The financial impact of COVID-19 and what you can do

During these times of uncertainty, we understand there could be challenging periods ahead due to COVID-19 and want to reassure you that we are here to help. It’s important to know if you are facing difficulties with making repayments on your home loan, then you can seek relief on the grounds of financial hardship directly with your lender. Some potential options include:

Request a lower interest rate
Switch to interest only repayments
Request a repayment holiday for 3-6 months (interest is still incurred but repayments are stopped for a period of time)
Extend the loan term to reduce the repayments
Ask for fees and charges to be waived
Consolidate debts to make repayments more manageable

Not all banks and lenders will have a COVID-19 specific relief package prepared. However, they still have standard policies in place to help those who are facing financial hardship for any reason.

While financial hardship requests need to be made directly to the lender by the client, we can help you prepare for the conversation or suggest alternative solutions based on your individual circumstances.

Importantly, if you are facing financial hardship please act immediately and do not delay. The CEO of the Australian Banking Association, Anna Bligh said, "Banks stand ready to support customers, and if anyone is in need of assistance, they shouldn’t wait but come forward as soon as possible."

We’ve included a list of direct links to lenders below for you to find out more information.

Please know we are ready to assist, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.

AMP

www.amp.com.au/contact-us

www.amp.com.au/home-loans/financial-hardship

ANZ

www.anz.com.au/support/contact-us/

www.anz.com.au/promo/covid-19/

Australian Unity

1300 412 356

www.australianunity.com.au/

Bank of Queensland