s net interest margin in 2021/22 was 1.81 per cent but it fell to 1.61 per cent in the four months to October, impacted by higher bank bill swap rates, which are the benchmark rates for its funding, and higher issuance margins.
Its asset finance business performed better, with the value of the book growing from $400 million to $480 million over the four months to the end of October. Settlements over the period were $135 million.