Real Results for
Real New Zealanders.

The Situation

James and Priya had been saving for three years — long enough to scrape together a 9% deposit on a $720,000 home in West Auckland. But when they approached their main bank (ANZ), they were declined due to a $4,200 credit card default from 2021 that had since been repaid. A second application to Westpac returned the same result.

Feeling shut out, they contacted Finch after seeing a social post from a friend who'd been in a similar position.

The Finch Approach

• Full credit history review and a written explanation letter prepared for lender submission
• Identified a non-bank specialist lender with flexible credit criteria for borrowers with a single historic default
• Structured the application to maximise income recognition — including Priya's part-time freelance income often ignored by major banks
• Fast-tracked the pre-approval in parallel with the property search
• Negotiated lender fees and secured a 2-year fixed rate of 6.29%

The Situation

Mark and Sarah had a $580,000 mortgage with BNZ. Their 2-year fixed term rolled off in January 2025 — and without acting, they slipped onto the floating revert rate of 7.9%. Three months passed before they reached out to Finch, by which point they'd already paid thousands more in interest than necessary.

They'd always dealt with their bank directly and hadn't realised a broker could negotiate significantly better rates across 20+ lenders simultaneously.

The Finch Approach

• Full loan review and rate comparison across 12 competing lenders
• Negotiated a cash-back refinance incentive of $3,000 from the new lender to offset switching costs
• Restructured the loan: 50% on a 1-year fix at 6.89%, 50% on a 2-year fix at 7.0% — a strategic split to hedge against rate movements
• Reduced the remaining term by 6 years by applying the monthly saving toward extra principal payments
• Entire process completed in 10 working days, before their next payment cycle

The Situation

Daniel and Mei owned their Remuera home outright with $380,000 in useable equity. They wanted to start investing in property but had been told by their bank they could only support one investment loan — and only at a 40% LVR deposit. This made the numbers barely work for a single property, let alone a portfolio.

A referral from their accountant brought them to Finch, who took a fundamentally different approach to the loan structuring.

The Finch Approach

• Created a cross-collateralisation structure using the Remuera home equity as security across two lenders — preserving the couple's borrowing flexibility
• First investment property in Christchurch: 20% deposit drawn from equity, interest-only terms secured at 7.15% for 5 years
• Six months later: used rental income and capital growth to leverage into a second Dunedin property via a top-up facility
• Third property (Tauranga) acquired 12 months after the second, with a restructured revolving credit line providing the deposit
• All three loans structured to preserve tax deductibility under current NZ rules

The Situation

Traditional banks usually require 2 years of finalised financial statements for a self-employed mortgage in NZ. Ben, an IT contractor, had a very strong income but only 14 months of contracting history. Despite having a 20% deposit and an excellent credit score, his main bank automatically declined the application.

Frustrated by the rigid "tick-box" criteria of standard banking, Ben reached out to Finch Mortgages to explore alternative options.

The Finch Approach

• Bypassed standard bank criteria by using specialised self-employed mortgage lenders who evaluate modern contracting careers.
• Used 6 months of GST returns and consistent bank statements to verify robust cash flow, rather than waiting for year-end financials.
• Highlighted Ben's long history in the IT sector prior to contracting, establishing income stability and continuous employment.
• Secured a competitive interest rate with a non-bank lender that matched mainstream bank offers.

The Situation

Building a new home requires specialised construction finance. Mark and Lisa had a 10% deposit and wanted to build in a new subdivision in Christchurch. However, they were completely confused by the difference between progress payment loans and turnkey contracts, and they were worried about paying a mortgage and rent simultaneously during the build.

The Finch Approach

• Assessed the builder's contract and advised the clients to negotiate a "turnkey" arrangement (10% deposit upfront, 90% on completion).
• Secured an exemption under the First Home Loan scheme to get the new build approved with only a 10% deposit.
• Structured the construction loan so the bulk of the mortgage was only drawn down upon final code of compliance.
• Saved the clients thousands in registered valuation fees by using a lender that accepted the fixed-price build contract value.

The Situation

A family with a $650k mortgage had accumulated $45,000 in credit card and personal loan debt over a difficult period. The high 18-22% interest payments were causing missed payments, negatively impacting their credit score, and preventing them from getting a bad credit mortgage refinance from their existing bank.

The Finch Approach

• Leveraged the substantial usable equity in their Auckland property to restructure their overall financial position.
• Sourced a specialist lender willing to look past recent credit blemishes to offer a debt consolidation mortgage.
• Absorbed the high-interest short-term debt into a single, manageable long-term mortgage loan.
• Created a clear financial exit strategy to transition them back to prime bank lending rates within 24 months once their credit score improved.

The Situation

The clients found their perfect next home in rural Waikato but hadn't sold their current Hamilton property. In a highly competitive market, they needed to make a strong, unconditional offer immediately, or they would lose the lifestyle block to another buyer. They needed bridging finance, and they needed it fast.

The Finch Approach

• Quickly arranged an "open bridging loan" through a specialist NZ lender, not requiring an unconditional sale contract on their current home.
• Capitalised the interest payments into the loan so the clients didn't have to cover two mortgages out of pocket simultaneously.
• Provided a 6-month bridging window, giving them ample time to market and sell their existing home for top dollar, rather than accepting a low-ball fire-sale offer.

The Situation

A logistics company in South Auckland was facing a massive 30% rent increase upon lease renewal. The owners decided to buy an industrial warehouse to secure their business future, but found commercial property loan terms from their own business bank too restrictive, demanding a 50% cash deposit which would stifle their working capital.

The Finch Approach

• Acted as their commercial mortgage broker, packaging the business's strong cash flow forecasts and historical performance into a compelling lending proposal.
• Approached dedicated commercial lenders outside of the standard high street banks.
• Successfully negotiated a 65% LVR (Loan to Value Ratio) commercial mortgage, requiring only a 35% deposit.
• Secured a favourable 15-year amortisation term to keep monthly commercial mortgage repayments manageable.

The Situation

An earthmoving contractor won a massive, lucrative civil works contract but lacked the heavy machinery required to execute it. They needed $450,000 in equipment finance immediately to purchase three new excavators. Standard business loans were too slow and demanded property as collateral, which the owners did not want to provide.

The Finch Approach

• Utilised a specialised asset finance lender who used the excavators themselves as the sole security for the loan.
• Fast-tracked the approval process by presenting the signed civil works contract to prove guaranteed future cash flow.
• Structured the vehicle and equipment loan with seasonal repayment variations, reducing the payment burden during the wetter winter months when earthmoving slows down.