CBA only big bank yet to join latest round of home loan interest rate changes

Three out of four big banks have raised rates on interest-only home loans this month, leaving the Commonwealth Bank as the only one yet to make a move.

ANZ was the first of the big banks to announce rate increases, hiking the standard variable rate on interest-only loans by 0.30% to 5.57% in early June. Westpac followed suit last week, rising interest-only rates by 0.34% in a change that will take effect on June 30. NAB followed just a few days after, with a rate hike of 0.35% on interest-only borrowing.

At the same time, all three lenders also slashed rates for borrowers taking out principal and interest loans by as much as 0.08%, in a trend that has taken hold since APRA announced tighter restrictions around “risky” lending, such as low deposit, investment or interest-only loans.

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Now, it’s really a matter of when CommBank will fall in line with the trend and hike rates on its range of interest-only home loans. According to Mozo Data Manager Peter Marshall, the big four banks usually make similar pricing movements, so he expects that CBA will follow suit soon enough.

“In particular, CommBank won’t want to be seen as the only major bank not cutting rates on principal and interest borrowing, so there may be an extra incentive for CommBank to follow this trend,” he said.

While the rate cuts from the big banks were considerably smaller than the hikes on interest-only lending, they still mean thousands of dollars in savings for borrowers.

Customers taking out a 25 year, $500,000 principal and interest loan with NAB or Westpac are more than $7,000 better off thanks to the recent rate cuts while ANZ customers borrowing the same amount will pay over $4,000 less during the life of the loan, according to Mozo’s home loan repayment calculator.

Principal and interest rate cuts from the big banks

*Based on a $500,000 loan over 25 years, using the standard variable interest rate from each lender.

Compared to challenger brands offering low interest rates, however, the big banks are still an expensive choice. An ANZ customer on the lowest big bank standard variable rate of 5.20% will still pay $132,207 more in interest over the life of a 25 year, $500,000 loan than a borrower who snags a 3.64% rate with Mozo Experts Choice winner, loans.com.au.

Which just goes to show how important it is for borrowers to compare their options and shop around outside the big banks when searching for a home loan. So if you’re in the market for a home loan, take our mortgage comparison tool for a whirl, or check out some of the top variable rate options available below.