导读：据《悉尼晨锋报》报道，全澳最大银行联邦银行（Commonwealth Bank）已经把5年期房贷固定利率削减至有记录以来的最低水平4.99%，这也是联邦银行首次把5年期固定利率调降至5%以下
据《悉尼晨锋报》报道，联邦银行（Commonwealth Bank）已经把5年期房贷固定利率削减至有记录以来的最低水平4.99%，让贷款者享受现金利率处于历史低位的好处。
这所全澳最大的银行周三宣布把5年期固定利率下降0.7%，至4.99%，为目前市场上的最低水平。这是联邦银行第一次把5年期固定利率调降至5%以下。
联邦银行零售产品及第三方部门执行总经理柯步丽（Lyn Cobley）表示：“这是消费者们锁定极具竞争力的5年期利率的大好时机。”
据报道，澳洲各大银行从今年起纷纷削减固定房贷利率，以吸引更多顾客。这也是由于银行的融资成本下降。
固定利率受到现金利率前景影响，而澳联储（RBA）把现金利率维持在2.5%的水平将近一年。
此外，联邦银行在最近几周因其财务规划分部的欺诈丑闻而被一个参议院质询会大肆抨击。而欺诈案件据称发生在2006年至2010年期间。
The Commonwealth Bank has slashed its five-year fixed mortgage rate to a new record low of 4.99 per cent, offering borrowers the chance to exploit historically low interest rates.
The country's biggest lender today said its five-year rate would fall 0.7 percentage points to 4.99 per cent, the lowest rate in the market. It is the first time the bank has cut its five-year fixed rate below 5 per cent.
“This is a great opportunity for customers to lock in an extremely competitive rate for five years,” Lyn Cobley, the bank's executive general manager of retail products and third party, said.
Banks have this year been slashing their fixed mortgage rates as a way to attract customers, and because of a fall in their funding costs.
The move comes after the bank has in recent weeks been slammed by a Senate inquiry into a fraud scandal in its financial planning arm, which occurred between 2006 and 2010.
Fixed rates are influenced by the outlook for the cash rate - which the Reserve Bank has left on hold at a record low of 2.5 per cent for almost a year.
Since mid June, money markets have increased their bets the central bank will cut interest rates further in an attempt to stimulate the economy.
ANZ Bank interest rate strategist Zoe HcHugh said markets were pricing in a 50 per cent chance of a 0.25 percentage point cut from the Reserve by December, and a 75 per cent chance of a cut by March next year.
Although ANZ and most banks think it is more likely the Reserve will leave rates unchanged, Dr McHugh said investors were concerned by weak consumer confidence and the stubbornly high dollar.
"The Australian dollar is very strong, so to some extent that puts a question mark in the market's mind about how the non-mining sector can recover," she said.
The programs of money printing or "quantitative easing" in the United States and Japan have also attracted global investors to Australian government bonds, pushing down yields. This tends to lower banks' fixed borrowing costs, because their bond yields are influenced by those of government bonds.
While the Commonwealth Bank now has the lowest five-year fixed rate in the market, there are five-year loans available with lower "comparison rates." The comparison rate - which attempts to model other non-interest costs such as fees - is 5.62 per cent for the CBA product.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/commbank-slashes-fixed-rate-20140723-zvw9a.html#ixzz38I6GaB6O
