Westpac tightens lender borrowing as APRA controls take effect
Jonathan ChancellorJuly 8, 2015
Westpac will require new property investors to have a deposit of at least 20%, as APRA controls are starting to take effect.
According to the Australian Financial Review, Westpac will from yesterday cap loan-to-valuation ratios (LVRs) for new property investor loans at 80%.
It is the toughest limit imposed by a major bank so far as ANZ Bank introduces its 90% cap on LVRs for investor loans.
National Australia Bank last month capped investor home loan LVRs at 90%, while the Commonwealth Bank has advised it will not take the tax breaks investor borrowers receive from negative gearing into account when LVRs on investor loans exceed 90%.
Jonathan Chancellor
Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.
