RBNZ LVR restrictions continues to rein-in the speculators

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By Leith van Onselen

Data released by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) yesterday revealed that property investor lending has continued to cool after the RBNZ implemented new loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions targeting investors, which officially came into effect on 1 October 2016, although banks began informally applying the rules since they were first announced in mid-July 2016.

According to the RBNZ, the value of investor mortgages taken out in September 2017 was down by 32% versus September 2016, whereas the number of mortgages was down 29%. In the hotspot of Auckland, the value of investor mortgages was down 30% year-on-year, whereas outside of Auckland investor mortgages were down 36%.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.