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Credit Simple

Credit Simple
What are neobanks and how are they different?

The term ‘neobank’ refers to a new crop of financial institutions that has been sprouting up throughout Australia and the rest of the world since at least 2017. What makes these banks different from traditional banks is that they have been reimagined from the ground up with a purely digital focus – to run seamlessly through an app and with no branches anywhere in sight. What are the benefits of using a neobank? The outside-the-box thinking common to neobanks offers…

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Here’s what a credit report actually looks like

If you’ve ever wondered what your credit report looks like, wonder no more. This guide will give you insight into your credit report, including what information it contains, how to read it, and why it’s so important. There are three main credit reporting bureaus in Australia, and you can access their version of your report in a number of ways, including in a written/physical format or through an online dashboard. Each variation may differ slightly in the way it’s presented,…

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7 ways to save money this holiday season

Here are a few tips to help you ring in the new decade with as little debt as possible. 1. Reconsider whom you need to shop for At different points in our lives, it makes sense to shop for certain people and not for others. For example, when our nieces and nephews are young, gifts are appropriate but when they’re adults, maybe a heartfelt card is enough. Go through your list and decide whom you really need to shop for…

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How to fix your credit score in 5 easy steps

Now that Australian banks are including positive credit behaviours in their reports to the credit bureaus, it’s much easier than it used to be to fix your credit score. So even if a few late payments or even a default knocked you back a few points, there are ways to work your way back into better credit territory. Here are the steps you’ll need to take to fix your credit rating and get it pointing in the right direction. 1.…

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Knowing what affects your credit score will give you the power to improve it

In the old days, only negative borrowing patterns – think late payments and defaults – could affect your credit score, also known as your credit rating. However, just recently, Australia joined the 21st century and implemented a scheme called Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR). That means positive borrowing patterns – like making your payments on time – can help your score tick back upward. The positive and negative factors that affect your credit score Before we jump into the nitty gritty,…

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How to compare home loans

Want a more efficient and effective way to compare home loans? Just follow these steps: 1) Identify the non-negotiable features you need. Google those features and shortlist the banks that offer them. Forget about the others, as there’s no reason to spend time of offers that don’t suit your needs. Case Study A 10% home loan deposit is below the 20% threshold for most loans. Kath googled the feature low-deposit home loans and saved the links to all relevant home…

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What is a good credit score in Australia?

What is a good credit score in Australia? Your credit score, which is sometimes referred to as your credit rating, will generally range from 0 to either 1,000 or 1,200 depending on the credit bureau calculating it. In all cases, the higher the score, the better. To make it easier to visualise, we’ve provided the table below to help you understand what constitutes a good credit rating in Australia – bureau by bureau. If you want to see how your…

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What home loan features do you actually need?

Here is a list of the most common home loan features lenders offer with their home loans. We explain some of these features in more depth on their own page if you want to learn more about them. You might not need all of these features, so don’t overlook a loan with an attractive interest rate and fee structure for flashy features you might not even need. With that out the way… Here’s your list of home loan features Offset…

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Home loan fees you may encounter

Most home loans come with their share of fees. Don’t fret over the length of this list, as you probably won’t be subject to all of them. You may even be able to convince your lender to nix a few. It’s also not an exhaustive list as every lender has its own fee schedule. Important Make sure you understand your lender’s specific fee schedule as it can differ from lender to lender. Without further delay… your list of the most…

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Low interest rates
What’s the impact of record low interest rates?

By Stephen Koukoulas, Economist Interest rates in Australia are at record lows. It is not just the 0.75 per cent official rate set by the RBA which is at a rate never seen before, but interest rates for borrowers and savers have also never been lower. The reasons for these low interest rates boil down to a simple fact – the economy is weak. That sluggish pace of growth, which was at a decade low in the middle of 2019,…

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