Japanese banks are offering new services to attract housing loan borrowers. They're trying to capitalize on rising demand for housing ahead of a planned consumption tax hike next April.
Banks are already competing to cut mortgage rates. They've been targeting people thinking of refinancing existing mortgages taken out when lending rates were higher.
Now, banks are offering other kinds of perks. A service introduced by Mizuho Bank in August allows family borrowers to make smaller, flexible repayments in needy times, like childbirth and school enrollment.
