Borrow
Growing disaster risk to credit quality
The risks of climate change and the “increasing frequency and severity” of natural disasters have highlighted growing risks to the credit quality of Australian mortgages.
Growing disaster risk to credit quality
The risks of climate change and the “increasing frequency and severity” of natural disasters have highlighted growing risks to the credit quality of Australian mortgages.
A report released by Moody’s investor Service has warned that natural disasters are increasing the risk of Australian residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), in light of the current bushfire crisis.
“The size and the scale of the bushfires are unprecedented, with around 11 million hectares burned and over 1,900 residential dwellings destroyed so far, but our rated RMBS have limited exposure to the affected loans,” said Alena Chen, Moody’s vice president and senior analyst.
However, the ratings agency added that at present, the number of homes destroyed by the natural disaster comprise of a “small proportion” of the overall residential housing stock in Australia, with exposure to loans on bushfire-affected properties “low” among the securities rated by Moody’s.
“We therefore expect that while mortgage delinquencies will increase in affected areas because of the economic disruption and damage caused by the fires, this will not materially hit RMBS portfolios,” Moody’s stated.
“Around 6.7 per cent of loans in RMBS we rate are on properties in fire-affected areas, but the actual share of loans that will be negatively affected by the fires – either because the underlying properties have been damaged or destroyed or because of the economic disruption caused by the disaster – is likely to be much smaller.
“Recent natural disasters have all had limited and temporary impact on the performance of our RMBS portfolio.”
The increasing frequency of natural disasters is also having an impact on Australia’s credit rating of both the federal and state governments, the agency said.
Moody’s said that over time, the frequency and severity of natural disasters related to climate change will be a recurring cost for Australia, although it added that the country currently has capacity to deal with such a crisis.
Currently, the Australian government has announced that it is committing an additional $2 billion over two years to set up a natural bushfire recovery agency.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Loans
Beyond the mortgage: SME lending is where growth, margin and loyalty are shifting
SME credit is moving from branch desks to APIs, from collateral to cashflow, and from monoline lenders to embedded platforms. For banks, fintechs and brokers, this is not a side-bet—it’s where ...Read more
Loans
Debunking credit myths leads to big wins with transparent hardship design
New research from Arca’s CreditSmart initiative surfaces a stubborn problem: Australians under financial strain are avoiding hardship support because they fear lasting damage to their creditRead more
Loans
No-deposit home loans in Australia: The growth gambit that tests risk discipline
A new no-deposit mortgage has landed in Australia, promising to crack the hardest nut in housing—fronting a deposit—while raising old questions about risk and capital. For lenders, the product doubles ...Read more
Loans
Rate relief ignites a mortgage scramble — and a technology arms race
Australia’s rate easing has flipped mortgage demand from ‘defend and retain’ to ‘originate and grow’. Refinance waves and a rekindled purchase market are colliding with digitisation, broker dominance ...Read more
Loans
Trust is the moat: How brokers can win in an AI-accelerated, commoditised mortgage market
In an evolving mortgage landscape where algorithms are levelling the playing field, Australian mortgage brokers are finding that trust, rather than price or speed, is becoming their most valuable ...Read more
Loans
CreditSmart revolutionises hardship support and lenders risk missing out
Australians under cost‑of‑living pressure are sidestepping hardship help because they fear a permanent stain on their credit file. Arca’s CreditSmart initiative has thrust this misconception into the ...Read more
Loans
Australia’s 40‑year mortgage moment: affordability optics, lifetime cost, and the new risk calculus
Forty‑year home loans are shifting from niche to feature in Australia, led by challenger banks and mutuals courting first‑home buyers. The headline promise—lower monthly repayments—masks a material ...Read more
Loans
The mortgage-regret economy: Why borrower confusion is reshaping Australia’s home-loan playbook
Mortgage regret has become a measurable market force, driving record refinancing, rising arrears off a low base, and a scramble by lenders and brokers to redesign the borrower journey. With the ...Read more
Loans
Beyond the mortgage: SME lending is where growth, margin and loyalty are shifting
SME credit is moving from branch desks to APIs, from collateral to cashflow, and from monoline lenders to embedded platforms. For banks, fintechs and brokers, this is not a side-bet—it’s where ...Read more
Loans
Debunking credit myths leads to big wins with transparent hardship design
New research from Arca’s CreditSmart initiative surfaces a stubborn problem: Australians under financial strain are avoiding hardship support because they fear lasting damage to their creditRead more
Loans
No-deposit home loans in Australia: The growth gambit that tests risk discipline
A new no-deposit mortgage has landed in Australia, promising to crack the hardest nut in housing—fronting a deposit—while raising old questions about risk and capital. For lenders, the product doubles ...Read more
Loans
Rate relief ignites a mortgage scramble — and a technology arms race
Australia’s rate easing has flipped mortgage demand from ‘defend and retain’ to ‘originate and grow’. Refinance waves and a rekindled purchase market are colliding with digitisation, broker dominance ...Read more
Loans
Trust is the moat: How brokers can win in an AI-accelerated, commoditised mortgage market
In an evolving mortgage landscape where algorithms are levelling the playing field, Australian mortgage brokers are finding that trust, rather than price or speed, is becoming their most valuable ...Read more
Loans
CreditSmart revolutionises hardship support and lenders risk missing out
Australians under cost‑of‑living pressure are sidestepping hardship help because they fear a permanent stain on their credit file. Arca’s CreditSmart initiative has thrust this misconception into the ...Read more
Loans
Australia’s 40‑year mortgage moment: affordability optics, lifetime cost, and the new risk calculus
Forty‑year home loans are shifting from niche to feature in Australia, led by challenger banks and mutuals courting first‑home buyers. The headline promise—lower monthly repayments—masks a material ...Read more
Loans
The mortgage-regret economy: Why borrower confusion is reshaping Australia’s home-loan playbook
Mortgage regret has become a measurable market force, driving record refinancing, rising arrears off a low base, and a scramble by lenders and brokers to redesign the borrower journey. With the ...Read more
