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Home loan interest rates are still rising despite the Reserve Bank signalling at its last review that cash rate hikes may be at an end for now. The central bank will release its latest official cash rate this afternoon. Most economists are expecting the OCR to hold at 5.5 percent. All five major banks lifted their home loan rates over the past week ahead of today's OCR announcement. Already, 19,500 mortgages are behind on payments, which will increase, as rising interest rates bite. The confidence of homeowners has also taken a hit, with a new survey finding three percent of mortgage holders fear they'll have to sell their homes over the next year as a result of higher interest rates. A further 70 percent are worried about how they'll afford their repayments when they refix their loans. To discuss the situation, Kathryn speaks to Keith McLaughlin, the managing director of the credit bureau Centrix.
