<p>First home lending by the National Australia Bank has hit a record high.</p>

<p>&quot;Low interest rates, government incentives and greater working flexibility continue to allow first home buyers to get into their first place with April the strongest month in a generation,&quot; NAB executive for home ownership Andy Kerr said.</p>

<p>Its first four months 2021 saw its lending to first timers surge 67 per cent on 2020.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=3494 project_image_fid=89056]</p>

<p>Its lending was up 9 per cent on the final four months of 2020, with activity is returning to inner city apartments.</p>

<p>Outer metropolitan buying remained strong.</p>

<p>Kerr said buyers are back in Victoria</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s a bounce-back story for Victoria in 2021,&quot; Kerr told Nine News.</p>

<p>Mount Waverley saw the biggest jump in demand from first home buyers, up 180 per cent, compared with the same period last year.</p>

<p>Richmond, Croydon and Berwick all rose more than 140 per cent.</p>

<p>Buying at Wollert, Glen Waverley, St Albans and Glenroy rose by between 45 percent and 59 percent.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=3298]</p>

<p>Kerr said the level of first-home buyer activity was unusually high.</p>

<p>&ldquo;The level of first-home buyer activity has been like nothing we&rsquo;ve seen in a generation,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Record low interest rates and government incentives continue to support demand and it&rsquo;s been great to hear stories of some customers purchasing their first home earlier than expected.&rdquo;</p>

<p>He advised buyer enthusiasm for regional properties has slowed since last year as lending for regional properties eased off by about 4 per cent.</p>


The NAB executive for home ownership Andy Kerr said the level of first-home buyer activity was unusually high

jchancellor

NAB first home lending hits record high as inner city apartment buying picks up

The NAB has cut its variable investor interest-only rate by 30 basis points to 2.99 per cent.

The big four lender also cut its variable principle and interest loan for investors with an 80 per cent or less loan/value ratio to 2.79 per cent last week.

“NAB wants a bigger slice of the action in the investor market and have been tweaking both their serviceability rules and their rates to attract new business, after losing ground to its competitors in this arena," 
RateCity.com.au research director Sally Tindall said.

With new lending to investors in March growing the fastest rate in 18 years, the NAB was attempting to increase its share.

“These are our lowest ever advertised variable rates for property investors,” NAB executive for home ownership Andy Kerr told The Australian.

NAB offers the lowest rate for that class of loan of the big four banks, but smaller lenders have lower offers.

Citi is offering 2.59 per cent, ING 2.64 per cent, HSBC and Macquarie 2.69 per cent and UBank 2.74 per cent.

Last week the NAB’s group chief economist Alan Oster noted the recent small rises in four and five-year fixed-rate home loans for owner occupiers reflected growing inflationary fears in the bond market however borrowers are unlikely to be caught out by steeper rises until 2025.

Oster said adjustments in longer term fixed-rate loans are the result of a sell-off on the bond market as investors worry there is too much stimulus in the market and central banks will need to begin tightening, the AFR noted.

The big four lender also cut its variable principle and interest loan for investors with an 80 per cent or less loan/value ratio to 2.79 per cent last week

NAB cuts variable investor interest-only rate by 30 basis points to 2.99 per cent

<html><body>
<p>As of today, NAB cut various fixed, investment, interest-only and package home loans by up to 15 basis points. </p>

<p>The lowest rate among the affected loans is 1.89% p.a, belonging to the Choice Package Tailored Fixed loan for two years, paying principal and interest.</p>

<p>Another NAB loan cut to the sub 2% mark is the Tailored Fixed loan for two years (P&amp;I), with an advertised rate of 1.99% p.a (4.20% p.a. comparison rate). </p>

<p>Other rate cuts are as follows:</p>

<ul>
<li>NAB Inv Tailored Fixed - IO in arrears 2 yrs: 10 basis point cut to 2.59% p.a (4.87% p.a. comparison rate*)</li>
	<li>NAB Inv Tailored Fixed  - P&amp;I 2yrs: 15 basis point cut to 2.39% p.a (4.75% p.a. comparison rate)</li>
	<li>NAB Choice Package Inv Tailored Fixed - IO in arrears 2 yrs: 10 basis point cut to 2.49% p.a (4.60% p.a. comparison rate*)</li>
	<li>NAB Choice Package Inv Tailored Fixed - P&amp;I 2 yrs: 15 basis point cut to 2.29% p.a (4.51% p.a. comparison rate*)</li>
</ul>
<p>These cuts by NAB follow a plethora of recent rate cuts, many of which were made to two year fixed loans.</p>

<p>In recent months, fellow big four banks Westpac and Commonwealth Bank had each cut at least one home loan rate to below 2% p.a - only ANZ is yet to do so. </p>

<p>Recently Homestar Finance cut out the competition  offering the lowest two-year fixed interest rate in history at just 1.74% with its variable rate also the lowest at just 1.79%:</p>

<h2>Residences where buyers could benefit from the cuts:</h2>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=600]</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=29935]</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=6201]</p>
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In recent months, fellow big four banks Westpac and Commonwealth Bank had each cut at least one home loan rate to below 2% p.a with only ANZ still yet to do so

jordan_55689

NAB drops some fixed home rates to sub 2%

<html><body><p>The number of Australians who experienced some form of financial hardship rose slightly in Q4 to 32%, according to the latest NAB Insights.

Younger Australians reported noticeably higher levels of hardship, it noted.

While credit card debt is the most common form of debt held by Australians, it was found to cause the least anxiety. 

Around 1 in 3 Australians are in strong agreement that their finances control their lives.

And 1 in 4 struggle to enjoy life because of the way they are managing money, according to the latest NAB Insights. 

The NAB Financial Anxiety Index, fell in Q4 2020 and is well down on the same time last year as Australians are feeling less worried about COVID-19 and less concerned about the economy. 

However, anxiety increased among younger people aged 18-29, driven by concerns over credit card repayments, the ability to raise emergency funds and pay monthly household bills.  

Anxiety was also higher for women across all drivers, compared to men and nationally, NSW residents were the most financially anxious, replacing Victorians.

Despite financial anxiety falling, the number of Australians who experienced some form of financial hardship rose slightly in Q4 to 32% (up from a survey 30% in Q3), although still well down on a year ago, with hardship growing to 34% for women (31% in Q3) and to 30% for men (29% in Q3).  

The NAB Financial Anxiety Index is based on measured level of concern around 14 key metrics: Not being able to: meet the cost of medical bills/healthcare; make mortgage repayments, rent or other housing costs; meet minimum payments on your credit card; pay off personal loans; pay for your children’s education; for food and basic necessities; meet normal monthly household utility bills (e.g. electricity, gas, water, phone); meet other normal monthly household expenses (e.g. car, insurances, public transport, etc.); meet the cost of non-essential expenses (holidays, entertainment, eating out); raise $2,000 if an unexpected need arose within the next month; finance your retirement; provide for my family’s future; for major household items (e.g. furniture and appliances); and for home improvements &amp; maintenance. 

</p></body></html>

Around 1 in 4 Australians struggle at managing their money, according to the latest NAB Insights into financial anxiety and the role our household finances play in our wellbeing

NSW replaces Victoria as the most financially anxious state

<html><body>
<p>NAB has today announced cuts to fixed home loan rates with decreases of up to -0.55% for owner occupied and up to -0.15% for investment loans.</p>

<p>Today’s cuts position NAB’s owner occupier 3-year fixed principal and interest package rate of 1.98% (3.83% comparison rate) ahead of the other major banks’ rates for the same term.</p>

<p>Canstar analysis reveals that moving from the average variable rate of 3.28% to a 3-year fixed rate of 1.98% could see an owner occupier paying principal and interest on a $400,000 home loan slash their repayments by $273 each month or $9,828 over three years. However, moving to the lowest 3-year fixed rate in the market of 1.75% (comparison rate 2.22%) from NAB’s subsidiary bank, Ubank would cut repayments by $318 per month. </p>

<p><img alt="" height="502" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/nab_rates_2021_1.jpg" width="680"></p>

<p>Canstar Group Executive, Financial Services, Steve Mickenbecker says the move shows NAB is competing for new business by taking advantage of low cost funding.</p>

<p>“Interest rates continue on their downward path for homeowners and investors. NAB’s 11 basis point cut to its three year fixed rate for homeowners means that it has undercut the rates of competitors to deliver the lowest interest rate of the major banks for this popular fixed term.”</p>

<p>“Low cost funding has made fixed rates the playground for the big banks and while the Reserve Bank term funding facility remains available, the great deals should stay strong. Mid-year could see a small upward adjustment when the term funding is expected to be fully allocated and expire."</p>

<p>“It’s a great time to be thinking about fixing a rate when you can lock in for three or four years with an interest rate below 2%. Today’s move from NAB suggests competition at the low interest rate end of the market will be with us for a little longer,” Mr Mickenbecker concluded.</p>

<p><img alt="" height="502" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/nab_rates_2021_2.jpg" width="683"></p>

<h2>Properties you may like:</h2>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=22700]</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=2807]</p>
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Today’s cuts position NAB’s owner occupier 3-year fixed principal and interest package rate of 1.98% ahead of the other major banks’ rates for the same term

NAB cuts fixed rates by up to -0.55%

<html><body>
<p>GUEST OBSERVER</p>
<p>The Q3 NAB SME Survey suggests a loss of momentum in SME business conditions and confidence but this is against the exceptionally strong results in Q2.</p>
<p>Overall, conditions and confidence remain above their long-term averages which suggest relatively solid levels of underlying activity.</p>
<p>A further narrowing in the gap between conditions experienced by SMEs and larger businesses as indicated by the NAB Quarterly Business Survey suggests that the pace of growth is now more consistent across small and large businesses.</p>
<p>The NAB SME Survey is the leading business survey of small businesses in Australia, and complements the comprehensive Quarterly NAB Business Survey.</p>
<p>It offers a rich repertoire of insights into factors affecting smaller firms’ conditions by state, industry and size, as well as an assessment of their outlook for investment and output.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/NAB%201.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/NAB%201.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>However, the base of industries which reported positive conditions shrank in the quarter and this warrants close monitoring for signs of further weakening in the near future. The sustained weakness in retail conditions is of particular concern as it has the potential to affect other affiliated industries such as wholesale and transport.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, we continue to witness strong conditions in tertiary services such as health, business and financial services.</p>
<p>SME business confidence eased marginally in the quarter to +5, but continues to exceed its long-term average of +2.</p>
<p>The fall in SME confidence was in spite of the RBA’s 25bps cut to the cash rate in August, perhaps a reflection of the absence of a sustained depreciation in the AUD despite the rate cut.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/NAB%202.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/NAB%202.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>In Q3, business conditions were mixed by state. NSW, Victoria and WA reported relatively stable conditions, SA improved but was still lacklustre, while Queensland deteriorated sharply. The readings for Queensland in particular have been volatile recently so we will need additional information to determine the underlying trend for the state,” said Mr Oster.</p>
<p>NSW and Victoria continue to outperform in terms of conditions, while WA remains the weakest.</p>
<p>The ongoing mining downturn continues to weigh on WA conditions, while the recent improvements in commodity prices have done little to assuage the pessimism of SMEs from the state, with WA continuing to be the least confident state as well. Apart from WA, SA was the only other state to report negative confidence. Meanwhile, NSW, Victoria and Queensland tied in the top spot for confidence at +7 index points.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/NAB%203.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/NAB%203.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p> </p>
<p>SME forward orders rose by 1 point to +4 index points in Q3, which is notably above the long-term average of -1 index points and consistent with the result for general businesses as reported in the QBS.</p>
<p>The generally positive readings for forward orders since late 2013 are broadly in line with a moderate recovery in real economic activity.</p>
<p>By industry, the quarterly movements were mixed. Apart from manufacturing, retail and transport, all other industries reported positive forward orders.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%204.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%204.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Forward orders for finance (up 16 points to +17) and health services (up 9 points to +16) jumped by the most in the quarter to record the strongest results, pointing to the continuing outperformance of services sectors.</p>
<p>Forward orders for manufacturing fell the most (down 8 points to -1). Meanwhile, transport and retail, both at -3, were the weakest in the quarter.</p>
<p>This is consistent with the lacklustre conditions and confidence experienced by the retail sector at the moment.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%205.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%205.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The SME stock index improved marginally to +5 index points, to be above the long-term average of +2 index points and that of larger businesses indicated by the QBS (at +2).</p>
<p>The improvement was largely driven by business services and health, both rising by 6 points to +13 and 0 respectively.</p>
<p>The stock index for business services was also the highest in the quarter, followed closely by wholesale (down 6 points to +11). The relatively high stock levels reported by the wholesale sector is consistent with a higher capacity utilisation rate and resilient forward orders in the quarter.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%206.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%206.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>That said, the sharp deterioration in the conditions of larger wholesale businesses as indicated by the QBS could signal an imminent weakening of wholesale SMEs in coming quarters.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, stocks for manufacturing (down by 11 points to +3) and property services (down 9 points to -7) fell by the most in the quarter, with the latter the weakest across industries.</p>
<p>The two consecutive quarterly falls for property services are consistent with a lower transaction volume in the housing market recently.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%207.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%207.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The non-seasonally adjusted cash flow index was the strongest in Q3 for financial services (at +24), followed by business services (at +22) and the weakest for transport (-9) and retail (-8).</p>
<p>Overall, SME price indicators point to relatively contained price pressures.</p>
<p>Growth in input costs (purchase costs, overheads and labour costs) have generally eased over the last two years and have contributed to improved margins readings.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%208.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%208.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>That said, final price growth appears to have lost some momentum in recent quarters – probably indicative of strong downstream competition – and is consistent with a subdued inflation outlook.</p>
<p>Business conditions for SMEs eased by 2 points to +5 index points in Q3, but remain slightly above the long-run average of +4.</p>
<p>Encouragingly, low-tier SMEs continued to report positive business conditions after recording the first positive reading in two years in Q2 to be around its long-term average.</p>
<p>SME conditions are now only marginally below those of general businesses indicated by the NAB Quarterly Business Survey (QBS), but this mostly reflects a notable fall in the conditions of the latter. SME business confidence also eased in the quarter to +5 (from +6 in Q2), but remains above the long-term average of +2.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%201.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%201.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Two of the three components that make up SME business conditions fell, with trading conditions (down 5 points to +11) and profitability (down 2 points to +4) both retreating from their recent peaks but continuing to stay above their long-term averages.</p>
<p>Despite a sustained period where trading and profitability conditions exceed their historical average, the employment index was in negative territory for the eight consecutive quarter at -1, which was unchanged from the quarter before.</p>
<p>The lack of momentum in SME employment conditions are seemingly at odds with the relatively more robust reports by general businesses in the QBS, where the employment index has been tracking above long-term average levels since H2 of 2015.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%202.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%202.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>This possibly reflects the weaker financial capacity of SMEs to hire new employees or a greater difficulty for them to find suitable labour compared to their larger counterparts.</p>
<p>In Q3, business conditions were mixed by state. NSW, Victoria and WA reported relatively stable conditions, SA improved but was still lacklustre, while Queensland deteriorated sharply. The business conditions index for Queensland gave up all its the gains, dropping by 10 points from Q2 to be back at +1 again.</p>
<p>The eastern non-mining states of NSW and Victoria continue to outperform at +13 and +10 respectively, while WA remains the weakest of all states at -14. Despite the sharp fall in conditions, Qld was the only state which reported improved confidence in the quarter (up 2 points to +7) to tie with NSW and Victoria in having the strongest confidence.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, stronger commodity prices in the quarter had done very little to bolster confidence of SMEs in WA, which reported a decline in confidence (down 5 points to - 6) in the quarter to be the weakest of all states.</p>
<p>Most SME industry sectors reported weaker conditions in the quarter, with services sectors continuing to outperform more traditional sectors in general. Similar to Q2, health, finance and business services occupied the top three spots, while transport (at -7) replaced construction (at +2) as the weakest sector, followed by retail (at - 4).</p>
<p>The wholesale sector managed to hold onto its recent gains in conditions to be at +8 index points, a sign that perhaps some of the earlier upstream cost pressures had ameliorated. However, weak growth in wholesale final price suggests that competitive pressures downstream are elevated.</p>
<p>Business confidence by industry paints a more positive picture overall, with more sectors reporting an improvement rather than a decline in the quarter. Apart from property and retail, all other industries recorded positive confidence.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%203.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></p>
<p><img src="/images/2016/10/31/Survey%203.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Somewhat surprisingly, confidence of the property sector suffered the sharpest decline in the quarter to be the weakest across industries, even though dwelling prices continue to grow strongly in major markets of Sydney and Melbourne, and more recently, ACT.</p>
<p>Compared to the larger businesses in the QBS, SME business conditions outperform general businesses in finance, wholesale and property, but are significantly weaker in transport.</p>
<p>Analysis by firm size shows that low-tier SME firms continue to report weaker conditions and confidence compared to their larger counterparts, although the fact that their conditions and confidence indices are positive remains encouraging.</p>
<p><em><span>Alan Oster is group chief economist, National Australia Bank, and </span>can<span> be contacted <a href="https://business.nab.com.au/author/alan-oster/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></em></p>
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Property confidence dips as SME business conditions remain upbeat overall: Alan Oster

<html><body>
<p>After a stronger than expected housing turnaround, NAB are now forecasting dwelling values to rise by an average of eight per cent nationally across 2021, with a view that 2022 will also see strong gains.</p>

<p>The revision comes after the turnaround in the housing markets, pared with low interest rates, the government's HomeBuilder grants and stamp duty concessions on newly built properties.</p>

<p>"The housing market has fared significantly better than expected over the past year, despite significant headwinds from slower population growth and a weaker labour market," the NAB report read.</p>

<p>"Lower interest rates and household income support from the Federal Government have been a key support amidst the challenges of the pandemic.</p>

<p>"While the impact of lower rates is broad-based, there are some key dynamics underlying our forecast."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=90553]</p>

<p>NAB expect the smaller capitals to continue to outpace Sydney and Melbourne, but the two biggest capital city markets have closed the gap from NAB's previous forecasts.</p>

<p>In the Q2 update in mid-2019, NAB were forecasting a -4.3 per cent average decline across the country, with Melbourne (-7.3 per cent) and Sydney (-4.7 per cent), driving the losses.</p>

<p>In Q3, following a positive response to COVID-19, NAB flipped their forecast, predicting five per cent gains nationally over 2021 and Melbourne (+3.6 per cent) and Sydney (+4.4 per cent), going full circle.</p>

<p>Now NAB expect nearly eight per cent gains average, with Sydney and Melbourne not far behind other capital city markets.</p>

<p><img alt="" height="791" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/nab_q4_forecast.jpg" width="1200"></p>

<p>They expect the best performer to be Brisbane, where there are 10.1 per cent gains forecast for 2021 and 6.3 per cent for 2022.</p>

<p>Adelaide and Hobart are predicted to see the strongest gains over 2022, up 7.4 per cent after 8.9 per cent and 9.7 per cent gains over 2021.</p>

<p>Sentiment has been on the turn for a number of months and the NAB Residential Property Index ended 2020 at a survey high +45 points. Confidence levels returned to levels last seen before COVID in late-2019 as expectations lifted sharply for house price growth across the country.</p>

<p><img alt="" height="905" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/nab_sentiment_q4.jpg" width="1200"></p>

<p>NAB economist Alan Astor says first home buyer demand remains very strong in new and established housing markets and is likely being supported by historically low interest rates and government support such as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and HomeBuilder.</p>

<p>"The brief pullback in house prices earlier in the year may have also helped sentiment among these buyers."</p>
</body></html>

The revision comes after a stronger than expected housing market, pared with the low interest rates, the government's HomeBuilder grants and stamp duty concessions on new properties.



Joel Robinson

NAB raises dwelling price forecast for 2021 and 2022

<html><body>
<div>NAB releases its June 2015 Business Survey which revealed some interesting results, with unemployment now expected to peak at 6.25% and other near term data strengthening.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Business conditions trending higher moving up strongly from +5 to +11, the highest level since last October and well above the long run average.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2015/07/15/Nab1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/07/15/Nab1.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div><span>Business confidence is also back up to its post election peak, moving up nicely from +8 to +10, with the highest recording now to be found in retail (the lowest confidence, of course, is in mining):</span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><a href="/images/2015/07/15/Nab2.jpg" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><span><img src="/images/2015/07/15/Nab2.jpg" alt=""></span></div>
<div> </div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><span>And trading conditions booming:</span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><a href="/images/2015/07/15/Nab3.jpg" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div><span><img src="/images/2015/07/15/Nab3.jpg" alt=""></span></div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>The forward orders index also rose from +2 to +5.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Buffers</span></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>On the other hand, consumer confidence has been ticked a little lower lately, which has led in turn to some remarkable loan "arrears" data.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The average homeowner is now so far ahead on mortgage repayments that loans buffers are better measured in <em>years</em> than months. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>It's amazing how often this theme is recurrent with clients I speak to.</div>
<br><span>The full NAB survey can be found </span><a href="https://business.nab.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/NAB-Business-survey-June-15.pdf" target="_blank">here</a><span>.</span>
</div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div>
<p><span><em>PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em><br></span></p>
<p><em>His latest book is <a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.</em></p>
</div>
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pwargent-M4siyDbqQY

NAB business survey - an upside surprise: Pete Wargent

<html><body>
<p>An ongoing ASIC investigation has resulted in the permanent banning of former National Australia Bank (NAB) branch manager Mathew Alwan from engaging in credit activities and providing financial services.</p>
<p>The ban is the result of an extensive ASIC investigation in respect of NAB employees in greater western Sydney who were accepting false documents in support of loan applications and falsely attributing loans as having been referred by NAB introducers in order to obtain commissions. This conduct was the subject of the first case study before the Financial Services Royal Commission.</p>
<p>Mr Alwan’s banning <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/86258-false-payslips-in-nab-home-loan-applications-triggers-asic-permanent-ban" target="_blank">follows the permanent banning</a> of former NAB employees Danny Merheb and Samar Merjan (also known as Samar Awad) from engaging in credit activities and providing financial services, and the <a href="https://propertyobserver.com.au/finding/residential-investment/property-management/2-uncategorised/87011-reckless-loan-fraud-prompts-asic-ban-on-former-nab-branch-manager" target="_blank">seven year banning</a> of former NAB branch manager Rabih Awad.</p>
<p>From 2012 to 2015, Mr Alwan assigned 101 home loans as being referred to NAB by an introducer, causing a total of $186,725 to be paid to the introducer by way of commission.  ASIC found in 25 of these loan applications, Mr Alwan had knowingly given NAB false or misleading information and documentation.   </p>
<p>The introducer in question is Mr Alwan’s relative, a fact he did not disclose to NAB and actively concealed from the bank when questioned.</p>
<p>ASIC found that Mr Alwan’s conduct was dishonest, deliberate and repeated.</p>
<p>ASIC also found Mr Alwan personally lent money to a NAB staff member who reported to him and to a NAB customer while loan applications by each of them were pending approval, creating an unacceptable conflict of interest.</p>
<p>Mr Alwan has the right to lodge an application for review of ASIC’s decisions with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.</p>
<p>ASIC’s ongoing investigation is considering whether a brief for criminal charges should be referred to the CDPP.</p>
<h2>Background</h2>
<p>On 16 November 2017, NAB announced a remediation program for home loan customers whose loans may not have been established in accordance with NAB’s policies.</p>
<p>NAB has identified that around 2,300 home loans since 2013 may have been submitted with inaccurate customer information and/or documentation, or incorrect information in relation to NAB’s Introducer Program.</p>
<p> </p>
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