In the wake of COVID-19, banks have changed the way they interact with customers, including how they do lending. A number of key innovations include things like online mortgage applications, video calls instead of face to face meetings, and electronic documentation rather than the usual paper-based option. Find out here how obtaining a mortgage has changed in recent months and what you can expect when you apply for your next home loan.

Thousands of Australian mortgage holders took up the offer of a mortgage repayment deferral when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. Since then, banks have deferred approx. 780,000 Home Loans, totaling a massive $236Bn. The big question now is what happens to those mortgages when the six-month deferral was meant to run out in September this year?

While the Coronavirus pandemic forced many of us to stay home, getting out for a daily dose of exercise quickly became a way of life. As a personal challenge, Brent Pullar of Harcourts took to the streets to walk 10 kilometres a day for 30 days. What’s more, he persuaded two Mortgage Express brokers – Joshua Trevitt and Ismar Muratovic – to join him in crushing this challenge. Read on to find out just how successful this personal challenge was.

As life in Australia slowly returns to normal – or at least to the “new normal” – having conquered the first wave of COVID-19, there does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Businesses are opening up again and our economy is slowly reviving. While we have a long way to go on our road to recovery, in a post Coronavirus world there are a few things we may need to do differently. Here are 5 tips for the way ahead that will see you not only survive but thrive.

The Australian Government’s Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme is set to help small and medium sized businesses impacted by COVID-19 with new initiatives and investment. The Government will be guaranteeing 50 per cent of new unsecured loans up to $250,000 . What’s more, with non-bank lenders like Prospa on board, business owners could have access to lending much faster.

Staying home, limiting trips outside and not interacting socially means we have far more time on our hands than ever before. So why not use this time to learn a new skill, try a new hobby, or find an interest outside of Netflix? Keeping busy both mentally and physically helps us feel happy, active and healthy. Before cabin fever sets in, try some of these ways to keep busy while at home.

For many Australian homeowners financially impacted by COVID-19, pushing pause on mortgage repayments has been a helpful option. For others, extending their loan term or reducing repayments has provided some much-needed financial and personal relief. But as we start to see an improvement in the current situation – and some definite “light at the end of the tunnel” – now is a great time to reassess your financial situation and put in place some plans to get back on track financially.

Good nutrition has never been more important than right now. Maintaining a healthy diet is a vital part of supporting a strong immune system, one that is able to fight off infections. Understandably, in the face of a crisis, many of us reach for the junk food rather than a healthy snack. To help you stay focused on making health a priority in these challenging times, here are three steps you can take to keep good nutrition top of mind.

The world is reeling from the impact of Covid-19: Not only can it make us sick, it can threaten our very livelihood too. Already, there are Australians concerned about meeting their financial commitments, dealing with a drop in income as work hours reduce or facing total job loss. If you have been impacted by these events due to the current crisis, there are options that can help.

The outbreak of the Coronavirus is without doubt a human tragedy, affecting millions of people worldwide. But it also has a significant impact on the global economy and the way we do business. Understandably, businesses are having to adapt the way they work, moving towards more online and remote work. In the real estate space, mortgage lenders have been quick to announce specific mortgage relief and hardship policies to support those affected by the outbreak, while real estate agents now offer virtual tours of properties for sale and online auctions are the new norm.