澳大利亚主要银行近期纷纷下调房贷利率，试图争夺新借款人和转贷客户。[1]在房价下跌和贷款需求放缓的背景下，联邦银行对新借款人的变动利率下调5至8个基点，西太平洋银行为新业主下调最多14个基点，为新投资者下调最多11个基点，澳新银行下调约5个基点，麦格理银行则对新客户下调5个基点。[1]自6月初以来，已有26家贷款机构下调了至少一个变动利率。[1]
这轮竞争同时伴随现金返还优惠的恢复，尽管幅度远低于往年。[1]新优惠额度约为1000至1500澳元，相比2022年的4000至6000澳元大幅下滑。[1]对借款人而言，0.1个百分点的利率下调可使60万澳元贷款的月还款额降低约40澳元。[1]澳大利亚约有330万个有房贷的家庭，房贷市场总规模达2.5万亿澳元。[1]分析人士预计这场利率战将进一步加剧，但借款人需要主动协商才能获得优惠，而非被动受益。[1]
Australia's mortgage market is experiencing rising interest rate competition among major lenders as housing demand softens and property values decline.[1] The nation's four largest banks, along with other financial institutions, have begun quietly reducing variable interest rates for new borrowers and customers refinancing their loans, with rate cuts ranging from 5 to 14 basis points, while simultaneously reintroducing cash-back incentives.[1] Commonwealth Bank reduced variable rates for new borrowers by 5 to 8 basis points in June, while Westpac offered the steepest cuts, lowering rates by up to 14 basis points for new homeowners and 11 basis points for new investors.[1] ANZ Bank trimmed rates by approximately 5 basis points, and Macquarie Bank implemented a 5 basis point reduction for new customers on Friday.[1] Since early June, 26 lending institutions have cut at least one variable rate offering.[1]
The potential savings for borrowers are substantial, though eligibility typically requires active negotiation.[1] A 0.1 percentage point rate reduction translates to approximately 40 Australian dollars in monthly savings on a 600,000 Australian dollar loan.[1] Cash-back offers have returned in the range of 1,000 to 1,500 Australian dollars, marking a significant decline from 2022 levels of 4,000 to 6,000 Australian dollars.[1] With approximately 3.3 million Australian households holding mortgages in a market valued at 2.5 trillion Australian dollars, analysts expect the competitive pressure among lenders to intensify further.[1] However, borrowers seeking these advantages must actively pursue negotiations with lenders rather than waiting for automatically offered discounts.[1]