Own ANZ shares? Here's what this top broker finds 'particularly concerning'

What issue did this analyst raise about the bank and how did it respond?

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Key points
  • The ANZ share price closed 0.54% lower today 
  • The ASX 200 Financials Index also finished down nearly 1% 
  • Concerns have been raised about the bank's inaccurate mortgage applications 

An analyst has expressed concern about mortgage applications lodged with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ).

ANZ shares closed at $27.63 on Tuesday, a 0.54% fall. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) finished 0.91% lower. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) also ended the session down 1.93%.

Let's take a look at what this analyst had to say about ANZ.

A man holds his hand under his chin as he concentrates on his laptop screen and reads about the ANZ share price

Image source: Getty Images

Mortgage application concerns

A UBS mortgage survey found more than 50% of people applying for a new mortgage with the ANZ had inaccuracies on their applications, The Australian reported.

UBS analyst John Storey said:

We think this is particularly concerning, given ANZ's persistent declines in mortgage market share, and the fact that 81 per cent of the 93 respondents who misrepresented their ANZ originated loan claim they were advised to do so by their banker.

However, an ANZ spokesman defended the company's loan verification process, the Australian Financial Review reported. He said:

After several years of similar external reports about the quality of applications, our delinquency numbers have gone down, not up.

Our numbers are as good as, if not better, than our peers which provides a strong indicator of ANZ's capacity to accurately verify loan applications

Citi analysts have recently rated ANZ shares as a buy with a price target of $30.75. This is 11% more than the current share price.

ANZ share price summary

The ANZ share price has slipped nearly 4% over the past 12 months, while it is 0.51% in the green year to date.

In the past month, ANZ shares have climbed 0.14% while they are up 0.84% in a week.

The bank has a market capitalisation of $77 billion based on the current share price.

The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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