With the RBA lifting the cash rate three times already in 2026 — now sitting at 4.35% — the cost of your mortgage has almost certainly gone up. But there's a cost many Australians are paying that has nothing to do with the RBA, and everything to do with staying loyal to the wrong lender. It's called the mortgage loyalty tax, and in the current environment, it matters more than ever. What Is the Loyalty Tax? The loyalty tax isn't something the ATO levies. It's the name given t

Last week's Federal Budget grabbed most of the headlines, and rightly so. But there's a second story running alongside it that matters just as much to anyone thinking about a mortgage right now: the formalisation of the Big Four banks' 4.35% servicing baseline. These two developments — the Budget's tax overhaul and the new lending floor — are compounding each other in ways that create real challenges for borrowers. Here's what you need to know. The 4.35% Servicing Baseline: W

This week's Federal Budget wasn't just another set of policy tweaks. For property investors and aspiring home owners, it represents the most fundamental restructure of Australia's property tax system in decades. Paired with the RBA's current rate settings, the landscape has shifted significantly — and quickly. As your mortgage broker, it's my job to cut through the noise and tell you what this actually means for your situation. Let me walk you through the key changes. Negativ

It's the question on every homeowner's lips this month. And honestly? The answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no — so let's cut through the noise. Historically, fixing your rate has rarely paid off. And right now, the situation is even trickier: the banks have already moved. Fixed rates have been quietly lifted in anticipation of where the market is heading, which means the window many borrowers were hoping to jump through may have already closed. Where rates actually