Lending

Margin loans rise but risk still off table

Clancy Yeates Margin lending is growing for the first time since the stimulus-induced sharemarket surge of 2009, as investors seek to capitalise on record low interest rates and rising stock prices.

CREDIT-CARD DEBT

Plot a path to turn red into black

Christine Long Sticking to a straightforward strategy is the key to defeating credit-card debt.

Used wisely, low interest rates are a boon

Annette Sampson Bankers are up to their old sneaky tricks.

The underlying costs

Annette Sampson Financing a new car has become much easier, with lenders scrambling to compete with cheap dealer-finance offers.

Tougher stand taken on credit files

John Kavanagh The information held on consumer credit files will change in the coming year so that lenders, utility suppliers and telcos can find out more about the way we use credit.

Customers not happy with banks

Eric Johnston Disputes between borrowers and their banks surged nearly 30 per cent last financial year.

Comments 34

Margin loans still on the nose

Margin loans are still out of favour, more than three years after the global financial crisis (GFC) began, with fewer investors than ever inclined to use them - and those that do opting for much more...

Devil in the detail

Lesley Parker New ''responsible lending'' provisions have made life harder for the dodgy operators among debt consolidation services but recent surveillance by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission...

Foundations of a secure future

Debt is a four-letter word and never more so since the global financial crisis.

Money Matters

Not logical but laudable

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon Ultimately, whatever the maxims, the best ways to repay debt and fund retirement come down to you.

A guarantor's key decisions

Barbara Drury Helping your child climb onto the housing ladder by guaranteeing a loan is a serious commitment.