According to ING, residential fixed home loan interest rates have been increased by up to 80 basis points across its Standard and Orange Advantage products, while others have been decreased by as much as 35 basis points.
Investor, interest-only and variable-rate loans have not been changed.
Buying a home or looking to refinance? The table below features home loans with some of the lowest interest rates on the market for owner occupiers.
| Lender | Home Loan | Interest Rate | Comparison Rate* | Monthly Repayment | Repayment type | Rate Type | Offset | Redraw | Ongoing Fees | Upfront Fees | Max LVR | Lump Sum Repayment | Additional Repayments | Split Loan Option | Tags | Features | Link | Compare | Promoted Product | Disclosure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6.04% p.a. | 6.08% p.a. | $3,011 | Principal & Interest | Variable | $0 | $530 | 90% | 4.6 Star Customer Ratings |
| Promoted | Disclosure | |||||||||
5.99% p.a. | 5.90% p.a. | $2,995 | Principal & Interest | Variable | $0 | $0 | 80% | Apply in minutes |
| Promoted | Disclosure | |||||||||
6.09% p.a. | 6.11% p.a. | $3,027 | Principal & Interest | Variable | $0 | $250 | 60% |
| Promoted | Disclosure |
ING fixed rate increases
The biggest of the changes made by ING apply to its longer-term fixed mortgages for four and five years.
In particular, interest rates for borrowers with small deposits of 5% to 10% have been increased by 75 and 80 basis points:
- Orange Advantage Residential Fixed 4 yrs 90-95%: Increased by 80 basis points to 2.89% p.a (3.72% p.a comparison rate*)
- Orange Advantage Residential Fixed 5 yrs 90-95%: Increased by 75 basis points to 3.04% p.a (3.70% p.a comparison rate*)
- Residential Fixed 4 yrs 90-95%: Increased by 80 basis points to 2.99% p.a (3.76% p.a comparison rate*)
- Residential Fixed 5 yrs 90-95%: Increased by 75 basis points to 3.14% p.a (3.74% p.a comparison rate*)
For those with deposits between 10% and 20%, fixed interest rates on these loans are now up to 35 basis points higher.
The changes applying to 20% deposit loans can be seen below:
- Orange Advantage Residential Fixed 4 yrs ≤ 80%: Increased by 35 basis points to 2.34% p.a (3.54% p.a comparison rate*)
- Orange Advantage Residential Fixed 5 yrs ≤ 80%: Increased by 30 basis points to 2.49% p.a (3.48% p.a comparison rate*)
- Residential Fixed 4 yrs ≤80%: Increased by 25 basis points to 2.44% p.a (3.38% p.a comparison rate*)
- Residential Fixed 5 yrs ≤80%: Increased by 20 basis points to 2.59% p.a (3.52% p.a comparison rate*)
These increases to four and five year fixed home loan rates are just the latest in a broader trend seen in the past several months, which Savings.com.au has closely tracked.
Commonwealth Bank moved to increase select four-year fixed rate home loans by up to 20 basis points in March, while another major bank Westpac also lifted four and five-year fixed mortgage rates by 30 basis points in late April.
Earlier this month, NAB raised rates on a few four- and five-year fixed loans by up to 25 basis points.
Other longer-term rate changes made recently include those by the likes of Citi, Bankwest, Newcastle Permanent, and Greater Bank, just to name a few.
ING fixed rate cuts
While ING has followed the trend of increasing interest rates on longer fixed terms, it has also lowered the interest rate on shorter fixed terms from one to three years.
While major banks might have raised four and five year fixed rates as mentioned above, they also lowered the cost of various shorter fixed loans.
For example, Commbank also lowered interest rates on some of its shorter fixed-terms (two-years), as did NAB by 15 basis points.
In March, Westpac cut to its 'lowest ever' fixed home loan rate for two-year fixed loans.
Today, ING has cut its own one to three-year fixed mortgage rates by up to 35 basis points, again differing depending on the loan and deposit size.
For would-be customers with 20% deposits or more:
- Orange Advantage Residential Fixed 1 yr ≤ 80%: Cut by 15 basis points to 2.04% p.a (3.94% p.a comparison rate*)
- Orange Advantage Residential Fixed 2 yrs ≤ 80%: Cut by 25 basis points to 1.84% p.a (3.73% p.a comparison rate*)
- Orange Advantage Residential Fixed 3 yrs ≤ 80%: Cut by 15 basis points to 1.89% p.a (3.56% p.a comparison rate*)
- Residential Fixed 1 yr ≤80%: Cut by 25 basis points to 2.14% p.a (3.94% p.a comparison rate*)
- Residential Fixed 2 yr ≤80%: Cut by 35 basis points to 1.94% p.a (3.74% p.a comparison rate*)
- Residential Fixed 3 yr ≤80%: Cut by 35 basis points to 1.99% p.a (3.59% p.a comparison rate*)
For new customers with a deposit below 10%, interest rates have been increased by as much as 30 basis points rather than decreased.
Auswide bank cuts variable rates
A smaller bank, Auswide, has made some slightly different interest rate changes, chopping Basic Home Loan and Freedom Package variable rates by up to 30 basis points for both investors and owner occupiers.
Variable rate changes have been more uncommon compared to fixed rates in recent months, although significant recent variable rate cuts include those made by Aussie (up to 35 basis points) and Tic:Toc (15 basis points).
Some of these key changes made by Auswide Bank include the following:
- Basic Home Loan ≤75%: Cut by 30 basis points to 2.09% p.a (2.11% p.a comparison rate*)
- Basic Home Loan 75-90%: Cut by 25 basis points to 2.49% p.a (2.51% p.a comparison rate*)
- Freedom Package Variable P&I 75-90% Special: Cut by 20 basis points to 2.79% p.a (3.21% p.a comparison rate*)
- Basic Investment Loan IO 75-90%: Cut by 25 basis points to 2.89% p.a (2.91% p.a comparison rate*)
- Basic Investment Loan P&I 75-90%: Cut by 25 basis points to 2.69% p.a (2.71% p.a comparison rate*)
- Freedom Package Investment Variable P&I 75-90% Special Offer: Cut by 20 basis points to 2.99% p.a (3.40% p.a comparison rate*)
Auswide Bank had previously cut rates on some of these loans by as much as 45 basis points back in February.
What explains this trend in interest rate changes?
As explored by Savings.com.au, the looming end of the RBA's Term Funding Facility (TFF) in June is thought to be a major reason why longer-term fixed interest rates are rising while comparatively fewer shorter fixed loans and variable loans have been changed.
Once that $200 billion in cheap funding disappears, mortgage "incentives" will disappear and rates will rise further, according to CFO of non-bank lender Firstmac James Austin.
"New mortgage rates will start to rise. In fact we are already seeing this to some extent," he said.
"The cheap fixed rate offers of the banks will slowly be removed over the next few months, and the current cash upfront incentives paid by banks will disappear."
Four and five-year fixed rates are being increased in particular because the Reserve Bank board has reiterated that the cash rate will not be raised before 2024.
Locking customers into a higher-rate loan over five years could be quite lucrative for them.
AMP chief economist Dr Shane Oliver however has said fixed loans can still be a viable option, and recommends considering a split-loan.
"Fixed rates are generally well below variable rates and so the interest saving should be taken advantage of, particularly if the savings are used to pay down the mortgage principal faster," he told Savings.com.au in early April.
"A sensible approach is to leave some variable though to provide some flexibility."
Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash
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