Lending indicators

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This release is about new borrower-accepted finance commitments for housing, personal and business loans

Reference period
August 2022
Released
4/10/2022

Key statistics

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms, the value of new loan commitments:

  • fell 3.4% for housing
  • rose 9.5% for personal fixed term loans
  • rose 51.7% for business construction (a typically volatile series)
  • fell 23.6% for business purchase of property (a typically volatile series)

Value of new borrower-accepted loan commitments (seasonally adjusted)

  Aug-2022 ($b) Month percent change (%) Year percent change (%)
Households      
 Housing 27.39 -3.4 -12.5
  Owner Occupier (a) 18.54 -2.7 -15.1
  Investor (a) 8.85 -4.8 -6.4
 Personal      
  Fixed term loans 2.30 9.5 17.6
Businesses      
 Construction 2.25 51.7 4.9
 Purchase of Property 6.25 -23.6 0.9

(a) Loan commitments for owner occupier, investor housing and personal fixed term loans exclude refinancing.

Important data quality notes

Seasonal adjustment methods

In the April 2020 Lending Indicators release, the ABS advised that the method used to produce seasonally adjusted estimates would be changed from the "concurrent" method to the "forward factors" method, during the COVID-19 period. The forward factors approach is better suited to managing large movements at the end point of series and ensures that large movements do not have a disproportionate influence on the seasonal factors.

Given disruption to typical lending patterns in the wake of COVID-19 and the continuing use of a forward factors approach to seasonal adjustment, the ABS annually undertakes an extensive review of its seasonally adjusted Lending Indicators series. Similar reviews are regularly undertaken across the ABS economic statistics program. The last review was conducted in early April 2022 and its results were implemented in the April 2022 Lending Indicators release, with new static forward factors for the 12 months from this date being calculated through the review process.

The review identified a range of time series treatments to ensure that the seasonal adjustment process continues to be less influenced by the large month-to-month movements over the past two years, and more informed by seasonality before the COVID period. Revisions to most seasonally adjusted series are therefore relatively minor but larger than would be observed through the use of concurrent seasonal adjustment (which was used prior to the COVID period, with revisions progressively made each month).

Further information can be found here:

https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/methods-changes-during-covid-19-period

We will continue to monitor the effects on lending patterns from COVID-19 with a view to reverting to the concurrent adjustment method when there is no longer significant and prolonged disruption to key series. This could be as early as the second half of 2022.

Suspension of trend series

The trend series attempts to measure underlying behaviour in lending activity. In the short term, this measurement has been significantly affected by disruption to regular patterns in lending that have occurred during the COVID period, for example as potential home buyers face uncertainty about their job security. If the trend estimates in this publication were to be published without fully accounting for such irregular events, they would likely provide a misleading view of underlying lending activity.

The Lending Indicators trend series were suspended starting from March 2020. We will continue to monitor the impacts on lending patterns from COVID-19 with a view to resuming publication of trend series when sufficient certainty emerges in the underlying trends in lending. This could be as early as the second half of 2022.

Treatment of Buy Now Pay Later products in Personal finance

The ABS has identified some inconsistencies in how Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) loan products are being reported. We are working with APRA, the Reserve Bank and lenders to ensure reporting aligns with reporting guidance and definitions, and is consistent across different lenders. Revisions to Personal finance data are expected when this is resolved.

     

Housing finance

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms, the value of new loan commitments:

  • for total housing fell 3.4% to $27.4b, after a fall of 8.5% in July
  • for owner-occupier housing fell 2.7% to $18.5b but remained 35.8% higher than the pre-pandemic level seen in February 2020
  • for investor housing fell 4.8% to $8.9b but remained 69.9% higher than the pre-pandemic level seen in February 2020

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms, the value of external refinancing:

  • for total housing rose 5.3% and was 9.8% higher compared to a year ago
  • for owner-occupier housing rose 2.8% to a new record high of $12.8b and was 17.5% higher compared to a year ago
  • for investor housing rose 10.9% but was 3.5% lower compared to a year ago

Personal finance

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms, the value of new loan commitments:

  • for total fixed term personal finance rose 9.5%, after a rise of 7.7% in July
  • for the purchase of road vehicles rose 17.7%, after a rise of 5.2% in July

Business finance

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms, the value of new loan commitments:

  • for total construction finance rose 51.7%, after a fall of 35.4% in July
  • for the purchase of property fell 23.6%, after a rise of 40.2% in July

These series can have volatile month-to-month movements as they are strongly affected by small numbers of high value loans.

Housing finance (detailed)

New loan commitments by purpose (seasonally adjusted)

  Aug-2022 Month percent change Year percent change
Value ($b) (%) (%)
 Owner occupier      
  Total housing (a) 18.54 -2.7 -15.1
   Construction of dwellings 2.32 1.4 -7.3
   Purchase of newly erected dwellings 0.97 -11.3 -30.9
   Purchase of existing dwellings 13.91 -2.8 -15.9
  First home buyers 4.35 7.0 -23.3
 Investor      
  Total housing (a) 8.85 -4.8 -6.4
       
Number (No.) (%) (%)
 Owner occupier      
  Total housing (a) (b)      
   Construction of dwellings 4 088 -1.4 -20.7
   Purchase of newly erected dwellings 1 728 -11.3 -31.8
   Purchase of existing dwellings 23 487 0.7 -17.8
  First home buyers 9 258 10.4 -26.0
 Investor      
  Total housing (a) (b)      

(a) Housing includes loan commitments for dwellings, purchase of residential land and for alterations and additions.
(b) There is no seasonally adjusted or trend data available for the number of owner occupiers or investors for total housing as the data was collected from July 2019.

 

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms, the value of new loan commitments:

  • to owner-occupiers fell 2.7%, after a fall of 7.0% in July
  • to investors fell 4.8%, after a fall of 11.2% in July

  

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms for owner-occupier housing, the value of new loan commitments:

  • for the purchase of existing dwellings fell 2.8% and was 15.9% lower compared to a year ago
  • for the construction of new dwellings rose 1.4% but was 7.3% lower compared to a year ago
  • for the purchase of new dwellings fell 11.3% and was 30.9% lower compared to a year ago

(a) For periods prior to July 2019, statistics about owner occupier commitments for residential land are modelled using data about the total value of  commitments for residential land.

* Hide/unhide series in the graph by clicking the legend above (toggle the 'purchase of existing dwellings' series for a closer look at the other purposes of owner occupier lending).

 

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms for owner-occupier housing, the value of new loan commitments:

  • in New South Wales fell 8.5%, in Victoria fell 2.9%, in South Australia fell 3.8% and in Queensland fell 0.4%
  • in Western Australia rose 7.2%, in the Australian Capital Territory rose 6.6%, in Tasmania rose 8.3% and in the Northern Territory rose 7.0%

  

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms for investor housing, the value of new loan commitments:

  • in New South Wales fell 4.9%, in Victoria fell 4.0%, in South Australia fell 9.6%, in Queensland fell 2.7% and in the Northern Territory (a smaller and more volatile series) fell 26.5%
  • in Western Australia rose 3.0%, in the Australian Capital Territory rose 3.0% and in Tasmania rose 4.1%

In August 2022, in original terms:

  • the value of new variable rate loan commitments funded in the month rose 6.5%
  • the value of new variable rate loan commitments to first home buyers funded in the month rose 16.8%
  • the value of new fixed rate loan commitments funded in the month fell 15.4%
  • the value of new fixed rate loan commitments to first home buyers funded in the month fell 24.6%

*A loan is considered funded once any portion of the funds is made available for the borrower to draw down according to the terms of the contract. This will occur after there is a borrower-accepted commitment to provide finance.

**Total Fixed rate and Total Variable rate housing loans include first home buyer loans

In August 2022 in original terms, average loan size for owner-occupier dwellings (which includes construction and the purchase of new and existing dwellings):

  • fell at the national level from $609k to $589k
  • had the largest fall in New South Wales from $761k to $725k
  • fell in all states but rose slightly in the two territories

*Please note that while the series graphed above are joined between the available data points, there may be missing data points in between which are not available for publication

First home buyers

In August 2022 in seasonally adjusted terms for owner-occupier first home buyers, the number of new loan commitments:

  • at the national level rose 10.4% to 9,258. This is the largest rise since August 2020, though the level was 43.3% below the January 2021 high of 16,330.

  • in Victoria rose 11.9%, in Queensland rose 14.3%, in Western Australia rose 13.9%, in New South Wales rose 4.4%, in Tasmania (a smaller and more volatile series) rose 30.7%, in the Australian Capital Territory rose 9.5% and in the Northern Territory (also a smaller and more volatile series) rose 22.6%

  • in South Australia fell 1.4%

Additional information

Previously, the ABS published a first home buyer ratio which was the ratio of owner occupier first home buyer loan commitments to all owner occupier loan commitments. The table below presents two owner occupier first home buyer ratios.

  • The first ratio is the ratio of first home buyer loan commitments to total dwelling commitments (excluding refinancing). This is similar to the ratio published prior to October 2019. Loan commitments for dwellings is the sum of loan commitments for construction of dwellings, newly erected dwellings and existing dwellings. 
  • The second ratio is a new ratio, the ratio of first home buyer loan commitments to total housing loan commitments (excluding refinancing). This ratio uses the new key statistic, total housing loan commitments. Total housing loan commitments is the sum of loan commitments for dwellings and loan commitments for purchases of residential land and alterations and additions. 

First home buyer ratios should be used with caution because the direction of movements in the ratio are often not indicative of the direction of movement in the number of first home buyers. First home buyer ratios are no longer routinely published by the ABS in the time series spreadsheets. 

The table below does not include first home buyer loan commitments for investors. Information about the number of loan commitments for investors is new and is separately presented in a graph below.

  

New loan commitments to owner occupier first home buyers (original), number

  First home buyer loan commitments
Number
First home buyer ratio
Dwellings (a)
First home buyer ratio
Housing (b)
Total Australia 9 652 32.1% 27.2%
 New South Wales 2 040 28.2% 23.5%
 Victoria 3 030 35.4% 30.3%
 Queensland 1 964 29.9% 25.0%
 South Australia 532 25.6% 21.2%
 Western Australia 1 524 38.7% 34.4%
 Tasmania 196 32.7% 27.1%
 Northern Territory 76 31.0% 26.9%
 Australian Capital Territory 290 34.4% 30.7%

(a) Dwellings includes loan commitments for construction of dwellings, purchase of newly erected dwellings and purchase of existing dwellings.

(b) Housing includes loan commitments for dwellings, purchase of residential land and for alterations and additions.

  

Data downloads

Housing Finance - Total

Data files

   

Housing Finance - Owner-occupiers

Data files

   

Housing Finance - Investors

Data files

  

Housing Finance - First home buyers

Data files

    

Table 26. Households; Housing finance; Non-residents; New loan commitments; Numbers and values

   

Personal Finance

Data files

   

Business Finance

Data files

Data cubes

Series ID concordance mapping

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 5601.0.

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