In the final element of the monthly series, the ABS today released their lending data for July. The total value of owner occupied housing commitments excluding alterations and additions rose 0.3% in trend terms and the seasonally adjusted series was flat. The trend series for the value of total personal finance commitments rose 0.4%. Revolving credit commitments rose 0.8% and fixed lending commitments rose 0.1%. The seasonally adjusted series for the value of total personal finance commitments fell 1.3%.
Revolving credit commitments fell 4.7%, while fixed lending commitments rose 1.5%. The trend series for the value of total commercial finance commitments rose 2.7%. Revolving credit commitments rose 5.1% and fixed lending commitments rose 1.6%. The seasonally adjusted series for the value of total commercial finance commitments rose 3.7% in July 2014, following a rise of 11.8% in June 2014. Fixed lending commitments rose 20.7%, following a rise of 0.8% in the previous month. Revolving credit commitments fell 25.9%, after a rise of 37.7% in the previous month. Looking at the data in more detail, we see the concentration of lending by the banks (and mainly the big four).
Within the commercial category, lending for housing investment by individuals was a significant element. Here is the absolute dollar amount by states, with a trend line, showing the relative strength in lending for investment purposes in NSW in particular, then VIC. The investment lending boom is not uniformly spread across the country. Another way to look at the data is on a per capita basis across each state. This chart shows the average amount per capita between January 2011 and July 2014. The movement is NSW in particular since May 2013 highlights both the volume and size of the average loans for investment purposes in NSW, compared with the other states. It is also worth noting the differences between NSW and some of the other states, especially TAS and SA, and we see WA, NT and VIC roughly marching together, behind the rabid pace set by NSW.