Australian Home Loans in December Probably Dropped 2% - 2004-02-10
Australian home-loan approvals probably dropped in December after the central bank hiked rates for a second month in a row.

The Reserve Bank of Australia increased its overnight cash rate target a quarter percentage point in November and again in December to 5.25 percent, the highest since March 2001, to cool borrowing and consumer spending. This week, the bank said there are ``tentative'' signs of a slowdown in mortgage lending and home buying.
Read the full story at Bloomberg

Tough Deal For Mortgage-holders - 2004-02-10
People with mortgages done through an old government department are getting hit by the new administrators.

Agricultural enterprise Landcorp, has sold 418 mortgages for residential, commercial and rural properties to Mortgage Holding Limited, which is run by a group of Auckland lawyers.

However, some of the mortgage-holders, who are mostly superannuitants, have struck problems with late payments.
Read the full story at Xtra.co.nz