Swan fumbled the ball

The blame game is already underway in Australian politics with opposition treasury spokesman Malcolm Turnbull declaring Wayne Swan has "fumbled the ball" with the banks lifting mortgage rates ahead of any official rise announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia next month.

Westpac Sets About Rams Rehabilitation With Rate Cut

WESTPAC yesterday offered a sign of how it will use its newly acquired RAMS home loans business to challenge its rivals when it cut the high-profile brand's standard mortgage rate to below the level of the rise just announced by National Australia Bank.