While it has been a quiet week for home loan rate changes the main one of note was from non-bank lender RESIMAC. It's not the rate changes which were so important (increases to two-year plus terms) but the changes to loadings for its low equity loans. It can be best summed up by saying the company is making sure it is appropriately pricing its loans for the risk taken on. It is also saying that the banks appear less willing to do low equity loans at the moment. RESIMAC will do them, but price them properly. More on this story here.

That leads nicely into our Opinion piece. The idea is that maybe there is so much talk and speculation around proposed lending restrictions on high LVR loans that the banks will self-regulate and the Reserve Bank won't dictate what they can and can't do. Have a read here. We would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this idea.

For brokers the big news is that the head of one of the biggest groups has resigned.

We reported on Westpac's Choices Offset loan last week. Looking back it appears we missed out the interest rate in the story! Offset pricing is as follows: Kiwibank 5.25%; Westpac 5.69% and BNZ 5.74%.

One of our new developments is that we have created a Facebook page to help you keep up to date with what is happening with interest rates and home loans. It is a place you can ask questions and also share your lendng experiences. You can like the page at www.facebook.com/nzmortgagerates