Bank watchdog eases off

Higher lending rates tipped to hose down market

THE banking watchdog says its crackdown on risky mortgage lending is largely complete, as lenders’ higher rates also help cool the housing market.

“Any tightening from here on is expected to be at the margin as banks seek to get a better handle on borrower expenses, and better visibility of borrower debt commitments,” Australian Prudential Regulation Authority chairman Wayne Byres said in a speech yesterday.

His comments come as the country’s scandal-hit banks are expected to hike mortgage rates even as the official rate remains at a record low, piling pressure on home prices that have already fallen for nine straight months.

Addressing economists in Sydney on the mortgage market and the good health of banks’ balance sheets, Mr Byres also said 13 of the country’s largest banks had passed “severe but plausible” stress tests applied by the regulator.

The large banks, which control about 80 per cent of Australia’s $1.7 trillion housing loan market, were expected to continue focusing on developing strong lending policies, including their own internal limits to new risky lending.

The banking royal commission, which uncovered cases of fraud and loose lending standards by the country’s largest lenders – Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ and NAB – has triggered a move to tighten their controls.

“Lending to investors is certainly now growing more slowly compared to three or four years ago. But despite the tightening in lending standards ... lending to owneroccupiers grew at a very healthy 8 per cent over the past year,” Mr Byres said.

In May, the regulator scrapped a strict cap on lending to property investors introduced four years ago to rein in speculative investments, as high-risk lending had moderated as desired.

Investor loan growth had fallen to close to 2 per cent, only a fifth the rate in 2015, according to APRA’s records.

Mr Byres said the regulator would “remain alert to slippage”, a reference to smaller lenders and non-bank lenders, which according to analysts have grown mortgages at about 12 per cent annually.

After the positive stress test results, APRA will put pressure on banks to fine tune their systems to respond to and recover from severe shocks effectively, Mr Byres said.

Regular testing of rescue plans would help build confidence that the governance and escalation procedures were well understood, he added.