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?

With Financial Year End just around the corner, it’s a good time to start preparing for tax time. If you worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some tax deductible expenses you may be able to claim. Tax concessions for small businesses have also changed so it’s important you understand these. Here are 5 handy tips to help you prepare for tax time.

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.

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.

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.

In these uncertain times, many of us are wondering how we’re going to weather the financial implications of COVID-19. Home owners especially may want to consider ways to reduce home loan expenses to help ease their financial burden at this time. Whether it’s refinancing to a lower interest rate or extending your loan term, a home loan deferral or moving to an interest only loan, there’s no better time than right now to review your mortgage and consider these 4 ways you could reduce your home loan expenses.

There comes a point in most people’s lives when downsizing the family home makes good financial sense. Ongoing maintenance, empty bedrooms and costly monthly bills can make you seriously think about selling your existing home and finding something smaller or easier to maintain. Whether you’re an empty nester or just looking to get into a smaller apartment in the city, here are our tips for making those key downsizing decisions.