MELBOURNE, April 7, 2026, 07:14 AEST
National Australia Bank Ltd on Tuesday continued to show a 6.04% one-year fixed home loan rate for owner-occupiers with a loan-to-value ratio up to 80%, its website showed. Those borrowing more than that threshold face a 6.14% rate for the same period. 1
The timing is notable: with the ASX shut for Easter Monday, borrowers and investors had to rely on pricing and operating cues instead of any new share price action. According to NAB’s shareholder calendar, half-year results land May 4. The interim dividend goes ex-dividend May 7, record date follows on May 8. 2
Peer rates remain elevated across the typical one-year term. Westpac’s homepage displayed a 6.24% package rate, with extra cuts offered to borrowers whose loans cover no more than 70% of the home’s value. ANZ, meanwhile, posted 6.34% for those borrowing up to 80%, and Commonwealth Bank put 6.49% on its Wealth Package. That puts NAB’s figure below both ANZ and CBA, and still beneath Westpac’s best-discounted rate. 3
NAB had already flagged that higher official rates were making an impact. After the Reserve Bank of Australia bumped up the cash rate by 25 basis points in March, bringing it to 4.1%—that’s one-hundredth of a percentage point per basis point—the bank moved to lift variable home loan rates by another 25 basis points, effective March 27. Personal banking executive Ana Marinkovic called another potential increase “challenging for many Australians.” 4
NAB flagged an operational snag during the long weekend, telling business clients that most NAB Connect payments wouldn’t be processed on Easter Monday. Fast payments and transfers between linked accounts, though, were set to run around the clock as usual. 5
The bank has been reviewing clients hit by rising fuel prices. According to NAB, bankers reached out to close to 200,000 business customers from early March, with particular attention on transport, agriculture, manufacturing, and regional supply chains. Olivia Brosca, a business care executive, flagged that “real pressure” is being felt mostly by smaller firms lacking a cushion. 6
The direction for rates remains murky. Last week, Sally Tindall at Canstar pointed out that upwards of 60 lenders have already bumped up fixed rates since the RBA met in March, though she also flagged that more increases aren’t guaranteed. On March 31, Reuters noted markets were placing roughly 60% odds on a further hike in May. Such a move would ratchet up the strain on households and smaller businesses. Credit demand would likely take a bigger hit if the slowdown sharpens. 7
NAB’s first-quarter cash earnings jumped 16%, sending shares to an all-time high back in February, Reuters said. Investors will get a look next month at the half-year numbers to see if stronger mortgage pricing and higher rates are still powering growth. 8
