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ANZ, Westpac find mortgages backed by dubious foreign income

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There are fears in Australia that local residents are being priced out of the market by the influx of homebuyers from China. Photo: Reuters
Bloomberg

Two of Australia’s largest lenders, which tightened home loans to some foreigners, said they uncovered mortgages backed by questionable overseas-income documentation. 

Australia & New Zealand Banking Group and Westpac Banking Corp have identified issues with some loans that rely on foreign income for approval, the two lenders said in separate emails.

The statement comes after the two lenders last month stopped new loans to offshore customers who are not citizens or who do not hold appropriate residency visas. The banks also stopped the use of foreign income for such customers to qualify for a loan.

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The changes made by the biggest banks in the country are part of a broader scrutiny of foreign buying of Australian homes, which has helped drive a 55 per cent jump in home prices across the nation’s capital cities in the past seven years.

More than half of Chinese property inquiries are about Australian property in the A$200,000 ($147,000) to A$500,000 range. Photo: Reuters
More than half of Chinese property inquiries are about Australian property in the A$200,000 ($147,000) to A$500,000 range. Photo: Reuters
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Rising demand, particularly from China, has triggered community concern that locals are being priced out of the property market, prompting the government to tighten scrutiny of foreign investment.

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