Media

Martin North, Digital Finance Analytic’s founding Principal and banking sector analyst, willingly engages with the media offering informed, objective and independent views on banking, financial services and broader economic policy issues. He has a special interest in the dynamics of the housing sector. Requests by Media for interviews can be made here  or call 0412 210 016.

We have high quality video recording facilities (as well as Skype over NBN) and so can create broadcast standard content to meet tight media deadlines; as well as content for our video blogs.

Some recent media citations relating to Digital Finance Analytics are listed below. However we have ceased listing every reference, as there are now too many to track! Where possible links are provided to the original source material. Older citations are listed separately by year, via the “Media” tab.

07 Sep 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Dilemma for buyers, sellers in a turning market

20 Aug 2019 – The Australian – The hard reality of easy lending

01 Jul 2019 – The New Daily – Rates are being cut, but not many of us will benefit significantly

01 Jul 2019 – The Sydney Moring Herald – Banks face profit squeeze from passing on RBA cuts in full

01 Jul 2019 – The Australian Financial Review – RBA to trigger ‘unprecedented’ rush to zero rates for savers

01 Jul 2019 – The Guardian – What first-home buyers should know about ‘bank of mum and dad’

23 Jun 2019 – News.com.au – Experts warn of more major building defects

22 Jun 2019- The Australian – Rules for the bank of mum and dad just got tighter

18 Jun 2019 – The Financial Review – ‘The debt bomb is still ticking’

18 Jun 2019 – The Guardian – Betting The House

18 Jun 2019 – The Daily Mail – The stark warning to the Bank of Mum and Dad

18 Jun 2018 – ABC News – Sydney apartments in spotlight

17 Jun 2019 – The Financial Review – Bank of Mum and Dad faces prudential crackdown

12 Jun 2019 – ABC News – Housing price crash sends homeowners spinning into negative equity territory

12 Jun 2019 – ABC News – Mortgage rate cuts not automatic for all borrowers at all banks

12 Jun 2019 – Daily Mail – How high immigration and Chinese investors have made housing HALF as affordable

12 Jun 2019 – Sydney Morning Herald – Banks face tighter capital rules for investor and interest-only loans

11 Jun 2019 – ABC News – When is a rate cut not a rate cut? When you don’t ask for it

10 Jun 2019 – Australian Financial Review – 80pc of savers face negative interest rates

05 June 2019 – Daily Mail – Is Australia heading toward a recession?

05 June 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Mortgage rates plunge to 60-year lows

31 May 2019 –Daily Mail Australia – Homeowners rejoice!

16 Apr 2019 – Herald.co.nz – Property ‘armageddon’: Aussie House prices could fall by 50 per cent

13 Apr 2019 – The Australian – RBA: housing slide could push homes into negative equity

13 Apr 2019 – News.com.au – Buyers Still Relying On The Bank Of Mum and Dad

12 Apr 2019 – Daily Mail – RBA: 30 per cent fall in house prices

12 Apr 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Split investment strategy to counter dismal savings rates

08 Apr 2019 – Your Mortgage – Mortgage defaults are becoming a serious problem in Australia

08 Apr 2019 – 3AW – If you go overseas you’re going to get stung

08 Apr 2019 – Australian Financial Review – ALP’s negative gearing policy based on ‘dodgy data’

03 Apr 2019 – The New Daily -Mortgage Stress Increasing

02 Apr 2019 – Zero Hedge – Recession Signs Everywhere

31 Mar 2019 – Sydney Morning Herald – Consumers desert scandal-plagued big banks

27 Mar 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Caution urged for first-home buyers

26 Mar 2019 – Newcastle Herald – Opinion | Bill to right the wrongs of Australian banks

25 Mar 2019 – Daily Telegraph – ‘Property punch-up of the century’: Peter Switzer to take on ‘doomsday merchant’ John Adams in TV debate

25 Mar 2019 –  Savings.com.au – Bank of Mum and Dad goes bust

25 Mar 2019 – Sydney Morning Herald – Hayne commission leaves banks’ wealth plans in disarray

21 Mar 2019 – Daily Reckoning – What the Aussie Banks Aren’t Telling You

07 Mar 2019 – Yahoo! Finance – Maps: Where mortgage stress is worst in Australian capital cities

06 Mar 2019 – Sydney Morning Herald – No interest loans are real and sure beat payday sharks

05 Mar 2019 – 6PR – Suncorp reveals concern over default ratio in WA

05 Mar 2019 – Finder.com.au – Moula announces additional $250 million in small business funding

04 Mar 2019 – Mortgage Business – Non-bank growth sparks call for greater oversight

04 Mar 2019 – Daily Mail – Inside Australia’s last recession

01 Mar 2019 – Stuff.co.nz – Building for the future after Opal Tower

01 Mar 2019 – Weekend Australian – Slowdown on cards as borrowers take it easy

01 Mar 2019 – 2GB – Property Prices in their worst decline since the 1980’s

27 Feb 2019 –  Daily Mail  – Why even millionaire investors are struggling to buy a house

26 Feb 2019 – Brisbane Times – How to beat the home loan credit squeeze

22 Feb 2019 – Australian Financial Review – ‘Irresponsible’ agents blamed as top end property plunges by 40pc

21 Feb 2019 – Daily Mail Australia – Welcome to the property ‘bloodbath’

21 Feb 2019 –  Ten – More Aussies Getting Pay Day Loans

21 Feb 2019 – ABC News – Payday loans increase as households pushed into risky credit from non-bank lenders

15 Feb 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Interest-only loans worth $230 billion ‘trap’ 650,000, warns Morgan Stanley

13 Feb 2019 – ABC Radio National – Breakfast – Borrowing slump has potential to accelerate property price fall, analysts say

12 Feb 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Bargain hunter property investors bounce back as prices fall and yields rise

08 Feb 2019 – The Courier Mail – Falling property prices, weak spending and income growth a concern for RBA

06 Feb 2019 – Australian Broker – Final report ‘ignores systemic issues’

05 Feb 2019 – The Age – Customers offered faster change in political fight over bank scandals

14 Jan 2019 – Herald Sun – Gold Coast mortgage stress worse in 2019 than 2018 as financial fears grow

11 Jan 2019 – Australian Financial Review – How to cut annual payments on a $1m mortgage by $18,000

09 Jan 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Property borrowers brace for a new round of rate hikes as funding costs rise

08 Jan 2019 – Your Mortgage – Why some say turning the debt taps back on is irresponsible

07 Jan 2019 – ABC News – What lies ahead for the property market this year

04 Jan 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Property borrowers brace for $300b interest-only credit crunch

03 Jan 2019 – Australian Business Review – Lenders given free rein

02 Jan 2019 – Australian Financial Review – Aggressive shadow banks grow market four-fold by cutting rates, easing terms

29 Dec 2018 – The Courier Mail – How ‘sick’ buildings are showing signs of infection across the city

24 Dec 2018 – 3AW – Privately owned ATMs stinging customers more than $100 to access their own money

16 Dec 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Consumer spending unaffected by housing market softening

12 Dec 2018 – Yahoo! Finance – Why a 35% house price crash is ‘very unlikely’

11 Dec 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Why a ‘prenup’ is needed in home loan help from the Bank of Mum and Dad

10 Dec 2018 – The Daily Mail – How an imminent housing market collapse is set to cripple Australia’s economy

07 Dec 2018 – Your Mortgage – Aussies fall into a negative equity trap amid housing downturn

07 Dec 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Shadow banks two-and-a-half times more likely to approve loans than big four

05 Dec 2018 – The Daily Mail – The main factor leading to the property downturn

04 Dec 2018 – News.com – One million Aussies could become ‘prisoners’ in their own home

20 Nov 2018 – Your Mortgage – These suburbs are reeling from high levels of mortgage stress

19 Nov 2018 – Daily Mail – Is your home in danger?

19 Nov 2018 – The Queensland Times – Suburbs struggling with mortgage stress

13 Nov 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Wealthier suburbs more of an apartment settlement risk than lower-income ones

12 Nov 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Housing market said to be rife with regulatory arbitrage

12 Nov 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Experts brace for regulatory response as credit crunch hits house prices

12 Nov 2018 – The Australian – More property falls to come, experts tell UBS event

11 Nov 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Labor inquiry into buy-now, pay-later threatens Afterpay

09 Nov 2018 – MPA – Is history repeating itself?

08 Nov 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Home owners under pressure: mortgage stress and price discounting

05 Nov 2018 – 4BC – Banks ‘chasing their own tails’ over bank credit loans

05 Nov 2018 – Daily Mail – The world’s luckiest kids?

02 Nov 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Trade up in a falling property market

24 Oct 2018 – Silver Doctors – John Adams: The RBA Has Confirmed With Me That 99.9% Of Australia’s Gold IS NOT In Australia

24 Oct 2018 – Australian Financial Review – $19b worth of new property loans breach tough lending guidelines

23 Oct 2018 – New.com.au – Property’s ‘ticking time bomb’ is about to go off, with one million Aussies affected

20 Oct 2018 – Brisbane Times – Rapid rise in retirees with mortgage debt

16 Oct 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Are you better off selling your home and going back to renting?

16 Oct 2018 – ABC News – Drought aid: Where has the money been allocated and what difference is it making on-farm?

13 Oct 2018 – Herald Sun – Share prices fall as interest rate investments rise

12 Oct 2018 – The Chronicle – This is the mortgage ‘ring of fire’

11 Oct 2018 – The Advertiser – Outer suburbs most at risk of mortgage delinquencies

11 Oct 2018 – Surf Coast Times – How to survive the credit crunch

08 Oct 2018 – ABC News – Australian housing, the economic parallels with Ireland and the risk of a housing crash

04 Oct 2018 – Herald Sun – Borrowers could pay half their monthly income into mortgage if rates rise by 2 points

02 Oct 2018 – Your Mortgage – Aussie parents postponing retirement to help children buy homes

01 Oct 2018 – NewPaper24 – Consumers on a discount hut as Australia’s housing market retain sliding

01 Oct 2018 – 9News – Victorian Home Owners “Most Stressed” In Australia

28 Sep 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Shadow banks pick up high-risk borrowers as big four retreat to safety

28 Sep 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Mortgage lending rises as household debt rises to more than 190 per cent of income

25 Sep 2018 – News.com.au – The Phone Call That “Could Drop House Prices By 80%”

25 Sep 2018 – Yahoo! Finance – Another blow for the Aussie property market

24 Sep 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Westpac plans to ‘dump’ risky property investors as rates rise and returns fall

22 Sep 2018 – The Canberra Times – How much mortgage stress is in your postcode?

21 Sep 2018 – The Daily Telegraph – Three Macarthur region suburbs in top 10 suffering mortgage stress

20 Sep 2018 – The Whitsunday Times – ‘HOUSE OF CARDS’: Property gurus take on PM’s dire warning

18 Sep 2018 – China Economic Net – Aussie house prices take tumble in Q2

18 Sep 2018 – Australian Financial Review – 60 Minutes criticised for reporting 40 per cent house price fall in 12 months

17 Sep 2018 – Daily Mail Online – ‘GFC 2.0’: Terrifying graphic showing why Australia’s plunging property prices could destroy the economy

17 Sep 2018 – The Courier Mail – Experts warn of ‘debt bomb’ as housing downturn worsens

17 Sep 2018 – F3News – Experts warn of economic ‘catastrophe’ linked to downturn

14 Sep 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Bitter lessons still being learnt about the global financial crisis

14 Sep 2018 – The Advertiser – Tenth anniversary of Lehman Brothers bank failure raises spectre of cyclical problems

14 Sep 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Bank rate rises to trigger bidding war over property borrowers

12 Set 2018 – Yahoo! Finance – 4 ways to weather slower Aussie house price growth

11 Sep 2018 – 7 property tips to help investors sleep easy

02 Sep 2018 – The Guardian Australia – Mortgage hikes show the dancing is nearly over at Australia’s credit party

01 Sep 2018 – News.com.au – The Australians at risk of becoming ‘mortgage prisoners’

01 Sep 2018 – The Weekend Australian – More home loan hikes coming

30 Aug 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Customers urged to go outside the big four

27 Aug 2018 – Australian Business Review – Mortgage ‘prisoners’ will challenge Scott Morrison’s new-look Liberals

26 Aug 2018 – Ten News – RC And Mortgage Lending Tightening

26 Aug 2018 – The Weekly Times – Banks change borrowing rules leaving nearly half of homeowners as ‘mortgage prisoners’

04 Aug 2018 – The Australian – Credit crunch hits developers, builders, would-be homeowners

03 Aug 2018 – Australian Financial Review – How multi-million-dollar property portfolio becomes liquidity trap for retirees

03 Aug 2018 – ABC Radio – Banks Exploit Power To Overcharge For Service, Constrain Competition: Report

28 Jul 2018 – Herald Sun – AMP counts the cost of bad advice

26 Jul 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Honeymoon lending rates could turn sour for banks and borrowers, analysts warn

24 Jul 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Big four banks up the ante to entice favoured borrowers

25 Jul 2018 – ABC News – ‘Mortgage prisoners’ trapped with higher rates as lending rules get tougher

23 Jul 2018 – The New Daily – Super fund returns and profits should be regulated like utilities: COTA

22 Jul 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – ‘It’s our version of the GFC’: warning on looming interest-only crisis

20 Jul 2018 – Your Mortgage – Millennials take advantage of guarantor loans to secure a property

18 Jul 2018 – MSN Money NZ – The risks of opening an account with the bank of mum and dad

17 Jul 2018 – New York Times – Australian Housing Costs Rival New York’s, but Boom May Be Ending

13 Jul 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Global hedge funds circling increasingly volatile local property market

13 Jul 2018 – 6PR Perth – Mortgage Stress

12 Jul 2018 – 2GB – Mortgage Stress

12 Jul 2018 – ABC Radio Melbourne – Mortgage Stress

12 Jul 2018 – ABC Radio Sydney – Mortgage Stress

12 Jul 2018 – In The Black – Are consumers and small business facing a credit crunch?

12 Jul 2018 – Better Homes and Gardens – These are the banks raising their mortgage rates

12 Jul 2018 – The Australian Business Review – APRA stress test draws fire on detail

11 Jul 2018 – ABC Radio – Up to 1 million households risk mortgage default by September, analyst warns

10 Jul 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Why we all need a financial Plan B

07 Jul 2018 – Are falling house prices a sign the property boom is over?

06 Jul 2018 – Herald Sun – Mortgage interest rates vary between the states

06 Jul 2018 – Mozo.com.au – Which state do you think is under the most ‘mortgage stress’?

05 Jul 2018 – Herald Sun – Home loans: Mortgage stress at record high as almost one million Aussie households struggle

30 Jun 2018 – The Weekend Australian – Subprime boom sparks warning on home loans

29 Jun 2018 – Australian Financial Review  – Winners and losers in the baby boomer downsizer deluge

29 Jun 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Falling property prices and cheap credit lift the hopes of young home buyers

28 Jun 2018 – Australian Financial Review – What credit crunch? Citi claims mortgage growth remains robust

27 Jun 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Banks tighten lending as borrowers’ budgets blow out

26 Jun 2018 – Domain – Small Australian banks are raising mortgage rates. Will the big four follow?

26 Jun 2018 – Australian Financial Review – AMP, BOQ, IMB join lenders hiking rates as the cost of money rises

26 Jun 2018 – Nine News – Sydney’s Debt Bomb

18 Jun 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Property sales ditched as crunch credit causes auction values to plunge

16 Jun 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Time to stop scourge of payday lending, leasing

15 Jun 2018 – Australian Business Review – Customers ‘flocking’ to Mortgage brokers despite tarnished image

14 Jun 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Call to warn parents over guaranteeing kids’ loans

13 Jun 2018 – Australian Business Review – House prices feel pinch as loan demand continues to slide

11 June 2018 – Your Mortgage – Australian households reel under mortgage stress

11 June 2018 – Property Observer – Sydney auction market weakened in autumn, but some suburbs are bucking the trend

07 Jun 2018 – Domain – Majority of female homeowners fearful they couldn’t handle small interest rate rise, survey finds

03 Jun 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Banks could tighten screws on small business after royal commission

02 Jun 2018 – The Weekly Times – Bank of Mum and Dad isn’t always the best option

31 May 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Home borrowing contracts sharply, new figures confirm

28 May 2018 – The Australian Financial Review – Developer offering ‘Afterpay’ style financing for real estate with ‘preposit’ plan

26 May 2018 – The Australian Financial Review – Parents increasingly fearful of using home as guarantee for kids’ business plans

25 May 2018 – The Australian Financial Review – When loans from Bank of Mum and Dad can go wrong

10 May 2018 – The Australian Business Review – CBA shares fall as profit dips 10pc, legal costs rise

04 May 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Why it’s worth cutting mortgage costs via cheaper loan

04 May 2018 – The Daily Mail Australia – Revealed: The Australian postcodes where families suffer the most mortgage stress

04 May 2018 – Nine.com.au – Almost one million Australian households are experiencing mortgage stress

02 May 2018 – Domain.com.au – Majority of first-home buyers now use ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’

02 May 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Bank of Mum and Dad loans soar 25pc as banks crackdown

02 May 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Number of troubled households seeking to refinance loans doubles

23 Apr 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Leave nothing but huge amounts of money. Expect only grandchildren.

23 Apr 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Four in 10 property borrowers hit with ‘discreet’ rate and fee increases

20 Apr 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Breach of trust: how Australian banks went bad

20 Apr 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Cheap credit fuels house prices rising 20,000 times faster than income growth

19 Apr 2018 – News.com.au – Housing now more affordable across the nation thanks to Sydney price falls

11 Apr 2018 – Australian Business Review – Easy credit to blame for high house prices (Republished DFA Blog Post)

07 Apr 2018 – Townsville Bulletin – More households than ever are under mortgage stress in Townsville

06 Apr 2018 – International Business Times –  960,000 households in Australia will face ‘mortgage stress’, data shows

06 Apr 2018 – Nine News – Almost one-third of Australian households facing ‘mortgage stress’

06 Apr 2018 – Daily Mail – Mortgage Stress hits almost a MILLION families

05 Apr 2018 – 4BC – Mortgage stress continues to climb as wage growth stalls

03 Apr 2018 – Nine News – Two rate rises could crush ‘risky’ mortgage holders

02 Apr 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Property buyers brace for new round of interest rate hikes as funding costs rise

29 Mar 2018 – The Australian Business Review – APRA faces pressure on liar loans

28 Mar 2018 –  The Queensland Times – ‘Property armageddon is coming’

21 Mar 2018 –  Your Mortgage – Royal Commission grills ANZ about loans submitted by brokers

21 Mar 2018 – Gold Coast Bulletin – Data reveals worst Gold Coast suburbs under mortgage stress

21 Mar 2018 – ABC Radio Nation Breakfast – Mortgage Brokers

13 Mar 2018 – MPA – News Analysis: One more backflip

13 Mar 2018 – Your Mortgage – Can anything solve Australia’s affordability crisis?

12 Mar 2018 – ABC News – Nurse’s $3 million in loans raises questions about banks’ lending practices

11 Mar 2018 –  New Zealand Herald – Housing inequality threatens fabric of society

05 Mar 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Limited security guarantees could be the answer for first-home buyers

03 Mar 2018 – Australian Financial Review – CBA Westpac cut rates but 220,000 interest-only loans face $100b crunch

03 Mar 2018 – The Australian – Interest-only crisis time bomb ticking as repayments reset

01 Mar 2018 – The Australian Business Review – APRA relaxing as home price boom ends

01 Mar 2018 – ABC The Business – Lax Loans

01 Mar 2018 – 2GB Money News – APRA’s Lending Policy

28 Feb 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Interest-only property buyers face ‘double whammy’ of loan resets, rate rises

27 Feb 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Loan insurers in trouble as higher standards bite

26 Feb 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Small business bosses use home equity as ‘piggy banks’ to keep doors open

20 Feb 2018 – 2GB Ross Greenwood’s Money Show – Interest Only Loans

14 Feb 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – APRA issues another warning on risky investor loans

13 Feb 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Interest-only property investor cash flow crunch sparks fears of fire sales

12 Feb 2018 – News.com.au – Banking Royal Commission holds first hearing

11 Feb 2018 – The New Daily – The end of the banking boom will affect your retirement

09 Feb 2018 – The West Australian – Pilbara mortgage stress high, but improving

09 Feb 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Property buyers need to look beyond lower price and perks to location and gains

08 Feb 2018 – ABC News – Banking royal commission to hear cases like Amy’s

08 Feb 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Banks fret over volatility impact on funding costs

07 Feb 2018 – The New Daily – Taxpayers foot $500m bill for ‘windfall’ bank profits

05 Feb 2018 – The Australian Business Review – UBank eyes online services growth through fintech partnerships

05 Feb 2018 – Herald Sun – Struggling families targeted by ruthless payday lenders

05 Feb 2018 – Courier Mail – Editorial: Payday lenders must be called to account

03 Feb 2018 – The Australian – Martin North: Divining markets for mums and dads

01 Feb 2018 – News.com.au – More Queenslanders in mortgage stress amid likelihood of rate rise

01 Feb 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Mortgage surge as APRA rules sidestepped

30 Jan 2018 – The Australian Business Review – CBA sideswiped by ASIC rate-rig suit

28 Jan 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Big four build $600m ‘war chest’ to win mortgage market share with discount loans

26 Jan 2018 – ABC News – Being billed for getting a bill in the mail could be coming to an end

25 Jan 2018 – Courier Mail – Thousands of interest-only homeowners in Queensland face a looming mortgage crunch

24 Jan 2018 – ABC Radio National PM – Push to ban fees for receiving bills in the mail, but who’s behind it?

20 Jan 2018 – News.com.au – Close to 1 million households under mortgage stress: report

20 Jan 2018 – The Courier Mail – First-home buyers are banking on Mum and Dad

18 Jan 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Australian household debt-to-income ratio taps 200pc

17 Jan 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Interest-only borrowers brace for mortgage crunch

16 Jan 2018 – Nine News – New online platform allows you to ‘auction’ your loan to the lowest bidder

15 Jan 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Interest-only loans plummet as banks clamp down on risk

13 Jan 2018 – The Australian – Wealth effect: households are doing it tough as economy races ahead

11 Jan 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Low-deposit loans push but analysts warn of risks

10 Jan 2018 – International Business Times – About 921,000 Australian households are under mortgage stress: analysis

09 Jan 2018 – News.com.au – How to beat the banks at their own game

08 Jan 2018 – Australian Financial Review – New ‘liar loans’ data reveal borrowers more stretched than some lenders suspect

05 Jan 2018 – SMSF Adviser – Property, debt stress prompts clients to take tax risks

04 Jan 2018 – News.com.au – These are the 10 worst postcodes for mortgage stress in Queensland

04 Jan 2018 – ABC News (TV and Radio) – Risks and Opportunities of Buying Property Now

04 Jan 2018 – Sky Business – Mortgage Stress and Default Predictions

03 Jan 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Rise in mortgage stress defies lending crackdown

01 Jan 2018 – Australian Financial Review – Lowest loan rate since 1956 sparks regulatory fears and raises pressure on debt

01 Jan 2018 – The Australian Business Review – Shadow sector mortgages surging ahead