A handful of farmers are refusing to settle or take a payout from the big banks that sold them controversial 'interest rate swaps'.

For many Kiwis, paying off a mortgage is a marathon effort - but on November 1, 10 lucky Auckland Marathon runners will have the chance to run down their rate

State-owned bank now offering six-month rates of 5.19 per cent - and 4.59 per cent for a two-year term.

NZ's five biggest banks continued to show strong earnings growth, but questions are being raised about whether this can be sustained.

ASB, which reported a record annual profit yesterday, is increasing rural provisioning as a slump in dairy prices puts increasing financial pressure on farmers.

Things are still looking healthy for New Zealand's banks, despite a fall in lending margins at the start of this year.

New Zealand is enjoying 3.2 per cent economic growth and 0.1 per cent inflation, the statisticians tell us, but Bank of New Zealand economists warn we could see those numbers switch.

The swiftness of the New Zealand dollar's drop in recent weeks has taken many businesses by surprise, says ASB Bank.

Paul Lewis looks at the link between the city's growth and the ASB, a sponsor of this series.

Expectations of rising house prices remain close to historic highs in ASB's quarterly survey of housing market sentiment.

The dollar may decline this week as economists bet the Reserve Bank will start cutting interest rates as early as next month.

ANZ Bank New Zealand, the country's biggest lender, was the most aggressive in pitching interest rate swaps to farmers, the Commerce Commission says.

Wool prices have recovered some lost ground and are expected to remain steady throughout the year, says ASB Bank in its latest commodities report.

KiwiSaver assets have seen "phenomenal growth" in the past three months, increasing by $1.8 billion.

ASB launched a range of new security mobile app features today, including a manual credit or debit card lock and setting restrictions on how cards were used.

The lawyer heading up a legal fight against NZ's major banks over fees says he won't be throwing the towel in despite a ruling in favour of ANZ in Australia.

ASB and Westpac banks have taken out the top honours in the 2015 Canstar banking Innovation Excellence Awards with clever new technology-driven products.

The trade deficit widened to $2.2 billion in the year ended February, the biggest it has been since August 2009.

Retailers are continuing to benefit from the boost to consumers' discretionary incomes from the fall in oil prices over the past year.

The Polynesian Panthers - incensed by the police's dawn raids on Pacific Island families in Ponsonby and Grey Lynn searching for overstayers.

ASB is looking to learn and grow from its financial support of the All Blacks.

ASB's re-branding of some branches to announce its sponsorship of the All Blacks had some customers scratching their heads.

The All Blacks have a brand new sponsor to support them in Rugby World Cup year, through the sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics and all of 2017.

Home loans became more affordable last month, with the typical home buyer saving $30 per week on mortgage repayments compared to December.

New Zealand's banks had a bumper 2014, with home loan demand amid a booming property market helping to boost their combined profit by more than 20 per cent to a record $4.8 billion.

A probe into how three banks marketed interest rate swaps to farmers will see up to $24.2 million go back to rural customers and their communities, with Westpac following ANZ and ASB and settling with the Commerce Commission.