A lawyer taking action against the big banks over penalty fees says he will now try to stretch the claims back decades rather than work with the six-year statutory limit.

KiwiSaver fees can make a real difference to the return you get, particularly on accounts with low balances.

Many businesses think the raising of the official cash rate by the Reserve Bank was precipitate.

ASB Bank wants to raise up to $400 million in a fixed interest offer that it intends to list on the New Zealand share market.

Kiwibank has announced it will lift its home loan rates in response to yesterday's Reserve Bank decision to increase the Official Cash Rate.

Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler has signalled an aggressive, front-loaded start to the interest rate cycle now under way.

The Kiwi dollar will stay at an elevated level for longer than previously thought as the local economic story finds favour with foreign investors.

Reserve Bank mortgage lending restrictions are cooling the housing market, a top economist says, because national sales volumes have fallen 13.4 per cent since October.

Fran O'Sullivan asks: "Will all the chess pieces be in place within the next week in time for China to announce full convertibility of the NZ dollar into the renminbi during the PM's visit?"

About 70 per cent of businesses surveyed by ASB Bank expect the New Zealand dollar to reach parity with the Aussie dollar over the coming year.

NZIER's shadow board is emphatically in favour of an increase in the official cash rate tomorrow.

A rise in the official cash rate from 2.5 to 2.75 per cent on Thursday is seen as a virtual certainty, so the focus will be on the Reserve Bank's economic forecasts.