New loans decline

COMMERCIAL loans including mortgages to investors fell 7.8 per cent to $40 billion in September. Home loans to owneroccupiers were down 2.1 per cent to $20.7 billion, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Personal loans rose 0.8 per cent to $6.24 billion in September, while lease finance fell 1.3 per cent.