Pursuits

Australian Regulators May Increase Lending Curbs Amid Home Boom

  • Limits on interest-only loans a ‘tactical response,’ APRA says
  • Byres says will review capital banks hold against mortgages

Newly constructed houses stand in the suburb of Putney Hill in Sydney, Australia.

Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg
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Australian regulators may take further steps to rein in mortgage lending amid growing concern booming home prices pose a risk to the financial system.

Restrictions on interest-only loans announced last week were a “tactical response” to growth in lending to property investors, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Chairman Wayne Byres said in a speech in Sydney on Wednesday. The regulator “can and will do more, or less, as conditions evolve,” he said.