Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Commonwealth Bank, Westpac pass on rate cut in full

Commonwealth Bank, Westpac pass on rate cut in full

Yahoo!7 Finance, On Tuesday 1 November 2011, 15:33 EST
Australia's biggest home lenders cut mortgage rates soon after the central bank reduced the cash rate for the first time since April 2009.
Westpac took just 15 minutes to pass on the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) 0.25 percentage point rate cut in full on Tuesday. It will lower its standard variable home loan rate (SVR) to 7.61 per cent from November 14.
Westpac is the nation's second biggest mortgage lender by market share. (More From Yahoo!7 Finance: For Sale: Australia's Most Expensive Properties)
Bank of Queensland (BOQ), and Commonwealth Bank (CBA), Australia's biggest home lender, followed suit, cutting their SVR to 7.61 per cent and 7.56 per cent respectively.
BOQ's rate cut will take effect on November 11, and CBA's on November 4.
ANZ Banking Group and National Australia Bank (NAB) said their interest rates were under review. (More From Yahoo!7 Finance: In Pictures: Inside The World's First Billion-Dollar Home)
The cuts by the bigger Sydney-headquartered lenders come almost two years after Westpac ignited public outrage by lifting its SVR by 45 basis points after the RBA's rate hike of 25 basis points.
Last November CBA did the same, with its rivals passing on rate rises of between 35 and 43 basis points, helping to prompt a Senate inquiry into competition within the banking sector.
NAB has consistently tried to undercut its rivals to win market share, and last Thursday posted a record annual cash profit of $5.5 billion on strong growth in home lending and deposits. (More From Yahoo!7 Finance: Countries With The Highest Taxes)
Westpac retail and business banking group executive Rob Coombe said economic weakness in Europe was having a negative effect on Australian business and consumer confidence.
"A reduction in interest rates will provide a timely boost to sentiment and generate a positive flow-on effect for the broader Australian economy," he said in a statement.
The rate cut will reduce repayments on an average $250,000 mortgage by about $41 per month, he said. (More From Yahoo!7 Finance: The World's Coolest Jobs)
BOQ managing director Stuart Grimshaw announced the rate cut on his first day with the bank as its new boss, saying that with Christmas approaching it was the right thing to do.
CBA has 27.8 per cent of Australia's home loan market.
Westpac has a 26.4 per cent share, while NAB has 15.6 per cent, ANZ 14.3 per cent, Suncorp 2.8 per cent, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank 2.6 per cent and BOQ 2.2 per cent according to figures from the banking regulator. (More From Yahoo!7 Finance: Monster Billionaire Mansions)
Westpac will report its annual result on Wednesday followed by ANZ's profit result on Thursday.
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